L. Gastelum has been very impressive

[rockondlouie]

Last 8 GP
9 1/3 IP
1 ER (when Oli tried to have him go two innings, not a bad idea)
0.96 ERA
-0.45 FiP
4 Hits
1 BB
18 STRIKEOUTS! D A M N

This kid has really settled in after getting adjusted to MLB.

That strikeout total lately is M. Miller like!

Could he be the future closer?

[sikeston bulldog2]

Last 8 GP
9 1/3 IP
1 ER (when Oli tried to have him go two innings, not a bad idea)
0.96 ERA
-0.45 FiP
4 Hits
1 BB
18 STRIKEOUTS! D A M N

This kid has really settled in after getting adjusted to MLB.

That strikeout total lately is M. Miller like!

Could he be the future closer?

So he went from a gas can to a closer. How good is he.

[rockondlouie]

Last 8 GP
9 1/3 IP
1 ER (when Oli tried to have him go two innings, not a bad idea)
0.96 ERA
-0.45 FiP
4 Hits
1 BB
18 STRIKEOUTS! D A M N

This kid has really settled in after getting adjusted to MLB.

That strikeout total lately is M. Miller like!

Could he be the future closer?

So he went from a gas can to a closer. How good is he.

"gas can" is a big rough BDog, the kid had to get his feet under him given this was his first call-up to The Show.

Re-read the above numbers and what he's done lately.

That kind of strikeout power, if it continues into seasons end, would be great for the 9th inning.

[scoutyjones2]

Last 8 GP
9 1/3 IP
1 ER (when Oli tried to have him go two innings, not a bad idea)
0.96 ERA
-0.45 FiP
4 Hits
1 BB
18 STRIKEOUTS! D A M N

This kid has really settled in after getting adjusted to MLB.

That strikeout total lately is M. Miller like!

Could he be the future closer?

So he went from a gas can to a closer. How good is he.

That's why you give these players run. Not just knee jerk, instant gratification/disdain.

Need to see about 80 games worth of consistent batting for hitters and a half year to a full years starts for starting pitching. Relievers vaey. It's rare to find consistency. Your failed starters should be able to get 3 batters out and fill in for relievers or they don't belong in baseball.

[CorneliusWolfe]

A ray of sunshine in the midst of a [shirt] storm

Maybe they need to develop more pure relievers with a focus on specific roles and execution of a few devastating pitches instead of failed starters with 8 weak ones

[Basil Shabazz]

Luis Gastelum has a world-class changeup. I think a big reason he got hit around early was that he was too predictable and hadn't yet learned how to properly set it up.

In the minors, he could probably get away with throwing the changeup whenever he wanted because the pitch itself was good enough to overwhelm hitters. That doesn't work nearly as well in the majors. MLB hitters will adjust, sit on it, and punish you if they know what's coming.

What has impressed me lately is how much better he's become at commanding his other pitches and using them to set up the changeup. Once he became less predictable, that changeup went from being a great pitch to an absolutely devastating one.

Hopefully it continues, because we've seen some really good closers over the years build their success around an elite changeup. L-Gas absolutely has that caliber of changeup. If he continues developing the pitches around it and keeps hitters from sitting on it, I think there's legitimate late-inning potential there.

[sikeston bulldog2]

Luis Gastelum has a world-class changeup. I think a big reason he got hit around early was that he was too predictable and hadn't yet learned how to properly set it up.

In the minors, he could probably get away with throwing the changeup whenever he wanted because the pitch itself was good enough to overwhelm hitters. That doesn't work nearly as well in the majors. MLB hitters will adjust, sit on it, and punish you if they know what's coming.

What has impressed me lately is how much better he's become at commanding his other pitches and using them to set up the changeup. Once he became less predictable, that changeup went from being a great pitch to an absolutely devastating one.

Hopefully it continues, because we've seen some really good closers over the years build their success around an elite changeup. L-Gas absolutely has that caliber of changeup. If he continues developing the pitches around it and keeps hitters from sitting on it, I think there's legitimate late-inning potential there.

This is a good write. Well done- particularly about using less weaker pitches, and using more conducive pitches.

[BrockFloodMaris]

Luis Gastelum has a world-class changeup. I think a big reason he got hit around early was that he was too predictable and hadn't yet learned how to properly set it up.

In the minors, he could probably get away with throwing the changeup whenever he wanted because the pitch itself was good enough to overwhelm hitters. That doesn't work nearly as well in the majors. MLB hitters will adjust, sit on it, and punish you if they know what's coming.

What has impressed me lately is how much better he's become at commanding his other pitches and using them to set up the changeup. Once he became less predictable, that changeup went from being a great pitch to an absolutely devastating one.

