Pitching in the Modern Era

Certain types of throws/catches By: Frank Fraschetti   Long Toss:     Long toss is a very important thing to a pitcher. It has been proven to benefit pitchers. This is done on certain days, and not done every day because the point of this is to throw the ball as far as you can. In the major leagues, you will see the pitcher before a start throwing from foul pole to foul pole. This is a way that the pitcher gets loose. Not every starter does this, but it is something that a lot of pitchers do. Some pitchers like to do this after they throw, meaning a couple days after because it helps stretch the arm out.  90 Feet:     If you hung out at a baseball practice you would hear the pitchers say "want to go 90 today?" This is pretty normal for pitchers because the pitching mound is 60ft 6 in, and going 90 feet is kind of stretching it out, but is no too much. This is a very good distance for pitchers because it helps them get a feel for their arms that day and is a...

Covid-19's Impact on the Future of Pitching By: Adam Jeannette   Coronavirus and Baseball in 2020     -The pandemic caused by Covid-19 (Coronavirus) initially shook the MLB season. It started in the middle of spring training, a time where aspiring minor and major league baseball players are playing to prove why they deserve a spot on the big league roster. Spring training got shut down because of the virus. This left the return of baseball unknown. On June 30th, the Minor League Baseball Association announced that there would be no 2020 minor league systems ( 1 ). This was followed by news of Minor League baseball planning to cut 40 teams in 2021 ( 2 ). The pandemic alone left many players without a job for 2020 and now there is a high likelihood that there will be fewer opportunities moving into  the future.  How will Minor League Pitchers Handle Covid-19? Glass Half Full vs Half Empty     -Minor league pitchers will have two ways of handling the...

Warm up- Before Pitching By: Frank Fraschetti   Stretching:     As a young kid, I never thought stretching was a big deal. When you get older you start to realize how important it is. I remember when I was young, I use to throw 2 games a weekend. Now, I need at least 4-5 days off before I throw again. It is different depending on if you are a starter, reliever, or closer. Being stretched out before throwing is so important because you use more than just your arm when throwing. Your whole body is being used and if your legs are not stretched it can cause you to not throw as hard.    Bands:  Jaeger bands are a huge part of getting the arm loose before pitching. You see this being done before picking up a baseball. There is a series of exercises or stretches that are done to make sure your arm is loose and ready to throw. Everyone has a different routine they use based on what makes them feel the most stretched out and loose. There is no "set" exercises you ha...

The High Fastball's Success Story  by: Adam Jeannette Intro     - High fastballs are a new trend in Major League Baseball that started just recently. The exact opposite was preached to pitchers for nearly the entire history of the MLB. The old mindset of pitching low in the zone for weak contact is fading as strikeouts are at an all-time high in today's game. Part of this rise in strikeouts is due to the usage of the high fastball.  Why is it so Effective? Induced Vertical Break     -First off, not all fastballs are effective when thrown up in the zone. However, the ones that are effective up in the strike zone share similar movement profiles. In the screenshot above from a pitch on Rapsodo, the induced vertical break, outlined as "V", is 18". What this means is this particular fastball has a higher induced vertical break than most. The average vertical break on a fastball is 14-16" with lower breaks classifying the fastball as more of a...

  What Pitchers Look for in a Hitter By: Frank Fraschetti     Feet:     Pitchers look at a few things while on the mound. One of the first things a pitcher may look at is the batter's feet. This is a good indication of how to throw to the hitter and maybe even give a good idea of what pitches to throw. As a pitcher, you try and always find a little way to help when you are on the mound. For example, if you see the hitter is up in the box with runners on and less than 2 outs, a bunt might be coming. Noticing that before you pitch the ball can really help you as a pitcher.   Step:     Another thing that a pitcher will look at is the step or load the hitter takes. If the hitter is stepping into the ball or toward the plate, then it would be smart to try and throw it inside to jam them. If the hitter does the opposite, and steps out or toward 3rd base if it's a right-handed hitter, then throwing an outside pitch is smart because it is a far reach...

