his fastball velocity was up 1.0 MPH this season, which isn’t insignificant. Sitting 96 mph isn’t bad!
Not every #1 starter has to be Max Scherzer or healthy Stephen Strasburg
True, but he's been almost exactly 18 pitches per IP the last three seasons. While better defense would certainly help, his foul balls and high walk rate have not been top of the rotation. He's also only here for another three seasons, so I also think he and Boras are motivated to improve his numbers the next few seasons before FA. Hopefully we'll see improvement next year.
