Here’s a Thought: And The A’s Best Changeup Is…Santiago Casilla’s?

Hard-throwing Oakland A's righty Santiago Casilla has been lit up in 2009.

He owns a 5.97 ERA, 5.65 FIP, and 4.83 xFIP. None are particularly promising.

Casilla is a prototypical hard-throwing fastball-slider reliever with command issues. You've probably seen many pitchers like him before, and Casilla won't be the last of his ilk either.

He's been the hardest thrower on the A's this year, with an average fastball velocity of 94.3 mph.

However, the pitch has been crushed all season long, coming in at 2.04 runs below average per 100 pitches. That's bad news for a pitcher who throws the heater 65 percent of the time.

Casilla has always earned plaudits from scouts for his slider, which he throws 29 percent of the time. It has fared much better than the fas...

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