Visual evidence of Altuve's improvement

[Duman]

cool heat maps

[David in Jackson]

That's pretty cool.  Love Altuve.

[Reuben]

What team is the Predator pitching for? I missed that game, I guess.

[Mr. Happy]

The Piranha is clearly the most improved player on the club. He had to make the adjustment or risk not succeeding. It's like I said several times last season: if I was pitching to Altuve last year, he'd never see a strike. This year, he's honed his pitch selection and learned how to take pitches and even walk some. That's a remarkable turnaround for a young player who probably never had to make such a huge adjustment in his game before since he'd had nothing but success as a free first pitch swinger. However, they keep up with things very closely in the big leagues, and there is a very well known "book" on a hitter that prevents that strategy from being successful in the long haul.

[Duke]

The Piranha is clearly the most improved player on the club. He had to make the adjustment or risk not succeeding. It's like I said several times last season: if I was pitching to Altuve last year, he'd never see a strike. This year, he's honed his pitch selection and learned how to take pitches and even walk some. That's a remarkable turnaround for a young player who probably never had to make such a huge adjustment in his game before since he'd had nothing but success as a free first pitch swinger. However, they keep up with things very closely in the big leagues, and there is a very well known "book" on a hitter that prevents that strategy from being successful in the long haul.

I agree whole heartedly Mr. H.  Still there are some head scratchers out there i.e. Hunter Pence.  How he ever got as many fastballs as he did when he came up I can't understand.

[Reuben]

I agree whole heartedly Mr. H.  Still there are some head scratchers out there i.e. Hunter Pence.  How he ever got as many fastballs as he did when he came up I can't understand.

Only thing I can think of is there must be a lot of meat-head pitchers in the league who don't think sliders are a manly enough out pitch.

[Andyzipp]

Only thing I can think of is there must be a lot of meat-head pitchers in the league who don't think sliders are a manly enough out pitch.

If every pitcher could throw sliders for strikes (or at least location), you'd see a whole lot more 2-1 or 1-0 games.

[Noe]

If every pitcher could throw sliders for strikes (or at least location), you'd see a whole lot more 2-1 or 1-0 games.

Guy who throws a decent fastball with an above average slider and change-up is the hardest pitcher to hit.

[Andyzipp]

Guy who throws a decent fastball with an above average slider and change-up is the hardest pitcher to hit.

Sure.  I just find it humorous when I hear/read something like "why doesn't he throw a curve ball there?" 

Because he can't throw a curve ball anywhere.

[Limey]

Sure.  I just find it humorous when I hear/read something like "why doesn't he throw a curve ball there?" 

Because he can't throw a curve ball anywhere.

See Wagner, Billy.

[Mr. Happy]

Guy who throws a decent fastball with an above average slider and change-up is the hardest pitcher to hit.

I don't think that you even need a slider to be hard to hit. I think that if you have command of a decent fastball and a good changeup, you can be very effective. To me, the slider is a risky pitch. I never liked it and didn't teach it either. 

[Ty in Tampa]

I don't think that you even need a slider to be hard to hit. I think that if you have command of a decent fastball and a good changeup, you can be very effective. To me, the slider is a risky pitch. I never liked it and didn't teach it either. 

But if you got, use it. Right?

[Fredia]

agreed

[Mr. Happy]

But if you got, use it. Right?

Of course. I just strongly preferred changing speeds and planes at the same time by using a circle change, a very occasional curve ball and a split-finger fastball to compliment the two fastballs (four seam and two seam). The slider is too close to a fastball in my view, and if you make a mistake on the slider, it is my opinion that it gets hit harder. You hear a lot about your proverbial "hanging curve ball," but I'd venture a hunch that many of those so-called curve balls were actually hanging sliders. It is true that I never developed a feel for the pitch.

[Ty in Tampa]

The slider is too close to a fastball in my view, and if you make a mistake on the slider, it is my opinion that it gets hit harder.

Easy to develop that opinion watching as much Lidge as we did.

