How to Pitch

[oldguy]

11 hours ago, T-angel said:

Gone are the days when a Jered Weaver would win 20 games armed with a fastball topping out at 89 mph and his wits.

Yeah, but, that fastball MOVED!

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

12 hours ago, oldguy said:

Yeah, but, that fastball MOVED!

Jered, used a lot of finger pressure, knew how to turn it over, run it and knew how to move the ball around and hit spots.

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

On 7/17/2023 at 5:42 PM, AngelsLakersFan said:

I don’t think keeping the ball down is a hard rule anymore.

 Too many launch angle guys going up to the plate looking for a pitch in the lower third.

Launch Angle is on follow through and finish not by golfing the ball or swinging up. Like a golf club.

You have to keep your head balanced at impact a bit behind the core and lift at the finish belly at the pitcher (similar finish as a golf swing). But, your barrel doesn't dip, your hands don't dip. You then can't bring them back up to react to a rising pitch 4 seamer up or a pitch on the 2 seamer spinning inner half. 

You might see 20 home runs a year down that actually were golfed out. Those are the big strong dudes like Vlad Jr. 

Even Ohtani's tonight was middle out that he let travel and hit it out to the opposite field.

[Mark PT]

On 7/17/2023 at 2:39 PM, SlappyUtilityMIF said:

I've been harping on this all season and last since Wise took over. Your analytics are broken if you miss up it's dyck high. IF you spin it up there it's a Frisbee. And the sequencing is trash!

Rule #1 has never changed in the history of the game. Get a head in the count.

Rule #2 pound the lower half of the strike zone.

Rule #3 change the eye level or waste a pitch in the dirt. (This is where Velo up or Spin Rate in the Dirt comes in to play).

I've spoken with many in the organization and a few outside old timers. We have all came to the same conclusion.

The pitching philosophy is broken based on Velo up in the zone, Spin Rate, Sequencing, one person who does what he wants, vets who do what they're good at, and the kids need to fit in a box.

It's time to learn how to pitch, movement, change speeds and hit locations. 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtkpZShge22/?igshid=Y2IzZGU1MTFhOQ==

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CuQcIu1g7pc/?igshid=Y2IzZGU1MTFhOQ==

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cus_Wr6AZJ-/?igshid=Y2IzZGU1MTFhOQ==

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

It doesnt take a genius to see that none of these pitchers control the zone. All struggle hitting their spots.

[Mark PT]

On 7/17/2023 at 6:17 PM, T-angel said:

I'd like to see a knuckleballer in the bullpen soaking up innings on consecutive days, sacrificing for everyone else. Tim Wakefield where have you gone?

Some guy with the Padres throws one; cant remember his name.

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

7 minutes ago, Mark PT said:

Some guy with the Padres throws one; cant remember his name.

Yeah, he throws it like 10-15% of the time. His name escapes me. He's a pitcher that has a knuckleball in his repertoire not a straight knuckleball pitcher.

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

15 minutes ago, Mark PT said:

It doesnt take a genius to see that none of these pitchers control the zone. All struggle hitting their spots.

Which is correctable due to their mechanical issues. Leaking open, landing on their heal and spinning out. Dropping their elbows. That's just over throwing which then their stuff doesn't elevate and stays flat or just Frisbees.

That's where the minor league development, pitching coaches and bullpen coaches come into play. IF you see something. Say something.

Repeatable mechanics. Staying on top and Sequencing.

[AngelsLakersFan]

5 hours ago, SlappyUtilityMIF said:

Launch Angle is on follow through and finish not by golfing the ball or swinging up. Like a golf club.

You have to keep your head balanced at impact a bit behind the core and lift at the finish belly at the pitcher (similar finish as a golf swing). But, your barrel doesn't dip, your hands don't dip. You then can't bring them back up to react to a rising pitch 4 seamer up or a pitch on the 2 seamer spinning inner half. 

You might see 20 home runs a year down that actually were golfed out. Those are the big strong dudes like Vlad Jr. 

