tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49757689899528851202024-02-20T18:29:15.791-06:00I R FastA Baseball Blog, mainly focusing on Japanese and Korean Baseball, with some Pitch F/XAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.comBlogger864125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-1566737591750011002014-05-22T16:58:00.000-05:002014-05-22T16:58:09.427-05:00Masahiro Tanaka: Start NineMasahiro Tanaka's ninth start of the season, pitched against the Cubs in Chicago (the first team he has faced twice), was his worst outing of the year so far. While he still struck out seven and walked one, he gave up a season high four runs, a tied for season high eight hits, and a season low six innings. On a positive note, he did not give up a homer for the third straight start.<br />
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Here is his spin and speed chart from the outing:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9mJlDIGMMXnGky00jlQ8NCgKp5iEJ4ZaSzImvrfe9Hri6bW2FhswXjLfX6GrNxJvVFF3kXpRbbr3VryYlSV-52mVkbhoFxNfrl1hwXo7ViPHZQE8blqIg42DhAHFbZSrBmXY6V51ddM/s1600/Tanaka+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9mJlDIGMMXnGky00jlQ8NCgKp5iEJ4ZaSzImvrfe9Hri6bW2FhswXjLfX6GrNxJvVFF3kXpRbbr3VryYlSV-52mVkbhoFxNfrl1hwXo7ViPHZQE8blqIg42DhAHFbZSrBmXY6V51ddM/s1600/Tanaka+1.png" height="152" width="400" /> </a></div>
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Here are his average spin and speeds by pitch type:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZfNNScaGmU1U5nE-naRAxlho5d5bpvxBKgd8wKM89XTFXLzTuTTY_6VcjeeeUxr6pYcf_STEOmXCCCWPZvMUiNfGLjTWmnGg-H22KsKnz4l996dFR_nGKcDeI0bxdK_AjLkEzlzbguM/s1600/Tanaka+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZfNNScaGmU1U5nE-naRAxlho5d5bpvxBKgd8wKM89XTFXLzTuTTY_6VcjeeeUxr6pYcf_STEOmXCCCWPZvMUiNfGLjTWmnGg-H22KsKnz4l996dFR_nGKcDeI0bxdK_AjLkEzlzbguM/s1600/Tanaka+5.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
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Tanaka's release points:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsUMNlEl93W5xA5tRKp0gdidvNF7ltB3YOPY2D232rPX_G2u_mLcfyaTndFOcWCRwDxR2z5w6xIU7xuaNyPfTM-aLNGLc7S8QhPDAET952JsjnGLKuOyAtWjy-HZQn0wcdcoV9ncRrTE/s1600/Tanaka+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsUMNlEl93W5xA5tRKp0gdidvNF7ltB3YOPY2D232rPX_G2u_mLcfyaTndFOcWCRwDxR2z5w6xIU7xuaNyPfTM-aLNGLc7S8QhPDAET952JsjnGLKuOyAtWjy-HZQn0wcdcoV9ncRrTE/s1600/Tanaka+2.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
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Average release points by pitch type:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7OMsu-1QJ3Jqz_oA-cWpBTrwh0KRQEaYXuCcx9KIQ6CyJQO5RcCPj_IhHghnFHntMTdNQZq3mdCa2OacDvFEAQSC_DOm2Ux1MlbWj1RNEJV5W38FTkcalZ4oXAHCkjU0oq2BlPkODQE/s1600/Tanaka+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7OMsu-1QJ3Jqz_oA-cWpBTrwh0KRQEaYXuCcx9KIQ6CyJQO5RcCPj_IhHghnFHntMTdNQZq3mdCa2OacDvFEAQSC_DOm2Ux1MlbWj1RNEJV5W38FTkcalZ4oXAHCkjU0oq2BlPkODQE/s1600/Tanaka+6.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
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Tanaka's pitch locations:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspNtqIPCJG_4uC6w7iWvp2Ly2xkhMyfBfomnIeYm7nK7cWKYqeKTsbKx_b72PnH0b1x5-GcsQ9CW7onocpo6iCVNF-kI9sKBIVZG4Qn14qwxaSv1L1DUIoqP_JjNNzHQpgcWN9mipxmQ/s1600/Tanaka+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspNtqIPCJG_4uC6w7iWvp2Ly2xkhMyfBfomnIeYm7nK7cWKYqeKTsbKx_b72PnH0b1x5-GcsQ9CW7onocpo6iCVNF-kI9sKBIVZG4Qn14qwxaSv1L1DUIoqP_JjNNzHQpgcWN9mipxmQ/s1600/Tanaka+3.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
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Average pitch locations:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPOWjZKc7oQ_n4mOCROv4bEaV6q3TWx7WICTcjt_5uzmPKAJ25yyPuyRuG7ZgZ2zCwbhRx9-OyMIjdbQxygSiBn8KUkPCrLDd-MpOzapez2U90-6ogM8pIhg9y2kmhfzAmfgWQ0qQtAc/s1600/Tanaka+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPOWjZKc7oQ_n4mOCROv4bEaV6q3TWx7WICTcjt_5uzmPKAJ25yyPuyRuG7ZgZ2zCwbhRx9-OyMIjdbQxygSiBn8KUkPCrLDd-MpOzapez2U90-6ogM8pIhg9y2kmhfzAmfgWQ0qQtAc/s1600/Tanaka+7.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
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Tanaka's movement chart:</div>
