SubscribeAre baseball pitchers getting better?
Posted on Nov 22, 2009 under Baseball, Baseball salaries, Baseball science, Pitching, baseball pitching |In reading about Tim Linececum who won the NL Cy Young award, it reinforced my belief that pitchers today are getting paid more for doing less. For example, Linececum had 15 wins, the lowest ever for a starter in a full season of play. Of this total only four were complete games! And this was the most of any pitcher in the league!
Why don’t we see more 20 and 30 game winners? Many will say that it is due to better hitters but I disagree with this because the numbers do not substantiate it. The number of over 300 hitters is not increasing from year to year. It is easy to say is due to better pitching but then we find ourselves going around in circles making lame excuses that can’t be backed up.
Because many baseball coaches, players and fans believe that baseball pitchers are improving every year does not mean that this is really so.. If they are executing and performing on a higher level than ever before let us see the substantiation. If they were truly better we would see more complete games and more wins with complete games.
Their decline in performance I believe stems directly from the increased amount of money that they make. How many pitchers do you find completing more games, winning more games, having more strikeouts, or posting higher numbers in any other measurable area, after having a great season and signing a multimillion dollar contract? If you find any, they will be the exception to the rule.
Teams do not help matters any by having the pitchers pitch only every fifth day. They do this in an effort to “save” the pitchers but they do not last any longer than pitchers who threw every third or fourth day. In fact, pitchers who threw every third or fourth day had greater numbers of completed games and lasted just as long in the big leagues.
Professional baseball seems to be coddling and babying the pitchers rather than training them to be able to perform not only better, but for longer periods of time. They use absolutely no science in the training of the players and rely more on half-baked ideas that have little to no substantiation.
But yet, fans are led to believe that they are seeing greater and better players when in reality, mediocrity seems to be taking the place of truly outstanding performances. Isn’t it about time we got away from the excuses and looked at reality?
Instead of concentrating on pitch count, pounding the strike zone and pitching to contact, why don’t teams put a little concentration in on pitching technique and development of the physical qualities related to the technique? This will develop better pitchers capable of going more than just a few innings.
by vic davy, on November 30 2009 @ 3:40 pm
IT IS HARD TO COMPARE PITCHERS OR PLAYERS FROM ERA TO ERA.
PITCHING IS BETTER,BECAUSE OF THE BULLPEN PITCHING SPECIALISTS(LONG RELIEF,MATCHUPS,SETUP MEN AND CLOSERS).
THE GAME IS DIFFERENT,SMALLER AND LOWER STRIKE ZONE, AND LOWER MOUND,BETTER HITTERS BACK DROP,SMALLER BALL PARKS( ESPECIALLY IN CENTER AND POWER ALLEYS) NEW BALLS ALL THE TIME. IN THE LAST 20 YEARS PITCHIN VELOCITY HAS STEADLY IINCREASE BECAUSE OF STRENGTH TRAINING AND IMPROVED BIOMECHANICS THRU THE USE OF VIDEO ANALYSIS AND OTHER TECHNOLOGY FOR EVALUATING AND IMPROVING PERFORMANCE.
THIS SAID, THE SCIENCE OF HITTING HAS IMPROVED EVEN MORE
AND DUE TO SMALLER PARKS HITTERS DON’T HAVE TO PULL TO HIT WITH POWER.STRENGTH TRAINING HAS HELPED HITTERS EVEN MORE.
by DrYessis, on December 3 2009 @ 10:52 am
Thanks for the great comments Vic.
Strike zone, mound height, ballpark size have little to do with how effective the pitcher is in throwing different pitches. Teams today have bigger bullpens but would they be needed if you had pitchers who were capable of pitching effectively the entire ballgame? Would you replace a pitcher in the eighth or ninth inning if he is throwing effectively and has a two or three hitter going? I don’t believe you would.
Teams are not using science and especially as it relates to improving player skills. They use considerable statistics for improving player performance but there is no science applied to improving execution of skills. I know there is disagreement with this statement but if they were using science they would have ongoing visual bio- mechanical analyses of the pitchers.
They may look at film but it is necessary to know exactly what to look for and to know what you are looking at. I have worked with many players and can just about guarantee that such work is not done. In fact, pitching coaches for the most part do not even have this knowledge of what is involved in the mechanics of throwing. If you disagree I would appreciate it if you would directly to a source that at least has a write up of what they maintain is good mechanics in throwing a ball. I don’t mean a general description of what to do in throwing — I mean a real analysis of the sequence of all of the joint actions, how they’re executed, the muscular involvement, the role of each action,etc.
I have never heard of a team doing a biomechanical analysis of the arm, hand and finger actions when throwing any type of pitch. The technology is here but they do not use it. the science that they use is related to the pitching coach looking at the pitcher and making corrections. But it is impossible for the eye to see what occurs. Thus the corrections are based on guesses - not science.
Yes, there are studies being done but not on the practical level,i.e.,for use by coaches in their daily work with the players. Players are stronger but not always stronger in relation to the skill. Fitness, yes, but not in relatin to performance. They are not developing strength in the same neuromuscular pattern as seen in execution of the skill.
Factors such as pitch count, innings pitched, bullpen relievers,release point, speed, are important factors but they have little to do with true mechanics or pitching technique.(this is the science part) It is analogous to frosting on the cake. Making the cake is the most important factor. This is pitching technique or mechanics. How you decorate the cake with the icing etc. plays an important role but it does not determine how the pitch is thrown. Some of these factors help determine how effective the pitch may be in relation to the end result of where and how the ball crosses the plate.