But after being sent to the bullpen and being used in nearly every role imaginable last season, Roark showed a more overtly competitive side this year, too. According to FanGraphs, no National League pitcher was inducing a higher percentage of soft contact than Roark, entering Sunday. “Soft contact” is a statistic calculated by Baseball Info Solutions (BIS), and is the most desirable of three categories of contact quality — soft, medium, and hard. That mix has earned him a greater percentage of soft contact than any Nationals starter, according to FanGraphs. The Cubs put a runner in scoring position with fewer than two outs in five of the six innings Roark pitched Sunday.

Source: Washington Post May 09, 2016 05:00 UTC