[Noe]

I don't think that you even need a slider to be hard to hit. I think that if you have command of a decent fastball and a good changeup, you can be very effective. To me, the slider is a risky pitch. I never liked it and didn't teach it either. 

I should've qualified my statement further... "hard to hit for me". I understand the mentality of "location" and "changing speed" to keep a hitter off balance (re: make them uncomfortable at the plate). But just personally speaking, a guy who just changed speeds or was throwing to corners wasn't hard to figure out for me. Not that I hit them hard, but on occasion I'd get some solid aluminum on them. Fastballs are the easiest pitch to hit for me even well located ones. Change of speed was not that hard because I tended to see the ball well and stayed on a pitch deep into the zone. I used a semi-slumped over the plate stance, bat comfortably on the shoulders and hands well placed and at the ready to flick the ball when needed, worked to get some solid swings too... very much a compact, stay level swing, no extra motion or hitch or timing motion for me.

The guys who really made me just shake my head trying to figure out how to hit them were the fastball/slider/changeup guys. If they spot their fastball outside, even if it's a showme fastball and not a strike, then follow with a slider or changeup, they're placing some serious notions in my head what to do with the next pitch. The slider was the hardest pitch for me to hit if a pitcher had me down in the count. If he threw a slider and I'm thinking fastball, I'm basically a weak arse swinging hitter who has no business being in the box.

I never threw a slider myself, went with fastball (what a joke, it was nothing anyone would call a fastball), changeup (had a nice one, but if they don't respect my fastball, the changeup is useless) and a nice curveball. And I got hit hard too, except for guys who were used to hitting a steady diet of fastballs (for some reason they were mystified by my changeup all the time)!

[Fredia]

is there a goood closer in the minors

[Matt]

is there a goood closer in the minors

There are probably quite a few of them.

[Noe]

There are probably quite a few of them.

Yes, the minors are chock full of goood to great closers in the making.  Also goood hitters, goood catchers, etc.

[Fredia]

so if myers get traded..

[Mr. Happy]

I should've qualified my statement further... "hard to hit for me". I understand the mentality of "location" and "changing speed" to keep a hitter off balance (re: make them uncomfortable at the plate). But just personally speaking, a guy who just changed speeds or was throwing to corners wasn't hard to figure out for me. Not that I hit them hard, but on occasion I'd get some solid aluminum on them. Fastballs are the easiest pitch to hit for me even well located ones. Change of speed was not that hard because I tended to see the ball well and stayed on a pitch deep into the zone. I used a semi-slumped over the plate stance, bat comfortably on the shoulders and hands well placed and at the ready to flick the ball when needed, worked to get some solid swings too... very much a compact, stay level swing, no extra motion or hitch or timing motion for me.

The guys who really made me just shake my head trying to figure out how to hit them were the fastball/slider/changeup guys. If they spot their fastball outside, even if it's a showme fastball and not a strike, then follow with a slider or changeup, they're placing some serious notions in my head what to do with the next pitch. The slider was the hardest pitch for me to hit if a pitcher had me down in the count. If he threw a slider and I'm thinking fastball, I'm basically a weak arse swinging hitter who has no business being in the box.

I never threw a slider myself, went with fastball (what a joke, it was nothing anyone would call a fastball), changeup (had a nice one, but if they don't respect my fastball, the changeup is useless) and a nice curveball. And I got hit hard too, except for guys who were used to hitting a steady diet of fastballs (for some reason they were mystified by my changeup all the time)!

I couldn't hit any of them. Thankfully, the DH saved me from a lot of further embarrassment. I had a sadistic American Legon coach who would make me pinch hit in blow out games sometimes. The last time that he made me do that, I hit a good low 0-2 curveball to the warning track, but it was caught. However, that was the last time that he asked me to do that because I almost made him look badly. 

[chuck]

Easy to develop that opinion watching as much Lidge as we did.

Before Lidge got hurt that first time his slider was all but unhittable.

[Mr. Happy]

Before Lidge got hurt that first time his slider was all but unhittable.

That's what I remember too. The slider can be a brutal pitch to hit. I just couldn't ever get the feel for it personally, so I didn't throw it and didn't teach it.