Sergio Romo is the Rays new… opener?
https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Romo-strikes-out-side-in-first-inning-of-first-12928855.php
Romo struck out the side on 18 pitches in the first inning before departing the Rays’ 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night. The success prompted manager Kevin Cash to announce that Romo will be on the mound in the first inning Sunday, too.
And he was - 1.1 innings, 0 hits, 3 SO, 2 walks.
Cardinal rookie pitcher Jordan Hicks threw a couple of very fast pitches.
He has one of the more bizarre stat lines for someone that can throw that hard. If he could develop a changeup and throw strikes, he’d be ridiculous.
22 IP, 13 hits, 16 walks, only 9 strikeouts.
Yeah, but with a 105 fastball what would his changeup look like? 93?
‘What’s your knockout pitch son?’
‘Slightly less fast ball’
A 93mph changeup would be devastating if he could locate it!
Yeah, that lack of strikeouts for a guy who throws harder than anyone else in baseball is definitely weird.
For one thing, it probably points to a unique quirk with his career: he pitched most of last season at low A-ball. He got an August promotion to A+, but he’s never played AA or AAA. He looks at times very much like a 21 year old pitcher who was drafted out of high school…which is what he is.
The other thing: he has a slider. When he can throw it for strikes, it’s a very good one. But…his numbers suggest that at this point in his career, he’s very likely telegraphing both his fastball and slider in his delivery, so hitters can tell what’s coming.
Finally: the most amazing thing about Jordan Hicks and his 105-mph pitches and the lack of strikeouts is this. He’s not throwing 4-seam fastballs. Those have “ride”, meaning they basically sit on a fairly level plane as they approach the plate, giving the illusion that the pitch rises (physics says that’s impossible). That’s why the 4-seamer is still the ultimate strikeout pitch, though. Because it rides the way it does, it typically comes in faster than any other pitch (something about the spin rate and seams) and also creates a very brief intersection of the plane of the ball and the plane of the bat.
A 2-seam sinker (which is what Hicks throws) is typically a slower pitch than a 4-seamer (again, something something seams and spin), and has sharp, late downward movement that also runs slightly arm-side for the pitcher. That puts it right into a situation where it creates a much larger intersection of the plane of the ball and the plane of the swing. Although some pitchers have effectively used a 2-seamer for strikeouts (Greg Maddux), for most pitchers it is a contact pitch, one that hitters typically struggle to lift. It’s a ground ball pitch, a double play waiting to happen.
Jordan Hicks may not get a lot of strikeouts (yet), but he sure gets a TON of ground ball outs. If they decide they want to see him miss more bats, they may teach him the 4-seam fastball. Which is weird that he doesn’t throw one, because that’s typically the first pitch you learn in little league.
As a final illustration of the quirk of Jordan Hicks and his sinking fastball, I offer a comparison with former Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal. Rosey also threw hard, often touching triple digits. Rosenthal’s fastball was a 4-seamer. And he struck a lot of guys out. But you can count on the fingers of both hands the number of GIDP Rosenthal got in his years as St. Louis’s closer. (A quick check: Rosenthal on average induced about 4 ground ball double plays per season as the Cardinals closer; in 2014 he had his best year at that, getting 8 double play balls in 80 opportunities, a 10% rate).
Hicks, meanwhile, has induced 6 double plays already this season in 29 opportunities, a 21% rate.
So he’s basically Tim Robbins in Bull Durham.
Maybe not as wild, though.
Blue Jay’s DH Kendrys Morales has a slash line of .163/.248/.279 which is not exactly the sort of production that one would want for that position. There’s been a lot of talk about what to do about Morales and his contract. Perhaps sending him to the bullpen is the answer.
This is kinda cool.
Y’all remember about a dozen years ago, when there was this kid pitching sensation at the Little League World Series named Danny Almonte? Kid was throwing like mid-to-high 80s, and no one believed he was 12 or 13 (turns out he was probably 14 or 15 at the time). That team won the LLWS, but had to vacate the title later because of Almonte’s age.
The kid who caught the pre-teen fireballer was a pudgy 12 year old catcher named Francisco Pena.
Yesterday, Francisco was the catcher behind the plate for Jordan Hicks’s 105, 105, 104, and 104.
So yeah. Same guy caught the fastest pitches ever thrown in the LLWS. And he also just caught the fastest strike thrown in an MLB game (not the fastest pitch, but fastest strike.)
The Lenny Dykstra Show is back on again.
I think it was Monday that I heard on ESPN a show producer discussing how bad Lenny Dykstra treated her while she was attempting to set up an interview on an ESPN show with him.
Does Lenny have mental problems? I thought he had got into drug problems.
I think the answer is yes to both.
The former Mets outfielder known as “Nails” was charged with making terroristic threats and possession of cocaine, marijuana and MDMA — or ecstasy.
Dykstra, 55, was arrested outside police headquarters in Linden, N.J., where the terrified driver jumped out of the car and ran for his life around 3:30 a.m., police said.
Cops said no weapon was recovered when Dykstra was arrested in front of the police station, where the Uber driver pulled up while repeatedly honking the car horn.
Lol, so this happened right in front of a police station.
Not the sharpest nail in the shed.
I’ll see myself out
You gotta love this quote too.
Dykstra, despite a police news release detailing the crimes against him, insisted he was not arrested.
“No dude,” he told The News. “It’s another day in the life of Lenny Dykstra.”
Probably very true. Just a routine day for Lenny.
This is the kind of pointless baseball content I live for.
This is also his 4th season as the Last Remaining Former Expo.
If you’re playing fantasy baseball this year, and if, somehow, Alex Reyes is still unclaimed in your league, go get him right now.
Reyes is completing his last rehab game in the minors before being called up next week after having Tommy John last year in March. During his rehab, he started taking physical fitness seriously, dropped pounds, added muscle.
And he’s facing the Dodgers AAA team tonight, and as I type this, he’s struck out 9 batters in a row, and 12 total through 5 2/3 innings. 1 hit allowed. In the fifth inning, he fanned the side, and 8 of 9 strikes were swings and misses. No fouls, no called strikes. Just guys flailing.
Fastball sitting 99-100. Changeup 88-92. Throwing both a slider and curve for strikes, and both look nasty.
Will be in the starting rotation in St. Louis.
Ever see a would-be base stealer get thrown out with help from his teammate’s face?
Also, the Red Sox just DFA’d Hanley Ramirez as they clear space for Pedroia, who’s coming off the DL. Ramirez was having a nice season until the calendar flipped to May. Since then, he’s slashed .163/.200/.300, and is 0 for his last 21. Apparently, he only needs 497 PAs to lock down his option for next season, so Boston must have decided now was an opportune time to unload him.