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Tanaka's average pitch movement:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjOXatf13mmBbilwXq6u1nfMu8Z66Fgy96SHkcCg1iMIy5dyfcQv0CW7m2gqrHPi81GQYSsw4Fsn7EqA78fBzGSelHphbfE82jWPr1tL73uOap7fzg8ND0FcICPR1BKbgoCFAsQP6eWg/s1600/Tanaka+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjOXatf13mmBbilwXq6u1nfMu8Z66Fgy96SHkcCg1iMIy5dyfcQv0CW7m2gqrHPi81GQYSsw4Fsn7EqA78fBzGSelHphbfE82jWPr1tL73uOap7fzg8ND0FcICPR1BKbgoCFAsQP6eWg/s1600/Tanaka+8.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here is Tanaka's average result locations:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiV6KcC2udua2NUJPMwtC2jHle94Tilf65TiUVi739lVvwtV-P8aENRoDa7tUfXvKIjn7LmSdnYhF2Ua_uyc-TKBoBiUX7fd5LAasjeVCw8rcQP4qDKyEigOokm-eisCIwWI3nou6GkE/s1600/Tanaka+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiV6KcC2udua2NUJPMwtC2jHle94Tilf65TiUVi739lVvwtV-P8aENRoDa7tUfXvKIjn7LmSdnYhF2Ua_uyc-TKBoBiUX7fd5LAasjeVCw8rcQP4qDKyEigOokm-eisCIwWI3nou6GkE/s1600/Tanaka+9.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
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Tanaka's average locations by platoon:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqDCvLAYrVQO9Z1occcV3YmaBdIbzK4mu97-jDif_xdyhlkMVTyPo4K9UqB7tZAOOCZsxFqwdJvgsVjNrKE91vYtL1A47hJpAzbDQyGnTgwptzAxLUMgVJeLPQUywmEjyvM2h-Quxzoc/s1600/Tanaka+10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqDCvLAYrVQO9Z1occcV3YmaBdIbzK4mu97-jDif_xdyhlkMVTyPo4K9UqB7tZAOOCZsxFqwdJvgsVjNrKE91vYtL1A47hJpAzbDQyGnTgwptzAxLUMgVJeLPQUywmEjyvM2h-Quxzoc/s1600/Tanaka+10.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-82696042937281097992014-05-16T19:16:00.000-05:002014-05-16T19:16:13.442-05:00Masahiro Tanaka: Start EightMasahiro Tanaka's eighth start of his MLB career proved to be his best so far, as he went all nine innings, didn't give up any runs, and gave up just four hits. He also struck out eight and didn't walk any.<br />
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Here is his spin and speed chart: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6SRHxtoH2NU17sZArIrxnGOio58KtbIkxsv1PS6AtV7F33_jXthJuyQI1UNr1YqnW5xngzF9ljv1PqKhnIRjArHse7Sbu0Jk-DAdY4_AAq_6oEeg9T5NtMnIap8MLY95NfITob4LY-U4/s1600/Tanaka+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6SRHxtoH2NU17sZArIrxnGOio58KtbIkxsv1PS6AtV7F33_jXthJuyQI1UNr1YqnW5xngzF9ljv1PqKhnIRjArHse7Sbu0Jk-DAdY4_AAq_6oEeg9T5NtMnIap8MLY95NfITob4LY-U4/s1600/Tanaka+1.png" height="151" width="400" /> </a></div>
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To give a cleaner view, here are his average spins and speeds for each pitch type: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3uT1ThF8lTh1TM11l-0XZNuJexLiPwKs7l5DY6xC_kXQPKIysxzDqdm5sy0pWwd6N4QDcYqy5XP4wteGpzgokEKXQvrUDeXn-VTwWuUmolqu5psdSsvcNUZ8N-7aQ2Q8cuwLujXtFFjM/s1600/Tanaka+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3uT1ThF8lTh1TM11l-0XZNuJexLiPwKs7l5DY6xC_kXQPKIysxzDqdm5sy0pWwd6N4QDcYqy5XP4wteGpzgokEKXQvrUDeXn-VTwWuUmolqu5psdSsvcNUZ8N-7aQ2Q8cuwLujXtFFjM/s1600/Tanaka+2.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
His splitter had by far the most spin, while his sinker was usually slightly slower, but spun more. Here is where he usually located those pitches:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnfyDGTN6ul6FzeqDwwxI2-SNfd3MtFuT-7BZSGRK1X01nJpr8CkoT_NbhA2wCwfjxG3OAEkUiR8SaJt7vunJWkVphyZmZ_tgGmT_o2CtEMKMyQYkEamketFjary6Dn3s0mNOBjKK48E/s1600/Tanaka+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnfyDGTN6ul6FzeqDwwxI2-SNfd3MtFuT-7BZSGRK1X01nJpr8CkoT_NbhA2wCwfjxG3OAEkUiR8SaJt7vunJWkVphyZmZ_tgGmT_o2CtEMKMyQYkEamketFjary6Dn3s0mNOBjKK48E/s1600/Tanaka+4.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
His slider was only slightly more glove side than arm side, though he got his curve to be lower than it normally is, even though it stayed arm side. His sinker also stayed a little lower than his fastball. If you wanted to see all of his pitch locations, they are below. Notice the cluster glove side and in the middle of the plate and high. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2u2aZ0bpNRwNvGm8TVF-4qHhZ7sYL4zQCsUd731n11dEU3ttWhaLitaL_s-oADbkxNCSUH17huGjyr_Q4seJ6W8CN6RwEHsTmkxctZsZBHSaOt16Y2WvNm1CBVKfyItUFFj4qxz4NoA/s1600/Tanaka+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2u2aZ0bpNRwNvGm8TVF-4qHhZ7sYL4zQCsUd731n11dEU3ttWhaLitaL_s-oADbkxNCSUH17huGjyr_Q4seJ6W8CN6RwEHsTmkxctZsZBHSaOt16Y2WvNm1CBVKfyItUFFj4qxz4NoA/s1600/Tanaka+3.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
