# Is There a Stat That Shows Us How Much Pitchers Fear Hitters?

An episode of [Rates & Barrels: A show about Baseball](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1486883874), 17 Jun 2026, 1 h 00 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6818a1a4eb737caf8ca41879/e/6a32ff41850e5a198df04054/media.mp3

Drew Rasmussen’s incredible run continues. Today, Eno, Jed, and DVR dig into the factors behind the Rays right-hander owning the best ERA in baseball since 2021 among qualified starters not named Shohei Ohtani. Then, they discuss whether Zone% can reveal which hitters pitchers fear the most. Later, the guys examine the recent regressions of Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman before wrapping up with a daunting round of Name! That! Dude! Rundown: 0:50 Drew Rasmussen’s Run 3:48 Eno at World Cup 6:33 Cooper Pratt’s Debut 8:47 Sal Stewart vs. Bryce Eldridge 12:20 Adjustment Phases: The League Will Find Flaws, Eventually 18:11 Leaning on Strengths: Use Them Until They Stop Working! 26:04 Zone Rates for Feared Hitters 32:30 Middle-Middle Fastballs: Another Potential Indicator? 38:04 Rafael Devers’ Slide 40:20 Alex Bregman: Declining Gracefully Still Messes with Us 42:18 Mookie Betts: Plate Discipline Holding Steady 45:36 Vision Driving Decline 50:08 Name! That! Dude! Follow DVR on Bluesky: @DVR.bsky.social Follow Eno on Bluesky: @enosarris.bsky.social e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Host: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris With: Jed Lowrie Editor: Jason Potere Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them.