Well, strikeout rate is the most important single thing. Strikeout to walk ratio isn’t a single thing… but if you could know TWO things, it’d be a guiy’s strikeout and walk rates. Maddux was consistently a bit over the league average in strikeouts when he was in his (long) prime. Glavine was about league average. Crafty lefties can strike out slightly fewer men than righties, for what reason I do not fully understand.
Do right handed pitchers do any better against left handed hitters?
I wonder if it’s just because there have been more crafty lefties than crafty righties. Left-handed pitching being somewhat of a novelty, maybe the soft tossing Glavines, Buehrles and Moyers of the world get more opportunities because the flame throwing lefties (Randy Johnson, Chris Sale) are not as plentiful as their right handed counterparts. Just a guess, but I can’t really think of a lot of truly “crafty” right handed pitchers other than Greg Maddux.
Kyle Hendricks is a “crafty” right-hander. He tops out at what, 92? I believe his average fastball speed is the lowest in the majors.
He won the ERA title a few years ago and has not given up an earned run in his last three starts.
I don’t know what his K/inning ratio is, but I get the impression he pitches to contact. One of his recent games he induced 5 DP grounders. There’s a case to be made that that’s better than laboring through 8-pitch at bats to get Ks.
So, yes, it can be done.
5.29 so far this season, 3.71 career.
ETA: oops, that’s his SO/BB ratio.
SO/9 is 7.9 this season, 7.6 career