Going into the trade deadline, the Colorado Rockies leader in saves was veteran lefty Jalen Beeks with 9, but with Beeks being dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates, somebody had to fill that role. Enter 24-year-old Victor Vodnik. Vodnik picked up his first save of the season on July 6th against the playoff-hunting Kansas City Royals. Since Vodnik filled the closer role on July 6th, he has collected six saves in 13 appearances with a 4.20 ERA and 14 strikeouts. It is fitting that Vodnik has become the Rockies closer because in 2023, he was traded to the Rockies from the Braves in exchange for the team’s closer at the time, Pierce Johnson.
At only 24 years old, fans ask themselves if Victor Vodnik could be the closer of the future. When posed with that question, fans should look at what all the elite closers in the game have in common. Top closers such as Ryan Helsley, Emmanuel Clase, Mason Miller, and Josh Hader all throw one high-velocity pitch, and all have an elite secondary pitch. Below is Vodnik’s average velocity on his fastest pitch as well as his best secondary pitch.
- Helsley (99.6 avg 4 seam velocity, +10 run value with slider)
- Clase (99.4 avg cutter velocity, +4 run value with slider)
- Miller (100.9 avg 4 seam velocity, +5 run value with slider)
- Josh Hader (96.0 avg sinker velocity, +4 run value from slider)
- Victor Vodnik (97.8 avg four seam velocity, +5 run value from changeup)
As you can see, Vodnik’s pitch mix is comparable to the top closers in the game; with this mix, he should be able to elevate his game and become a top closer in baseball. There are currently 179 pitchers in the MLB who have had a minimum of 25 plate appearances against their change-up, and Vodnik’s 5-run value on the pitch ranks 19th best overall and 4th best amongst relievers on that list. Unless you are Mason Miller, becoming an elite closer right away takes some time, so let’s dive into what currently plagues Vodnik.
A statistic that jumped off the page for me was that opposing batters are currently hitting .275 against his 4-seam fastball, the pitch he throws the most (63.9%). Opposing hitters are hitting for a high average against and slugging the most of this pitch (.430). Since Vodnik’s fastball is not consistently touching 100 MPH, it may benefit him to throw his 4 seamers slightly less and his changeup more; for reference, Helsley throws his 48.6% of the time. Another thing that jumped out to me was that Vodnik is hit hard 52.2% of the time, putting him in the bottom 1% in the MLB. This could be because he throws predominantly four-seam fastballs. Other teams could be sitting on that pitch.
At only 24 years old, Victor Vodnik could develop into one of the better closers in the entire league. Because of his pitch mix, he should be able to put away hitters at a high clip, and tweaking his pitch mix could help him solve the issues that are currently plaguing him.
