Phillies 2015 Best Pitches, Part II

Jul 18, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA;

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Diekman (63) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Marlins 3-1.

(Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)

3. Jake Diekman‘s slider: .143/.222/.079

Diekman had more than his share of troubles last year in what was an extremely disappointing four months in Philadelphia. He struggled at times with his control, and looked very much like a guy who needed a change of scenery.

Once his trade to Texas happened (along with some throw-in, Cole something….), Diekman took off and dominated the way most believed he was capable of performing. His fastball ticked up, his BAA went down, and he became a solid lefty piece for the division champion Rangers.

While he was here in Philly, most fans and observers were enamored with his fastball. After all, left handers who throw 99mph aren’t exactly found on the street corners. Yet it proves to be his slider that was, when on, his most effective pitch.

Diekman’s slider generated whiffs almost 21% of the time, nearly double what his fastball was generating. As you can see from the slash-line numbers above next to his name, hitters couldn’t do much with it when they did make contact, which wasn’t very often (10.66% of those swung at were put in play).

While Diekman could certainly be frustrating to watch (though he probably should have been a LOOGY earlier than he was), there’s no doubt that one of this pitches was dominating when it was on.

Next: 2015 Phillies 2nd Most Effective Pitch