He has been a key player for the team since his first year in the NPB, and expectations are high for his continued success in the future.

On August 18, Saitama Seibu announced that they had signed a contract with pitcher Trey Wingenter for next season. On June 23, they also announced a contract extra inning with player Tyler Nevin for next season and beyond, so expectations are high for the future success of the foreign players who support the team on both offense and defense.

This time, we’ll be looking at the various indicators that pitcher and Nevin have been recording on the NPB stage. We’ll be introducing the characteristics and strengths of these pitching and batting foreign players who have quickly adapted to NPB since their first year in Japan and continue to work hard as key players, and we hope to see them continue to perform well in the future. (Note: Records are as of the end of the game on August 19th.)

In addition to the high strike out rate he showed on the MLB stage, his control, which had been an issue, has also improved significantly.

The various pitcher metrics that pitcher has recorded in NPB are as follows.

Wingenter pitcher pitcher metrics by year ©PLMWingenter pitcher pitcher metrics by year ©PLM

Wingenter’s greatest strength is pitcher striking out rate, with 58 strike out in 37 inning. strike out rate is also very high at 14.11, and his ability to get struck out on his own with his fastball and slider is a major strength.

He also pitched in 97 games in the MLB, posting a career average of 11.99 strike out per game. It can be said that he has been able to fully demonstrate the same ability he has shown in the Japanese baseball world, struck out out hitter on the world’s highest stage.

In addition, BB rate is also above a certain level at 2.92, meaning he rarely struggles with control and allows runner to accumulate. Furthermore, his K/BB ratio, which is calculated by dividing struck out by Walk and indicates control and pitcher ability, is 4.83, well above the generally considered excellent standard of 3.50, demonstrating his high ability as pitcher.

However, pitcher ‘s career average BB rate in the MLB was 4.72, which suggests that his control was somewhat unstable before coming to Japan. It is natural to think that the dramatic improvement in his control, which was a major issue when he moved to NPB, is what has led to his current success.

The decline in the Walk rate coincides with the NPB environment, where pitching is strong and batting is weak.

Furthermore, Avg this season is .133, and he is not hitting hard. Factors such as a high number of strike out and a low number of BB and hit allowed have combined to produce an excellent WHIP (average number of runner allowed per inning) of 0.76, meaning that he is not allowing runner to hit at all in the first place.

His “BABIP allowed,” which indicates the percentage of batted balls in play that result in Home Run excluding home runs hit, is .212, well below the generally accepted standard of .300. While BABIP allowed is considered an indicator that is largely dependent on luck, with little control over it for pitcher, it should be noted that in recent years, the overall BABIP allowed in NPB has been on a downward trend due to the impact of strong pitching and weak batting.

Since arriving in Japan, pitcher has significantly improved his control, increasing the number of opportunities he has to face hitter without issuing Walk. This, combined with the overall decline in BABIP allowed in NPB, is likely the reason for his dramatic improvement in pitch stability.

He is ranked high in every category of the batting rankings and is demonstrating some of the league’s most productive performance.

The various batting metrics that Nevin has recorded in NPB are as follows.

Nevin's pitcher index by year ©PLMNevin’s pitcher index by year ©PLM

Nevin currently holds a batting average of .288, third in the league, and 114 hit, second in the league, consistently hitting well and leading the batting line-up. Furthermore, it is worth noting that he has played in every game since the start of the season, and has continued to perform well without experiencing any absences since his first year in Japan.

His on-base percentage is also excellent at .362, second in the league, and his IsoD (IsoD), which shows the difference between batting average and on-base percentage, is at a consistent level of .074. Not only does he have a strong hitting style with 48 RBI, third in the league, but his ability to create opportunities also enhances Nevin’s value as hitter.

In addition to his 12 Home Run, which is fourth in the league, his AB/HR ratio, which indicates At Bat Home Run required to hit one home run, is 33.00, which is sixth in the league, showing his ability to hit long balls. Furthermore, he also recorded 22 doble, which is the most in the league, and his slugging percentage of .434, which is fourth in the league, is another point worth noting.

His excellent batting eye and high number of base hits combined to give him the second-best OPS in the league at .797. Not only is he ranked highly in every batting ranking, but various indicators also show that he is one of the most productive hitter in Pacific League, which is a reassuring factor.

His low struck out rate and strong contact ability are also factors in his success.

Another strength of Nevin’s is his excellent contact ability, as evidenced by his 56 struck out in 450 at-Walk. His BB/K ratio, which is an indicator of batting eye and is calculated by dividing walks by struck out, is also above a certain level at .679, proving his excellent ability to control strike zone.

His BABIP, which measures the percentage of batted balls in play that result in hit (excluding Home Run runs), is .306, above the standard of .300, which also aligns with his high contact ability. struck out ‘s characteristics of not striking out often and hitting the ball forward often, combined with his BABIP, which is above a certain level, show that he is producing a lot of hit.
　
During his time in the MLB, he displayed excellent batting eye with a career IsoD of .095, but his career batting average was inconsistent at .204 and his career OPS was not high at .614. His career BABIP of .251 suggests he was not blessed with luck, so it could be argued that he has been able to demonstrate his true potential in the NPB, where he has recorded a BABIP closer to the standard, with his batted balls getting stronger.

A major evolution has taken place since coming to Japan

pitcher control has improved significantly since arriving in Japan, allowing him to fully demonstrate his natural ability to strike out out batters and deliver truly dominant pitch as a setup man. Nevin not only has the powerful hitting expected of a relief player, but also displays excellent contact ability in many areas, making him a highly productive hitter who supports the batting lineup in every aspect.

The Lions are in their first year under manager Fumiya Nishiguchi, and these two players have proven to be indispensable for the team. Keep an eye on the play of these two players, who will likely continue to help the team in crucial situations.

Written by Ryota Mochizuki