Even Ohtani's tonight was middle out that he let travel and hit it out to the opposite field.

This is all fine if you really are hitting your spots. As you noted the launch angle guys have a hole in their swing in the top of the zone. If you miss there to those hitters you don’t get burned like you used to, but when you miss out over the plate down you even have those slappy middle infielders taking you deep.

 

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

11 minutes ago, AngelsLakersFan said:

This is all fine if you really are hitting your spots. As you noted the launch angle guys have a hole in their swing in the top of the zone. If you miss there to those hitters you don’t get burned like you used to, but when you miss out over the plate down you even have those slappy middle infielders taking you deep.

 

Most of those are not golfed nor down. Most of the slappy guys are elevated out over the plate. The ASTRO scrubs own us out there. The launch angle guys also have holes down. Because launch angle is not a dipped golf swing.

[Mark PT]

19 hours ago, SlappyUtilityMIF said:

Which is correctable due to their mechanical issues. Leaking open, landing on their heal and spinning out. Dropping their elbows. That's just over throwing which then their stuff doesn't elevate and stays flat or just Frisbees.

That's where the minor league development, pitching coaches and bullpen coaches come into play. IF you see something. Say something.

Repeatable mechanics. Staying on top and Sequencing.

I agree. I may be wrong on this but I think that too many in this organization, as well as baseball as a whole, focus primarily on velocity and not control. 

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

38 minutes ago, Mark PT said:

I agree. I may be wrong on this but I think that too many in this organization, as well as baseball as a whole, focus primarily on velocity and not control. 

VELO is similar to Running Speed.. You can't teach it!

You can attempt to manufacture it.

But, you still can't Over throw it, over spin, over grip, fly open, rush through your mechanics.

However, then body structure and structure of the shoulder, elbow joints come into play and the tendons. Which we see in TJ surgeries.

it's all relevant.

Thats why we went from guys like me in the 80's 5-10 89-91 nothing was straight.

To 90's 6-4+ guys 95-98.

To everyone today has to over do the push and finish and snap and at the same time need to get on Top of the ball.

To Today's open slot insert and manufacture it. Turn them out burn them out and keep sending them in.

Similar to Joyce he throws gas. He was rushing through his break and push in that 9-6 ASTRO game and was bouncing which led to his front side leaking and then leading with his elbow and pushing which caused the elbow issue. Then he tried to pitch through it against the Cubs 4 days later samething bouncing through it. Then he faced what 1 hitter vs Seattle and has been done since.

[Mark PT]

On 7/19/2023 at 2:31 PM, SlappyUtilityMIF said:

VELO is similar to Running Speed.. You can't teach it!

You can attempt to manufacture it.

But, you still can't Over throw it, over spin, over grip, fly open, rush through your mechanics.

However, then body structure and structure of the shoulder, elbow joints come into play and the tendons. Which we see in TJ surgeries.

it's all relevant.

Thats why we went from guys like me in the 80's 5-10 89-91 nothing was straight.

To 90's 6-4+ guys 95-98.

To everyone today has to over do the push and finish and snap and at the same time need to get on Top of the ball.

To Today's open slot insert and manufacture it. Turn them out burn them out and keep sending them in.

Similar to Joyce he throws gas. He was rushing through his break and push in that 9-6 ASTRO game and was bouncing which led to his front side leaking and then leading with his elbow and pushing which caused the elbow issue. Then he tried to pitch through it against the Cubs 4 days later samething bouncing through it. Then he faced what 1 hitter vs Seattle and has been done since.

If you could get a guy to throw only 90-92 mph and save that 96+ for maybe every 5-6 pitch, it would keep hitters off-balance more. I also think more pitcher need to learn better pitch combinations. By this, I mean, pitches that look simpilar but have slightly different movement. 4-seem to 2-seem, 4-seem to slider, slider to cutter etc... Mastering changing speed with every pitch gives you countless combinations, that if you can control well, make it near impossible to hit.