Willkommen! » See how Larry Walker and Todd Helton fared on this ye

ar’s ballot"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Scaling the RocksPebble ReportRockpileRockies Game ThreadsRockies Fan ExperienceBaseball Hall of FameLatest NewsBaseball Hall of Fame: Results announced tonightSee how Larry Walker and Todd Helton fared on this year’s ballotMSTShareTweetShareShareBaseball Hall of Fame: Results announced tonightThe 2019 class of the Baseball Hall of Fame will be officially announced tonight. For Rockies fans Carlos Martinez Jersey , there are some key things to look for. Do Todd Helton and/or Larry Walker have a chance?Based on public ballots, Todd Helton was eliminated from consideration long ago, but it will still be interesting to see how well he fares in his first year on the ballot, as that will give us a good idea of his chances of election between now and 2028. It looks like he’ll get about 15% of the vote in his first year, which is fairly low but not disqualifying. Voters will have to warm up to Helton, and some of that might have to do with what ultimately happens with his former teammate. Larry Walker is in his ninth year on the ballot. While he’s not yet been officially eliminated based on public ballots, he’s extremely unlikely to come close to election. That doesn’t mean his vote totals aren’t worth paying attention to though. As we noted yesterday Walker is set for a pretty substantial vote gain this year, and it’s not out of the question for him to be set up to break the 75% threshold in 2020, his final year on the ballot. If Walker gets elected, then that should lead voters to set aside COORS as a reason not to vote for Helton. Who will get in then?As for other candidates, Mariano Rivera is a slam dunk first ballot Hall of Famer. It also looks like Colorado native Roy Halladay will get the nod on his first year on the ballot. Sadly he won’t be there to see his own enshrinement, as he was killed in a plane crash in early 2017. Edgar Mart铆nez should also get elected this year Lance Lynn Jersey , which is his tenth and final try on the ballot. How to watchMLB Network will begin its pre-announcement show at 1:00 p.m. MT. They’ll have profiles on the three likely newcomers — Rivera, Mart铆nez, and Halladay — as well as a player who may or may not get in this year, but will soon, Mike Mussina. The announcement of those elected will be at 4:00 p.m. Colorado time. The veteran starter has struggled since coming to Detroit, but his underlying numbers were much better last season."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Detroit Tigers AnalysisDetroit Tigers Prospect NotebookDetroit Tigers Game ThreadsDetroit Tigers NewsDetroit Tigers PodcastsDetroit Tigers Season PreviewTigers’ Jordan Zimmermann has something to build on in 2019New,5commentsThe veteran starter has struggled since coming to Detroit, but his underlying numbers were much better last season.EDTShareTweetShareShareTigers’ Jordan Zimmermann has something to build on in 2019Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsTigers fans knew the club’s contention window was likely over at the end of the 2016 season, but letting go is never easy. Ownership tried to keep the hope alive in the 2015-16 offseason by signing Justin Upton and Jordan Zimmermann to nine-figure contracts over five-plus years, moves that looked somewhat questionable even at the time, but not surprising for the Mike Ilitch-led Tigers.It would be an overreaction to pin the finality of the Tigers’ collapse on Zimmermann, as it probably occurred before he even joined the team Mark McGwire Jersey , but there may not be a better representative of this ending. While plenty of low-cost, low-tier starters have come and gone through Detroit, Zimmermann is the one mainstay symbolizing the current state of the team.Entering year four of his five-year contract, the veteran righthander will again attempt to reclaim something close to the form he displayed in Washington. Before joining the Tigers, Zimmermann was coming off of five consecutive seasons of an ERA under 4.00 and at least 160 innings pitched, but neither of those marks have been matched yet in Detroit. His trade value is negligible at this point, and the team is not projected to compete, but a turnaround would still be nice to see.Falling off a cliffPick a number and Zimmermann has been worse in that area since signing with the Tigers. From 2011 to 2015, Zimmermann was extremely reliable with the Nationals. In D.C., he averaged 194 innings per season with a 3.14 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. With Detroit? Just 132 innings a year with a 5.24 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. His strikeout rate has gone down from 7.26 per nine innings to 6.35, while walks have risen from 1.69 per nine to 2.18, and home runs have doubled from 0.80 to 1.61 per nine innings.The reasons for these spikes in the wrong direction are clear. Opponents have recorded a hard hit rate of 35.8 percent since Zimmermann joined the Tigers http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-marcell-ozuna-jersey , up from 27.8 percent in D.C., and an increased fly ball rate has driven his home run numbers significantly higher. His BABIP has risen as well, from .290 to .310, which could indicate some misfortune, but could also represent a pitcher who is being hit hard on a more consistent basis.What has changed is perhaps what is most crucial to any pitcher. Zimmermann has seen his fastball velocity fall from 94.6 mph in 2014 to 92.5 mph in 2016 to 91.7 mph last season. Perhaps accordingly, his fastball usage rate has fallen from 70.3 percent in 2014 to only 43.0 percent in 2018, but his secondary pitches are not doing enough to keep him afloat.One big question: Can Zimmermann build on his 2018 strikeout rate?All of this sounds like bad news, and not like a pitcher who should be close to the top of any team’s rotation, but the Tigers do not have the most seasoned pitching staff right now — and injuries haven’t helped. Though Zimmermann was not very good last season, he did post his best strikeout numbers in five years. A 20.0 percent strikeout rate in 2018 was better than all but one of his full seasons with the Nationals.The underlying metrics support the numbers as his best since 2014. A 81.0 percent contact rate was the second-best result result of his career, and his 9.1 percent whiff rate was the second-best as well. Zimmermann has never been a heavy swing-and-miss pitcher, but it was encouraging to see him improve in this category.Pitch mix was a definitely part of this improvement; as mentioned above http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-marcell-ozuna-jersey , Zimmermann’s fastball usage has consistently decreased over the past few years. In its place has been an increase in sliders, a pitch that has generated whiff rates north of 15 percent throughout his career. Throwing more sliders is not the perfect solution, but it does yield stronger results than his other pitches.Declining velocity is a concern, and is likely not an anomaly given Zimmermann’s multiple injuries since joining the Tigers. However, his change in pitch mix shows a willingness to evolve, which is important when the status quo is no longer working. The days of sub-3.00 ERAs are probably well behind him, but if Zimmermann can continue to induce some swings and misses, he could finally enjoy some success in Detroit.