Games » Baltimore Orioles
Aug3What Luke Hochevar's changed
Lee Judge
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“Execute quality pitches.” Luke Hochevar said that about 20 times during his postgame interview. What did you do tonight? “I executed quality pitches.” What are your goals for the rest of the year? “To execute quality pitches.” How can we achieve world peace? “Execute quality pitches.”
And he’s right (except for the bit about world peace that I made up), you can only play this game one pitch at a time. Hoch has said his thought process gets cluttered when he allows his mind to wander into other areas. When he concentrates on throwing the next pitch and nothing else, it all gets clear. Things must be quite a bit clearer since the All-Star break. Luke is executing quality pitches, his ERA is down and his wins are up.
Championships, playoffs or wins can only be achieved one pitch at a time. Big things are achieved by putting a lot of small things together. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step…and a quality pitch.
Billy and backspin
Billy Butler crushed another home run in this game. Billy’s shot cleared the wall in center and broke the game open. Afterward he talked about the green light and backspin. He got the 3-0 green light and said he looked for a fastball in the middle of the plate and was only going to swing if he got it.
Anything with spin and he was going to spit on it.
Like I’ve already reported: Billy’s keeping his hands higher and that has him hitting down through the baseball. That’s creating rising backspin and the improved trajectory is carrying balls out. Y’know, any time a guy can hit a baseball 427 feet, maybe he’s already the right weight.
Outfield assisted
Before the game Mitch Maier and I talked about the Royals outfield and Mitch expressed admiration for what they’ve achieved (which is pretty cool, they’re keeping him on the bench). Along with a lot of other people, Mitch thinks this is the best outfield in the league. Mitch also thought the early work they do is paying off. (They come out early and throw to the bases before the first game of each series. Not all teams do this.)
Mitch said that meant when they had to make a throw in a game it had only been a couple of days at most since they last attempted that throw. Otherwise, it might be weeks between throws to home. Practice might not actually make perfect, but it’s made 20 runners out at home plate.
Brayan Pena’s arm angle
A reader said he’d noticed Brayan Pena throwing from a lower arm angle and asked me about it. I didn’t know, so I asked Brayan. He said his arm angle depends on the runner’s jump. Bad jump and Brayan has time to get his arm up and throw over the top. Good jump and Brayan’s more likely to throw three-quarters to hurry the throw.
Pena said he was “blessed” with a good defensive second baseman and Chris Getz was adept at coming out in front of the base, adjusting to the throw (lower arm angles tend to have more movement) and going back into the base line to make the tag.
Rundowns
I asked Eric Hosmer about those rundown plays after Danny Duffy picked a couple runners off and he told me something interesting: I wanted to know when he was supposed to make the throw down to second. Did they want to make two throws and get the runner heading back to first or did they want it done in one throw?
Hos said the timing of the throw was based on the runner’s head. If the runner was looking back at him, Hos was supposed to hold the ball up and chase him to the fielder receiving the throw. If the runner turned his head toward second it meant he was committed to the next base and it was time to make the throw.
The mask
Matt Treanor said he was considering going to a hockey-style mask when he returned. They offer more protection down the side of the face and can be kept on for more plays, but…they’re hotter than hell. The big fear on his return is foul tips straight back to the mask. There’s nothing a catcher can do about that and any blow to the head can be serious.
It’s always good to remember how dangerous this game can be. These guys can make it look easy, but pitches thrown in the upper 90s and line drives leaving a bat at over 100 mph can do some serious damage…and so can shoulders to the cheekbone.
It always slays me that a golfer can’t make a three-foot putt if someone is whispering 50 feet away. Ballplayers are dealing with 98 up and in while 30,000 people scream their lungs out.
Pitch Mitch
Mitch Maier entertained me with the story of his pitching appearance in Boston. He canned the windup in the bullpen and decided to go from the stretch. They asked him if he wanted a” pitcher’s toe” (a piece of rubber that fits over the toe of the back foot and protects the toe of the shoe when it’s drug across the ground). Mitch said he was not a “dragger” and wasn’t sure if his back foot actually ever left the pitching rubber. While he was telling the story his teammates we’re giving him a hard time about having no follow-through. (Hey, Bob Gibson had his style, Mitch has got his.)
