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Thursday, June 02, 2005 |
What Ailed Frankie
Will Carroll in today's UTK says there probably isn't anything wrong with Frankie -- save for his working out a new pitch:
Francisco Rodriguez came back Wednesday night for the Angels and appeared to have made some interesting changes. I caught much of the last three innings on XM and was surprised to hear Ed Farmer describing Rodriguez's pitches as curves, rather than the devastating slider. When I got home and had a chance to check the video, Farmer was right. While it's more "slurvy" than a Barry Zito-style yellow hammer, there definitely is a change there. Unfortunately, Rodriguez was channeling Mitch Williams, walking the bases loaded before dropping the new-style breaking ball on Juan Uribe. Watch this closely; the control problems could be the result of another curve--the learning curve every pitcher has with a new pitch.Is it just me, or is the ninth inning of any game with the 2005 Chisox not a good time to be playing with a new pitch? Is his habañero-hot slider on hold (because of his insanely complex mechanics) until he gets back 100%? Is he having trouble spotting his fastball (which he appeared reluctant to use against Frank Thomas)? Something's funny in the Anaheim of Los Angeles, and it's not just the city name.
Comments:
I'm not so sure about his assessment. Frankie actually has two breaking pitches, a hammer curve and his infamous slurve. I think the two pitches are more less determined by his release -- he has to use a motion somewhere between 3/4 and sidearm in order to throw the slurve. If his release point is off (and a guy who switches release points like him would have problems coming off a layoff), he can't locate it. If he is too self-conscious about his release point, he'll hang the slurve. Basically, that's what I think happened.
# posted by 
: 6/02/2005 05:07:00 PM
: 6/02/2005 05:07:00 PM
He did appear to be throwing a curve, rather than his normal slider. It broke top to bottom a lot more than across the plate (and was around 80 mph). I don't think he would have been out there if he could only throw the fastball, and I think it was smart not to throw the Big Hurt a fastball when he was having trouble locating both pitches. He wasn't hanging the curve, it was just falling out of the strike zone, while the fastball he was hanging a bit and if Thomas got ahold of one, it would have been a grand slam. Better to throw the curve out of the zone than hang the fastball.
Slippy -- your scenario is what I'm thinking may have been the case, i.e., Frankie's release plane is off on his slider and it's coming out curve. Since he didn't intend to throw a curve, no wonder he didn't have control over it.
Josh -- except that his fastball has tremendous life on it when it's working. Which is what worries me.
Josh -- except that his fastball has tremendous life on it when it's working. Which is what worries me.
I'm with Slippy - I didn't see anything new in Frankie's bag last night. He does have the two distinct sliders. It’s just that he was throwing the easy, looping slider – the slurve - with greater frequency then I’ve ever seen before.
I’m worried that he’s not fully healthy. You’ll notice that he came out throwing almost exclusively fastballs, as if he was reluctant to throw a breaking pitch. After it became apparent that he was getting buried, he started to throw the devastating slider. But by the time he got the final out he had stopped throwing it again, opting instead for the slurve. Did he stop because it hurt too much to throw it (it hurts my elbow just looking at it), or because he didn’t have the release point, or a combination of the two? Hopefully it was just an issue of mechanics (he was opening up earlier than normal, according to my eye at least).
I’m worried that he’s not fully healthy. You’ll notice that he came out throwing almost exclusively fastballs, as if he was reluctant to throw a breaking pitch. After it became apparent that he was getting buried, he started to throw the devastating slider. But by the time he got the final out he had stopped throwing it again, opting instead for the slurve. Did he stop because it hurt too much to throw it (it hurts my elbow just looking at it), or because he didn’t have the release point, or a combination of the two? Hopefully it was just an issue of mechanics (he was opening up earlier than normal, according to my eye at least).
From what I've read, Frankie doesn't throw a true slider -- his pitching game is him changing his release points to vary the tilt of the ball. And that also applies to his fastball; when his fastball is really live, it has great tailing action a la vintage Percy.
My hunch is that Frankie doesn't feature his slurve as much anymore because he knows that his release point tips off the hitter. If the guy sees a steady diet of fastball at that release point, then he won't use that trigger. With solid knowledge of pitch counts and reading the angle of his delivery, you have a fighting shot to figure out whether he's throwing rising vs. tailing fastball, power curve vs. slurve.
My hunch is that Frankie doesn't feature his slurve as much anymore because he knows that his release point tips off the hitter. If the guy sees a steady diet of fastball at that release point, then he won't use that trigger. With solid knowledge of pitch counts and reading the angle of his delivery, you have a fighting shot to figure out whether he's throwing rising vs. tailing fastball, power curve vs. slurve.
# posted by : 6/02/2005 06:38:00 PM
: 6/02/2005 06:38:00 PM
I think it's just evolved. He's not throwing the same pitch he was throwing in the 2002 world series. It's got more break. It's more like a curve. I don't think it's anything new. I think Will just caught Farmer noticing it for the first time.
Of course, that's based on what I've seen the last year+. It was tough to see what kind of break he had last night from the 10th row of the upper deck.
And on an unrelated note, Ed Farmer is a total prick.
Of course, that's based on what I've seen the last year+. It was tough to see what kind of break he had last night from the 10th row of the upper deck.
And on an unrelated note, Ed Farmer is a total prick.
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