Tyler Kennedy had an unique season with Bradenton in 2024
Righty threw plenty of 'wild events' but stuff all graded out well
Tyler Kennedy was selected out of Florida SouthWestern State College in the 19th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. Before that, he pitched at the University of Pittsburgh.
He pitched in Bradenton during the 2024 season with the Marauders and had some notable moments there.
Kennedy struck out 31 batters in 22 innings. Three of his pitches were graded above average on TJStats. His curveball was one of the best breaking pitches in the entire FSL, getting a whiff rate of 70%.
But then, in it lies where things got interesting for Kennedy. None of his four pitches was thrown in the strike zone more than 40% of the time, and the curveball that he missed so many bats with was only in the strike zone 23.3% of the time.
Kennedy also walked hitters right at two per nine innings (43 BB in 22 IP). He also hit nine batters and threw 13 wild pitches.
That’s 26.5 ‘wild events’ per nine innings pitched or 26.5 WE/9 (Yes, I just made that up).
In the wild back and forth that was his season, Kennedy had five games where every out he recorded was a strikeout. On June 29 against Clearwater, he faced four batters, walked three, and hit another. He had more games with three or more walks (8) than without (6).
The stuff can be excellent. You just have to wonder how much of that control he can reel in when it’s been a recurring issue going back to his college days.
Kennedy isn’t the only player with some extreme wildness to his game. Using the same formula I did above, here are some of the other leaders in the system when it comes to Wild Events/9 (not including DSL players):
Carlos Mateo
WE/9 - 20.7
Although he has a fastball that can reach triple-digits, Mateo only struck out 21 batters in 23 innings pitched with the Florida Complex League Pirates.
In those 21 innings, Mateo walked 35, hit 10 batters, and threw eight wild pitches.
Jose Garces
WE/9 - 17.8
Control has been an issue for Garces since being signed by the Pirates. He’s spent the last three years in the FCL, and his walk rate ballooned to a career-high 27.4%. In 23.2 innings pitched, Garces walked 32, hit six, and threw eight wild pitches. He did all of that against 117 batters.
Hunter Furtado
WE/9 - 12.4
The Pirates’ sixth-round pick in 2023, Furtado, flashed a strong change-up but also had more walks (51) than strikeouts (45) and innings pitched (47). He also threw 11 wild pitches and hit three batters.
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WE/9! Genius!!
Love WE/9 also!
My question is how do they improve? 3 years in FCL… is it offseason work solely by players or are there pitching coaches putting actual plans together for them?