Sonny Gray has dazzled hitters in his initial three outings this season. Since his return from injury, he has taken the mound thrice, keeping opponents scoreless for a remarkable 17 innings. The Cardinals’ acquisition in the offseason has lived up to expectations, delivering a stellar performance.
With a stellar 1.04 ERA, ranking eighth in the league, Gray has been a dominant presence on the field. Remarkably, he has only issued a single walk in 64 faced batters, boasting the league’s best walk percentage. His strikeout prowess is equally impressive, with 23 strikeouts and a 35.9 percent strikeout rate, placing him fifth in the league. His success stems from precise pitching and a diverse arsenal, making him one of the season’s standout pitchers.
Cardinals’ president of baseball operations expressed satisfaction with Gray’s performance, stating it has injected energy into the team’s clubhouse as anticipated.
John Mozeliak as the #STLCards start the season 9-12 and search for some sustained momentum on offense: "I have confidence we'll get to where we need to go. … There's a lot of confidence still in this clubhouse. There's a lot of frustration, no doubt about it." pic.twitter.com/3PcPxSuzqO
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) April 21, 2024
Gray presents batters with a significant dilemma: the uncertainty of his next pitch. In every game this season, he has showcased one of six different pitches. Among these are his four-seam fastball, curveball, cutter, sweeper, sinker, and occasional changeup.
Sonny Gray’s Return From Injury Has Been Key
Gray relies heavily on his fastball, using it nearly 28 percent of the time. With an average speed of 92.7 mph and a 14.3 percent whiff rate, it’s not necessarily his knockout pitch but rather sets the stage for his entire repertoire. The effectiveness of his other pitches often stems from the fastball’s setup.
His curveball, in particular, is wreaking havoc on batters, with a staggering 47.4 percent whiff rate. Coming in at an average speed of 80.1 mph after his fastball, there’s a notable speed difference of over 12 mph. Additionally, it typically drops nearly 58 inches from his release point. Remarkably, despite throwing his curveball 50 times across three starts in 2024, no batter has managed to get a hit off it according to Baseball Savant. Gray frequently deploys it on two-strike counts, resulting in strikeouts two-thirds of the time.
Sonny Gray, Filth. 🌞 pic.twitter.com/EKdK9oeldh
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 21, 2024
Gray also boasts three other significant pitches in his arsenal. His sweeper, known for its sharp cuts and breaks, surpasses the league average in both horizontal and vertical movement. His cutter entices batters to swing and miss nearly 29.2 percent of the time. While his sinker exhibits below-average movement in both directions, its velocity of 93.3 mph—faster than his fastball—makes it a formidable weapon. Despite being his fifth most used pitch, its effectiveness lies in its 11 inches more of horizontal movement compared to his fastball, keeping batters guessing. Although Gray’s changeup is thrown only 3.9 percent of the time, it induces a staggering 40 percent whiff rate from opposing batters.
Batters generating weak contact
Gray’s diverse pitch selection effectively prevents batters from making solid contact, with only 2.5 percent of their contact resulting in optimal launch angles and exit velocities—a figure that ranks 16th lowest in MLB. Additionally, batters manage to hit the ball at speeds of 95 mph or higher only 27.5 percent of the time against Gray, placing him 13th best in the league in this regard. His ability to induce swings and misses is equally impressive, with batters whiffing on 31.9 percent of their swings, placing him in the top 12 percent of pitchers in the league.
Despite Gray’s strong performances, the Cardinals struggle to provide him with adequate run support. In his two victories, the team scored three runs each time, while in his loss, they were shut out entirely. In the game he lost, a two-run single in the seventh inning resulted in the defeat. Manager Oliver Marmol acknowledged Gray’s efforts, emphasizing his ability to provide length on the mound and keep the team in contention, but lamented the lack of offensive production from the Cardinals.
Oli Marmol as the #STLCards drop their fourth straight: "Frustrating weekend. … It's frustrating. Sonny [Gray] did a really nice job today. Did exactly what we needed." pic.twitter.com/h40Fty4nGE
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) April 21, 2024
The Cardinals have faced ongoing challenges with their offense throughout the season, a recurring theme for the team. Nevertheless, Gray expresses optimism regarding the lineup.
“I believe something will fall into place,” Gray commented on the offense. “I’m not sure when or where it will originate from. It’s not something we can rush, but eventually, something will fall into place, and we’ll see it come together.”
