Monday, August 2, 2010
Buck Showalter Era Begins
You know what the most impressive thing was about Buck Showalter's press conference? He didn't make any promises. He didn't promise a winner. He didn't promise a World Series or even a winning season. Instead, he refreshingly said "Right now it's just words". For some reason, that sounds credible to me. That and the fact that this guy has a more than slight physical resemblance to the Earl of Baltimore.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
ESPN and Soccer
When ESPN hired Martin Tyler, I knew they were starting to get it. In 2006, I was tortured by Dave O'Brien. I mean tortured. ESPN's excuse at the time was that they wanted a familiar voice for the fans. Little did they know at the time was that to the soccer fan, Tyler was a much more familiar voice than O'Brien. In 2006 they used Julie Foudy as a main studio analyst, using the same argument. Who is more familiar to soccer fans, Julie Foudy or two-time world player of the year Ruud Gullit? But this time they got it right. Or at the least they got it better. Much better.
ESPN came to the realization that they needed to promote the event to the soccer fan instead of the NFL or NBA fan. Sports fans like to watch their sport played and presented at the highest level, no matter which sport. If an American sports fan decides one day to follow soccer, it will be because he saw it in its highest form, not because he recognized a familiar voice. So kudos to ESPN. This time they "got it".
ESPN came to the realization that they needed to promote the event to the soccer fan instead of the NFL or NBA fan. Sports fans like to watch their sport played and presented at the highest level, no matter which sport. If an American sports fan decides one day to follow soccer, it will be because he saw it in its highest form, not because he recognized a familiar voice. So kudos to ESPN. This time they "got it".
Monday, July 12, 2010
Hustle & Patience
I can't put my finger on the exact time. It was either after Dave Trembley was fired or after Nick Markakis blasted the team in the papers. But for about the last month or so, the O's have hustled on the field. They have put in the effort. It hasn't necessarily been reflected in the final scores. After all, they are a team with many holes. But for those of us who watch this team on a nightly basis, you could see the subtle differences. Guys really hustling down the line. There is running to first base and then there's RUNNING TO FIRST BASE. Beating out a double-play can sometimes be the difference between winning and losing. It's VERY refreshing to see this team finally start to get it.
Did everyone see Corey Patterson over the weekend? The OPPOSITE-FIELD, 2-strike double with 2 outs to drive in 2 runs? The 10-pitch at-bat vs. Cliff Lee? Patterson is starting to distinguish a ball from a strike. He is starting to lay off the high heat and the breaking ball away in the dirt. He did not possess this skill until recently. The protect-the-plate, go-with-the-pitch double had me dumbfounded. There are alot of people that criticize Patterson because of his uppercut swing. They say with his speed, he should be beating balls into the ground. I don't necessarily agree with this. In my opinion, more important is the need to be selective at the plate. Potential power scares pitchers. They are more careful with their pitches and thus tend to make more mistakes. If Patterson stops swinging at balls he has the potential to be a lethal force with his combination of speed and power. Remember that this guy was once the jewel of the Cubs' organization. Some guys are late-bloomers. They just take a little longer. Look at David Ortiz or Jayson Werth.
Let me give some props to Adam Jones also. He is still swinging at bad balls but I did notice one thing he has changed. Jones is cutting down his swing significantly with 2-strikes. He is putting more 2-strike pitches into play. This has to be considered a big improvement. If he keeps the count alive he can give himself a chance to get that mistake pitch. That's what Jones is at this point in his career. A mistake-pitch hitter. The at-bat where he took Cliff Lee yard was encouraging because he hung in there until Lee made a mistake. Then he showed that awesome, raw-power which keeps us drooling at what could be one day.
I read in the paper today that Buck Showalter will not be managing the team to start the 2nd half of the season. I have mixed feelings about this so will leave any judgements or opinions until a later time.
Did everyone see Corey Patterson over the weekend? The OPPOSITE-FIELD, 2-strike double with 2 outs to drive in 2 runs? The 10-pitch at-bat vs. Cliff Lee? Patterson is starting to distinguish a ball from a strike. He is starting to lay off the high heat and the breaking ball away in the dirt. He did not possess this skill until recently. The protect-the-plate, go-with-the-pitch double had me dumbfounded. There are alot of people that criticize Patterson because of his uppercut swing. They say with his speed, he should be beating balls into the ground. I don't necessarily agree with this. In my opinion, more important is the need to be selective at the plate. Potential power scares pitchers. They are more careful with their pitches and thus tend to make more mistakes. If Patterson stops swinging at balls he has the potential to be a lethal force with his combination of speed and power. Remember that this guy was once the jewel of the Cubs' organization. Some guys are late-bloomers. They just take a little longer. Look at David Ortiz or Jayson Werth.
