role 6 or 60 (scouting grade).<\/a><\/p>\n RHP Zack Littell, WSH<\/p>\n
Zack Littell\u2019s results have significantly worsened this season, with a high 6.94 ERA through 36.1 IP. While his splits show poor results versus both hands, his results against righties are particularly concerning given that he has the platoon advantage and he faces righty hitters more frequently. We\u2019ll focus on what\u2019s going on against righties and see if there is any route back to success.<\/p>\n
Background<\/p>\n
Looking at Littell\u2019s most successful seasons as a starter (2024-2025), here were his three biggest strengths:<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 Getting ahead in the count and limiting walks
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 Generating chase at an above-average rate.
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 Limiting damage despite giving up contact<\/p>\n
He featured a five-pitch mix, with the slider being his best weapon:<\/p>\n
Pitch Usage vs. RHH (2024)First PitchPitcher AheadPitcher BehindTwo Strikes<\/p>\n
Fourseamer (91 mph)<\/p>\n
19%<\/p>\n
21%<\/p>\n
15%<\/p>\n
22%<\/p>\n
Sinker (91 mph)<\/p>\n
26%<\/p>\n
15%<\/p>\n
23%<\/p>\n
13%<\/p>\n
Splitter (83 mph)<\/p>\n
4%<\/p>\n
30%<\/p>\n
12%<\/p>\n
32%<\/p>\n
Slider (87 mph)<\/p>\n
48%<\/p>\n
18%<\/p>\n
48%<\/p>\n
19%<\/p>\n
Sweeper (79 mph)<\/p>\n
3%<\/p>\n
17%<\/p>\n
3%<\/p>\n
14%<\/p>\n
He relied on his slider and sinker early in the count. If he got ahead, he\u2019d shift to his splitter and four-seamer, and if he fell behind, he\u2019d stick with his slider and sinker. In two-strike counts, he relied mostly on his splitter, but also mixed in his four-seamer.<\/p>\n
What this did was establish the horizontal plane early, and then he\u2019d throw hitters off with the splitter and four-seamer, which move vertically. The splitter was a very effective weapon, as it tunneled well with the slider\/sinker combination but would fall out from under the bat because of its depth.<\/p>\n
The splitter was vital to his success because it forced hitters to protect the lower third of the zone and it made the pitches that moved horizontally harder to predict. The uncertainty regarding whether the pitch would stay in the horizontal plane or drop off led to more difficult decisions from hitters.<\/p>\n
2026 approach<\/p>\n
This season, Littell is still getting ahead in the count, but is not generating as much chase and is giving up more hard contact.<\/p>\n
Littell has always leaned on the splitter in two-strike counts, but he\u2019s using it less frequently earlier in at-bats, reducing its influence on hitter approach.<\/p>\n
Additionally, he increased the usage of the sweeper as his primary pitch when he is ahead, and he mixes it with the splitter in two-strike counts.<\/p>\n
Pitch Usage vs RHH (Difference from 2024)First PitchPitcher AheadPitcher BehindTwo Strikes<\/p>\n
Fourseamer (91 mph)<\/p>\n
0%<\/p>\n
1%<\/p>\n
7%<\/p>\n
0%<\/p>\n
Sinker (91 mph)<\/p>\n
6%<\/p>\n
2%<\/p>\n
13%<\/p>\n
-5%<\/p>\n
Splitter (83 mph)<\/p>\n
2%<\/p>\n
-6%<\/p>\n
-9%<\/p>\n
0%<\/p>\n
Slider (87 mph)<\/p>\n
-3%<\/p>\n
-9%<\/p>\n
-10%<\/p>\n
-7<\/p>\n
Sweeper (79 mph)<\/p>\n
11%<\/p>\n
-10%<\/p>\n
-3%<\/p>\n
12%<\/p>\n
This pitch-usage shift has contributed to the biggest challenge Littell has faced this season: Hitters are not chasing his slider. The chase rate has dropped from 32% to 14%. This is a huge problem, as the slider was his best pitch and a foundational piece of how he would set up a hitter during an at bat.<\/p>\n
Why did hitters stop swinging at the slider?<\/p>\n
My theory is that the changes to his pitch usage are leading to at-bats that are easier to anticipate.<\/p>\n
With the increased usage of the sweeper, hitters are seeing horizontal movement earlier and more often. While the slider and the sweeper are distinct pitches, they are similar in terms of their movement profile. They both sweep away from hitters. That increased exposure early is allowing hitters to better recognize the spin-away shape. As a result, they are more comfortable laying off those pitches, especially when they land out of zone.<\/p>\n
This is showing up in Littell\u2019s slider results, as hitters are chasing significantly less. The pitch is still generating misses in-zone, but hitters are choosing to swing less overall.<\/p>\n
Why is this causing such a drastic change in results?<\/p>\n
