A Realistic View of 2023: Part II

[Hugh2]

It’s called PITCHCOM and I believe it’s being implanted in AAA this year.

[moonslav59]

It's more than just calling pitches.

 

It may be some really weird and hard to identify intangibles between some pitchers and catchers- like how and/or how quickly the catcher places his target, what sort of stance the catcher assumes, how that catcher talks to the pitcher when going to the mound, body language or others I can't even think of.

[Maxbialystock]

It's more than just calling pitches.

 

It may be some really weird and hard to identify intangibles between some pitchers and catchers- like how and/or how quickly the catcher places his target, what sort of stance the catcher assumes, how that catcher talks to the pitcher when going to the mound, body language or others I can't even think of.

 

I agree it's more than calling pitches.

[Maxbialystock]

Another concept we need to realize is if the pitcher is calling off the catcher a LOT, it could also be on the pitcher sometimes too.

 

A catcher does a lot of homework in when and where to pitch a guy and goes over it with coaching and trainers before every game. It’s almost predetermined what they’re pitching.

 

In the future, the near future batteries will wear headsets and can talk to each other. Or with the dugout and pitches will be called from there. Which at times they are now.

 

Watch out with that word "predetermined" because nothing could be dumber than to assume the pitcher has his full repertoire working on any given day. "Predetermined" means inflexible.

[Hugh2]

Watch out with that word "predetermined" because nothing could be dumber than to assume the pitcher has his full repertoire working on any given day. "Predetermined" means inflexible.

 

I don’t care to argue semantics, but teams go into these games with a plan, the divert as needed

[Hugh2]

I would like the record to state that I did advocate trading Nick Pivetta this off-season

[moonslav59]

I agree it's more than calling pitches.

 

It's possible, with some pitchers & catchers, the pitch calling is a very small part of it, or it's more about the pitcher's confidence in his catcher's pich-calling than the actual pitch the catcher calls for.

[Bellhorn04]

I would like the record to state that I did advocate trading Nick Pivetta this off-season

 

And he would have been one of the last guys I would have traded, as a low-cost innings-eater on a staff desperately in need of innings eaten.

[Hugh2]

And he would have been one of the last guys I would have traded, as a low-cost innings-eater on a staff desperately in need of innings eaten.

 

I mean, when I advocated it I was talking about packaging him up with prospects or involving a 3rd team to trade for an ACE. I value what Nick can do, but if you could subtract him and add a Lopez you do it in the off-season

[Bellhorn04]

I mean, when I advocated it I was talking about packaging him up with prospects or involving a 3rd team to trade for an ACE. I value what Nick can do, but if you could subtract him and add a Lopez you do it in the off-season

 

We can only dream of bold moves to acquire a good young starter.

[Hugh2]

We can only dream of bold moves to acquire a good young starter.

 

What else do we do in the off-season?

[moonslav59]

We can only dream of bold moves to acquire a good young starter.

 

We've had great success making blockbuster trades for top SP'ers, but the last one was Sale backin December 2016. (The extension sucked.)

 

Other big trades for aces:

 

Beckett (NOV 2005)

 

Schilling (NOV 2003)

 

Pedro (NOV 1997)

 

 

 

Other notables:

 

Peavy (post ace) JUL 2013

 

ERod (was a prospect and never an ace) JUL 2014

 

Porcello (ace for a year) DEC 2014

 

Pomeranz (why did I even bring him up?) JUL 2016

 

Eovaldi (ace for a series) JUL 2018

 

Pivetta (ace of the 5th starters) AUG 2020

 

[oldtimer]

Our starting pitching has been a major weakness to date. We can only hope that some of our current staff will find their stride. With Sale pulling down so much, he will be untradable and either he can find his form or he will be a major drag on the team.

[Nick]

We did something right other than extending Devers.

 

How nice is it to bring in a closer in the 9th to win a ballgame?

[Bellhorn04]

One positive thing about this team has been that they don't roll over.

[Bellhorn04]

We did something right other than extending Devers.

 

How nice is it to bring in a closer in the 9th to win a ballgame?

 

Jansen is an old pro.

[moonslav59]

Jansen is an old pro.

 

Can anyone name one RP'er who has been more consistently good over the last 11 straight seasons?

