What are they looking for anyway? Everyone saw this guy pitch against players like Langford, who’s hitting over .400 in high-A BTW, so what is there to prove against high school hitters? If his next start isn’t soon and at high-A you have to really question what the Pirates are doing.
Calm down he has to ramp back up after sitting for a while. They will not hold him back forever. Thinking the plan is in the Bigs June or so next year. I agree with @Aurorus Borealus and not over rush him. Push him too hard with innings for his first couple of weeks when he has not been pitching and could risk an injury. I could see him make an appearance in Toona befor the end of the season
I'm OK with a go-slow approach on Skenes. He has really only been pitching full-time for one year, and he is still experimenting with some different grips and sequencing off that dandy four-seamer. There are lots of possibilities if he is able to introduce another pitch or even 2. Also, he had little opportunity to throw his changeup in college (since the college hitters were accustomed to fastballs at the same velocity as his changeup). The last thing the Pirates need is to "develop" him in the majors. They will have a hard enough time paying him if he is everything he could be. They cannot afford to lose years of service time as he sorts things out in the majors.
They all become soft tossers at some point, and every starting pitcher who lasts more than a few years in the MLB has to learn how to make do with less velocity. Of course, the ones who are good or great well into their 30s have years to learn this. Young finesse pitchers have only a few years to learn how to do it. It is certainly possible, however.
Possibly in the near future, I'm probably going to expand into some more analytically driven viewpoints with some metrics I'm looking into more. Cause I'd say it at least gives more insight into maybe why they're seeking players that on the surface come across as kind of "meh".
They seem to like high spin-rates combined with something a little lower than 3/4 arm slots. It is sort of like Cherington's obsession with tall pitchers who would throw 4-seam fastballs low in the zone. Cherington never did seem to understand the difference between a 2-seam fastball and a 4-seam fastball... but whatever the case. I never really understood the attempts to find a "model" pitcher. All types of guys have success, and as long as their motion is fluid and repeatable and their mechanics are solid... I don't think teams should focus on one "type" as the model.
speaking of velocity, every pitcher who pitched for bradenton last night...their fastball velocity was around 89-91. i just found that to be interesting
Supposedly Kranick will start rehab with Bradenton this week.
Skenes’ first pitch broke the bat in half.
Please tell me you got a picture of that lol
He pitcher one inning? What’s the plan here?
Next time maybe one and a third. Should be up to three by next June. Then maybe a promotion to Bradenton.
What are they looking for anyway? Everyone saw this guy pitch against players like Langford, who’s hitting over .400 in high-A BTW, so what is there to prove against high school hitters? If his next start isn’t soon and at high-A you have to really question what the Pirates are doing.
Calm down he has to ramp back up after sitting for a while. They will not hold him back forever. Thinking the plan is in the Bigs June or so next year. I agree with @Aurorus Borealus and not over rush him. Push him too hard with innings for his first couple of weeks when he has not been pitching and could risk an injury. I could see him make an appearance in Toona befor the end of the season
I'm OK with a go-slow approach on Skenes. He has really only been pitching full-time for one year, and he is still experimenting with some different grips and sequencing off that dandy four-seamer. There are lots of possibilities if he is able to introduce another pitch or even 2. Also, he had little opportunity to throw his changeup in college (since the college hitters were accustomed to fastballs at the same velocity as his changeup). The last thing the Pirates need is to "develop" him in the majors. They will have a hard enough time paying him if he is everything he could be. They cannot afford to lose years of service time as he sorts things out in the majors.
Must . . develop . . . Veteranosity!!!
And he struck out Walker Jenkins.
Sounds like a promotion is in order lol
Good writeup, but soft tossing righties don’t excite me no matter how they ‘spin it’.
They all become soft tossers at some point, and every starting pitcher who lasts more than a few years in the MLB has to learn how to make do with less velocity. Of course, the ones who are good or great well into their 30s have years to learn this. Young finesse pitchers have only a few years to learn how to do it. It is certainly possible, however.
You remind me of Eddie Harris, lol!
This was a really fun read, thanks for putting it all together!
Possibly in the near future, I'm probably going to expand into some more analytically driven viewpoints with some metrics I'm looking into more. Cause I'd say it at least gives more insight into maybe why they're seeking players that on the surface come across as kind of "meh".
They seem to like high spin-rates combined with something a little lower than 3/4 arm slots. It is sort of like Cherington's obsession with tall pitchers who would throw 4-seam fastballs low in the zone. Cherington never did seem to understand the difference between a 2-seam fastball and a 4-seam fastball... but whatever the case. I never really understood the attempts to find a "model" pitcher. All types of guys have success, and as long as their motion is fluid and repeatable and their mechanics are solid... I don't think teams should focus on one "type" as the model.
Sorry... Huntington... not Cherington. It is so easy to get all these blue-blood New England Know-it-alls confused.
One Amherst drone is just like another!
Ooooh I would be super excited to read this!
speaking of velocity, every pitcher who pitched for bradenton last night...their fastball velocity was around 89-91. i just found that to be interesting
Sounds like theres a conspiracy for meddling with the radar guns!
i thought statcast had to be broke or something, until i looked at the opposing team's pitcher velocities