Here are his result locations on average:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKeDCwKjgZfIrtlF6dNsNSGsUdmAiE0tEAYmapaIk_Tvq1v2Zq5_P-dmN6to9aIYtKztFT2oWtVKKk9vOrgQWKjkTZ1FmKYx5a79XOPHYKjEfMjqFoNWNJechaDuzSoBHFgtD2PGxnBYI/s1600/Tanaka+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKeDCwKjgZfIrtlF6dNsNSGsUdmAiE0tEAYmapaIk_Tvq1v2Zq5_P-dmN6to9aIYtKztFT2oWtVKKk9vOrgQWKjkTZ1FmKYx5a79XOPHYKjEfMjqFoNWNJechaDuzSoBHFgtD2PGxnBYI/s1600/Tanaka+5.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
When he threw high and glove side, he gave up hits, while low and glove side got him whiffs, just like it has all season. When he threw balls, it was usually because he couldn't get it glove side enough. Here are the release points of all his pitches:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpzUx_h80o756jAbhWtNnqgHEVxVvcA6dPQtizLqVKHzI9voy_hAZlTEbsS-cvNL4FYYZPgSAyflwdSijfqBiW3SEw8X0BH252dowAZyH-GB5wAgUEYZosKcGS7NYZq6CDGIw0tYKfj4/s1600/Tanaka+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpzUx_h80o756jAbhWtNnqgHEVxVvcA6dPQtizLqVKHzI9voy_hAZlTEbsS-cvNL4FYYZPgSAyflwdSijfqBiW3SEw8X0BH252dowAZyH-GB5wAgUEYZosKcGS7NYZq6CDGIw0tYKfj4/s1600/Tanaka+6.png" height="122" width="320" /></a></div>
Going back to location, here is where he located his pitches by strikes in the count:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPIheevhscbE5G7abt8lM-H6y0MmeTRqddGrbpgLEFiIyGDrDHXDGFSAt8w4Lr48dNSiesnmMo1CJ-Q9MMC5W9_AnYqoxQLJHZ4WbxYgvDihkXliIp3el6tAKn9qzSThO3OmsdIyqVBg/s1600/Tanaka+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPIheevhscbE5G7abt8lM-H6y0MmeTRqddGrbpgLEFiIyGDrDHXDGFSAt8w4Lr48dNSiesnmMo1CJ-Q9MMC5W9_AnYqoxQLJHZ4WbxYgvDihkXliIp3el6tAKn9qzSThO3OmsdIyqVBg/s1600/Tanaka+7.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
As usual, he continued throwing lower and more glove side as he got more strikes on the hitter, going for that location where he was getting the whiffs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzacsETbhDS77f7VC4F2ZhQZeUe6B2NYgezzvqC6USjMWnWof04TeFx6MkZ9rgTkKeiKJQahJGDRBoMQPQiIZBDfeV7pbCFJ68b0D7c4bd7plxr35eTcXB5Q4WkhrMbWOANrhFSemCTT0/s1600/Tanaka+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzacsETbhDS77f7VC4F2ZhQZeUe6B2NYgezzvqC6USjMWnWof04TeFx6MkZ9rgTkKeiKJQahJGDRBoMQPQiIZBDfeV7pbCFJ68b0D7c4bd7plxr35eTcXB5Q4WkhrMbWOANrhFSemCTT0/s1600/Tanaka+8.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
When he got three balls in the count, he threw his four seam fastball, or at least this is what the graphs show. Otherwise, there wasn't much of a difference between no balls and two balls in the count. Here is his movement chart:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJUAgd4NfMURvibMexKIt9WTS6Ds586vneKhQ2qtvWdf4pcnjt2zCq949o0_hL9JGKHCrLZ7v8vWWmOvkbS6qnZs1b2G8iTBVY5VNIhTGoX_I5VIxVFsHZVQve1qsqDlqRhpkuO2svyw/s1600/Tanaka+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJUAgd4NfMURvibMexKIt9WTS6Ds586vneKhQ2qtvWdf4pcnjt2zCq949o0_hL9JGKHCrLZ7v8vWWmOvkbS6qnZs1b2G8iTBVY5VNIhTGoX_I5VIxVFsHZVQve1qsqDlqRhpkuO2svyw/s1600/Tanaka+9.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
Here is his movement data by average pitch type:<br />
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All of his pitches, even the ones you think would be similar to each other, have vastly different movement. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-89516920404250975482014-05-11T10:56:00.000-05:002014-05-11T10:56:00.374-05:00Masahiro Tanaka: Start SevenMasahiro Tanaka's seventh start of the season took place in Milwaukee versus the Brewers, where he tied for his shortest outing of the year at 6.1 innings. Despite this, it was still a good start for him, as he struck out seven hitters, walked one, and most importantly, gave up no home runs. The Brewers did get seven hits and scored two runs off him, and Tanaka faced the fewest amount of batters (26) as he had faced all year on tied for the second highest amount of pitches he had thrown on the season. <br />
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First, let's take a look at his spin and speed chart for the game.<br />
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It seems like he threw a lot of sliders, and just four curveballs, a little lower than his normal number. For comparison, here is what his movement chart for the game looked like:<br />
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The splitter seemed to have the most spin out of all of his pitches, but it had less vertical movement than his sinker and fastball. His fastball also moved more vertically and less horizontally than his sinker, while there was no real difference in spin and very little difference in speed.<br />