Let me give some props to Adam Jones also. He is still swinging at bad balls but I did notice one thing he has changed. Jones is cutting down his swing significantly with 2-strikes. He is putting more 2-strike pitches into play. This has to be considered a big improvement. If he keeps the count alive he can give himself a chance to get that mistake pitch. That's what Jones is at this point in his career. A mistake-pitch hitter. The at-bat where he took Cliff Lee yard was encouraging because he hung in there until Lee made a mistake. Then he showed that awesome, raw-power which keeps us drooling at what could be one day.
I read in the paper today that Buck Showalter will not be managing the team to start the 2nd half of the season. I have mixed feelings about this so will leave any judgements or opinions until a later time.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Adam Jones
If you look at the stats for the season (13, 37, .269), it really doesn't look bad. Throw in the fact that he can fly and that he's all of 24-years old. Someone who doesn't follow the Orioles on a day-to-day basis would probably tell you Adam Jones is having a pretty good year and that he has a bright future ahead of him.
You see, that's the most frustrating thing about this guy. He can put up respectable numbers while being completely lost at the plate most of the time. The truth about what kind of year Adam Jones is having comes with a little closer look at his stats. He has an OBP of .293. The reason is that he has a grand total of 9 walks in 327 AB's. Those who watch the Orioles regularly can confirm just how astounding this stat is because opposing pitchers will rarely throw Jones a ball in the strike zone. Another telling stat is extra base-hits. While he has a respectable 13 HR's, Jones has just 13 other extra-base hits (10 2B's, 3 3B's). That's a combined 26 extra base-hits from a total of 88 hits. Not exactly a slugger's ratio. Not surprisingly, Jones leads the Orioles with 71 K's. For all of his speed he also has just 3 SB's.
Adams Jones' biggest problem obviously is his plate discipline, or lack thereof. I can't remember another player in my 30 years of watching the Orioles who just cannot distinguish a ball from a strike. Most players will swing at a bad pitch from time-to-time. Many ML'ers swing at a splitter in the dirt, especially when they're behind in the count. But I have seen Jones swing at 4 or 5 pitches IN A ROW that were nowhere close to the strike zone. He swings at pitches that would have likely hit him otherwise. He swings at pitches over his head. He swings at pitches that bounce 3 feet in front of the plate. Sometimes though Jones, especially early in the count, will take a fastball right down the heart of the plate.
Now I'm not a baseball player. I'm like alot of baseball fans. I played the game growing up in Little Leagues and I played 3 years of HS varsity baseball. Through the repetition of hitting against live pitching thousands and thousands of times, one can determine whether a pitch will be in the strike zone or not as soon as you see the flight of the ball as it leaves the pitcher's hand. This skill is obviously complicated by various factors. The pitcher has many different types of pitches he can throw. This makes it very difficult to determine the "borderline pitch". But if a pitch is thrown a foot outside, you know well before the pitch actually gets there. Same goes for a ball that is eye-level high. For a hitter to make a mistake in judgement and swing at ball a foot outside is one thing. After all, it's coming at him at 90+ mph. For him to do it again and again on a daily basis makes one question his instinct for the game.
In the 2+ years Adam Jones has been an Oriole, it's become pretty obvious he has the physical tools to excel in MLB. We know this. The TV announcers mention this every day. I have the luxury of the MLB Package and often listen to the opposing teams' TV broadcast. When Adam Jones is mentioned there are two automatics. One, he is a 5-tool player. Two, he will swing at anything that moves. Some honest broadcasters will bluntly say something to the effect of, "We dont' have to throw this guy a strike to get him out". Because of this developed reputation, Adam Jones can literally not lift the bat off his shoulder for the next month and have a .500 OBP. I really believe that.
Terry Crowley, the Orioles hitting coach, is not a proponent of being extra selective at the plate. He teaches his players that often you will get one good fastball in an at-bat. He is a proponent of getting a good swing on that one good fastball no matter when it comes in the count. I think there is merit to this approach. Sometimes a hitter will take that good pitch and be forced to fight off pitcher's pitches later in the count. Some will say the method is outdated. Today's pitcher rarely throws a fastball in a fastball count. Today's pitcher, especially in the American League, often has a changeup or slider as his "out pitch". Many hitting coaches today subscribe to the theory of staying back on the ball as long as possible so that the hitter can adjust to the off-speed pitch. You hear terms today all the time like, "the pitch sped up his bat".
