Cubs Quick Hits: Pedro Strop’s ‘New’ Pitch Makes Him Harder to Hit

You know what’s sort of insane? Pedro Strop, who has already been one of the best relievers in Cubs history, might’ve gotten even better this season. And it’s all because he’s throwing a flurry of cutters.

In 2017, Strop started throwing a cutter once every outing or so. But this season, he’s throwing the cutter once every three pitches. In fact, Strop utilizes his cutter more than any other pitch now.

Maybe his cutter is the reason batters can’t stop swinging at his pitches outside the strike zone this season. Strop’s 2018 outside the zone swing rate of roughly 40 percent is nearly one-third higher than last year’s rate and is currently better than all but three MLB relievers.