Doug Sisson carries a stopwatch. Everywhere. The Royals’ first-base coach is very concerned with how long things take. How long does it take a base-stealer to get from first to second? How long does it take the pitcher to get the ball to home plate? How long does it take the catcher to get the ball to second base?
And the guy who measures everything has noticed something interesting this spring: In general, pitchers are taking less time to get the ball home. Sisson said that as recently as last year, pitchers were either slide-stepping toward home plate (barely lifting the front foot) or using their regular, slower motions to deliver the ball. Their delivery times could vary from 1.2 seconds (very quick) to 1.5 seconds (very slow). Guessing when the pitcher would use the slide step was a big part of the opposing team’s running game.
Sisson said that this year more pitchers aren’t slide-stepping or using their regular slower motions. They are just going through their regular motions more quickly. This simplifies things for the pitchers. They don’t have two deliveries to master.
Now entire pitching staffs are posting delivery times of 1.3 to 1.35 seconds. This would seem to be a result of cleaning up the game. Without performance-enhancing drugs and 70 home-run seasons, the running game becomes more important. If you can’t sit back and wait for a three-run blast, getting on base and getting into scoring position becomes the goal. And if more base-runners are stealing, more pitchers are going to figure out how to stop them.
The game changes. And if Doug Sisson’s stopwatch is accurate, it’s about to change again.
Sometimes it’s not what, but when
Royals pitcher Everett Teaford and I were talking about the ability to measure pitches in new ways: velocity, location, release point, initial speed, final speed, spin direction, break — the list goes on. But Teaford made a great point. It’s not just what you throw that matters, it’s also when you throw it. A batting-practice fastball, set up by other pitches and thrown in the right count, can be a great pitch.
Stuff matters, but knowing when and how to use that stuff is also important. A pitch that looks great on a chart might have disastrous results if it’s thrown at the wrong time to the wrong hitter. A pitch that seems unimpressive when measured and diagramed might result in a game-saving infield pop-up.
Like most “eye-guys,” players say the hitter will tell you if it was a good pitch. Obviously it’s not the only way to measure a pitch, but it might be the most important one.
Cage rat
Whatever the baseball equivalent of a “gym rat” is (a guy who loves to practice), I must be it. Right now I’m finding the early morning drills more interesting than the games. Everywhere you look, someone is working on something. Look on one field, and players are working on hitting the ball the other way. Look a different direction, and a catcher is doing a blocking drill. Next to him, someone is taking grounders.
Ask players what they’re doing, and someone will break it down for you. This is like scanning a college course catalog and deciding what you would like to learn. Don’t get me wrong, games are great, but they frown on reporters walking on the field to ask the pitcher why he just threw that pitch sequence.
Pay attention during a drill, ask the right question and you’ll get an answer.
Some of those answers
The first team activity, stretching, is at 10 a.m. Before that, individuals or small groups of players get in early work. Here are some of the highlights from Wednesday morning:
Bench coach Chino Cadahia was instructing a catcher to take a shorter step with his right foot when throwing to second base. A catcher pops up to throw and takes two steps: right, left. If the first step is too long, the second step will also be too long. Two quick steps, and the ball is on its way.
Jeff Francoeur was setting up a pitching machine to throw him right-handed sliders. Francoeur told me that when he has a slider timed, his swing is right. Most hitters are going to be early more often than late. The cure (for some) is planning on taking the ball the other way, which forces the hitter to wait and stay closed. Then if the pitch is inside — or in Frenchy’s case, a fastball — the hitter just reacts. You can look away and still hit an inside pitch, you cannot look in and hit pitches away.
An infielder got lazy with a throw and coach Eddie Rodriguez jumped him. It’s all about developing good habits and doing things right every time.
Royals pitching coach Dave Eiland was working with pitchers on picking up bunts and throwing to third base. At one point, he said, “Stay low.” I later asked Eiland what that meant, and he explained that if the pitcher starts to stand up while throwing the ball, the throw might go high. The front shoulder rises above the back shoulder, and the angle of release is wrong.
Billy Butler spent part of the morning working on pop flies in foul territory. Billy said that if he stares at a pop fly the entire time, he will “drift” to the ball. The key is checking the ball, putting your head down and covering some distance, finding the wall and then picking up the ball again. Doug Sisson described it this way: “Ball, wall, ball.” Once the fielder orients himself, it’s easier to come back away from the wall to make the catch. Drift while looking at the ball, and the fielder will be very tentative.
Today’s team fundamental was “pickoffs/rundowns.” The Royals used some of their speedy minor-leaguers to act as the runners, and before it was over, manager Ned Yost was offering a reward to any runner that could force three throws. This is a great coaching technique that you can use if you’re coaching an amateur team. Offer a reward (it can be as small as a soft drink) to anyone who successfully completes a task. Once again, it appeals to an athlete’s competitive side and makes practice fun.
