Games » Seattle Mariners
Apr16How the league is adjusting to Tim Collins
Lee Judge
None
If you’re going to talk pitching, you can do a whole lot worse than sitting next to Paul Splittorff. We were watching Tim Collins pitch in the sixth inning of this game and I asked Split how quickly the league adjusted to new guys. The answer? Very quick.
Everybody’s got advance scouts and they’re all working very hard to figure out a new pitcher’s game plan and how to beat it. Split thought Collins liked to work just out of the zone: throw a pitch that appears to be a strike and then moves. He thought the Mariners had already picked up on that pattern and were taking those pitches, which would explain the walks the night before.
Paul also pointed out that big league hitters have a better eye. On a 1-2 pitch to Chris Gimenez, Collins threw a pitch that stayed in the zone for a long time and then snapped down at the last (I’d say second, but that’s too much time) millisecond. Split said that a minor leaguer would swing at that pitch and miss it by a foot. A major leaguer spits on it. (That’s what they call it when they refuse to swing at a sucker pitch.)
A SCIENCE BREAK: the slower your bat is, the sooner you have to start your swing. I will 100% positively guarantee you I can hit a 90-mph fastball, I’ve done it. Unfortunately, I need to see about 50 of them in a row to figure out when to start my swing. Once I get my bat up to speed on the 90-mph fastball (I start my swing when the pitcher drops the rosin bag), if you then throw me a breaking pitch, I’ll be so far out in front the bat will end up somewhere in the third-base dugout. That explains what’s happening to Tim Collins: in the minors guys don’t have the bat speed to wait and see where the pitch will end up before swinging, in the majors they do.
Even though the Mariners were taking the borderline stuff, Collins ended up striking out the side (with a walk and a double mixed in), but now you know why it took 29 pitches.
Note to the Royals marketing department: How can you miss the opportunity to serve a new drink, the Tim Collins? I don’t know what you’d put in it, but it should be served with a twist. (Hey, I’ll settle for 10% of the gross. Have your people call my people.)
Here’s the plan…
Matt Treanor and I were trying to figure out how many runs he saved when, with a runner on first and third, he blocked two pitches in the dirt, followed by a sac fly. He kept the runner on third from coming in twice (although he eventually scored on the sac fly) and kept the runner on first, who would’ve been on third when the sac fly was hit without the blocks.
So did Matt save two runs? One scored, but it wasn’t his fault. Did he save three runs (two blocks that kept the runner on third from scoring and another run on first from scoring), but how could he save three runs when they were only two base runners? And if he blocks three pitches with a runner on third, he didn’t save three runs, did he? Just one run three times…and if the run eventually scores, did Matt save any?
At this point in the conversation, Jason Kendall got up and said, “If you guys are going to keep talking about this #@*%, I’m going to leave” and went to get a beer.
Jason Kendall thinks I’m a dork. On the other hand, Jason’s so tough I’m pretty sure he thinks Chuck Norris, John Wayne and Charles Bronson are/were dorks…so at least I’m in good company. Matt Treanor is just glad that anyone is paying any attention to defense. We agreed that I’d count blocked pitches in the dirt with a runner on third…and he had another one today.
Other stuff…
Melky Cabrera turned a flare into a double when he realized everyone was chasing the ball and nobody had the bag, Alex Gordon continues to rake, but didn’t go back to tag second when Butler smoked a ball to Ichiro (I think Alex thought it would fall, but was hit so hard it stayed up) and Alcides Escobar turned in his daily web gem.
Ask a Royal…
I’ve got mixed feelings about this feature: the website is supposed to provide you with the kind of inside information that others don’t have the time or space to cover. And your questions help me know what to write about. Having said that, I’m not going to ask a player what his wife looks like naked. (That was one of the questions I received…I might like to know also, but I ain’t asking.)
Another factor is player availability: you’re talking to one guy and the other guy you needed to talk to left. So be patient. If it’s a good question, I’ll try to get to it eventually.
Here are the answers to a few I got to after/during this game:
*According to Paul Splittorff (can you tell I watched the game with him?) the cold affects a pitcher’s grip on the ball because everything feels dry and slick. It mainly affects breaking pitches which require more touch than a fastball.
*I also asked Split about player’s schedules. Generally they show up 3 ½ hours before game time, if they have extra work, even sooner. I once asked Jason Kendall for some time and he suggested I show up at 8AM for the next day’s 1:10 game. That’s how early he arrives at the stadium for a game…and it sends a message to the other players: this is the kind of work required to succeed. Players are usually out of the stadium an hour after the game ends, unless they need treatment from the trainers.
Interesting side note: a lot of the players walk out carrying Styrofoam container of food from the post-game buffet. They’re headed home and carrying takeout food. I think players take being in shape much more seriously than they used to, but cell phones have changed their lives.
One guy told me if you decide to have a beer in a bar and a woman approaches you wanting to have her picture taken with a ballplayer, it can be on the internet before you get home to a wife that has a question or two. On the other hand, players use cell phones when they don’t want to talk to anyone: they walk out of the park in an intense conversation with no one. (Hey, the same trick I use on the panhandlers that stand outside the Star!)
*Someone asked about Escobar’s swing and pitch selection: I didn’t get a chance to talk to Esky or Seitzer about this one, but Latin players have the reputation for being free-swingers. The reason I always heard was, “You can’t walk off the island” meaning: if a scout is watching you play, swing the bat. You’re not getting signed by walking twice.
After many visits to Latin America, Ron Polk, creator of the system we use, came up with another reason: one ball, no backstops. Swing the damn bat so we don’t have to chase the ball. I’ve got no clue if any of this factors in to Alcides’ approach at the plate, but it’s interesting to hear how different cultures approach the game and their reasons for doing so.
