Caveball’s “breakouts” combine pitchers with upside, who are generally under the key age of 27 and displayed better numbers in the second half of 2014, with the highly touted elite arms who will have their innings limit removed for the coming year.
2014 produced a league average WHIP of 1.28, the lowest since 1972.Major league pitchers may vary to a degree on when they begin to perform at their absolute optimum, but the big leap in their career, or “breakout”, generally occurs in their 3rd or 4th season.This is the year when their talent combines with their experience to create a kind of magic. The experience could be anything from learning how to hide their pitches better, to getting to know hitters’ weaknesses, to dealing with the pressure of being a major league pitcher both on and off the field, and so on.