Give Fried His Flowers
Max Fried was a star among stars in his start against “the best lineup in history” last night. In a city famous for showbiz, Max Fried put on a performance worthy of the national stage he was standing on.
On the mound in Chavez Ravine as a visitor - the loneliest place in Hollywood - he made a stacked Dodgers lineup look like an opponent he’d face as a prep star 20 miles away at Harvard Westlake High School.
In seven innings of work Fried struck out eight, walked none, & only allowed two to reach base. In 93 pitches thrown, 62 were strikes. He led all pitchers with 13 swing & misses while also having the three hardest thrown pitches of the night (97.2 mph, 97.1 mph, 97 mph). Also leading all players in WPA with a +32.9; the second-leading WPA was +9.7 by Orlando Arcia.
The Braves pitchers as a whole limited the Dodgers to a .152 xBA.
Cy Young
If Max Fried is a top-5 Cy Young candidate for the National League at the All-Star Break, he will win the Cy Young (barring injury).
Here’s why: in his career, post All-Star Break, he’s 17-6 with a 2.62 ERA with 2 complete game shutouts in 32 starts. In 199 career innings pitched after the ASB, he’s logged 203 strikeouts while only surrendering 58 earned runs, 17 home runs, & 53 bases on balls.
The Braves also have thirteen games against American League clubs after this year’s ASB, an entire league that Max Fried as never lost to.
In 10 career starts against the American League (regular season), he’s only surrendered one home run in 63.1 innings pitched; while striking out 62 with a complete game shutout and an ERA of 1.56.
In short, he’s the American League’s daddy.
Pair that with his 2022 so far, in which he owns a 17:1 K/BB ratio, a 23.9 K%, a WHIP of 1.00, a 1.49 FIP, and a 8.5 K/9 without giving up a home run…
All signs point toward: Best Starting Pitcher in the National League.