Don Aubry
1 year, 2 months agoI saw a question about getting to earlier reports. I was able to do it by clicking on the “you views” tab. That takes you to the comments for each report, and from that point, to the earlier reports.
It’s getting that time of year when I develop a voracious appetite for baseball info, and this site offers some tasty morsels. I know you put in some long hours doing this, Lee, but you know that you have a dream job, don’t you. Your enthusiasm for it shows.
Don Aubry
1 year, 2 months agoDOH! Just saw the links above the comments. Day late and a dollar short.
Chuck Ferguson
1 year, 2 months agoHi Lee. It was nice meeting you Monday at the spring training complex. I’d like some insight into how we integrate our new catcher into the staff? Once the trade was made, did Quintero immediately catch a plane to Arizona? Who is in charge of explaining what each Royals pitcher throws? Who begins helping him get to know American League jitters? Who is his mentor in this process? When will we see him on the field in Surprise?
Lee Judge
1 year, 2 months agoDon: You’re right, about getting to the previous reports by going through “Your views.” A few days ago, that wasn’t working, so I’m glad to see it’s all back.
And, yeah, I realize what I’m doing is a unique opportunity. I’ve come to realize that you never “know” baseball, there’s always more to learn. I tell people that this is like getting a doctorate in the sport.
Talking base running with Doug Sisson or hitting with Jeff Fancoeur is a look into the game as it’s played at the highest level. It’s cool to be able to share that with the people that come to this site.
And thanks for being one of them.
Lee Judge
1 year, 2 months agoChuck: It was nice meeting you, too. Here’s what I know so far: Quintero wasn’t here today, but will be tomorrow (Thursday).
I don’t know how they’ll handle him, but when Salvador Perez first came up they loaded his iPad with video of opposition hitters. They also gave him video of “comparables” (pitchers who throw like a Royals pitcher). That way Perez could see how someone else’s soft-throwing lefty got hitters out and use that information when catching Bruce Chen.
I assume they’ll do something like that with Quintero. With a new pitching coach (Dave Eiland) and a new coach handling the catchers (Chino Cadahia) I don’t know who will be in charge of educating Quintero on the pitching staff.
I’d guess a lot of that will come from the pitchers themselves. They’ll explain how they like to work and then he’ll have to get behind the plate and see what the stuff looks like live.
The Royals play a split-squad game tomorrow and if he’s here, I’d be surprised if Quintero doesn’t catch. Ned Yost tends to put new players in the game right away. He doesn’t want them fretting about their first appearance so he doesn’t give them time to think about it.
And thanks for stopping by the site.
Joel Kallem
1 year, 2 months agoLee, great start on the new year. You are setting the bar high with the insights you are sharing. Looking forward to seeing the Royals Thursday on MLB network (3pm central for those of you interested).
One question for you. Does our outfield look as strong defensively with Cain in center as we did last year?
Lee Judge
1 year, 2 months agoJoel: The book on Cain is that he would be a better defender than Cabrera and not hit as well. So far, Cain’s tearing the cover off the ball and continued that trend yesterday. But it’s spring training, so take it with a grain of salt.
Cain covers more territory than Cabrera in center, but I don’t think he throws as well. Outfield assists are nice (any time you get an unexpected out, it’s appreciated), but the big deal for a centerfielder is range. That’s the biggest part of the field and they want a guy who can go get the ball patrolling that territory.
From that standpoint, I think the Royals feel they’ve improved themselves defensively over last year.
And thank you very much, I’m glad you’re enjoying the information the Royals are sharing with us.
Larry Tindle
1 year, 2 months agoLee: Watching a SP game this morning reminded me of something that puzzled me when I was in Surprise. Why do the coaches set on the field during SP games?
Antonio Cutolo-Ring
1 year, 2 months agoDon and Lee, thanks for the help on how to get to previous posts. I’m all caught up. I love this stuff!
Lee Judge
1 year, 2 months agoLarry: Good question and I’ll ask somebody. They’re so close to the batter,. I wonder if foul tips ever become an issue
Lee Judge
1 year, 2 months agoAntonio: I’m glad we got that issue resolved. I’m also glad you’re enjoying the information the Royals are supplying.
Brian Courington
1 year, 2 months agoLarry, I don’t know this for sure but it seemed like there were more people than normal in the dugout. There were a few coaches that were still in the dugout. I think that is why most of the coaches sit outside of the dugout. There was a couple of times while is was in AZ that foul balls scattered the coaches.
Lee Judge
1 year, 2 months agoBrian and Larry: I just asked Bob Dutton, the Star’s beat writer why the coaches sit outside the dugout and he had the best answer of all; so they can talk.
Ther are more people in the dugout, as Brian noted, but the coaches want to be able to discuss players and what they’re seeing without being overheard by the players.