Eno Sarris

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Eno Sarris

Stuff alone doesn't make a pitcher, especially a starting pitcher who has to continue to be successful even when the hitter sees them a second and third time that day. Even if having good stuff can put you on the right pathway to success, there are all sorts of secondary concerns about how those pitches fit together, how those pitches will get lefties and righties out, and how many of those pitches can be relied upon when the pitcher is behind in the count - those things matter, too.

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Eno Sarris

When Juan Soto steps to the plate this weekend in the Subway Series, he'll be missing something. Not the camaraderie of his former New York Yankees teammates, or the protection of any legendary right-handed hitters - research suggests that protection comes from people being on base in front of you more than who's hitting behind you - and certainly not any zeroes in the bank account. What he'll be missing is some bat speed. Soto's bat speed is down more than almost any other major-league hitter.

4 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Eno Sarris

4 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Eno Sarris

In 2023, Juan Soto spent March and April hitting .202 with a good on-base percentage (always!) but not great power - only five homers and three doubles in 126 plate appearances. This, coming off a September in 2022 that saw him hit .220 with three homers and five doubles, might have led some to think there wasn't anything that legendary about his bat going forward. From May 1 to the end of the 2023 season, Soto hit .290 with a .418 OBP and a .548 SLG, built on 30 homers and 29 doubles.

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Eno Sarris

We're a little over a month into the season. In terms of sample, it's not a lot. The smart play on most struggling players or teams is just to point to the track record, point to the expectations, point to the things that have been true longer than a month and expect those things to be true again. But it's also far enough into the season where some indicators are starting to show us signals. Some players and teams are already telling us that something is wrong.