Grooving balls right down the middle.

1,050 Views | 3 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by W
Agnzona
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Tonight on MLB highlights its one fat pitch right down the pike after another all leaving the park.

What the hell happened to the art of pitching?
"Fort Worth where the West begins...and Dallas is where the East peters out!"
Phil Garner
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Hitting highlights will always include many poor pitches. A sample size of 10 pitches per game is less than 5%.

Highlights are a poor way to judge the number of quality pitches.
6-4-3
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AG
One could just as easily say "what has happened to the art of hitting?" Yes, home runs are up. But so are strikeouts. And few players will compensate for defensive shifts by using all parts of the field. I also see many instances of runner on 3rd and no outs and the offense can't score the guy. It is head scratching. But MLB level pitching is outstanding, so it goes both ways. You see guys who were high level prospects and hit AA and AAA pitching when they were younger and then they got a taste of MLB pitching and it is career changing.

As the poster above point out, home run highlights are naturally going to show poor pitch location. Highlights being what they are.

One thing I tend to agree with, however, is the direction of pitching development in general with its focus on elite velocity paired with hard- biting sliders and curveballs. This is swing and miss stuff. Location is obviously important but perhaps not emphasized in high schools and colleges and beyond. It's become a velo world. A swing and miss world in which hitters appear to be willing to accommodate.
94chem
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I think location has become even more important. I played against Todd Van Poppel, the consensus #1 player in America in 1990. Today he'd be just anothet HS senior with a 94 mph fastball. Hitters today are killing middle -middle stuff. Deception and location are critical.
W
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AG
I would agree that a big reason why the defensive shifts are successful...hitters refuse to go the other way and possibly limit the AB to a single or double.

same thing with a runner on 3rd and less than 2 outs...the hitter won't settle for a single to score the run...still trying for the home run. Saw it with one of the Astros' call-ups last week. Would not shorten his swing to make contact with a man on 3rd. Still took the huge cut and of course struck out
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