Gordon
Aviles
O'Sullivan
Acides Escobar shows me something new every game it seems. But I saw a first Saturday before the game. As the Royals' pitchers etc. were heading to the bullpen one was wearing a pink Justin Bieber backpack. Another fan said he must have a daughter, but that only accounts for where the backpack came from. What's in it and who was wearing it? Also, when the Seattle players went to their bullpen, one was wearing an R2D2 backpack (think Star Wars) and another had a black and pink one on. What are they carrying?
I asked a question earlier this year about what everyone elses backpacks were, but the answer is such: The 4 rookies in the bullpen this year were given "initiation" or "rookie hazing" by being forced to have their hair cut into faux-hawks and having little backpacks. Aaron Crow had the privilege of getting Justin Bieber, but I wasn't sure of the rest...Honestly, I have no idea what's in them, but I thought it was a great idea!
Jonathan's got it: the backpacks are part of the rookie hazing. The veterans are picking them out and are apparently earnestly looking for more...but they've got to be humiliating.
The packs contain stuff for the bullpen, drinks, sunflower seeds, dip, gum...that kind of stuff.
The bullpen is isolated: they can't go up into the clubhouse or into the batting cages during the game. All they have is a bathroom and an equipment room out there. Getting through 162 games while confined in a small area with a few other guys takes some ingenuity.
I should write more about this and will.
Just came across my 'Spanish with Brayan' note (and if the word translations drove some of you crazy, hang onto your socks, I asked Brayan Pena to give me some phrases...and I can barely spell in English much less Espanol).
"Yo lo tengo!" meaning, "I've got it!" (My laptop doesn't have an upside down exclamation point.) This phrase is handy when playing outfield next to someone from Cuba.
OK, now all you can get to work on whatever mistakes I made in spelling or grammar.
This is AWESOME! LOVE THIS STUFF!
Zack Daddy
Thanks, Zack. Stay tuned, I heard some more interesting stuff this morning.
You definitely can't save more runs than there are runners on the base paths. Kendall is just upset right now because he is hurt and can't participate in the winning (I would be too). That's interesting about the latin players, I wonder if statistically they have a lower walk rate than USA players.
Do non-spanish speaking players learn a little spanish to make it easier on the field? For example, does Escobar say yo lo tengo or does he say I've got it? How do the players call each other off? When I was playing as a child the CF called off the other outfielders and the SS called off the other infielders, is the hierarchy the same in the bigs? Great stuff as always Lee.
I agree, saving one run three times isn't the same as saving three runs. You've got to decide what you're counting. Trying to figure out what would've happened if a pitch hadn't been blocked is a bit trickier than figuring out what did happen because a pitched was blocked, so I figure I'm safer counting that.
Kendall's figures he just blocks pitches and if someone else wants to theorize about what that means, leave him out.
By the way, Jason Kendall is a big fan of the website and has been very supportive of what I'm trying to do. Like a lot of the other players, he appreciates someone trying to present the game from their point of view.
I think he's thrilled about the way things have gone so far for the Royals and his locker is still the rallying point for players after a game. You walk into the clubhouse and see half a dozen guys in a circle, having a beer and talking about the game.
As for the Latin players: talking about the difference between nationalities makes people nervous, it sounds politically incorrect. I think the differences are often cultural and that gets mistaken for genetics.
If you want to read more about this try Warren Cromartie's "Slugging It Out in Japan" a book about his experiences playing baseball in Japan.
And according to Chris Getz all the players use 'got it,got it, got it" whatever their nationality.
As for pop fly responsibilities, that's a good one and I think I'll write about it at length in my notes.
Stay tuned and thanks for checking in.
Ok, although I like Kila Ka'aihue, at what point does he get dropped in the order. I keep looking at the stat LOB and it just seems maybe one should see Jeff Francoeur moved up. All in all though, great web site. Easily my favorite sports read right now.
Chuck: Thanks a lot, I hope you continue to enjoy the site. As for Kila: I've got no clue.
Most of the time when a team makes a move that you don't understand and you get to talk to the people involved, you find out there are reasons for it. You may not agree with those reasons, but the moves are rarely clueless oversight.
Not long after this website started someone from the Royals front office told me how much he enjoyed it and appreciated the fact that I didn't try to play GM.
That struck a chord with me: I'm unqualified to play GM or maybe even manager, but have had very good instruction on how the game is played.
That's what I hope is diffrent about this site. You can find out why an outfielder will dive on a play in the gap, but pull up and play the ball for a single if it's between him and the line. (I talked to Alex Gordon about this play and will have something on it shortly.)
I agree with you that Kila is scuffling. I know the team feels he's getting a lot of off-speed stuff right now and will have to adjust to that before he gets back to seeing more hittable fastballs.
How much patience they're going to show or whether they want to adjust the lineup in the meantime is beyond me.
One further point: the team looks at a lot of factors when making a decision and will go beyond results when doing that. Kila went to the plate four times yesterday, walked, struckout looking, had a hard groundout (with a runner in scoring position) and singled. From their point of view (and mine) he had three quality plate appearances in four tries.
Move the hard groundout six feet either way and we're talking about what a great day he had. They know he can't steer the ball. He did what he was supposed to: hit the ball hard and low.
(Can you tell a woke up too early and have some time on my hands?)
OK, time to get ready for work. Keep reading.
Awesome stuff. Never knew all of these little tidbits being just a casual fan. You've definitely got me paying more attention to BB than any time since the '94 strike.
Sean: Thanks, I know what you mean. I was a casual fan all my life and then met some players and they begin to show me what to look for. It made the game so much more interesting. I'm happy to be able to pass along the information.