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Here is where Tanaka located his pitches on average, along with his average release point.<br />
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Tanaka was actually a glove side pitcher for the game, and that maintained throughout until his very final inning.<br />
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Early in the game, he was an extreme low and glove side pitcher. He steadily moved higher and more arm side (with the third inning coming out of the pattern completely) as the game progressed. <br />
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All of his pitches except the sinker, yes even the curveball this time, were glove side pitches, and basically all of his results were on the glove side of the plate. <br />
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The swinging strikes average location most closely matches his first two innings of work. He worked extremely away from both platoons<br />
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The lack of left-handers in the Brewers lineup contributed to his heavy glove side pitching. The later in the count he got, when it came to strikes, the more likely he was going to go low and glove side.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyetXy_EhbeObvkYt6dED99zPqVZhxciTTtzX9Izwq_vBLXpnfacQoQg9RC3U77toj96JHSJZr1j5qKitGm8wudHloI_umqryhKiGLVEd1QZMJpa4s-50ky5zJiO3yltfJsYOf09VJ9s/s1600/Tanaka+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyetXy_EhbeObvkYt6dED99zPqVZhxciTTtzX9Izwq_vBLXpnfacQoQg9RC3U77toj96JHSJZr1j5qKitGm8wudHloI_umqryhKiGLVEd1QZMJpa4s-50ky5zJiO3yltfJsYOf09VJ9s/s1600/Tanaka+7.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
With balls in the count, we actually see the opposite pattern. Instead, he was more likely to throw down the middle of the plate when he got to two or three balls in the count.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZt1oup4KLRlBcUHizSrDCsLPcuqZ0-LTradb4Jme9ziyekzjvQGSz5xx5uvh0uNc98Oty6hlwCKLTHfUUAb5tf6AzlkT_Oy4BheUjnvzr2qMIdrFbtSEEqVQSIotwKSTZ4EB2JZ5Nr1Q/s1600/Tanaka+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZt1oup4KLRlBcUHizSrDCsLPcuqZ0-LTradb4Jme9ziyekzjvQGSz5xx5uvh0uNc98Oty6hlwCKLTHfUUAb5tf6AzlkT_Oy4BheUjnvzr2qMIdrFbtSEEqVQSIotwKSTZ4EB2JZ5Nr1Q/s1600/Tanaka+8.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
As we saw his location by inning change, I thought it would be helpful to look at what his average release points looked like by inning<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxJYj6biLUECpZsRl1Yxlp2yRoBQOqWU4b5f5kFrF21ulNnFoQ7QklY1WbMFWDeRHm8n0VR61T-dRC5Iy3zMdAMx1yKZk5mCNDJBCJL2WzqTYMPN22nf8JO2ajvMRzsCG3UfTB2YJlkY/s1600/Tanaka+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxJYj6biLUECpZsRl1Yxlp2yRoBQOqWU4b5f5kFrF21ulNnFoQ7QklY1WbMFWDeRHm8n0VR61T-dRC5Iy3zMdAMx1yKZk5mCNDJBCJL2WzqTYMPN22nf8JO2ajvMRzsCG3UfTB2YJlkY/s1600/Tanaka+9.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
The biggest differences were his last inning and his second inning, though not surprisingly looking at location, his third inning was slightly different as well. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-40828405067332936612014-05-10T20:29:00.000-05:002014-05-10T20:29:01.913-05:00Breaking Down Chihiro Kaneko's Most Recent StartChihiro Kaneko has blossomed into the most effective starting pitcher in the NPB, especially with Tanaka now in the MLB. So, with Yuki Matsui still in the Ni-Gun, I thought he was a logical choice for an article concerning one of his starts. In his most recent, against the Fighters, he went seven innings, 126 pitches, striking out nine, walking five, and giving up three runs (one earned) on six hits. <br />
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As a warning, some pitches didn't have velocity numbers, so all of them aren't going to show up here on the velocity and pitch count chart: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicAT9vzUZHq9oiYSDeeFWzdN3R-WoVfxcSW56LiC-LNxAsEhICGhHBf20K4WcrYDxPe8TAhf_27QgKSgjPITIz0Mps3bMzzZkwrU52oelT_8v7H0K2abp0tcJfMIRQsedFUBJceUzHEM/s1600/Kaneko+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicAT9vzUZHq9oiYSDeeFWzdN3R-WoVfxcSW56LiC-LNxAsEhICGhHBf20K4WcrYDxPe8TAhf_27QgKSgjPITIz0Mps3bMzzZkwrU52oelT_8v7H0K2abp0tcJfMIRQsedFUBJceUzHEM/s1600/Kaneko+1.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
