After years of speculation, the MLB officially began to implement a pitch clock for this season.
Pitchers are only allowed 15 seconds between pitches when the bases are empty and 20 seconds when runners are on base and the games are much faster.
Last season, we predicted ten pitchers who would likely become most impacted by the rule change. This season, using the pitch tempo data provided by Statcast, we were able to track which players have seen the biggest dips in their tempo on the mound. Here is how it works:
“Pitch tempo measures the median time between pitches (in other words pitch release to pitch release). Only pitches that follow a take (called strike or called ball) and are thrown to the same batter are considered for this metric.”
Note that this timer adds about six seconds more than the actual pitch timer used by umpires.
Using this data, meanwhile, we were able to determine which pitchers are operating at a faster tempo between each pitch while on the mound.
While we cannot assess that correlation equals causation, we also compared the expected weighted on-base average for each pitcher to track their year-over-year progress or regression.
This is why we chose that particular metric for evaluation (via MLB.com):
“xwOBA is more indicative of a player’s skill than regular wOBA, as xwOBA removes defense from the equation. Hitters, and likewise pitchers, are able to influence exit velocity and launch angle but have no control over what happens to a batted ball once it is put into play.”
Here are the ten players whose pitch tempo has been most impacted by the pitch clock rule change. The number next to each name indicates how much shorter the tempo is between each pitch for the player compared to last year.
RELATED: What are the MLB pitch clock rules? Breaking down the details, violations and more
10
Josh Hader (6.60 seconds)
Team: Padres
Pitcher Timer Violations: 1
| YEAR | Pitch Tempo (seconds) | xwOBA |
| 2022 | 22.1 | .292 |
| 2023 | 15.3 | .217 |
Before the season, Hader opened up about the pitch clock rule change (via Friars on Base):
“Growing up playing baseball, we’ve always been taught and told to slow the game down and be able to really just stay in your moment and not let the game speed up on you,” Hader said. “Obviously now with the pitch clock, you don’t have that option to just slow the game down.”
But he didn’t think it would make too much of a change for him on the mound. He continued:
“It’s just one of those things that you got to get your practice in and get those mental reps and get your internal clock readjusted,” Hader said. “I don’t think it really has made a big difference to whether you’re going to execute a pitch or not. I don’t think it changed that aspect of the game.”
Meanwhile, here is what he said about the transition he noticed once the season began (via The Athletic):
“It’s not bad,” Hader said. “I mean, I think the (15-second clock with) runners off is a little short, right? … I don’t have any hate on it or anything like that, but I do think there are some times where you may need a little bit extra time to just slow the game down.
“But overall, it’s nice because there’s not much thinking to it. It’s just you go with what your gut says on what pitch you want to throw and you just attack the zone.”
It is worth noting that he operates at a fast tempo (quicker than 15 seconds) with runners on base on 21.8 percent of pitches, one of the most frequent rates of any pitcher in the MLB. For comparison, last season, he didn’t have a single “fast tempo” pitch with runners on.
Hader actually has the most improved year-over-over xwOBA (-.075) of any qualified pitcher in the MLB.
His xBA, xSLG%, K%, hard hit percentage and chase rate all rank in the 99th percentile or better so far this season. Hader is one of the most dominant pitchers in the majors.
9
Kenley Jansen (6.65 seconds)
Team: Red Sox
Pitcher Timer Violations: 3
| YEAR | Pitch Tempo (Seconds) | xwOBA |
| 2022 | 25.6 | .239 |
| 2023 | 18.9 | .265 |
Kenley Jansen is a vocal opponent of the pitch clock. He said the idea was “ridiculous” in 2018. The reliever has spoken candidly about his distaste for the pitch clock (via The Athletic):
“If you ask me honestly, I think it should never be there,” Jansen said. “But it’s a game of adjustments. I’m not going to complain about it. If you ask me personally, ‘if you were commissioner, what would you do?’ I think we’re going a little bit too far from the game. But I get it. Maybe 162 games, you get sick and tired of it, when games are three or four hours — that’s not helping, either.”
