On Monday evening in Jupiter Tyler Mahle fell one hit-batter short of a perfect game. The hit-batter in the 3rd inning was the lone runner he allowed in the outing. That runner was erased by a double play in the inning. He faced the minimum 27 batters, needing just 105 pitches (75 strikes).
The Cincinnati Reds reigning Minor League Player of the Year has been dominant for the Daytona Tortugas this season. Over 13 starts he’s posted a 2.50 ERA in 79.1 innings pitched (which leads the league). He has walked just 17 batters and has a league best 76 strikeouts. His WHIP of 0.95 is currently fourth best in the Florida State League.
After having arguably the best season in the entire Reds organization in 2015, Tyler Mahle is back to doing the same thing. Despite moving up a level in competition his numbers are just as good, if not better nearly across the board. The innings per start are up, the hit rate is down, and the strikeout rate is up. He has shown worse rates in just two areas this season. His walk rate is up slightly (still incredibly low). His home run rate is also up, as he’s allowed six home runs this season after allowing just seven last year.
The first two starts of the year for Tyler Mahle weren’t exactly outstanding. He combined for just 8.2 innings and allowed four runs with four walks and five strikeouts. His next start three starts were dominant as he finished April with 19.0 innings of four run baseball (1.89 ERA) to go with three walks and 24 strikeouts.
May started out a tad rough, particularly in the control department (for Mahle at least). He walked eight batters in 18.2 innings with a 4.34 ERA in that span. In the five starts since then he’s run through the Florida State League like a man among boys. He’s posted a 1.36 ERA in 33.0 innings, walked just two batters and struck out 31 of the 125 batters he has faced (25%).
The Westminster, California native is not quite through the middle of the season yet, but he’s making another run at the organizations Minor League Player of the Year. With a crowded rotation ahead of him in Pensacola there may not be immediate room for a promotion despite huge success. Remaining in the pitcher friendly Florida State League will only help the dominant run he’s been on in 2016.