Seattle Mariners 2021 Grades: Part 4 – Starting Pitchers
Yusei Kikuchi
Overall: C
Yusei Kikuchi was on fire to start the season and earned the Mariners’ lone All-Star nod (though there were others that were deserving). He finished the first half at 6-4 with 98 strikeouts in 98.1 innings. In addition, Kikuchi was one of the league leaders in WHIP (Walks + Hits / Innings Pitched) at 1.09.
Unfortunately, his second half was one of the most brutal halves of baseball in recent memory. After July 1, Kikuchi was 1-6 with a 6.22 ERA, 1.81 WHIP, and .917 OPS against. He was wild in and out of the zone, giving up as many hits as he did the first half, but in 40 fewer innings.
Control: C-
Kikuchi showed good control in the first half, working into the 6th inning in 69% of his 16 starts. He had horrible control after the break and couldn’t get out of his own way.
Dominance: D
Same story. Kikuchi’s first half was absolutely dominating. In the second half, he could be blown over by a light.
Intangibles: F
When the Seattle Mariners needed him most, they couldn’t trust Kikuchi. Instead, Servais elected to go with bullpen days or to bump up starting pitchers, including Tyler Anderson, who started on two days rest in late September. If Kikuchi couldn’t be relied on to do his job and wasn’t injured, Seattle should have released him.