Kaneko's velocity clearly declined as the game went on, and his max pitches were all at the beginning of the game. It doesn't seem that his change and slider had much speed differential, especially compared to the extreme difference of the curveball.<br />
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Kaneko's fastball percentage was a little low, but he spread his other pitches of his deep repertoire pretty evenly, with his slider being the most prevalent. As far is how he located his pitches, he was about evenly split on pitches in the strike zone and out of the strike zone. </div>
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As far as how he located his pitches in more specific terms, his favorite locations were low, both to the arm side, and the glove side. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4aP-s1lMBZcB3PZ0eaCdjYeLVXWZuAqb-vGoh2mjabsoBH9gOFSKki0mhcAqthO0U0sXoqjirh5j4zAWb4TS_ksXh3bEbt8ptaomgulOhSyqQdfOr7MWr_5XzMqCrL905lRf-qtNiLwc/s1600/Kaneko+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4aP-s1lMBZcB3PZ0eaCdjYeLVXWZuAqb-vGoh2mjabsoBH9gOFSKki0mhcAqthO0U0sXoqjirh5j4zAWb4TS_ksXh3bEbt8ptaomgulOhSyqQdfOr7MWr_5XzMqCrL905lRf-qtNiLwc/s1600/Kaneko+4.png" height="150" width="400" /> </a></div>
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If he located the pitch high, it was usually middle/high. As far as results go, it seems that only about 6 % of the pitches he threw out of the strike zone didn't turn into a ball:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQkivAjTTM6Sow_snhSEcbrZBi9KeZgicBIjxTaAVbqO8Kmw77Du5L0tPV-9GbbQrvIoyERw2k7xi7-WU5PrsvpQZvwb5TQJcwIU13v0_DTs1GhdkQN__3mgGuLj-jBblQZYYX4mTmFg/s1600/Kaneko+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQkivAjTTM6Sow_snhSEcbrZBi9KeZgicBIjxTaAVbqO8Kmw77Du5L0tPV-9GbbQrvIoyERw2k7xi7-WU5PrsvpQZvwb5TQJcwIU13v0_DTs1GhdkQN__3mgGuLj-jBblQZYYX4mTmFg/s1600/Kaneko+5.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
Despite this, he had a good whiff percentage, and an okay foul and called strike percentage. To further break down his locations, lets look at where he located the pitches that turned into balls:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWseetKiBXGFZQ620UXcYBMMlthgCyWWl29jDTj3edKYgshyphenhyphen2Y1GIlKJSJcpehmY22SjJQ58wj44W8esSe3d1zb78_Wi_DDUwi2eAXHn0T1X6MXzjToDhZaUYkqH7vc22RAE2DZkrSvRw/s1600/Kaneko+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWseetKiBXGFZQ620UXcYBMMlthgCyWWl29jDTj3edKYgshyphenhyphen2Y1GIlKJSJcpehmY22SjJQ58wj44W8esSe3d1zb78_Wi_DDUwi2eAXHn0T1X6MXzjToDhZaUYkqH7vc22RAE2DZkrSvRw/s1600/Kaneko+6.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
The Glove/Low location is even more prevalent here, as is the arm/low, showing that he was trying to go low for whiffs more than high for whiffs out of the strike zone. For comparison, here are the called strike locations:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggSo-qtxZjTTOFdm0y4Xs7X80NgKC5jBDz_tdy909Eubcps1BxsjTIF1JlhWNRBSOz6S9G-tu6udGLgWbydF1HlLmjLtdPBqIx80sz3JXLyBsvmtPGLKTisITsLY7lrjpmA0OLmpY3bBk/s1600/Kaneko+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggSo-qtxZjTTOFdm0y4Xs7X80NgKC5jBDz_tdy909Eubcps1BxsjTIF1JlhWNRBSOz6S9G-tu6udGLgWbydF1HlLmjLtdPBqIx80sz3JXLyBsvmtPGLKTisITsLY7lrjpmA0OLmpY3bBk/s1600/Kaneko+7.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
Arm low gets a big boost here, and he threw a few pitches right down the middle that did not generate a swing. Here are where his whiffs were located:<br />
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Middle and low was the most prominent location, which probably means that he should have kept it there more than the glove side and low locations. Using more pitch specific locations, here was where he located his fastballs:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjcdkXgkM_-7lxDGAOSUk8_sNdKGg9v86onNgD_zDNiX5KrA-fmuhAZeJO8Y9XXlO-0fMus5pb43AdJKhlUdxdhxaoUKcNmi2aJ83TZUaC5B26wLf3-TQ5oiYmKaVvySvaZkfiUoKhiI/s1600/Kaneko+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjcdkXgkM_-7lxDGAOSUk8_sNdKGg9v86onNgD_zDNiX5KrA-fmuhAZeJO8Y9XXlO-0fMus5pb43AdJKhlUdxdhxaoUKcNmi2aJ83TZUaC5B26wLf3-TQ5oiYmKaVvySvaZkfiUoKhiI/s1600/Kaneko+9.png" height="150" width="400" /></a></div>