Mitch said he was fine in warmups, but things got freaky when a hitter stood in for the first time. His first two pitches missed by, um, let’s say “a lot,” but then he zeroed in and began to get close to the zone…or at least close enough to get hitters to swing.
He got comfortable enough to try a “backdoor” curve to David Ortiz and then began trying various grips randomly to see if he could get any movement. The “cutter” that broke Jason Varitek’s bat apparently surprised Mitch as much as it did Jason.
I told him he should retire with his 0.00 ERA, but I’d pay to see him do it again.
A short conversation about Eric Hosmer’s hair
“Hos, what’s up with the hair? You’ve had like six different hairdos since you’ve been here. See this?”
I point to my head, “Same haircut since 1981.”
“Ya gotta keep ‘em guessing.”
“So you’re telling me my wife would like it if I came home with a Mohawk?”
“She’d love it.”
Eric Hosmer may know baseball, but Eric Hosmer clearly does not know my wife.
Hochevar
Butler
Escobar
Lee, many of us that follow you regularly played competitive baseball through college, but a lot of the things you unveil here are things I had never heard before. For example, every coach I ever played for insisted on keeping rundown throws to the absolute minimum and, if at all possible, making the out while the runner was returning to the previous base. Your insight about the Royals teaching Hos to watch the runner's head is something I would have never thought of - but makes excellent sense.
By the way, I still don't care much for Pena's arm angle on his throws to second regardless whether he has good reasoning in his own mind. I also don't like the way he stands up when he wants the pitcher to throw a high ball with two strikes. Do you think he is being instructed to do that? Makes no sense to me - especially with a manager that played the position.
Great article as usual. It sure is fun watching these guys this year. I have started watching the game within the game closer this year. I am surprised by the things that you see by being at the game that never show up on TV. I understand now why we still use scouts.
How would you, or even better a scout, rate Chris Getz as a defensive second baseman? Not considering any offense is he top 5, above average, average, below average? I don't get to see that many games and see all the second baseman. I understand that fielding percentage, range, positioning, ability to turn the double play, all need to be considered......not just number of errors.
How would you, or even better a scout, rate Chris Getz as a defensive second baseman? Not considering any offense is he top 5, above average, average, below average? I don't get to see that many games and see all the second baseman. I understand that fielding percentage, range, positioning, ability to turn the double play, all need to be considered......not just number of errors.
Don: I'd been a baseball fan all my life and thought I knew the game until I began to talk to professionals. I was amazed at how the game had been broken down into its smallest parts and there was a right way to do everything.
When someone explained something to me, my reaction was almost always, "That makes a lot of sense."
When I asked Hosmer about the rundowns and he explained his key for throwing (the runners head) I had the same reaction. Wow, that makes perfect sense!
Finding these nuggets of information and bringing them to the site is one of the main pleasures of this job...that and the cookies in the press box.
As for Pena's throwing: I understood what he was saying, but don't know if Chris Getz appreciates being the one that has to handle the throws and tags.
And I don't know if Pena is being instructed to stand up when he wants a high pitch, but they don't seem to be stopping him from doing it.
Larry: For me TV is great for stuff around homeplate and, of course, replays. But you only get to see what they choose to show you.
For instance, when you're at the game you can watch outfield shifts as each hitter comes to the plate and that tells you how they plan to pitch the batter.
The best advice I can give someone at the park is look away from the ball once in a while. Watch the outfielder instead of the fly ball or take a peek into the infield when a ball gets to the warning track and see who's going where.
We have the best of both worlds in the press box: we can watch the play live and then check the TVs for the replays, and the guys in the truck do a great job with that. (Can you tell the guys in the truck offered me a cold beer as I left the park last night?)
Gary: Well, I don't have any scouts here to help with this answer so I'll do the best I can on my own.
I don't get to see all the other second baseman either, so I couldn't rank Chris Getz among them. But after watching him for much of two seasons the first word that comes to mind is 'solid'.
