San Diego Padres: Dinelson Lamet continues to impress

The San Diego Padres are fortunate to have had several starters fly under the radar and impress this season. One of these hurlers is right-hander Dinelson Lamet.

While pitching has been disappointing for the 2017 Padres, Dinelson Lamet has been a shining star.

The 25 year-old Dominican has pitched fantastic this season, and shown potential to be the future ace in San Diego.

Second Half

During his rookie campaign, Lamet struggled in the first half. Before the all star break, Lamet had an ERA of 5.93, and gave up 7 earned runs in back to back starts during June. Since July 23rd, Lamet has pitched fantastic and not given up more than 3 runs in a single start. Since August 26th (Lamet’s last 4 starts) he has pitch at least 6.0 innings in each and posted a 1.88 ERA. He has also recorded 28 strikeouts during this time period. Sadly, Lamet has received minimal run support during this stretch, and is 0-2.

More from Friars on Base

• Padres News: Fernando Tatis Jr. trade rumors, Seth Lugo chase, Manny Machado
• Padres barely missed out on high-end veteran starting pitcher
• This veteran DH target seems ideal for contending Padres roster
• Padres got steal with Xander Bogaerts after Carlos Correa’s mega-deal
• Failed Padres top prospect makes stunning return with minor league deal

Reasons for Success

Lamet’s success could be attributed by many positive adjustments made in the second half. First off, during his last four starts Lamet has only allowed two home runs. Secondly, he has a ground ball rate of .55. Lamet has also been incredibly clutch this season and with a full count, opponents are hitting .057 against the young star. The main reason for Lamet’s success is his wipeout slider. In 2017 Lamet has thrown his slider 39.5% of the time. Opponents are hitting .132 against the slider this season. Of Lamet’s 128 strikeouts this season, 78 are from the slider.

Next: Offseason relief pitching predictions

Future expectations

Lamet’s 7-7 record does not justify how impressive he has been in 2017. Thus far in his rookie season, Lamet has posted a respectable 0.8 WAR. With the addition of some offseason strength training, this number should only increase in the future. Unless the Padres sign a quality starting pitcher in the offseason, Lamet has proven that he deserves the 1 or 2 slot in the 2018 Padres rotation.