Starting Pitcher Notes (6/22): Framber Valdez, Kyle Bradish, Kumar Rocker, and Brandon Woodruff.
Corbin Young examines several starting pitchers from Monday, June 22nd.
Framber Valdez, SP, Tigers
Detroit Tigers’ starting pitcher Framber Valdez was one of the pitchers who projected to improve based on the OOPSY Rest of the Season Projections. Valdez threw a quality start against the Yankees (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO).
🤪Valdez’s sinker weirdly generated a 17.1% swinging-strike rate on Monday, as he pounded the zone with sinkers 61% of the time. The zone rate is similar to his season-long averages, but that’s a significantly higher swinging-strike rate, over three times his career average (4.9%).
🪝Right- and left-handed hitters were chasing and whiffing against Valdez’s curveball, leading to a 16.7% swinging-strike rate, 33% zone rate, and a 40% chase rate. Not only was Valdez’s curveball generating whiffs, but it was landing for called strikes (40%) and first-pitch strikes (83%).
Valdez lost groundballs and whiffs this season, but the longer track record tells us to be patient.
Kyle Bradish, SP, Orioles
Baltimore Orioles’ starting pitcher Kyle Bradish was due for better results based on his skills. Bradish threw an 8-inning quality start with zero earned runs, 6 hits, 1 walk, and 9 strikeouts against the Angels.
✍️He had a 12.9% swinging-strike rate and a 34% ball rate on Monday against the Angels. That’s notably better than Bradish’s 10.8% swinging-strike rate and a 38.9% ball rate in 2026 before Monday.
🛝Bradish’s velocity was up over 1 mph across his four pitches, including an increase of 1.7 mph via the slider. That led to Bradish’s slider losing 1 inch of downward movement and 5 inches of glove-side sweep with the additional velocity. He was throwing his slider low and below the zone (20% zone rate) while opposing hitters chased them 46% of the time. Bradish had a 37.2% zone rate and a 38.3% chase rate via the slider in 2026.
2025 might’ve been an outlier for Bradish, but there’s still an above-average starting pitcher within the range of outcomes.
Kumar Rocker, SP, Rangers
Texas Rangers’ Kumar Rocker set a career high with 20 whiffs on Monday against the Marlins, as a follower after Tyler Alexander. Rocker boasted a 26.3% swinging-strike rate and a 34% ball rate on Monday.
🛝Rocker’s slider was cooking with a 43.6% swinging-strike rate against the Marlins. His slider led his arsenal against RHH (55%) and LHH (50%) on Monday. Rocker’s slider usage is slightly more than his pitch percentage to RHH (39%) and LHH (37.4%).
🪫Rocker was peppering his slider low and below the zone, given his 26% zone rate and 55% chase rate. For context, Rocker’s slider zone rate was at 37.4% with a 37.7% chase rate this season.
I’ve been intrigued by Rocker’s slider stuff in the past, but it’s hard to predict a one-pitch pitcher.
Brandon Woodruff, SP, Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers’ starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff made his return off the injured list, throwing six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts, 1 hit, and zero walks across an efficient 79 pitches against the Reds.
✍️Woodruff had a 12.7% swinging-strike rate and a 33% ball rate against the Reds. That’s somewhat similar to his career ball rate (33%) and swinging-strike rate (12.4%).
⏩Woodruff’s heater led his arsenal with a 14.6% swinging-strike rate. He threw his four-seamer in the zone 56% of the time, mostly in the upper third. Woodruff’s four-seamer elicited a 13% career swinging-strike rate while throwing them in the zone 59.5% of the time.
Woodruff’s four-seam (104) and slider (115) Stuff+ lead his arsenal, as the only two pitches with an above-average Stuff+ grade. It’s hard to fade those results from Woodruff, rewarding patient fantasy managers.