OT: The Other Sports Thread (Titans, Vols, Dores, etc) - Part IX

[AdmiralsFan24]

Yeah They never faced guys named Gooden, Ryan or Clemens. And those junk ballers actually knew how to pitch now just throw. Willie McGee and Rickey Henderson would terrorize pitchers today with their speed alone. Hitters also knew how to go the other way and find holes in the defense instead of being one dimensional pull hitters.

lol so you named like 3 other pitchers that weren't junk ballers? It's easy to say guys know how to go the other way and find holes but guess what? Those hitters weren't facing 95+ with movement every single day like hitters today are. They also didn't have as much data then as they do now. It's just not even comparable. If those hitters back then had to face what hitters do today in terms of data and how pitchers actually throw, they wouldn't touch them.

 

[Gnashville]

lol so you named like 3 other pitchers that weren't junk ballers? It's easy to say guys know how to go the other way and find holes but guess what? Those hitters weren't facing 95+ with movement every single day like hitters today are. They also didn't have as much data then as they do now. It's just not even comparable. If those hitters back then had to face what hitters do today in terms of data and how pitchers actually throw, they wouldn't touch them.

And today’s hitters can’t hit because they are only trying to hit home runs. They also don’t play on carpet over concrete in cookie cutter stadiums and deal with those injuries. The 80’s was massively more exciting than today’s snoozefests of strike outs.

 

[LCPreds]

Generational comparisons are always so silly.

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

And today’s hitters can’t hit because they are only trying to hit home runs. They also don’t play on carpet over concrete in cookie cutter stadiums and deal with those injuries. The 80’s was massively more exciting than today’s snoozefests of strike outs.

Because you're likely not stringing multiple hits together against fastballs at 97 and sliders and changeups that not that long ago would've been the average speed of a fastball. So you change your swing angle and hope to run into one instead of hoping to get 3 consecutive hits.

 

[desmondtootoo]

.

 

[desmondtootoo]

There’s nobody today to compare to Carew, Gwynn, Brett, Boggs, Biggio, etc.
Just such natural, consistent hitters and all around ball players.
Carew could hit HR, steal home a bunch of times, hit .390, hit a pile of triples. Biggio played catcher, all around the infield, center field. Shoot, Campy Campaneris played all 9 positions one time, and also pitched both righty and lefty.
Pretty strange, but it shows what kind of pure talent and how well rounded players used to be. You don’t see many OF that can gun runners down at the plate anymore.
There was basically one guy on every team that was great at everything, hitting and in the field. Mays Mantle Aaron Clemente Kaline Musial Richie Allen Tommy Harper Jimmy Wynn Ernie Banks Joe Morgan ....
Lotta great catchers that you just don’t see today either. Nobody today like Yogi Bench Munson Fisk Grote Fosse Tenace Murphy Simmons.

 

[Armourboy]

Because you're likely not stringing multiple hits together against fastballs at 97 and sliders and changeups that not that long ago would've been the average speed of a fastball. So you change your swing angle and hope to run into one instead of hoping to get 3 consecutive hits.

If all they are doing is changing a swing angle and hoping they run into one I think I understand why MLB hitters aren't hitting a damn thing these days.

 

[triggrman]

Because you're likely not stringing multiple hits together against fastballs at 97 and sliders and changeups that not that long ago would've been the average speed of a fastball. So you change your swing angle and hope to run into one instead of hoping to get 3 consecutive hits.

While pitching has changed its not nearly dramatic as you’re making it. Sliders and cut fastballs have been around for a very long time.

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

While pitching has changed its not nearly dramatic as you’re making it. Sliders and cut fastballs have been around for a very long time.

Yeah, sliders as fast as fastballs 15 years ago have not been around. It's hard enough to hit a ball at 90 mph that's coming relatively straight. It's ridiculously hard to hit a ball that looks like a fastball and then veers off a half a foot 10 feet before it gets to you.

 

[triggrman]

Yeah, sliders as fast as fastballs 15 years ago have not been around. It's hard enough to hit a ball at 90 mph that's coming relatively straight. It's ridiculously hard to hit a ball that looks like a fastball and then veers off a half a foot 10 feet before it gets to you.

Except that Mariano Rivera was throwing 94 cut fast balls 20 years ago, with extreme break.

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

Except that Mariano Rivera was throwing 94 cut fast balls 20 years ago, with extreme break.

And did hitters back then hit him? No. So now when we have more pitchers throwing cutters like that (including one pitcher throwing one at an average of 96 mph!) do you think it's easier or harder to hit?

Like, I seriously don't think you guys understand how much harder pitchers are throwing today than they did even 15 years ago.

13 relievers threw an average fastball of 95 or more in 2006, this year 75 relievers are doing it. 2 starters were throwing fastballs an average of 95 or more in 2006, now 13 are doing it.

15 relievers threw sliders an average of 87 or more in 2006, this year 39 relievers are doing it. 0 starters were throwing sliders an average of 87 or more, now 11 are doing it.

1 reliever was throwing changeups at an average of 88 or more in 2006, now 31 are doing it. 1 starter was throwing a changeup an average of 88 or more in 2006, now 12 are doing it.

