The Oakland Athletics have been the best team in baseball so far, and closer Sean Doolittle has helped to solidify the bullpen. Doolittle has an incredible 50/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and has nailed down 10 saves in 11 chances since taking over in the closer role. Meanwhile, the A’s have a commanding lead in the AL West and have the best run differential in baseball by almost 100 runs.
Doolittle was drafted by the A’s back in 2007 with the 41st overall pick out of the University of Virginia. A first baseman by trade, Doolittle spent his first three seasons swinging a bat, and he compiled a more than respectable .272/.354/.449 slash line. However, he missed the entire 2010 season after undergoing two knee surgeries, and he moved to the mound in 2011.
The 6’3 lefthander posted some impressive strikeout rates in the minors before being called up to the big league squad in 2012. In 47.1 innings, he authored a 3.04 ERA with strikeout and walk rates of 31.4 percent and 5.8 percent, respectively. Doolittle’s strikeout rate dipped the following season, but he had solid numbers regardless.
Doolittle throws mainly one pitch, a fastball that sits in the mid 90’s. He mixes in a curveball on occasion, but approximately 85 percent of his pitches are heaters. Despite throwing almost exclusively fastballs, Doolittle has a very high 14.6 percent swinging strike rate. Most of that can be attributed to his fastball, which has a 16.1 percent whiff rate. The curveball has been an effective pitch for catching hitters off guard, but it rarely gets a swing and miss.
Doolittle is a rarity on many levels. He’s a converted first baseman who has the arm strength to get by throwing almost nothing but fastballs. He’s a left-handed closer that has essentially no platoon split, and his only walk came on May 20th to Ryan Hanigan. All of these crazy attributes make him a perfect fit for the Oakland A’s.