Littell is not an overpowering pitcher and does not have elite command. Even in his best seasons, he allowed contact and relied on hitters chasing to get outs.<\/p>\n
With fewer chases, hitters are forcing more pitches in-zone and are capitalizing. That weakens Littell\u2019s results because his profile has always relied on limiting damage through sequencing and swing decisions instead of overpowering stuff.<\/p>\n
Additionally, while Littell still uses the splitter in two-strike counts, it appears less frequently earlier in an at-bat. This reduces its ability to throw hitters off before they get to two strikes, making it easier for hitters to commit to horizontal movement. Overall, hitters can make more confident decisions, and there\u2019s much less room for error for Littell.<\/p>\n
3B Alec Bohm, PHI<\/p>\n
Alec Bohm is off to a disappointing 2026 season. A contact-first hitter, Bohm\u2019s been hitting right around .200 for the first month and a half of the season \u2014 a significant drop from his career .275 average. The biggest concern is his performance against fastballs.<\/p>\n
Bohm has historically performed extremely well against fastballs, and this season he\u2019s seeing them 61 percent of the time. However, his results are much worse than normal. He\u2019s doubled his whiff rate against them while maintaining an expected batting average below .200 and an expected slugging percentage below .300.<\/p>\n
From watching his at-bats, the following patterns emerged:<\/p>\n
Bohm is not driving outer-half fastballs the other way, which is a red flag for a hitter with his contact profile.
\nHe is getting jammed on inner-half fastballs, resulting in ground balls or popups. His popup rate is a career high (8%).
\nEven when he makes contact, it is weak. He is hitting lazy fly balls and getting underneath fastballs consistently.<\/p>\n
These trends lead me to believe that Bohm can get to fastballs fine, but he is not able to drive them. His timing appears to be intact, and his swing decisions are mostly sound. His mechanics also seem to be very similar to last year\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Looking at the swing graphics below from Baseball Savant, Bohm\u2019s attack angle, attack direction, bat speed and swing-path tilt are all very similar to 2025.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Bohm-swing-graphics.jpg\")
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This indicates that there may be something off with his approach, which is not allowing him to capitalize on hittable fastballs.<\/p>\n
Pitchers seem to have picked up on it and are attacking him accordingly. While they are primarily pitching him down-away and hard-in with fastballs, they can also challenge him without Bohm taking advantage.<\/p>\n
Bohm\u2019s .230 BABIP shows that some of his performance may be because of bad luck, but based on the above and a decrease in quality contact, there is more than just luck causing these issues. Ultimately, his struggles relate to his inability to consistently get that same quality contact that\u2019s led to his success in previous seasons.<\/p>\n
Additional notes
\nThe Guardians\u2019 Daniel Schneemann has a .754 OPS through 122 at-bats. Swing-and-miss is still a concern, and he has a lofty K rate (30%). However, he\u2019s made an improvement in his batted-ball profile that\u2019s been contributing to his success. He\u2019s reduced his ground-ball rate by 10 percent and is hitting more line drives instead. While most of his production is coming against fastballs, he\u2019s also shown improvement in contact quality against breaking pitches.
\nYankees top prospect Spencer Jones was promoted to the majors, but he\u2019s struggling to produce at the same level as in the minors. His biggest weakness is contact, and Jones already has nine strikeouts in 21 plate appearances. While swing-and-miss has historically been an issue for Jones, he could make up for it throughout his minor-league career with his power production.
\nThe Athletics\u2019 Tyler Soderstrom has had a disappointing start to the season with a lowly .650 OPS through 44 games. His underlying stats, however, are more promising. He reduced his ground-ball rate and is pulling the ball in the air more consistently. Additionally, his .362 SLG versus .449 xSLG against fastballs and a low .216 BABIP indicate that he may have experienced some bad luck so far.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-18-at-8.57.15\u202fAM.png\")
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