With Edwin Diaz heading to the Mets, let's appreciate his filthy fastball-slider combo
On Saturday night, the Mets and Mariners agreed to a trade sending second baseman
He did it thanks to a fastball/slider combination that was virtually unhittable. Opponents only hit .160 against Diaz in 2018, and even then it's a wonder they even did that well. It's common for closers to rely on just two pitches, but this looks almost unfair:
Edwin Díaz, 97mph Fastball and 91mph Slider, Overlay with Tails. pic.twitter.com/wDtx28C2ZW
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 16, 2018
Thanks to that combination, Diaz struck out 44.3 percent of batters he faced in 2018, with the slider carrying a strikeout rate over 50 percent. Those numbers just can't be right, can they?
Edwin Diaz, 99mph Fastball and 90mph Slider, Overlay.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 26, 2018
😳😂 pic.twitter.com/JvC98baUkF
Well, they make a little more sense now. The National League better get ready.