Image credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Logan Henderson is not a household name. He’s barely an Ajeto household name. It wasn’t until I came across him earlier this season on a leaderboard that I was made aware of his existence. That I hadn’t known of him is not particularly surprising, because my capacity to watch baseball is usually next to nil. At least with any consistency. In a cursory search, I haven’t seen many articles written about him at all, really. (He did get one appreciation post.) That he hasn’t received more attention is baffling to me, because he has been, and is, very good, and very weird.
Here’s how Henderson ranks for starting pitchers this season, in a few important metrics:
- Strike%: 100th percentile
- K-BB%: 98th
- xwOBAcon: 81st
- xERA: 96th
- DRA-: 79th
Henderson does all of the things that I care about, and very well. He throws lots of strikes—more than anyone. He strikes a lot of hitters out and walks far fewer hitters than his peers. He induces pitcher-friendly contact, which I’d argue looks like more of a skill than noise. He ranks no worse than in the top quartile of them all. He also does it in a way that makes me believe it’s all sustainable.
