The season has started

[Hit-n-Run]

Peraza will only hit as much as his patience at the plate allows. Haven't seen much of either from him to this point. I think he may eventually play himself into a permanent utility role.

 

[eburg5000]

I thought it was interesting , that Sam LeCure is going to do some radio and TV this season. I really don't mind Jim day doing games either.

My problem with Thom Brennaman. Is, he goes off talking about something, and doesn't tell you what's going on in the game. Things like who's at the plate, the count, how many outs, what inning they are in. Most of that I can see on the screen, but if there are changes in the lineup during the game, were on are own , most of the time.

I believe Thom loves the Reds as much or more than I do, and some of what he says is interesting. When he was in college at OU he worked at the local radio station that broadcasted the Reds game, and while he was there. They never had any Technical difficulties during the game . When he left you were lucky if you heard a full game with out it going to dead air.

I grew up following the Reds on radio, but any more it's hard to find a clear station, at least in my area. I prefer radio to TV, and I used to listen to the radio and mute the sound. but any more there is a somewhere around a 5 second delay.

Please forgive me for my ranting, I'm stuck inside today,
and haven't much else to do

 

[JohnU]

I heard the media types say names like Kershaw and Maddox in describing Mahle last night. Not sure what they were smoking, but they need to slow their roll. Results and the quality of pitching aren't always the same thing in short sample size.

I recall the first few games a guy named Kevin Bell played for the White Sox back in about 1975. Four hits, 2 doubles, a few ribeyes ... the Chicago press was whacking to this guy's picture. They were so starved for another version of Calico Joe (interesting novel, btw)

Here's Kevin's career line.

Kevin Bell Stats | Baseball-Reference.com

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Rant on Eburg, it's free and I don't mind. Hell, we all get to babbling about something at times.

I don't think the radio is any better these days. It's either "Ask Marty" or something else that has nothing to do with the game, or the Cowboy talking about eating.

I think they should drop Bow Tie Tuesdays and use the tie to gag Thom.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Looking at KB stat page you linked it appears he got that 0.2 career WAR that first game.

 

[JohnU]

Looking at KB stat page you linked it appears he got that 0.2 career WAR that first game.

His first games were not as I remembered them but it was sometime early that year that he impressed people for an hour or so. I recall one 4-4 game but honestly, it's not important. There are better examples.

 

[JohnU]

The deal with tHom to me is that he's so jingoistic and full of rousing patriotism. I am OK with that but, please ... it just doesn't work when it is pasted on that thick. In his defense, he does a much better job using Welsh's resources than Marty does with Brantley. I have gotten to like Brantley a little when he talks baseball. He's not supposed to be the dumfuck sidekick. He's supposed to tell us about pitching.

I do listen to quite a few radio games since the MLB package I get blacks me out on Chicago games, as with today and when they play the White Sox. There are TV options if it's a big enough deal. It hardly ever is.

Jim Day should stay on the sidelines. He does nice work with that feature. I am often more interested in that than the game.

Best TV announcers are the Mets guys. Giants guys are real good as well. The worst are the Pirates.

 

[JohnU]

THE BATS ROSTER, in case you care.
Kinda lost track of Kyle Crockett.
I see Hunter Greene is headed for Dayton. I hope to pin down his start when they go to Fort Wayne on the 20-22 of April.


Roster | Louisville

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Looks like it'll be a rain delay game. Both teams are off tomorrow so it could be a long night at the ball yard.

Here's hoping Cody Reed pitches a good game.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Two rain outs in the first five games. They have more rain outs than wins. I hope that changes soon.

 

[chico ruiz]

i've got to disagree with you h-n-r on stephenson's secondary stuff being better than mahle's. though, i think it might be a more semantic argument, because mahle has the ability to change speeds on all his pitches. a pitch within a pitch, if you don't stay within the strict parameters of fb, sl, cb, ch. he has 2 quality fastballs with varying movement and mph differentials; effectively making one a secondary pitch from my pov.

it looks to me like he has a distinct 4-seam, and a distinct 2-seam. he seems to throw both at different speeds 90 - 97. mahle could throw a 97 mph fastball and throw another fb the next pitch at 90 and have the batter out in front. i'm guessing the 4 seam has the extra burst, but with mahle i'm not completely sure, which is good. if i'm not picking it up with 3 different cameras, then the batter probably isn't either. regardless, they must read as 2 distinctly different pitches from the hitters perspective. mike mussina did that a lot. i make that comparison for content expedition, not style or potential v. history of results. however, as h-n-r points out, developing 5 or 6 different pitches, release points, arm angles, etc can only make him a better pitcher. i saw a spring training game where mahle's slider and change were working better than his fastballs and he got quality start results.

i think my definition of secondary pitches is more subtle. it's a finer interpretation that keeps my interest in the game piqued. i always hope that it doesn't stagnate as proprietary, and becomes an interesting discussion.

 

[eburg5000]

Surprised they didn't make the game up today, But then again while its not raining it's pretty nasty high winds and low temps. I wouldn't want to go to the ballpark and sit through that.

 

[eburg5000]

You guys humble me when you talk about pitching. I can tell a curve ball sometimes a slider, and a fastball, sometimes a changeup if the batter swing out in front of it. Outside of that I can't tell anything. What you say is interesting wish I could see it.

 

[JohnU]

You guys humble me when you talk about pitching. I can tell a curve ball sometimes a slider, and a fastball, sometimes a changeup if the batter swing out in front of it. Outside of that I can't tell anything. What you say is interesting wish I could see it.

