It worked for the Mariners, maybe us too?
According to MLBTraderumors, the guys over at the U.S.S. Mariner noticed a pattern with Felix Hernandez's pitching strategy: establishing the fastball until he can K a guy with his sharp curve. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's a trend . . .anyways, they sent a letter to Rafael Chaves, the M's pitching coach, and King Felix read it. Well, he read the letter, and credits it to his 8 scoreless innings.
The link is just www.MLBTraderumors.com.
So, I'm wondering if anyone's picked up any tendencies our pitchers have that our staff might not have noticed. I don't know if telling them that they walk too many batters would make a difference, but hell, it's worth a shot. Maybe it'll help us out . . .
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Re: It worked for the Mariners, maybe us too?
Note to Barry: Throw strikes.
Note to Morris: Ask Rueter for advice on how to win with nothing left.
Note to Lowry: Stop nailing those cleat chasers before your starts.
Note to Cainer: Learn to hit so you can score your own damn runs.
by milesntrane on Jul 7, 2007 10:30 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Note go Giants pitchers
by Natto on Jul 7, 2007 11:25 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
*to
by Natto on Jul 7, 2007 11:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Re: Note go Giants pitchers
by jponry on Jul 8, 2007 1:32 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was thinking about Lowry's ownage of Pujols
If a player has particular ownage on an opposing player on a particular night, and can credit that at all to a comprehensible strategy, then that player must write said strategy on a chalkboard/whiteboard/whatever in the clubhouse for the rest of the team to see, appreciate, learn from, and if applicable, emulate.
Of course, the player may not always recognize what it is they did right (think Pedro Feliz getting a walk), so sometimes, we may need to send letters. Therefore, I propose a McCovey Chronicles addendum that, whenever we notice a particularly effective confrontation, and can decipher strategy in its effectiveness, we should send a letter, on official, gold-embossed McCovey Chronicles stationary, bearing the stamp of one Grant Brisbee, to the most accessible, relevant Giants staffer. I don't profess to know who that is.
However, I am certain that we could make this happen. It would certainly be fun to contribute our powerful-in-sum-total, already-in-use observational accumen to the possibility of the Giants improving, and it's not like complaining about failures: it's all about recognizing success. It's positive thinking. Hum baby!
Succumb to the Enchanted t-shirt! Adopted dad of Minor Izzy
by hairball on Jul 7, 2007 11:26 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Re: I was thinking about Lowry's ownage of Pujols
by PacBellBoozer on Jul 8, 2007 12:54 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Re: I was thinking about Lowry's ownage of Pujols
Succumb to the Enchanted t-shirt! Adopted dad of Minor Izzy
by hairball on Jul 8, 2007 10:35 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Re: It worked for the Mariners, maybe us too?
by victor frankenstein on Jul 8, 2007 12:26 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Re: It worked for the Mariners, maybe us too?
Dear Giants:
Stop sucking!
Yours Truly,
--Rev. Cleophus James
by Cleophus on Jul 8, 2007 2:29 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Re: It worked for the Mariners, maybe us too?
by NearestNorwich on Jul 8, 2007 5:28 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Note to Barry Zito
I'm not a pitcher or a pitching coach. I'm just a fan who watches way too much baseball way too intently, so take it for what it's worth. I'm not sure what was going on in Spring Training between you and Rags, but I think you should have stuck to your guns on the reworked delivery. What you are working with now, which I assume is similar to the last several years, just isn't getting it done. IMO, you just have way too much going on in that windup and delivery that doesn't add anything to effectiveness and introduces multple opportunities for things to go wrong:
- Tone down the leg kick just a bit. The leg kick may add a bit of distraction and deception to the batter's eye, but doesn't appear to be doing anything in terms of increasing momentum to the plate. Most of it is superfluous motion. it also gets you in a position where you are leaning way back on your back foot and any little thing that's off gets you very unbalanced.
- I'm not sure what's going on with exaggerated wrist twisting at the beginning of your delivery. Maybe it helps get more torque on the curveball, but it seems more exaggerated than I see even from other good curveball pitchers. Is that possibly a bad habit you have fallen into? I seems to me that is another place for introcduction of variation in delivery and release point.
- You have a great curveball, but you are throwing it way too much. If you throw enough curveballs, you are eventually going to hang one. You can get away with that if the hitters is looking for something else, but if he knows the curve is coming, a hanger is going to get hammered.
- That brings us to the fastball. Yours is not great, but even a mediocre fastball, used properly, is still the best pitch in baseball and it sets up everything else. Kirk Reuter made a whole career out of throwing nothing but fastballs that were no better than yours. You have to keep it down and you have to keep it on the corners, especially the outside corner, but a few more of those would set up the curveball and changeup better.
- Which brings us back to that thing in Spring Training, whatever it was. You definitely could use a bit more velocity on the ol' heater. It sounded like one of the benefits of the longer stride you were trying out was that it would add a bit more velocity to the fastball. Makes sense. That upright delivery may add a bit more downward movement to the curve, but it scrubs all the momentum off the delivery and sort of brings everything to a stop right at the moment you should be exploding toward the plate. The short stride also makes it look like you are about to fall to either side which can't be good for repeating your delivery and maintaining control.
Sincerely,
Dr. B
by DrBGiantsfan on Jul 8, 2007 11:00 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Re: It worked for the Mariners, maybe us too?
by jasomack on Jul 8, 2007 1:24 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Re: It worked for the Mariners, maybe us too?
by The Thrill on Jul 8, 2007 9:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Re: It worked for the Mariners, maybe us too?
I don't remember Ellison ever showing this much energy while on the Giants.
by Natto on Jul 8, 2007 10:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Re: It worked for the Mariners, maybe us too?
by Gorgoroth on Jul 8, 2007 10:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Re: It worked for the Mariners, maybe us too?
by Natto on Jul 8, 2007 11:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

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