Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: 2023 Minor League Season Statistical Leaders

HR/9 Rate - Wilber Dotel

We finally reach the end of today's article with the second pitcher statistical leader. That is Wilber Dotel. The best way to describe Dotel was he played with fire all season but never got burnt. But one of the positives of his year was his HR/9 rate, in which he led all Pirates' starting pitching prospects.

In 78.2 innings, Dotel owned a 3.09 ERA and a minuscule 0.34 HR/9 rate. Batters also only had a .219 average against him. But that's about where the positives end for Dotel's season. The right-hander only had a 16.8% strikeout rate. But walks were also a massive issue with a 12.8% walk rate. Even though Dotel did not allow many home runs, he only had a 40.3% ground ball rate and a 34.4% fly ball rate.

At the end of the season, Dotel had a 4.85 FIP and 5.56 xFIP. Nothing about this was sustainable. Sure, it's not impossible for flyball pitchers to have an above-average home run rate. But a 3.4% HR/FB ratio is unsustainable. Plus, with the amount of walks he allows, he would almost have to keep up an 0.5 HR/9 rate or better to sustain any success.

Dotel's season was weird. There are lots of walks and, a few strikeouts and home runs. We shall see how he pitches moving forward. However, I would be concerned about how he will approach the 2024 after such a worrisome 2023 campaign.