Adam Jones needs to learn plate discipline in the worst way. Somebody needs to get through to this guy. I have read that he's a hard worker. If that's true, there are one of two problems. Either he is getting bad advice/coaching or he is very stubborn. Whatever the problem is I hope he fixes it soon. Jones has 35-HR power. You can see it in his bat speed. When he gets a hold of one, it goes out of any ballpark. That is a gift. It pains me to see him wail at the plate on a daily basis. Please Adam, learn to distinguish a ball from a strike. I beg you.
You see, that's the most frustrating thing about this guy. He can put up respectable numbers while being completely lost at the plate most of the time. The truth about what kind of year Adam Jones is having comes with a little closer look at his stats. He has an OBP of .293. The reason is that he has a grand total of 9 walks in 327 AB's. Those who watch the Orioles regularly can confirm just how astounding this stat is because opposing pitchers will rarely throw Jones a ball in the strike zone. Another telling stat is extra base-hits. While he has a respectable 13 HR's, Jones has just 13 other extra-base hits (10 2B's, 3 3B's). That's a combined 26 extra base-hits from a total of 88 hits. Not exactly a slugger's ratio. Not surprisingly, Jones leads the Orioles with 71 K's. For all of his speed he also has just 3 SB's.
Adams Jones' biggest problem obviously is his plate discipline, or lack thereof. I can't remember another player in my 30 years of watching the Orioles who just cannot distinguish a ball from a strike. Most players will swing at a bad pitch from time-to-time. Many ML'ers swing at a splitter in the dirt, especially when they're behind in the count. But I have seen Jones swing at 4 or 5 pitches IN A ROW that were nowhere close to the strike zone. He swings at pitches that would have likely hit him otherwise. He swings at pitches over his head. He swings at pitches that bounce 3 feet in front of the plate. Sometimes though Jones, especially early in the count, will take a fastball right down the heart of the plate.
Now I'm not a baseball player. I'm like alot of baseball fans. I played the game growing up in Little Leagues and I played 3 years of HS varsity baseball. Through the repetition of hitting against live pitching thousands and thousands of times, one can determine whether a pitch will be in the strike zone or not as soon as you see the flight of the ball as it leaves the pitcher's hand. This skill is obviously complicated by various factors. The pitcher has many different types of pitches he can throw. This makes it very difficult to determine the "borderline pitch". But if a pitch is thrown a foot outside, you know well before the pitch actually gets there. Same goes for a ball that is eye-level high. For a hitter to make a mistake in judgement and swing at ball a foot outside is one thing. After all, it's coming at him at 90+ mph. For him to do it again and again on a daily basis makes one question his instinct for the game.
In the 2+ years Adam Jones has been an Oriole, it's become pretty obvious he has the physical tools to excel in MLB. We know this. The TV announcers mention this every day. I have the luxury of the MLB Package and often listen to the opposing teams' TV broadcast. When Adam Jones is mentioned there are two automatics. One, he is a 5-tool player. Two, he will swing at anything that moves. Some honest broadcasters will bluntly say something to the effect of, "We dont' have to throw this guy a strike to get him out". Because of this developed reputation, Adam Jones can literally not lift the bat off his shoulder for the next month and have a .500 OBP. I really believe that.
Terry Crowley, the Orioles hitting coach, is not a proponent of being extra selective at the plate. He teaches his players that often you will get one good fastball in an at-bat. He is a proponent of getting a good swing on that one good fastball no matter when it comes in the count. I think there is merit to this approach. Sometimes a hitter will take that good pitch and be forced to fight off pitcher's pitches later in the count. Some will say the method is outdated. Today's pitcher rarely throws a fastball in a fastball count. Today's pitcher, especially in the American League, often has a changeup or slider as his "out pitch". Many hitting coaches today subscribe to the theory of staying back on the ball as long as possible so that the hitter can adjust to the off-speed pitch. You hear terms today all the time like, "the pitch sped up his bat".
Adam Jones needs to learn plate discipline in the worst way. Somebody needs to get through to this guy. I have read that he's a hard worker. If that's true, there are one of two problems. Either he is getting bad advice/coaching or he is very stubborn. Whatever the problem is I hope he fixes it soon. Jones has 35-HR power. You can see it in his bat speed. When he gets a hold of one, it goes out of any ballpark. That is a gift. It pains me to see him wail at the plate on a daily basis. Please Adam, learn to distinguish a ball from a strike. I beg you.
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