Framber Valdez’s walks are up, his strikeouts are down, but his overall numbers remain strong. Following his breakout 2020 that saw him post a 125 ERA+ (100 is average) in 70.2 innings, the Astros’ lefty starter has eclipsed 100 innings in the major leagues for the first time in his career this season, and has a stellar 139 ERA+ through 111 innings to show for it.
Despite the 4 percent increase in Valdez’s walk rate and the 4.4 percent decrease in his strikeout rate, his Expected ERA (xERA) is markedly better, down from 3.