Advanced metric continues to prove why Aaron Ashby is Pat Murphy's go-to reliever

After beginning his career as a starting pitcher, Aaron Ashby has found a role as the Milwaukee Brewers' Swiss-Army knife reliever, serving as an opener, a multi-inning reliever, and a high-leverage weapon for manager Pat Murphy. The soon-to-be 28-year-old has managed to silence critics following his lengthy contract extension, especially over the past few years, by rediscovering his velocity out of the bullpen and getting results on the mound -- evidenced by a 2.45 ERA since the start of the 2024 season.

However, right now, Ashby is much more than just a high-velocity left-handed arm. While his sinker is still his most frequently-used pitch, sitting at a 97 mph average, it's ALL of his off-speed stuff that is making him one of the most dangerous relievers in the league and Murphy's most trusted (and certainly most utilized) bullpen arm.

According to Stuff+, Aaron Ashby has the "nastiest" arsenal of any Brewers' pitcher

Though Grant Anderson has technically made just as many appearances (12) out of the bullpen as Ashby, the latter leads Brewers' relievers with a whopping 15 innings pitched through the team's first 23 games of the season. Even with the high usage, Ashby has looked absolutely dominant on the mound, and the advanced metrics back it up.

According to Stuff+ -- a metric created by the brilliant minds of Eno Sarris and Max Bay that measures the quality and “nastiness” of a pitcher’s arsenal -- Ashby is the best arm on the Brewers' staff with a grade of 121 (100 is league average). For context, among qualified starting pitchers -- a category Ashby doesn't fall into -- Jacob Misiorowski leads the league at 119.

Beyond passing the eye test with its sheer nastiness, Ashby’s stuff is producing results as well. His curveball, Ashby's second-most used pitch and go-to strikeout offering, is generating a 72.7% whiff rate and has yet to allow a hit this season. Given the pitch has nearly -18 inches of induced vertical break, it's not surprising that when Ashby commands it, it's literally unhittable.

Looking at the rest of Ashby’s off-speed repertoire, his slider is generating whiffs 55% of the time while producing an impressive 10.3 inches of glove-side movement and -6.2 inches of induced vertical break. Meanwhile, his 90 mph changeup has been even more dominant, posting a 57% whiff rate along with 14.5 inches of arm-side run, which makes it difficult for batters to cover both the slider and changeup.

Taken together, Ashby’s arsenal is at its peak for swing-and-miss ability. His current 14.4 K/9 marks a career best, and if he continues to pair multiple offerings with elite whiff rates and sharp movement, he’ll keep hitters off balance all season long.

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