Ken Lazarus

The Brewers are one win from their first World Series title. Game 3 was Robert Gasser’s night: one hit over six innings and an 81.1 Command Index Score, above his regular season. His sweeper was the sharpest pitch of the game. For Freddy Peralta, the misses were costly. When his fastball missed, it missed by about 17 inches, roughly double his other fastballs, and that led to walks and deep counts. One bright spot: his changeup was back to 83.2, up from 75.4 earlier in October. Tonight, Griffin Jax gets the ball with Tampa Bay’s season on the line. His changeup was one of the best-commanded in baseball this season, 97th percentile, and it’s been even sharper in October (85.8). Let's see if the Rays can get back in this series.

The Brewers’ bullpen has been dominant this postseason, led by Trevor Megill and Aaron Ashby: a 1.24 ERA, with opponents hitting .164. Here’s what our Command Tracker data shows behind it. Trevor Megill: his knuckle curve was one of the best-commanded in baseball this season, 97th percentile in our Command Index Score. It’s been even sharper in October (86.7, up from 84.3). Aaron Ashby: he hasn’t allowed a run in 15⅔ innings to start the postseason. His curveball has been more precise this October than in the regular season. The fastballs: Brewers relievers have located their fastballs better this October than they did all season. Our Command Index Score measures how precisely a pitcher hits his intended target on every pitch, using standard video. The MLB average is about 80.

Before Game 1, we said it would come down to fastball command. It did. Nick Martinez’s fastball location had slipped in October. Last night it came back: his best Command Index Score of the postseason (84.7), with his cutter and sinker back to regular-season form. After two runs in the first, he didn’t allow another. Jacob Misiorowski located his four-seamer better than at any point this postseason (84.7, above his regular season). He went five strong, and the Brewers’ bullpen closed it out. Tonight’s Game 2 is a different story: a changeup duel. Drew Rasmussen and Logan Henderson, the most precise starters on each side this October, are both locating their changeups better than they did all season. The pitch I’m watching is Rasmussen’s cutter, his best in the regular season, which has slipped a little in October. Our Command Index Score measures how precisely a pitcher hits his intended target on every pitch, using standard video. #WorldSeries #MLB #Rays #Brewers #BaseballAnalytics

Crunch time is here as we approach the MLB Trade Deadline. Last season, we tracked how pitchers’ command trends translated after the deadline. In several cases, improving command helped identify pitchers positioned to perform well following a trade, while declining command provided an early warning that a pitcher may not have been at the top of his game and in some instances, was later connected to an injury. This year, we’re tracking the market again. Here are five pitchers teams should be taking a closer look at and five whose recent Command Index trends suggest buyer beware.

We're looking forward to the @MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando next month. Our team will be meeting with clubs, partners, and media to share the latest advancements in video-based ball tracking, command analysis, and biomechanics. If you’ll be attending, we’d welcome the chance to connect.

Command Tracker Free Agent Analysis @zacgallen23 13–15 record and 4.83 ERA belied strong underlying metrics including a Fastball and overall Command Index of 79% as well as a 4.50 FIP and 1.26 WHIP. These metrics suggest Gallen’s record was affected by external factors, random variation and even some bad luck. The data showing Gallen has above-average pitch execution and he consistently hits his spots points to a likely rebound, meaning he could be undervalued. With a qualifying offer extended (and likely declined), Gallen enters free agency as a coveted, durable mid-rotation starter poised for a bounce-back.