I don't dabble much in definition when it comes to pitching -- fastie, curvy and slider ... a sinker is a fastball and a splitter is a forkball.

To be honest, the size of a pitcher's hands will determine a lot about what he can throw and when. Fingers get blisters and thumbs get tired throughout the game. Mechanics is a quite vague conversation when it comes to pitching and the experts are inclined to overthink it to the point where it stops being pitching and starts being an analytics conversation that would make Warren Spahn and Ted Williams laugh in their corn flakes.

I do know that location will matter almost all the time. Hitters guess at the pitch and always did.

The component that enters into it now is the radar gun. If a hitter knows it's coming, he can hit a 102 mph Chapman fastball. What he can't hit is the pitch that goes 90 mph and looks like a Chapman fastball.

 

[chico ruiz]

i try to put as much fun into the game as possible. mlb and corporate interests have stolen more than enough of it away from us. i won't let them take anymore. i love the pitcher's duel. it's an incredible experience to watch, from a box behind home plate slightly off axis, at any mlb park, on any day in the summer. to talk about what a pitcher was using that made him successful is fun. listening to other pitchers talk about the performance is even more fun.

hitters do it too. ted williams loved talking about this kind of stuff. for god sake, he wrote a book titled 'the science of hitting.' what the splendid splinter would laugh at is joe blowhard broadcaster saying something as innocuous and simple as, 'he needs to be more patient at the plate.' he knew that good mlb hitters foul off a ton of pitches. that's the real cat & mouse game that goes on between 60 ft & six inches. the lazy comment doesn't come within spitting distance of describing the intricacies of mlb hitting: reading and picking up the ball out of the pitchers hand, fouling off as many close pitches as possible until the pitcher has to come in or makes a mistake, quick wrists and bat speed with the ability to stay back. pulling your hands in, or inside outing a pitch. etc etc etc. these guys have to do these things within a few seconds. patience at the plate? every time i hear a broadcaster say it, i cringe.

 

[JohnU]

Chico, your contention Williams is about practical application of an at-bat, which is less about data than actual execution. Williams had perfect vision, and that's generally been conceded to be a fact. I suspect there are other hitters who can claim that but the variables are in height, bat speed, hitting stance, etc ... things that coaches try to fix without ruining the gasket in the oil pan. Every hitter gets it right once in awhile.

As to patience, I agree it's an overstated simplicity that means generally to find a pitch you can handle. The trouble is, depending on situations, that pitch might not be the one a hitter needs to swing at. I think that's been one of the ongoing commentaries about what does Votto do when Hamilton is on first base?

I think, with Votto, that when Hamilton does get to first base, he will figure out what he ought to do. Otherwise, it's like telling your buds your plans when you hit the lottery.

 

[Redsfan1507]

As long as first pitches are 75% fastballs, at 90% velocity, "patience" from hitters is overrated.

Guys that routinely take strike one down the middle, and fake bunt strike 2, are doomed. "Patience" to that guy, is a called strike 3. See Billy Hamilton.

"Great 2 strike hitters" are rare, and they still hit .100 less than with fewer than 2 strikes. They just foul off more pitches until the pitcher gives in a little. See Joey Votto.

A great coach told me once the best way for a hitter to deal with a great breaking ball is to hit the fastball before it. Barring ability to do that, never try to pull the breaking ball. If you wait for a little travel on "Uncle Charlie", and try to go oppage or up the middle, a little late or early swing still gives the hitter a shot at getting the bat on it..unless the hiitter is swinging up, at which there is only 1 point in the the entire travel of both the bat and pitch planes, they can meet each other. See Adam Dunn.

Sliders look like fastballs. Changeups look like fastballs. Hell, so does a good splitter, so I get being fooled there, but Curveballs don't look at all like fastballs. They come out on top of the pitchers hand instead of directly out of it, the arm is distinctly pronated, and the seams spin horizontally, not vertically (dead red). Any hitter that doesn't know this by AA is in the wrong profession, as are the so-called coaches that aren't doing what they are paid for. The big killers of hitters is control, and change of speed. As a hitter, you gotta be out front for 95 mph, and you look like a fool if it's 82 instead, unless you have elite reaction time. It's not that common.

They say every war starts with improved technology, but outdated tactics...I see baseball wars similarly. For the last 3 PED era decades, coaches have been asking pitchers to throw faster, and hitters to hit farther. The Astros are unique now, because they are asking pitchers to throw more breaking balls, fewer pitches, resulting in both striking out and walking fewer hitters...the goal is to toss more innings, not pitches...after all, .300 hitters make outs 70% of the time...it's just pre-PED pitching philosophy 101. Pitchers usually only get killed because they can't throw enough strikes that aren't in the fat part of the plate. See the Reds.

BTW, I can't stand Thom. He's a blathering blowhard that hasn't the knowledge to do color commentary or the good sense to stick to the game enough for play by play. If it wasn't for his dad, he would be making $38,000 a year announcing women's soccer for Ohio U.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

I believe patience has it's place in hitting. As John pointed out the situation dictates some of that. Pitchers don't throw Joey Votto the same first pitch they'd throw Billy Hamilton. With RISP they don't throw anyone a get it over first pitch unless it's a mistake.

 

[JohnU]

The problem I see with Reds hitters lately and the league generally is that there isn't any lineup churn with strikeouts. They don't see enough pitches, forcing the pitcher to keep reinventing his approach. If you send 6 guys to the plate every inning, you will win the pennant.

 

[eburg5000]

The Reds are playing in Pittsburgh, The Pirates are the hottest team in the central so far with a 4 and 2 record.