Tyler Waldron Gives Insight On Pitchers Problems With Base Stealers.
by Teek82 on Jul 27, 2010 4:56 PM EDT
Email
PrintIn a local radio interview this afternoon, Spikes pitcher Tyler Waldron, this year's 5th round pick, offered that the biggest difference between pitching in college and for State College is in his speed to the plate. Waldron said the emphasis in college was on being quick to the plate, whereas with the Spikes the emphasis is placed on throwing a good pitch and not worrying about how long it takes to make the pitch. Waldron said he felt rushed in college, but feels more comfortable with the Spikes because of the new focus.
There has been a lot of discussion this year at the big league level about the pitchers' inability to hold runners and be quick, yet efficient, to the plate. The result has been that opposing runners are having their way. Could it be that the coaching staffs at all levels are instructing their pitchers in the same fashion as the Spikes pitchers are being taught? It would explain a lot, but it would seem to be a flaw. If that technique is being promoted system-wide, hopefully it is to set a baseline to quickly be followed up with a system-wide "and now here is how you pitch with runners on base" course in spring training. I know it has been discussed here that at least at the lower levels, fastball command is being stressed and other pitches are worked in over time - maybe this is another example of simplification for the youngest players or maybe this is an issue. Thoughts?
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the managing editor (Charlie) or SB Nation. FanPosts are written by Bucs Dugout readers.
10 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I can't imagine him feeling more comfortable being a bad thing...
Like you said, fastball command is the big thing with the Spikes, so that’s probably all there is to it. I’d be shocked if there was no emphasis on speeding up the approach to the plate as these guys moved through the system.
And isn't that the difference
Between having to win now (as is the case for college coaches) and trying to develop players?
Viva Clemente!
I think
that’s promising for someone like Pounders. If they don’t really care about running right now thats fine. I liken it to when I learned to play tennis (warning – may not be the perfect analogy)
In tennis I was taught the right way to hit a ball (the actual stroke) and I didn’t care about where the ball went. Then I fine tuned it and started gaining accuracy. I’m sure I could have used a makeshift stroke to his it accurately, but it would have limited my potential. I would have backtracked to fix my stroke.
Pitchers who focus on fastball command and location and development will then be able to make minor tweaks later to ensure they hold runners.
Da'Sean Butler - A Mountaineer Legend
by McCutchenIsTheTruth on Jul 27, 2010 8:59 PM EDT reply actions
Yeah, hard to tell if it is a problem or not.
At first, it seemed to me that if a player you drafted had skills and training above the rudimentary, you should at least let that continue or even refine it somewhat so that the pitcher has that little edge. I would guess most college players have some extended training in pitching with runners on base and most high schoolers would have some. I wonder if the philosophy with the Pirates might be that pitchers start from scratch and do it all one way. Time will tell if it is a good plan, but at least at the big league level, it couldn’t get too much worse. Has anyone seen enough AA or AAA games to know if those staffs are better at holding runners than the big club?
I think this is a coincidence. Now that Lincoln’s been demoted, the Pirates don’t have anybody on their staff that came up through their system. The worst offenders this season have been Ohlendorf (1 CS in 14 attempts), Morton (1 in 11 attempts), Meek (1 in 10 attempts), Carrasco (3 in 11 attempts) and Donnelly (0 in 7 attempts).
This isn't the first I've heard of this
and it apparently runs contrary to almost every organization’s teaching, where they emphasize holding runners on in the low minors.
I think this is just the the result of two related factors at work with the Pirates. (1) They are run from the top down by a GM whose sole focus is on “player value,” where the focus with pitchers is on the hitter-pitcher match-up (i.e., stuff and peripheral stats rather than traditional stats that necessarily incorporate baserunning, like wins and ERA), and (2) the Pirates as a whole have been mired in the role of “rebuiild” and its attendant notions of “building value” in players for so long that, as an organization, they’ve lost sight of emphasizing the stuff that makes teams work well and win games. Everything is about the marginal run value of players, and holding runners on doesn’t have a seat at that nerd’s table.
It sucks and it is stupid. Professional ballplayers need to learn from the beginning how to be quick to the plate. They can’t “grow-up” pitching one way in the lower minors then suddenly shift to pitching another way at AAA and the bigs. Plus, Neil’s proven to be a sucker in trades for guys who have good stuff but can’t hold runners on or fall apart from the stretch.
I agree mostly
in that I feel its hard for players to learn one way through the minors and then be able to hold runners on in the big leagues… not holding runners on is going to be a big problem if they keep this up…
I disagree entirely with your last comment about guys with stuff who cant hold runners on, which is a strange and irrelevant comment. It should be easier to teach someone to hold runners on than to learn “good stuff”- that’s not a bad approach at all, as long as they do the teaching
by BurgherKing on Jul 30, 2010 12:00 AM EDT up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