And now front offices have figured out that it's better to bring in these relievers earlier instead of letting their starter go 3 or 4 times through the lineup. So they're facing faster pitchers, starters that aren't getting fatigued and relievers throwing harder than ever.

 

[LCPreds]

Fastball... fastball.... Give me an army of Greg Maddux clones all day. The professor will take you to school with his 85-90 mph heater.

 

[triggrman]

Radar has changed dramatically in the last 15 years as well. So we really don’t know that players are throwing harder, just know radar now allows us to pick it up at it’s max speed not jus at the plate.

My son plays for the brother of the Core Velocity inventor. I’ll ask him his thoughts on this, this weekend. I’ll ask Barry Vetter (Blackman coach) this weekend. Barry has coached in Rutherford county for 25 years so he’s had a few MLB guys in his dugout.

 

[triggrman]

AdmiralsFan24, check out this article.

Speed bump: Radar readings up with MLB change to Statcast

After previously using PITCHf/x to provide velocities to broadcasts and ballparks, Major League Baseball Advanced Media is instead supplying numbers from its Statcast system. The key difference is that PITCHf/x calculates velocity at a set point — usually 50 or 55 feet from the back of home plate — while Statcast measures velocity directly out of the pitcher's hand.
Because of that difference, Statcast readings are faster than PITCHf/x by about 0.6 mph on average, according to MLBAM senior data architect Tom Tango.
"We do have the technology to capture the speed right out of the hand now," Tango told The Associated Press. "So that's what we report."
Trouble is, for now, fans and analysts aren't necessarily comparing apples to apples on pitch speeds from last year.

 

[Armourboy]

I just have a hard time believing pitchers today are throwing a slider all that much faster than Randy Johnson. Cut fastballs are not a new thing. The mechanics of pitching hasn't changed.

I mean comparisons are being made back to times when players were still shooting up steroids and HGH.

I think it's less about pitching and more to do that the directive has been to hit with power for everyone. If a batting record hasn't been broken in the last 10 years it's likely to never be sniffed.

 

[PredsV82]

No comments about the Titans taking a flyer on a guy who has had multiple back surgeries with their 1st round pick?? Seems like the guy from Northwestern that Cleveland took 2 spots later would have been a safer bet

 

[Armourboy]

No comments about the Titans taking a flyer on a guy who has had multiple back surgeries with their 1st round pick?? Seems like the guy from Northwestern that Cleveland took 2 spots later would have been a safer bet

I just assume most people are like me and just disgusted and don't want to talk about it.

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

I just have a hard time believing pitchers today are throwing a slider all that much faster than Randy Johnson.

I think I pretty clearly explained this. It's not that they're throwing them faster than Randy Johnson, it's that there are now like 75 pitchers throwing it as fast as Randy Johnson when back in Johnson's prime it was Johnson and then maybe like 1 or 2 more guys.

 

[LCPreds]

No comments about the Titans taking a flyer on a guy who has had multiple back surgeries with their 1st round pick?? Seems like the guy from Northwestern that Cleveland took 2 spots later would have been a safer bet

Huge risk with potentially huge reward. They did their homework and this guys ceiling is a lot higher than anyone else who was left at that point.

 

[BigFatCat999]

why don't we call Bama, New England U?

 

[Armourboy]

I think I pretty clearly explained this. It's not that they're throwing them faster than Randy Johnson, it's that there are now like 75 pitchers throwing it as fast as Randy Johnson when back in Johnson's prime it was Johnson and then maybe like 1 or 2 more guys.

Sure there is. I'll take Triggers thoughts on it as a more likely scenario than suddenly every pitcher in the league having a legendary slider.

 

[NoNecksCurse]

I think I pretty clearly explained this. It's not that they're throwing them faster than Randy Johnson, it's that there are now like 75 pitchers throwing it as fast as Randy Johnson when back in Johnson's prime it was Johnson and then maybe like 1 or 2 more guys.

i have to agree w/ you on this.

 

[triggrman]

I just have a hard time believing pitchers today are throwing a slider all that much faster than Randy Johnson. Cut fastballs are not a new thing. The mechanics of pitching hasn't changed.

I mean comparisons are being made back to times when players were still shooting up steroids and HGH.

I think it's less about pitching and more to do that the directive has been to hit with power for everyone. If a batting record hasn't been broken in the last 10 years it's likely to never be sniffed.

I lean more to this line of thought as well. I’m working with Vetter today on some press box wiring, I’ll get his thoughts

 

[jumb0]

I don’t hate the first two Titans picks...yet. Farley is an elite talent provided his medical are in fact cleared. Radunz has solid starter potential.

The rest of the draft has been pretty head scratching though. Monty Rice has already had 3 agents and there were higher rated WR options than the kid from Louisville but who knows. Maybe they’ll work out.

 

[Armourboy]

I don’t hate the first two Titans picks...yet. Farley is an elite talent provided his medical are in fact cleared. Radunz has solid starter potential.

The rest of the draft has been pretty head scratching though. Monty Rice has already had 3 agents and there were higher rated WR options than the kid from Louisville but who knows. Maybe they’ll work out.

Considering we threw away two picks to get him he better be. Frankly as bad as the drafting was last year he should have been looking to gain picks not get rid of them