A few weeks ago, I listened to a podcast show. In the show, a host indicated that a player was off to a great start in 2025 and the host asked an analyst whether that player’s great start would be consistent.
The analyst replied yes because he demonstrated that the player’s strikeout rate dropped significantly. After listening to the show, I began to think about a question. In the 2025 season, which players do see a huge drop in strikeout rate as well?
To solve my doubts, I decided to check on the statcast website.
Jorge Polanco was traded to the Mariners in January 2024. In his first season with the Mariners, he hit .213/.296/.355 with 16 home runs and 45 RBI in 118 games. Polanco didn’t hit well in his first season with the Mariners. However, things have changed this season. So far this season, he slashes .306/.351/.603 with 10 home runs and 30 RBI over 37 games. Back in 2024, Polanco’s strikeout rate was 29.3%, which is the highest so far in his career. Nonetheless, his strikeout rate is below 15% thus far in 2025.
At the same time, Shea Langeliers’ strikeout rate is below 15% as well. In 2024, his K% was 27.2%. Last season, he slashed .224/.288/.450 with 29 home runs and 80 RBI over 137 games. So far this season, he has hit .256/.320/.463 with 9 home runs and 25 RBI in 43 games.
In December 2024, Gleyber Torres and the Detroit Tigers agreed to a one-year deal. By far this season, it seems like a good deal. Torres now has an OPS of .800 in the Tigers uniform. Last season, Torres played for the Yankees, slashing .257/.330/.378 with 15 home runs and 63 RBI in 154 games. A key thing could be interesting to watch is his strikeout rate. Torres’ K% is below 10% so far this season. Back in 2024, he had a K% over 20%.
In addition, Teoscar Hernandez is an important player in the Dodgers lineup. He is a key member to help the Dodgers win the 2024 World Series. In 2024, he slashed .272/.339/.501 with 33 home runs and 99 RBI in 154 games. The numbers were actually good. This season, he has hit .306/.329/.582 with 9 home runs and 35 RBI over 35 games. He hits even better in 2025 and an important thing to watch is his strikeout rate. His K% was 28.8% in 2024. So far this season, his strikeout rate is below 20%.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning an MVP award winner. Paul Goldschmidt won the NL MVP award in 2022. Nevertheless, in 2024, he batted .245/.302/.414 with 22 home runs and 65 RBI over 154 games. In 2025, he now hits .339/.392/.486 with 5 home runs and 25 RBI in 47 games. He hits better this season and a key worth mentioning is that his K rate is below 20% so far this season.
By far this season, we have seen that 5 players each have decreased their K rate significantly. It’s certainly good news for them and their hitting performances are much better. Jorge Polanco truly has fewer strikeouts and now contributes a lot to the Mariners. Additionally, Gleyber Torres’ K rate is below 10% and with this good performance, it would be interesting to see whether he will ink a long-term deal after this season. Furthermore, it will be extremely important to watch if they can stay consistent in a long season. Moreover, if their K rate stays low, what numbers will they finish at the end of the 2025 season?
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