Middle/high sees a big increase, and the low locations saw decreases, nothing surprising. Here are locations of his second most used pitch, his slider:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYg4EFsOfTQAu4dNFr-x9RGLiM8sxW5drN0yoEWCoH6u3pkwv74CybPhntw6dOvQhqgo6i9e3osDJQdVSTZD9WtJCpathAha0L6T7PvNK17FFFlkf0ej6Kjmmo2O3BhyMz3R7llFYwg70/s1600/Kaneko+10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYg4EFsOfTQAu4dNFr-x9RGLiM8sxW5drN0yoEWCoH6u3pkwv74CybPhntw6dOvQhqgo6i9e3osDJQdVSTZD9WtJCpathAha0L6T7PvNK17FFFlkf0ej6Kjmmo2O3BhyMz3R7llFYwg70/s1600/Kaneko+10.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
This is where his glove/low heavy locations come from, as nearly half of them were thrown there, like most sliders. His second most common location was the middle/high location, probably ones he couldn't get down as much as he wanted to. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-52282129943310039052014-05-04T15:02:00.000-05:002014-05-04T15:02:22.312-05:00Masahiro Tanaka: Start SixMasahiro Tanaka's sixth start of the season for the New York Yankees saw him going seven innings again, this time against the Tampa Bay Rays at home in New York. Tanaka gave up eight hits and three runs, along with two home runs. He didn't walk anyone and struck out five.<br />
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To start, let's look at the home runs he gave up. The first chart is the at-bat to Desmond Jennings in the first inning that ended with a home run.<br />
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Jennings is a right-handed batter, so Tanaka went low and away with two different pitch types to start the at-bat, but then went up and in (though obviously in the middle of the plate enough for Jennings to extend his arms) with the fastball. It isn't particularly surprising that this pitch turned into a homer. What about in later at-bats against Jennings?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3H-qJ8pLSLSXCwa_A41dvbRTLUGX_dt6aO8aYEExW1p4bc0oII-BMbR6zxY5-mwg7DjGLCp6PljgaBnj1shFW42QKqKeoUXbi3BIB7151DP0qbuxYbe4qoNAJFUIYAFSeyWU01BQrL6g/s1600/Tanaka+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3H-qJ8pLSLSXCwa_A41dvbRTLUGX_dt6aO8aYEExW1p4bc0oII-BMbR6zxY5-mwg7DjGLCp6PljgaBnj1shFW42QKqKeoUXbi3BIB7151DP0qbuxYbe4qoNAJFUIYAFSeyWU01BQrL6g/s1600/Tanaka+2.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
Tanaka got Jennings to hit the ball twice more off of him, both for outs, and both lower and closer to the center of the plate than the home run ball. He also very clearly wanted to keep the ball away from him, and when he did, he was successful. <br />
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Wil Myers hit a home run off of Tanaka later in the game, and did it in a one pitch at-bat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpbAtFJbj9MyWdvEn78LBSFBA0uATpskSrlLZ21OsaQ8rQhva-_zPcTuSDjBmwacLLf1799u848WZToWTWWceP8Yn-pMZvcukWpwc7zOUPHEzFU4gVYApNYN_ZqM6S4FotjF6zpdleGI/s1600/Tanaka+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpbAtFJbj9MyWdvEn78LBSFBA0uATpskSrlLZ21OsaQ8rQhva-_zPcTuSDjBmwacLLf1799u848WZToWTWWceP8Yn-pMZvcukWpwc7zOUPHEzFU4gVYApNYN_ZqM6S4FotjF6zpdleGI/s1600/Tanaka+3.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
Myers is also a right-handed batter, so this pitch was away, and nearly out of the strike zone. Compare this to how he pitched him the rest of the game:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQWSfNQYjKlHfGlUr-d-xc8Y8r3hfM4V15_XTa8HzoBVLxE3_4OEQ8thlGDP_DbL05wy1MiBTKeY6Qch_s0WF_TcjGPRrV9prF1ZcZjoI1E2K3EhgEGQvFmzYzlVNxwW3vrjhejJrQD4/s1600/Tanaka+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQWSfNQYjKlHfGlUr-d-xc8Y8r3hfM4V15_XTa8HzoBVLxE3_4OEQ8thlGDP_DbL05wy1MiBTKeY6Qch_s0WF_TcjGPRrV9prF1ZcZjoI1E2K3EhgEGQvFmzYzlVNxwW3vrjhejJrQD4/s1600/Tanaka+4.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
Tanaka had no intention of throwing inside to Myers save for one pitch that was very far inside. he kept the ball mostly high and towards the center of the plate, where he had success. He also got him to hit the ball and turn it into outs twice, just like Jennings.<br />
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Here is Tanaka's spin and speed chart from the game:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_bJNvjkJcNSd9AYR-1zsm2dJusbaE7CFjwwHzJxri7e8i7NbXAflkJENzXfOn9R2MNvjHGIVSJYTJsdLC8gl6mDR1gnCDYU-o2ePg7-6QXY3_Weykp7qGh1FfEqBXpJeIBkUKsIDhbs/s1600/Tanaka+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_bJNvjkJcNSd9AYR-1zsm2dJusbaE7CFjwwHzJxri7e8i7NbXAflkJENzXfOn9R2MNvjHGIVSJYTJsdLC8gl6mDR1gnCDYU-o2ePg7-6QXY3_Weykp7qGh1FfEqBXpJeIBkUKsIDhbs/s1600/Tanaka+5.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
