2016 MLB Regular-Season Thread

He's obviously more focused in his preparation now that Drake isn't around the clubhouse pestering him all the time.

 

The idea that keeps getting pushed is that he's pitching to contact more now. My b.s. meter is going off, of course. Aren't strikeouts good? That said, he was humping it up there at 91, 92, 91 last night. Then, needing to put someone away, he blew one by Beltran, I think, at 96.

Maybe there's something to it. Maybe all the data is teaching pitchers how to limit damage on balls in play. He didn't walk anyone.

On the other hand, Luis Severino reminds me of the Yankees version of Jose Contreras. Nibble, nibble, nibble. Afraid to throw strikes. It tries your patience watching him pitch.

 

I hate the term "pitching to contact." What works is gaining the confidence to drop down a notch on your pitches, which generally allows you to be more consistent in terms of location. As you note, it also makes the 96 mph fastball more effective because batters see it less.

 

I don't think you predicted that.

 

SportsPredictor may have. He predicted the Strasburg contract.

 

He made it.

I did not think this was going to happen.

Bush makes MLB debut after 12-year odyssey

 

This was on 538 last year and I posted it on the running thread. I don't know if it caused a ripple sabermetrically, but it seemed pretty significant given the general stance that what happens on a ball in play has little or nothing to do with the pitcher.

A Baseball’s Exit Velocity Is Five Parts Hitter, One Part Pitcher

I don't know where to look it up, but FEELINGS ALERT it feels like we are seeing hittable pitches on 0-2 and 1-2 more often. As I said, just my impression.

Regarding velocity, I think that's a concession to injury prevention. As doctors study arms more, the correlation between maximum velocity and injury is becoming more established.

I just finished reading "The Arm," Jeff Passan's book. It's awesome. Highly recommended especially for anyone with young boys starting out in the game. One thing that's starting to gain steam is the idea of throttling back from maximum effort and power.

 

It isn't that it has nothing to do with the pitcher. It is that the differences were small enough to be overwhelmed by chance in samples as large as an entire season or two.

I'm open to the idea that with power down so much, pitchers are less scared of contact and more willing to pitch in the zone. I've always interpreted "pitching to contact" as meaning not fishing for whiffs out of the zone, not literally hoping for contact.

 

Nor did he.

 

TheSportsPredictor.

Like The Ohio State University.

 

You're not supposed to admit that. Only when you're right about something.