New to Baseball (Questions, etc)

TropicalFruitGirl2

A Peachy Hockey Gal!
Feb 23, 2013
6,823
3,828
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
Why don't you see screwballs in MLB?

Good question....my guess would be that it isn't an easy pitch to master.
From what I've read about it and from the amount of players that have actually used it effectively, it isn't something that everyone can master and use at the Major League level.

Also, a screwball pitcher would have to learn it from somewhere, right? How many effective teachers, coaches are out there that can teach it...perhaps effective at lower levels, but as the pitcher reaches higher levels of competition, unless he has it down pat, he likely won't have much control over it, and that would be deadly against Major League hitters.

In this way, I believe the screwball is like the knuckleball: fantastic and frustrating pitch to hit if mastered...…...but not many masters and teachers of it out there, and same with players with patience enough to master them as well.

Hope that helped.
 

TropicalFruitGirl2

A Peachy Hockey Gal!
Feb 23, 2013
6,823
3,828
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
Okay, Southsiders, I have a question:

What was the jersey that Chris Sale destroyed?

Haha...
chicago.png


I'm no Southsider, but here ya go.
 
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Clare2904

LEGEND!
Sponsor
Oct 22, 2016
14,685
8,816
Montreal
Quick question, has anyone bought a jersey direct from MLB that they customised? Is the name/number sewn or heat sealed?

I have asked them direct and she doesn't know :laugh:
 

Filthy Dangles

Registered User*
Oct 23, 2014
28,353
39,702
Why don't you see screwballs in MLB?

hard to throw and repeat your delivery. plus you'd probably have to alter your arm slot and get more over the top to really throw it, tipping hitters off. It's sort of an exaggerated circle change, which a lot of guys throw and has the same effect of running away or fading from a batter of the opposite handedness.

Oliver Drake throws some crazy pitch that moves like a screwball would, I think it's technically a splitter as classified by Trackman/Pitch F/X or whatever the system is called nowadays but his delivery is so over the top and he does something with the grip that it gets crazy movement.

 
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rangerssharks414

Registered User
Mar 9, 2010
32,311
1,648
Long Island, NY
Okay, statisticians, is a high or low number good for a pitcher's GO/AO?

A fly ball has a lower chance of falling for a hit for a ball that stays in the park. But considering the number of home runs is higher than ever, and the shifts are being used more than ever, a higher ground ball rate is much better in my opinion.
 

GIN ANTONIC

Registered User
Aug 19, 2007
18,786
14,617
Toronto, ON
A fly ball has a lower chance of falling for a hit for a ball that stays in the park. But considering the number of home runs is higher than ever, and the shifts are being used more than ever, a higher ground ball rate is much better in my opinion.

Also depends on your team make-up and the park that you're playing in to some degree I would imagine.
 

rangerssharks414

Registered User
Mar 9, 2010
32,311
1,648
Long Island, NY
Obviously not new to baseball...

@MurrayBannerman, you probably know this. Is there a pitcher value stat that factors in stuff like hard hit rate and stuff that doesn't show up in a boxscore? I know bWAR and fWAR are basically determined by the three true outcomes (and sometimes hit by pitches).
 

Filthy Dangles

Registered User*
Oct 23, 2014
28,353
39,702
Obviously not new to baseball...

@MurrayBannerman, you probably know this. Is there a pitcher value stat that factors in stuff like hard hit rate and stuff that doesn't show up in a boxscore? I know bWAR and fWAR are basically determined by the three true outcomes (and sometimes hit by pitches).

xwOBA

It takes into account your strike outs, walks and quality of contact...shows pitchers that might be over or under performing based on their contact quality. for that you look at their xwOBA or expected xwOBA, versus their observed wOBA.
 

MurrayBannerman

I post about baseball on a hockey forum
Feb 18, 2012
34,493
659
CHI
Those are still just rate stats though like OPS+ is? Is there a cumulative 'above replacement' or 'above average' that accounts for the innings and what not
DRC+ is like wRC+, yes. DRA is a RA9 based stat and has DRA- to conceptualize it to scale.
xwOBA

It takes into account your strike outs, walks and quality of contact...shows pitchers that might be over or under performing based on their contact quality. for that you look at their xwOBA or expected xwOBA, versus their observed wOBA.
All of that is in DRA and DRA is substantially more predictive.
 

AdmiralsFan24

Registered User
Mar 22, 2011
14,979
3,896
Wisconsin
It just means that if a pitch breaks towards a pitcher's arm side, then it's arm side run. So a two seamer is going to have arm side run, a cutter is going to have glove side runs.
 

Filthy Dangles

Registered User*
Oct 23, 2014
28,353
39,702
Okay, I recently learn the concept of Arm Side vs. Glove Side.

I get somewhat the concept.

My question is which pitches are arm side or glove side?

298fb0e686d76b7aed5838d69a255716.png


Cutter's, sliders, curveballs break glove side or away from a right handed hitter.

Two-seamers/sinkers and changeups break more arm side or toward a right handed hitter.

You see pitchers use change ups more against lefties because you generally want the ball breaking away from the hitter rather than into the hitter.
 
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CoyoteUgly

Registered User
Feb 11, 2004
400
45
I could be way off here, but i swear in recent years there was a website that showed future years interleague opponents. Now it didnt have the date obviously, and i don't think it said home or away, but at least showed the future opponents.

Does this sound familiar to anyone? Do they have a site they use? Google's come up dry.
 

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