One slider had particularly odd spin, but the chart seems relatively normal. There wasn't the large schism between splitters this time when it came to spin. Here is where Tanaka located his pitches on average throughout the game: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHe0F3MCdZ3d_z5pjUJrHJW8hKjSXGPD8SqFi7qbZGNEj4aHBo9Msw8KHH3vV6eRvKUpJos-6if0r5XTJFSZZSMRCoaZGvmcNHFwRMH6GzfwKzJiD-Cw0FMRh08w9c7UyTKU3ZhySuog/s1600/Tanaka+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHe0F3MCdZ3d_z5pjUJrHJW8hKjSXGPD8SqFi7qbZGNEj4aHBo9Msw8KHH3vV6eRvKUpJos-6if0r5XTJFSZZSMRCoaZGvmcNHFwRMH6GzfwKzJiD-Cw0FMRh08w9c7UyTKU3ZhySuog/s1600/Tanaka+6.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
He kept his splitter very low, but was barely able to get his curveball in the strike zone. This is higher and more arm side than it has been all year, and it has been a high and arm side pitch all year. The slider location is one of his better of the year, though his sinker was very arm side. His result locations show that almost everything happened arm side. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNXIyiS58nX9lDuAzaX1kbMlm95BkXjsw3K_8RquDBveH04O5I7-puMHPQ2kVm9kaKEOUXRY7FPZgeSV5RGKa9wxeti9ZJg5iqj9UXCbCpiltNPmbqxvxED1qIJwqIcOlDp0uCN7GDZs/s1600/Tanaka+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNXIyiS58nX9lDuAzaX1kbMlm95BkXjsw3K_8RquDBveH04O5I7-puMHPQ2kVm9kaKEOUXRY7FPZgeSV5RGKa9wxeti9ZJg5iqj9UXCbCpiltNPmbqxvxED1qIJwqIcOlDp0uCN7GDZs/s1600/Tanaka+7.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
His hits allowed were the most arm side, and he got whiffs when he was able to go glove side and low, suggesting his slider and splitter being very effective. <br />
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The following is a very basic chart that shows where he released the ball, and where his average pitch, regardless of type or result, was located. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAB784dSMwUhynNDMuQULK9mPTm2C0Yszo2GDiLznd1idXY-_zxzSUoaUh6wmH8ZfGe9dhbLYyUT3kcu87cZF_HR8Idm06ocP7UlmBo3lo40OvXktd8B0YzlkMLBHWGdbQAvymwUj2-yw/s1600/Tanaka+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAB784dSMwUhynNDMuQULK9mPTm2C0Yszo2GDiLznd1idXY-_zxzSUoaUh6wmH8ZfGe9dhbLYyUT3kcu87cZF_HR8Idm06ocP7UlmBo3lo40OvXktd8B0YzlkMLBHWGdbQAvymwUj2-yw/s1600/Tanaka+8.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
Clearly, he was an arm side pitcher, and worked low slightly more than high, but not dramatically so. Here is how he worked depending on the handedness of the opposing batter:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGw0hdMBSTqMt5qQU7k98Egx4w5bZ4H4p3pPGUV-a4OVah9s0DYFOtXIo4Z03-5HIlxbkEcAiYztDvAwhMYpFT9sz4wpvQ5-nrjviGW96LgZOC0OCS-1tJI9Qn9k8bV3QPXWBlsMi6ec/s1600/Tanaka+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGw0hdMBSTqMt5qQU7k98Egx4w5bZ4H4p3pPGUV-a4OVah9s0DYFOtXIo4Z03-5HIlxbkEcAiYztDvAwhMYpFT9sz4wpvQ5-nrjviGW96LgZOC0OCS-1tJI9Qn9k8bV3QPXWBlsMi6ec/s1600/Tanaka+9.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
He threw higher to lefties, and of course, more arm side. To righties, it looks like he couldn't keep the ball away from them consistently, or at least worked both sides of the plate to them. I think this has a lot to do with the sinker and curve being extremely arm side and his slider and fastball only being nominally glove side. He would probably be more effective if he pitched more on the glove side of the plate. <br />
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I was curious as to why he threw higher in the zone to lefties than righties, especially when you would think the splitter would be more of a weapon against lefties than righties. So these are the splitters he threw to lefties, labelled with results:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-2L7UNkDT0grBwaPX7KpH31j2A7YmRIzAZwxe6HI_-dZ9VAYpZ7VFpGzhsuvPHpb-Yos5ooawk9T5rwHuLwmCEqF9pl7RQq86RRV-TJebvIvoh1fmk7BnkTmguMP66xt4W6aUD3gGsts/s1600/Tanaka+10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-2L7UNkDT0grBwaPX7KpH31j2A7YmRIzAZwxe6HI_-dZ9VAYpZ7VFpGzhsuvPHpb-Yos5ooawk9T5rwHuLwmCEqF9pl7RQq86RRV-TJebvIvoh1fmk7BnkTmguMP66xt4W6aUD3gGsts/s1600/Tanaka+10.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