Generally, he doesn't make spectacular plays like Alcides Escobar (few do). On the other hand, once in a while Esky will throw a routine one away and Getz virtually never does that. With Getz, you might not get the unexpected outs that Esky offers, but you get outs when you're supposed to get outs.
He doesn't have a great arm so you don't see that play behind second base throwing back across the body to first.
To me (and I've got limited expertise in this area) he's very solid on the double play. He'll stand in and take a hit if he has to in order to get the second out and his teammates appreciate that. I've seen guys try to avoid those hits and lose double plays because of it.
Getz's problem is that there is no part of his game that is spectacular. There is no number that wows you and even he knows that.
Getz's strength is doing a lot of things well, but there's not much he does great.
I think that's why there is such divided opinion about him: if you played or managed the game, a player like Getz seems useful in a variety of ways. He's the kind of guy you have to watch play for a while before you appreciate what he's bringing to the table. And you have to look at all the parts of his game to understand what he can do for you.
Lee as you mentioned, I like to watch the players that are not involved directly in the play. This tell you in a hurry who has their head in the game and who may be in lala land. Betemit was one of those players that sometimes looked lost and spaced to me. I agree with you on Getz, solid but not flashy. Now if Royals would just air condition my seats I would be truely happy.
"How would you, or even better a scout, rate Chris Getz as a defensive second baseman?"
fangraphs, one of the stathead sites, rates Getz as the 7th best fielding 2B at 3.4. By comparison, Dustin Pedroia is highest rated at 14.6, Dan Uggla at -10.7 is lowest listed. Robinson Cano is -5.2. Getz is closest, slightly ahead, of Omar Infante of the Marlins.
Larry: You picked up on a couple trends the Polk system made apparent. One or two mental mistakes might not mean a lot, but when you see a pattern build up, it tells you something. Betemit is a very talented guy, but sometimes did not appear to track the situation very well.
And the players would like to have their seats air conditioned as well. They've got some vents that blow cooler air under the dugout bench and a fan down at the end of the dugout that can have mist added, but you can really feel the difference once you leave the dugout to head upstairs.
So the players are almost as hot as you. The press, on the other hand are wimps.(I'm writing this from the air conditoned comfort of the press box...man, it looks hot out there.)
Jim: Thanks for the additional information on Getz.
Lee, a real pleasure to see yesterday's game. Hope it is an omen for the future. Excellent pitching (both starting and relief), timely hitting, and excellent defense. Only blemish was stray pick off throw. If the Royals can continue this approach, I'd take my chances on them winning a lot more than losing. They have quietly put together a pretty solid stretch against some good teams.
On the pitching, Joel and Lee, one thing I liked was sending Holland back out in the 9th. The guy had come in, runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out, shut the O's down, and Yost stayed with the hot hand. I think that's good. Of course, I never really cared for the specialist closer idea, old enough to remember Quisenberry's three inning closes and even Elroy Face.
Joel: We're seeing the formula for winning in the future: low-scoring, good defense, aggressive base running and just enough offense (and if you're lucky, a little more).
Everybody I talk to (including some people who have been negative in the recent past), think the Royals are on the verge of being a competitive team.
The last 10 games or so have shown what's possible.
Jim: Elroy Face? Thanks for making me feel young again. I spend too much time around world-class athletes and my ego has taken a beating.
And I liked sending Holland out for the 9th also.
RE the discussion on Getz: I believe an earlier article of yours described a "grinder." So, Getz is a grinder. Good.
My oldest son, my husband and I all read "Judging the Royals" and enjoy your insight and conversations with players (love the Hosmer hair aside). Thanks for the timely, educated conversation--it is often lonely being a Royals fan and "Judging the Royals" has become a friendly place for all of us to gather.
I think I understand what Hosmer's saying, but if the runner is looking at the 1st baseman, he's dead meat at that point. It also makes a difference how far down the base path the runner is if he's looking back. If he's looking back, the 1st baseman chases him far enough down the basepath that 1st is now covered and he's got to throw it soon enough to turn the runner around and be chased back to first.
Think about this: Bottom of the ninth, and a runner on third gets picked off. Do you want to make the play at the plate?
Pam: Thanks, if the Royals keep playing like this, maybe it'll be a little less lonely soon.