I have always loved long toss. As someone who has always struggled with command, the ability to just launch the ball was liberating. As it became an everyday habit, my velocity began to climb. Training everything to fire in-sync, full speed certainly aids the body’s ability to do so on the mound, but it may... Continue Reading →
The Padres are maniacs and I absolutely love it. Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Dinelson Lamet, Chris Paddack… it is like they have gone wild on The Show’s franchise mode. How they managed these blockbusters without dealing their top prospects is worth its own conversation, but today I want to discuss the idea of marginal benefit.... Continue Reading →
Opening night was quite disappointing as a Nationals fan. Our collection of neighbors sat distanced and outdoors, Soto was out due to a false positive, and to top it off the skies opened up sending us scrambling. It was the first of many losses in 2020. As the last few stragglers left the gathering, I... Continue Reading →
Over his four year career, Adam Kolarek has grown a reputation for being one of the best lefty-killers in the MLB. With a low arm slot and bowling ball sinker, he is a tool perfectly designed for today's specialization and bullpen heavy game. Against left handed batters, the scouting report is pretty straightforward: A heavy... Continue Reading →
Game 5 of the 2018 NLCS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers. Both teams were home run fueled and had caught fire in September leading into the playoffs. The Dodgers had future hall of famer Clayton Kershaw slated for the start. The Brewers, a more bullpen heavy team, indicated Wade Miley would... Continue Reading →
In 2020, Devin Williams took the league by storm. En route to posting a 0.33 ERA, Williams struck out 53% of batters he faced earning himself a spot in rookie of the year conversations. Fueling his rapid ascent was his screwball-like changeup, but how can we analyze what makes it elite? Plenty has been written... Continue Reading →
Mike Trout is the best player in baseball. He once again put up a ridiculous slashline in 2020 - .281/.390/.603 - although it was somewhat disappointing considering what he has done over the past half decade. He may be high on the list, but it is safe to say he will not defend his American... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBWXCSU4nHQ I am usually not one to make bold claims, but Kimbrel had a spectacular September. He may have only pitched 7.1 innings scoreless innings, but it was how he pitched those innings that gives them significance. He dominated striking out 13 batters and walking none. You can fake a good ERA for 7.1 innings... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oSpYKGOswc Luis Castillo's slider has averaged 0.0 inches of horizontal movement in 2020. This video breaks down why that number can be a little misleading. It can also be found on Johnny Asel's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnvnQkFJpR5WubOr-xplBsQ
On the heels of Lucas Giolito’s no-hitter, the unspectacular happened. Dallas Keuchel toed the rubber and gave the White Sox a solid six inning performance. It was his seventh outing this year and his seventh time pitching 5.1+ innings allowing three runs or less. He stands as the rock of the rotation; the robin to... Continue Reading →
Below is a scatter plot of Brendan McKay’s 2019 release points. What do you see? His release point is slightly higher than most left-handed pitchers and toward the third base side. Combined with a good extension, the Release Score metric rates it an above average release point in deception. Then again, that is only utilizing... Continue Reading →
With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, teams are currently scrambling to put the final touches on their teams. World Series hopefuls seek the player that will get them ‘over the top’ while the less fortunate seek prospects to shape their futures. One of the names being tossed around is that of Royals closer, Trevor Rosenthal.... Continue Reading →
Series Introduction: With the modern wave of information, every facet of a pitcher’s game can be quantified now better than ever. ‘Command’ – or the ability to locate a pitch – has remained elusive in being properly encapsulated. The goal of this series is to better analyze players’ command solely through the use of statcast... Continue Reading →
https://videopress.com/v/KvDjguRS?preloadContent=metadata This video is also posted on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV7vXiSDhjs&feature=youtu.be
Along with all the madness going on in the 2020 MLB season, another change has been the use of a different ball tracking system. The Hawk-Eye system is debuting this season as the replacement for the Trackman system. Comparing the data of 2020 with the past, there appears to be inconsistency between the two systems.... Continue Reading →
Brooks Robinson
Chase Seibold
Eric Sexton
Luke Smailes
John Asel
Kai Franke
Kellen Brown
Matt Mancuso
John Moore
Ryan Holland
Will Stern
Wyatt Kleinberg