#Craig kimbrel pitching repertoire series

Only Cease and Robbie Ray threw at least 400 sliders in two-strike counts this year.

Even when they know it’s coming, it’s very difficult to pick up. The pitch has become a nightmare for hitters. The slider plays in and out of the zone as Cease racks up swings and misses.Ĭease ranked 10th in putaway rate, throwing 472 sliders with two-strike counts and striking out 131 hitters for a 27.8% strikeout rate. Cease identified a breaking pitch that worked for him and began to tunnel it off of his fastball as much as he could. He threw the pitch 43% of the time, while only throwing his fastball 41% of the time. With the advances in technology and analytics, players can fine-tune their arsenals and look at pitch grips with high-speed cameras and tinker with specific grips or arm actions to create a certain type of movement profile.Ī perfect example of this is Dylan Cease, who started throwing a slider with sharp vertical action this year. Next, look at the pitch that is returning as the go-to pitch for many pitchers, the slider. A hitter can’t sit on just one pitch, and it’s what makes him so special! Pair this with the movement and deception of his changeup that baffles hitters at around 92 mph as it dives to the plate. Note: Alcantara’s pitch-mix wizard status isn’t fully reflected in the chart at the bottom of the story, as it groups four-seam and two-seam fastballs together. He sprinkled in seven curveballs and scrapped that pitch because why not throw your three most dominant pitches as much as you can? He threw 28% changeup, 25% two-seam FB, 25% four-seam FB, and 22% slider. With arguably the best pitching season this year, he has become a balanced force of power and movement coupled with excellent command and three pitches he can throw in any count. Sandy Alcantara is the ultimate pitch-mix wizard. Pitchers such as Corbin Burnes and Emannuel Clase throw hard pitches with cutting action that are almost impossible to hit. In the most pivotal moments in a game, pitchers threw non-fastballs to get hitters out. This year the league embraced breaking balls and offspeed pitches. With so much data and numbers, pitchers can gameplan against lineups each and every game. In 2022, baseball has embraced the shift in how pitchers attack hitters. © 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc.This essay appears in The Bill James Handbook 2023, which can be ordered online at or wherever you get your books. “I think I’ve got some good pitching to do in the next couple days to prove that.” Craig Kimbrel leaves the field after giving up a bases-loaded walk to the Padres in the 10th inning Tuesday night. “I think so,” Kimbrel said when asked if he could still contribute in the playoffs.

#Craig kimbrel pitching repertoire series

What does it mean for the Dodgers, who two years ago won the World Series before falling to the Braves in six games in last year’s NLCS? But Kimbrel’s troubles and the current closer-by-committee situation could be problematic come the postseason.Īn eight-time All-Star, Kimbrel is 6-7 with a woeful 4.02 ERA since the Dodgers acquired him from the White Sox back in April in a deal for A.J. Others contributed to the loss as well - third baseman Justin Turner fell down on a potential inning-ending double play in the first, left fielder Chris Taylor dropped a fly ball in the eighth and Turner committed another error with two outs and the bases loaded. Craig Kimbrel takes a moment before facing a Padres batter during the 10th inning Tuesday night. “I just missed some fastballs and threw some uncompetitive pitches,” Kimbrel told reporters. Kimbrel wasn’t the only one to blame - the Dodgers were 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position - but he played his part with a pair of two-out walks that included one with the bases loaded to hand San Diego the walk-off win. It didn’t matter on Tuesday night, though, as the struggling 34-year-old righty blew another game for L.A., with the Padres knocking off the Dodgers, 4-3, in what was a brutal 10th inning for the reliever. The Dodgers have the best record in baseball and with 106 wins are one victory away from setting a franchise record, but all is not as good as it looks in La La Land.Īlready, Craig Kimbrel has been demoted from the team’s closer role. Diamondbacks NLDS tickets are surprisingly inexpensive Stitches makes four MLB Division Series predictionsĭodgers vs. Ugly Trevor Bauer-Lindsey Hill tale reveals just how broken society is

Who we’re picking in the National League Divisional Series