Especially with the bases empty, Jansen still operates at the slowest tempo (18.9 seconds) of any pitcher in the MLB.
He is making some changes, however. For example, the reliever threw at a slow tempo on a league-high 22.0 percent of pitches with no runners on last season. This season, that rate has decreased to 0.7 percent, which is the most significant drop for any player.
Jansen also regularly threw at a “slow” tempo (55.1 percent) when he had runners on base last season. This season, meanwhile, that rate has dropped down to just 2.6 percent, which is the second-most significant percentage change in the MLB.
Still, this hasn’t come easy for Jansen. In fact, he was called for three pitch clock violations in the same inning earlier this season during a blown save.
8
Taylor Rogers (6.87 seconds)
Team: Giants
Pitcher Timer Violations: 2
| YEAR | Pitch Tempo (Seconds) | xwOBA |
| 2022 | 22.3 | .314 |
| 2023 | 15.4 | .284 |
Rogers said that one of the reasons why his tempo was slow last season is because he was used during the ninth inning (via The Athletic):
“They just take their time in the ninth inning,” he said. “That’s why all guys who pitch their inning in the ninth are slow. I felt like I was waiting on hitters all year. So it’s not going to be a problem for me.”
While it’s unclear if it’s the faster pace or otherwise, the results have looked good for Rogers so far this season.
Opposing batters are making solid contact with Rogers significantly less than they did last season, which is currently the second-largest percentage change (6.4 percent) of any pitcher in the MLB.
His xBA (93rd percentile) ranks as one of the best in the majors, per Baseball Savant.
7
Paul Sewald (6.88 seconds)
Team: D-Backs
Pitcher Timer Violations: 1
| YEAR | Pitch Tempo (Seconds) | xwOBA |
| 2022 | 21.5 | .254 |
| 2023 | 14.6 | .235 |
Before the season began, Sewald admitted that his tempo was the “slowest” on the team. But the 33-year-old has not had much trouble adjusting to the new style.
Sewald threw at a fast tempo on just 0.3 percent of pitches with the bases empty last season. That has increased that rate to 56.9 percent, one of the largest increases of any pitcher in the MLB.
His strikeout percentage (98th percentile) and xBA (99th percentile) both rank among the most elite in the majors as well, per Baseball Savant.
6
Devin Williams (6.98 seconds)
Team: Brewers
Pitcher Timer Violations: 2
| YEAR | Pitch Tempo (Seconds) | xwOBA |
| 2022 | 24.7 | .223 |
| 2023 | 17.7 | .259 |
Before the season began, Williams was asked about the pitch clock (via MLB.com):
“I don’t typically rush, other guys work faster than me,” Williams said. “But that was a part of the game. I guess it won’t be anymore.”
He threw at a slow tempo on a league-high 17.6 percent of pitches with no runners on last season. This season, that rate has decreased to 1.6 percent, which ranks as the fourth-most significant drop of any player.
Similarly, Williams often threw at a “slow” tempo (51.7 percent) when he had runners on base last season. But this season, he has not thrown a single pitch with a slow tempo while having runners aboard. That is the third-most significant decrease in the MLB.
Williams has allowed hard hits (26.7 percent) less often than all but four players in the majors. He is having a comparably successful season this year as he did last year.
5
Emilio Pagán (7.00 seconds)
Team: Twins
Pitcher Timer Violations: 1
| YEAR | Pitch Tempo (Seconds) | xwOBA |
| 2022 | 23.8 | .307 |
| 2023 | 16.8 | .312 |
While the tempo has increased on the mound for Emilio Pagán, the results have been comparably bad on the field when he is pitching. He has allowed hard hits on 47.4 percent of his pitches, which is one of the highest rates in the majors.