Velocity Increases in Major League Baseball by: Adam Jeannette Background on Velocity             -In 2002, the average fastball velocity was 89 mph ( 1 ). This was merely 18 years ago. Since then, the average has increased over 4 mph to 93.45 mph ( 2 ). To the average fan this may not seem like a big deal, however, it is easier to understand when it is put into perspective. A 90-95 mph fastball takes roughly 400 milliseconds to reach home plate. Subtracting from this reaction time is the time it takes for the brain to process the image of the baseball. This takes 100 milliseconds. Subtracting this from the 400 milliseconds, there is now 300 milliseconds for the batter to react, but wait, there are a few more subtractions needed to be made. The average swing takes roughly 150 milliseconds to get around enough to make contact with the ball. Building off this, it takes the brain 25 milliseconds to send the signal to the body to swing. This leaves the bat...

High School vs College Pitching  By: Frank Fraschetti High School Pitching:     Most people probably do not think that there is a big difference between pitching in high school compared to college. The truth is that there are a lot of differences between the two. In High School, I would say that you have more of an advantage over hitters because of the strike zone. The strike zone in High School varies just in college, but it is a bigger strike zone which is in favor of the pitcher because he has more room to throw the ball and makes it harder on the hitter to make contact. In college, the strike zone is like the major leagues and the umpires become better. They do not miss a lot of calls and are pretty consistent across the board.  Hitters in College:     Growing up and being around baseball and kids who want to end up in college is what you hear a lot about. Hitters at the college level start to realize and recognize the strike zone better and do not swin...

 Pine Tar's Impact on Today's Game by: Adam Jeannette What is Pine Tar?     -Pine tar has been used in the game of baseball for as long as the game has been around. It is a sticky  substance intended to be used for grip on the bat. It is legal for hitters to use on their bats, but not for pitchers to use in any way. Although this is the original intention behind pine tar, pitchers have been sneaking pine tar and other sticky substances onto their gloves, belts, hats, and even their neck to use it as an advantage for years. Baseball is a game of getting every slight advantage possible against your opponent, and pine tar does just that for pitchers.  Michael Pineda caught for pine tar on his neck Why is it Used by Pitchers?     -Pine tar is used by pitchers for different reasons than hitters. Even though it may slightly help with gripping the ball for each pitch, this is not the main reason behind its use with pitchers. Looking back on my last ...

  The Curve and Slider By: Frank Fraschetti       What are a Curveball and Slider:      - Some people will want to argue and say there is no difference between these two different pitches. The best way to understand this without a visual example, think of a clock. When you are thinking of the clock think about where the 12 is and the 6. This is the movement of how the Curveball should break, or move. This is why if you watch baseball or people talk about it, they will say things such as "that was a good 12 to 6 curve." It is very important to have this movement because if not it will look like your slider and it is hard to tell the difference. The slide is a 2 to 7 type of movement. This is more at an angle than straight up and down. This pitch goes away from a right-handed hitter and into a left-handed hitter when thrown by a right-handed pitcher.  Which pitch is better?      - I would not say one pith is better than the other...

  Spin Efficiency by: Adam Jeannette What is it?       -Spin rate is a common word used in modern-day baseball broadcasts. With devices around the world such as Rapsodo, Trackman, Pitch Logic, Diamond Kinectics and Hawkeye, data on different pitches is available to players and fans now more than ever before. "Spin rate" has become a buzzword of some sort, with announcers raving about it every chance they get. Often times, these announcers do not entirely understand the meaning behind spin rate and how it affects different pitches. This is where spin efficiency comes into the equation. Spin efficiency is the amount of spin inflicted on a pitch which is used. I know this may sound confusing, but I promise you it is not. For example, if Jacob DeGrom throws a fastball at 2500 RPMs with 50% spin efficiency, only 50% of that spin is useful for affecting movement characteristics of the pitch. The other 50% of spin that is not useful is cha...