 

1.1 to 3.4 fWAR every year from 2011 to 2022, except:

0.3 in 2018

0.6 in 2020 (pro-rate to 1.6)

 

Saves per season/BS:

 

25/7

28/4

44/5

36/2

47/6

41/1 (led league)

38/4

33/8

11/2 (Pro-rate to 29/5)

38/5

41/7 (led league)

 

Career 394 saves/52 BS (88%)

2.62 ERA

0.940 WHIP

13.0 K/9

 

65.1 IP in Playoffs (20 saves)

2.20 ERA

0.796 WHIP

12.9 K/9

 

Edited April 15, 2023 by moonslav59

[notin]

One positive thing about this team has been that they don't roll over.

 

I do like that about them.

 

Also while Jansen gets all the love, the bullpen overall (in this case, the word “overall”meaning “everyone but Ort”) has been very effective…

[moonslav59]

I do like that about them.

 

Also while Jansen gets all the love, the bullpen overall (in this case, the word “overall”meaning “everyone but Ort”) has been very effective…

 

The funny thing about Ort was that his problem was always the BBs. He has 10Ks and 1 BB in 8 IP.

 

Ort, Brasier and Kelly have pitched 23.2 innings with 24 hits (not bad and 11 from Ort) and 11 BBs, thanks mostly to 6 from Kelly.

 

WHIP

2.06 Bleier

1.64 Kelly

1.50 Ort

1.42 Crawford (some as SP)

1.32 Brasier

 

1.50 Schreiber

1.29 Martin

1.20 Jansen

0.92 Wink

 

[Larry Cook]

The funny thing about Ort was that his problem was always the BBs. He has 10Ks and 1 BB in 8 IP.

 

Ort, Brasier and Kelly have pitched 23.2 innings with 24 hits (not bad and 11 from Ort) and 11 BBs, thanks mostly to 6 from Kelly.

 

WHIP

2.06 Bleier

1.64 Kelly

1.50 Ort

1.42 Crawford (some as SP)

1.32 Brasier

 

1.50 Schreiber

1.29 Martin

1.20 Jansen

0.92 Wink

 

 

Wink’s breaking stuff is more crisp than last year. He has a slider or cutter or something that has become an out pitch

[moonslav59]

Wink’s breaking stuff is more crisp than last year. He has a slider or cutter or something that has become an out pitch

 

Schreiber has slipped from last year, as MVP forewarned, so it's nice to see Wink take up the slack.

 

Having 4 solid RP'ers is very important. Right now, we have 3. If we can get Houck to the pen, it would be huge, but right now, our rotation needs all the help it can get.

 

[Bellhorn04]

Schreiber has slipped from last year, as MVP forewarned

 

His WHIP is up but his FIP is down. Only blemish is more walks.

[Nick]

For pitching experts on the board can you take a starter and pitch him every 5th day say in tandem with Chris Sale as an example? And not vary from it? So Houck prepares to pitch mutiple innings on the day Sale starts? Would that be hard on Houck physically Edited April 16, 2023 by Nick

[moonslav59]

His WHIP is up but his FIP is down. Only blemish is more walks.

 

This scares me:

 

Line Drive %

12.7 2022

25.0 2023

[Bellhorn04]

For pitching experts on the board can you take a starter and pitch him every 5th day say in tandem with Chris Sale as an example? And not vary from it? So Houck prepares to pitch mutiple innings on the day Sale starts? Would that be hard on Houck physically

 

It's nice in theory but I don't think it works in reality. You never know what's going to happen in a particular game.

[Maxbialystock]

Has it occurred to anyone else that the title of this thread is unachievable?

[Bellhorn04]

Has it occurred to anyone else that the title of this thread is unachievable?

 

Like many titles, the main purpose is to sound cool.

[Maxbialystock]

Like many titles, the main purpose is to sound cool.

 

Now that I understand. Thus my name.

[Maxbialystock]

Back to topic A--I do not see how anyone can formulate a realistic explanation of this season so far. I sure can't.

[Nick]

Back to topic A--I do not see how anyone can formulate a realistic explanation of this season so far. I sure can't.

 

Despite many things going wrong, we are 8-8.

 

#1 issue at the CONClUSION of last season was to improve the pen. I do think we r better there just on the strength of our new closer.