4
Tanner Houck (7.01 seconds)
Team: Red Sox
Pitcher Timer Violations: 1
| YEAR | Pitch Tempo (Seconds) | xwOBA |
| 2023 | 20.3 | .305 |
| 2022 | 13.3 | .307 |
Earlier in the season, Tanner Houck spoke about why he actually likes the pitch clock (via NESN.com):
“I don’t really think about it, honestly. … Now I just think it’s part of the flow of where I’m at. I think the pitch clock obviously got everyone in that mindset of working a little bit quicker. I don’t mind working quick. I think it’s better for me and just the way I attack.
For me, wherever I sit back and think about in between pitches for too long, start raddling ahead, overthinking things. …. But instead of just getting a hitter and just ripping my best stuff.”
Houck threw at a fast tempo on just 2.0 percent of pitches with the bases empty last season but has increased that rate to 79.5 percent, the second-largest increase of any pitcher in the MLB.
Houck is also throwing strikes on the first pitch far more often this season, up 6.2 percentage points from last season. His overall productivity, however, has remained mostly unchanged.
For what it is worth: Houck hasn’t pitched since June as he recovers from an injury.
3
Aroldis Chapman (7.72 seconds)
Team: Rangers
Pitcher Timer Violations: 2
| YEAR | Pitch Tempo (Seconds) | xwOBA |
| 2022 | 24.4 | .326 |
| 2023 | 17.0 | .227 |
Aroldis Chapman still operates at a slow tempo with the bases empty (2.7 percent) more often than all but one pitcher in the MLB. He has, however, totally changed his approach.
For example, last season, Chapman had a slow tempo with runners on base on 37.3 percent of his pitch opportunities. That has now dropped to just 1.0 percent, which is good for the fourth-most significant change of any player in the MLB.
While it is unclear if the pitch tempo has impacted his success on the mound, Chapman has enjoyed a resurgence in 2023. His fastball velocity ranks in the 100th percentile and he is back to casually throwing 104 MPH.
2
Kyle Finnegan (7.82 seconds)
Team: Nationals
Pitcher Timer Violations: 5
| YEAR | Pitch Tempo (seconds) | xwOBA |
| 2022 | 25.5 | .283 |
| 2023 | 17.8 | .316 |
Last season, Kyle Finnegan spoke about why he used so much time on the pitch clock (via MASN Sports)
“A lot of it, for me, is just trying to think about the situation as a whole, what I want to throw to that guy in that particular moment,” Finnegan said. “And then really just that one extra breath. That one extra moment to make sure you give that pitch your best effort.
“But I could easily go faster if need be.”
He has, indeed, gone much faster this year when on the mound for the Nationals. This has, at times, worked to his advantage.
Finnegan is forcing opposing batters to swing at the first pitch far more often this season relative to last season, recording one of the largest percentage increases (6.4 percent) of any qualified pitcher in the majors.
However, he is also one of the leaders in pitch clock violations so far this season. He has seen a decent uptick in his xwOBA as well, which is not a great sign.
1
Giovanny Gallegos (8.84 seconds)
Team: Cardinals
Pitcher Timer Violations: 3
| YEAR | Pitch Tempo (Seconds) | xwOBA |
| 2022 | 25.8 | .267 |
| 2023 | 16.9 | .302 |
Before the season, Gallegos said he was “making adjustments” to his windup so that he could feel prepared for the rule change.
No one had a slower pitch tempo with the bases empty than Gallegos (25.8 seconds) last season. During the preseason, he predicted a tough change (via MLB.com):
“It’s hard for me. It’s a new experience and a big challenge for me,” Gallegos said. “I am trying to make some adjustments about the timing, but it’s a big change.”
Gallegos was absolutely right: No one has seen a more dramatic change in their pitch tempo.
He threw at a slow tempo on 20.2 percent of pitches with no runners on last season. This season, that rate has decreased to 1.1 percent, which ranks as the second-most significant drop of any player.
Similarly, with runners on base, no one had a “slow” tempo more often (55.9 percent) either. This season, however, he has not once thrown at a slow tempo with runners on base. That is the largest percentage decrease of any player in the majors.
But the results haven’t always led to success on the field for Gallegos. He has allowed hard hits far more often than last season, unfortunately, and the 10.4 percentage increase is one of the highest in the MLB.
