Edwin Diaz's fastball velocity -- and usage -- ticked up on Monday
As Edwin Diaz carved through the St. Louis Cardinals in order on Monday night to secure the Mets' 4-3 victory -- and bounce back from Sunday's blown save -- two things stood out.
First, it was the continued uptick in the velocity of Diaz's fastball.
Second, it was Diaz's usage of the fastball, which has been down a bit this season and basically disappeared against the Rays on Sunday in Tampa.
The 3-2, two-out slider Diaz hung against Randy Arozarena on Sunday -- that was clubbed over the left field wall for a game-tying homer -- was one of 15 sliders Diaz threw in that outing, compared to just two fastballs.
Of the two fastballs Diaz threw on Sunday, one was a called strike and one was a swinging strike. But it was clear he favored the slider in a big way, and that over-reliance eventually did him in.
On Tuesday, Diaz took a different approach.
Of the 11 pitches he threw, six were fastballs and five were sliders.
All three swinging strikes Diaz induced against the Cards came on fastballs. The one called strike was on a slider, and St. Louis did not make any hard contact as Diaz retired the side on a strikeout and two soft ground outs.
Now, about the fastball velocity...
After averaging a career-high 99.1 mph with the pitch in 2022, it has been down a bit this season as Diaz regains his form after missing all of 2023 due to a brutal knee injury that required surgery.
But the fastball velocity is increasing.
A few weeks ago, Diaz's average fastball velocity for the season was 96.4 mph. Now, it's up to 96.9 mph.
On Monday against the Cardinals, most of the fastballs Diaz threw were 97 or 98 mph, with him averaging 97.4 mph and topping out at 98.1 mph. On Sunday, Diaz's fastball topped out at 98.3 mph.
All of this is to say that Diaz, while not quite at his 2022 levels when it comes to velocity, is starting to get there.
He's also been utterly dominant even without the extra few ticks on the heater.
Diaz's xERA, xBA, average exit velocity allowed, whiff percentage, and strikeout percentage are all in the 98th or 99th percentile. His hard hit rate is in the 95th percentile, and his fastball velocity is in the 93rd percentile.
