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SAN FRANCISCO — At 6 foot 5 inches with an 80-inch wingspan, Triston McKenzie is one of the tallest and lengthiest pitchers in the MLB. The former #1 ranked prospect in the Cleveland Guardians farm system has shown some real promises as of late, making him look like a future ace. 

Triston McKenzie was drafted in the Competitive Balance Draft, Round A, in 2015. The Competitive Balance Draft is an MLB draft featuring the 10 lowest-revenue MLB clubs and the clubs from the 10 smallest markets. In the Competitive Balance Draft, teams are entered into a lottery and drafted in either Round A or Round B. 

In 2017, McKenzie was the Cleveland Guardians’ #3 prospect. In 2018, McKenzie rose to be the #2 prospect in the Guardians farm system. In 2019, McKenzie was officially ranked as the #1 prospect in the Cleveland Guardians organization. In 2020, McKenzie made his MLB debut on August 22, striking out 10 batters in six innings pitched.

Fast forward to the 2022 season. Triston McKenzie owns a solid 3.16 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and .197 BAA (batting average against), with a 24.4% K rate and 6.7% walk rate. McKenzie is 3rd in WHIP in the American League, only behind Cy-Young Award candidates Shane McClanahan and Justin Verlander. Regarding BAA (batting average against), McKenzie is also ranked 3rd in the American League. McKenzie is also within the top 10 American League pitchers for innings pitched. 

While McKenzie is having a good season overall, in the past 30 days, he has been even better. In the last 30 days, McKenzie owns a stellar 1.99 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 41K/11BB ratio, logging 40.2 IP (innings pitched). In this span, McKenzie leads all starting pitchers in IP (innings pitched).

On the surface, McKenzie looks like an average pitcher with a mid-to-low 90s fastball and a low K%. However, McKenzie’s tall and lengthy frame allows him to get deceptive when throwing his fastball, making it much more difficult for hitters to pick up. For example, opposing batters are only hitting .192/.289/.359 against McKenzie’s fastball. Although McKenzie’s fastball is in the 33rd percentile, he makes up for it with his lengthy extension to home plate. According to Baseball Savant, Triston McKenzie’s extension is within the 88th percentile of all MLB pitchers. 

One statistic McKenzie has improved on is in zone %. Last season, McKenzie had an in-zone % of 45.3%, which has risen to 51.1% this season. In-zone % is important because it allows pitchers to get ahead of the count more easily, eventually leading to outs. McKenzie’s improvement in the stat “in zone %” shows that his control has also increased. 

While Triston McKenzie is pitching like an All-Star this year, he is not getting the attention he deserves. Just because he doesn’t throw a hard fastball or have a high K rate doesn’t mean he’s a bad pitcher. Just like All-Star pitchers, McKenzie limits contact to opposing batters and runners getting on base. McKenzie is a future All-Star who will be a future ACE one day. Keep up the good work, Triston!

Triston McKenzie Highlight (Click here)

Matthew Suh is the founder of Fresh Coast Sports and a staff writer for Fresh Coast Sports, Talking Points Sports, and The Press Box. While Matthew covers all sports, including the NFL, NBA, and MLB, he tends to focus on writing about the MLB. Questions about the MLB or baseball? Follow or DM Matthew on Twitter @matthewsuh for inquiries!