I was looking up some data today on Fangraphs and took note of a very interesting fact. Joakim Soria has a(n effective) 4 pitch mix and has recently and increasingly used a fifth pitch which is not specifically identified. Isn't there an unwritten rule somewhere that requires hurlers with a healthy arsenal of pitches to be in the starting rotation?
Interesting fact: Soria's 91 MPH fastball is complemented by a devastatingly slow 70 MPH curveball that equally as fast as Tim Wakefield's fastball.
Gagne also had 4 above average pitches, but he sucked as a starter. Maybe the steroids didnt kick in yet?
ReplyDeleteIt's not 100% about how many pitches, it's about endurance.
ReplyDeleteDid it ever occur to you that what Soria normally does in one inning or work he may not be able to do over 6?
Also, I don't think that's necessarily the best movie for the Royals. They already have the decent starters in their rotation: Meche, Grienke, (and to some extent) Bannister. Plus, Kyle Davies is pitching well right now. And moving Soria from the bullpen to the rotation MAY indeed improve the rotation, but that bullpen, already weak to being with, takes a HUGE hit. Remember how "good" that Yankee bullpen was when Joba became a starter?
Joe Nathan was a shitty starter (that's why the Giants traded him away) and look what he can do as a closer
SIDENOTE: The Giants have had some damn fine pitching come up through their system in recent years: Fransisco Liriano, Nathan, Jonathan Sanchez, Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Noah Lowry. Maybe if they could find players so that Bengie Molina wasn't hitting clean up this team could win some games.
Brian Bannister would be amazing if he didn't give up 2 home runs every 10 innings. His control is pretty solid.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Noah Lowry hasn't been good since the Giants broke his arm by more than doubling his IP in one year (92 IP to 204)
ReplyDeleteto add to the giants pitchers, they had a guy named jesse foppert who wan unbelievable. Scouts rate stuff(actually individual pitches) on a 20-80 scale with 80 being best. He ranked just below mark prior on his 20-80 chart and was suppose to be great. But much like prior, the injury bug killed his career
ReplyDeletehttp://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=fopper001jes
The only pitcher with more pitches than Soria who is a reliever is Ryan Franklin, with 6 (Fastball, slider, cutter, curveball, changeup and split finger...he also has a knuckleball apparently)
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