Over the past few weeks, we have gone over Whiff% rates on various pitches. However, the vast majority of those have focused on the second half of 2019. Today we expand our look into Whiff% rates, as we look at which pitchers had the highest and lowest Whiff% rates throughout last season.
Most Whiffs on Sliders in 2019
Before we get into the Whiff% rates, let’s take a look at which pitchers induced the most swings and misses on the slider last season. And as you might expect, a familiar face is in the top spot.
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| # | Team | Player | # of Whiffs | # of Swings |
| 1 | Nationals | Patrick Corbin | 342 | 658 |
| t-2 | Astros | Justin Verlander | 231 | 578 |
| t-2 | Tigers | Matthew Boyd | 231 | 532 |
| t-4 | Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw | 216 | 633 |
| t-4 | Diamondbacks | Robbie Ray | 216 | 488 |
Nationals pitcher Patrick Corbin takes the spot, as opposing batters whiffed 342 times off his slider. That number was over 100 swings more than the two pitchers who tied for second, Justin Verlander and Matt Boyd.
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Highest Whiff% on Sliders
In order to qualify for this list, a pitcher must have faced at least 200 swings on the slider against opposing hitters.
Here are the pitchers who had the highest Whiff% rate on the slider last season:
| # | Team | Player | # of Whiffs | # of Swings | Whiff% |
| 1 | Blue Jays | Ken Giles | 111 | 204 | 54.4% |
| 2 | Reds | Amir Garrett | 145 | 267 | 54.3% |
| 3 | Twins | Kyle Gibson | 159 | 302 | 52.6% |
| 4 | Reds | Robert Stephenson | 165 | 316 | 52.2% |
| 5 | Nationals | Patrick Corbin | 342 | 658 | 52.0% |
| 6 | Nationals | Max Scherzer | 159 | 314 | 50.6% |
| 7 | Cardinals | Giovanny Gallegos | 124 | 250 | 49.6% |
| 8 | Indians | Mike Clevinger | 116 | 240 | 48.3% |
| 9 | Orioles | Dylan Bundy | 146 | 305 | 47.9% |
| 10 | Giants | Will Smith | 123 | 259 | 47.5% |
Not only did Corbin induced the most swings and misses off the slider, the lefty finished with the fifth-best Whiff% rate among pitchers who qualified for this list. Also not surprising is that fellow Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, who had yet another dominant season in 2019, finished in sixth.
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Lowest Whiff% on Sliders
| # | Team | Player | # of Whiffs | # of Swings | Whiff% |
| 1 | Athletics | Mike Fiers | 46 | 245 | 18.8% |
| 2 | Reds/Athletics | Tanner Roark | 64 | 304 | 21.1% |
| 3 | Phillies | Zach Eflin | 84 | 378 | 22.2% |
| 4 | Red Sox | Rick Porcello | 65 | 292 | 22.3% |
| 5 | Tigers | Jordan Zimmermann | 71 | 310 | 22.9% |
| 6 | Athletics | Brett Anderson | 62 | 264 | 23.5% |
| 7 | Rangers | Mike Minor | 73 | 310 | 23.5% |
| 8 | Cardinals | Miles Mikolas | 79 | 328 | 24.1% |
| 9 | Angels | Jaime Barria | 83 | 341 | 24.3% |
| 10 | Indians | Adam Plutko | 53 | 211 | 25.1% |
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