If you go back to 2011 CC Sabathia was one of the top pitchers in baseball. He compiled a 19-8 record with a 3.00 ERA and striking out 230 in 237.2 innings of work. He has been a great work horse for the Yankees as he has pitched 1116 innings in just 5 seasons. In 2013 he had his worst season since 2002 with the Cleveland Indians. He went 14-13 this season and only struck out 175 in 211 innings pitched. But what happened?
An easy factor to blame is his workload as he is only 33 but has piled up 2775.1 innings pitched in 13 season for an average of 211 per season. His decline in stats is also to blame as his FIP has shown he is much bitter with a 3.76 xFIP and his BB/9 has spiked to 2.77 from 1.98 in 2012. He has been slightly unlucky with a .308 BABIP.
What is concerning is his drop in velocity. His fastball has dropped to 91 MPH and his Sinker has dropped to 90 MPH. His slider has the same velocity and his change-up has slowed down to 85 MPH. Hitters are becoming more disciplined against him and it definitely could go against him in the long run.
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