January 7, 2016

BP Boston

The Evolution of David Price

by Alex Skillin

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For nearly a decade, David Price has been one of the best pitchers in baseball. Red Sox fans certainly don’t need to be reminded of how good Price was when he first debuted, considering he was one of the main culprits in Tampa Bay’s defeat of Boston in the 2008 ALCS.

From the very beginning of his pro career, when the Rays selected him first overall in the 2007 MLB Draft to his initial seasons with Tampa, Price was primed for stardom. That, over eight years later, he remains a bona-fide ace and a pitcher the Red Sox were willing to spend $217 million on demonstrates how dominant—and consistently dominant—he’s been during his career.

Yet Price is by no means the same pitcher he was in those early days with the Rays. The left-hander has evolved throughout his time in MLB, and his approach against opposing hitters has changed, in some ways dramatically.

In many respects, Price has only improved as a pitcher the last few seasons. In terms of what pitchers can control, he’s excelling at career-best levels. Price is striking out more batters and walking fewer than ever before, all while keeping his home-run rate right in line with his career averages.

To read the rest of Alex Skillin's piece on BP Boston, click here.