Hopefully it continues, because we've seen some really good closers over the years build their success around an elite changeup. L-Gas absolutely has that caliber of changeup. If he continues developing the pitches around it and keeps hitters from sitting on it, I think there's legitimate late-inning potential there.

I wish the kid well. One thing that has impressed me is his ability to command that change up around the zone. Its not just a chase down pitch.

[icon]

Last 8 GP
9 1/3 IP
1 ER (when Oli tried to have him go two innings, not a bad idea)
0.96 ERA
-0.45 FiP
4 Hits
1 BB
18 STRIKEOUTS! D A M N

This kid has really settled in after getting adjusted to MLB.

That strikeout total lately is M. Miller like!

Could he be the future closer?

Forget all that. His hair is too long.

[scoutyjones2]

Last 8 GP
9 1/3 IP
1 ER (when Oli tried to have him go two innings, not a bad idea)
0.96 ERA
-0.45 FiP
4 Hits
1 BB
18 STRIKEOUTS! D A M N

This kid has really settled in after getting adjusted to MLB.

That strikeout total lately is M. Miller like!

Could he be the future closer?

Forget all that. His hair is too long.

[Cusecards]

Relievers can certainly be flighty.
Look at Svanson last year to this year.
Hopefully Gastelum continues to settle in and becomes an option for 2027.

[Basil Shabazz]

Luis Gastelum’s changeup is legitimately elite, not just “good for a prospect.” Now that we have MLB Statcast data on it, there’s evidence that it can be a true high-leverage, closer-quality weapon.

In his 2026 MLB work, Gastelum’s changeup has produced:

52.1% whiff rate
43.9% strikeout rate in plate appearances ending on the pitch
.184 batting average
.169 xBA
.321 xSLG
.230 xwOBA
Only 19.0% hard-hit rate
He throws it 38.8% of the time, making it his most-used pitch.

A 52% whiff rate is monster territory. More than half of swings against the pitch are missing.

The pitch averages only 81.8 mph, compared with his 94.2 mph four-seamer—a massive 12+ mph velocity separation. But velocity differential isn't the only thing happening.

Statcast has the changeup at 44.6 inches of total vertical drop, about 5.7 inches more drop than comparable changeups. It also gets about 12 inches of arm-side movement.

That's essentially the profile you want: fastball arm speed, big velocity separation, tremendous depth and enough arm-side action that it isn't merely dropping—it is moving away from a left-handed hitter while it falls.

And this isn't something that suddenly appeared in MLB. In 2025, Baseball America reported a 54% whiff rate and 42.7% chase rate on the changeup in the minors. MLB scouts put a 70 grade on it—the scouting definition of a plus-plus pitch.

[bccardsfan]

Relievers can certainly be flighty.
Look at Svanson last year to this year.
Hopefully Gastelum continues to settle in and becomes an option for 2027.

Basically this. A lot of variability. Sure, there are some Bruce Sutters, Mariano Rivera types who are great for a really long run, but most of them get hot, and then fade, and then sometimes have another good run, but unpredictable. I certainly with G well, and his improvement has been a small bright spot in a very dismal run of baseball lately. He has no doubt cemented a spot on next year's roster to start the season..

[11WSChamps]

We know the change up is his bread and butter

But fastball command was the key.

Once he started doing that everything fell into place.

Both the change up and FB were getting hit hard at first now its neither.

[Cusecards]

Relievers can certainly be flighty.
Look at Svanson last year to this year.
Hopefully Gastelum continues to settle in and becomes an option for 2027.

Basically this. A lot of variability. Sure, there are some Bruce Sutters, Mariano Rivera types who are great for a really long run, but most of them get hot, and then fade, and then sometimes have another good run, but unpredictable. I certainly with G well, and his improvement has been a small bright spot in a very dismal run of baseball lately. He has no doubt cemented a spot on next year's roster to start the season..

Agree
September will serve as mostly an audition period for 2027.
Hopefully at least a few arms do cement a spot for ST?
Gastelum/Soriano/Graceffo etc etc
Can’t see Riley not staying unless they receive a big offer for him?
Stanek will be interesting.

[rockondlouie]

Last 8 GP
9 1/3 IP
1 ER (when Oli tried to have him go two innings, not a bad idea)
0.96 ERA
-0.45 FiP
4 Hits
1 BB
18 STRIKEOUTS! D A M N

This kid has really settled in after getting adjusted to MLB.

That strikeout total lately is M. Miller like!

Could he be the future closer?

Forget all that. His hair is too long.

Cranny is that you disguised as icon?