He obviously kept everything down the middle or arm side, but about half of them stayed in the middle or high in the zone. This lead to a couple of hits, but a couple of outs as well. Not surprisingly, none of these turned into whiffs. Instead, he got whiffs when he went at the bottom of the zone, or below it, but also threw it in the middle part of the plate. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-43229362663719418362014-05-03T00:20:00.000-05:002014-05-03T00:20:00.342-05:00Breaking down Takayuki Kishi's No-HitterOn Friday, Seibu Lions right-hander Takayuki Kishi threw a no-hitter against the Chiba Lotte Marines, completing the shutout in 117 pitches. For this week's look at a NPB pitcher, with Yuki Matsui still in the Ni-gun, I thought it would make sense to look at his no-hitter and see how he was so successful in his outing.<br />
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First, let's take a look at his pitch velocities, labelled with the Yahoo tags, along with his pitch count.<br />
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He did an okay job of holding his velocity throughout, though his fastest fastballs came at the very beginning of the game. He then fell a couple of ticks down for a while before a short spike. He then slowed down again before his last couple of fastballs when he got his fastball up to about where it was at the very beginning of the game.<br />
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While Kishi has been a good NPB pitcher for quite sometime now, he is not a household name, especially for those who do not follow the NPB with regularity. So I think it might be helpful to see what the average velocity of his pitches were in the game, just to give a better idea of what his average stuff is like. The bar itself is based on KMH, while the number in the parenthesis is in MPH:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHBHLSmJaui2Xkev9wOboirACC2ak8TSDBzFkAZnRxsIzS3qUG4yi6H5iKLKnOl32S7Q91pWNlrPc8Va-X3eaMgeip5y7o2xG5RynEsHU_isHZ0mHeMOLhi9BIHfrObpwS5zEnNG2zKqw/s1600/Kishi+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHBHLSmJaui2Xkev9wOboirACC2ak8TSDBzFkAZnRxsIzS3qUG4yi6H5iKLKnOl32S7Q91pWNlrPc8Va-X3eaMgeip5y7o2xG5RynEsHU_isHZ0mHeMOLhi9BIHfrObpwS5zEnNG2zKqw/s1600/Kishi+3.png" height="150" width="400" /></a></div>
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He is not a hard thrower by MLB standards, and only really average at best when compared to NPB standards. He has a slow hook, and a change that is under 80 MPH, but his slider has a respectable velocity of 81-82 MPH. </div>
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In an attempt to see how Kishi was successful in the game on Friday, let's look at how often he used the four pitches he showed off:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ32sVx2sa2WSG0UfQpZfce8qgqx90S0JPsMvPZhZ8Y4uaUgkje2YbCNIEJqGiOgVxjmz7qnJHxuQ0cc7hSohfyVMqFpjRGoFfz14F_4atKl4HVGQ_wmOL-cz0t7p07Or8-ivC1KDiCzM/s1600/Kishi+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ32sVx2sa2WSG0UfQpZfce8qgqx90S0JPsMvPZhZ8Y4uaUgkje2YbCNIEJqGiOgVxjmz7qnJHxuQ0cc7hSohfyVMqFpjRGoFfz14F_4atKl4HVGQ_wmOL-cz0t7p07Or8-ivC1KDiCzM/s1600/Kishi+2.png" height="150" width="400" /></a></div>
He used his fastball a relatively normal amount, and didn't seem to fall in love with any of his off-speed pitches. His slider was his least used pitch, while his change was his second most used pitch. This may have to do with the platoon of the opposing batters. <br />
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Obviously Kishi didn't give up any hits, but a further look at his pitch results may reveal exactly why he didn't give up hits:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvMlOu2rLbRE_5s3oKb0AqbCCRxIfT-NkLVnM-hUkjA4HJHUWmzTE2QjKvSVE6nJ_Rs03c0K2L-kcnQy1D9zObiJXoX7lN92l5pzHR9MXc8_qOZ84AlDAqZ6FJ02dqxhjTTnjgM6k7c84/s1600/Kishi+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvMlOu2rLbRE_5s3oKb0AqbCCRxIfT-NkLVnM-hUkjA4HJHUWmzTE2QjKvSVE6nJ_Rs03c0K2L-kcnQy1D9zObiJXoX7lN92l5pzHR9MXc8_qOZ84AlDAqZ6FJ02dqxhjTTnjgM6k7c84/s1600/Kishi+4.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
Notice that he was much more of a flyball pitcher than a groundball pitcher, and his whiff percentage was only slightly above average. He gave up a lot of contact and didn't strike out a lot of hitters. However, this shows that he threw a lot of strikes.<br />
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Where exactly did he throw these pitches? This graph should give us a good idea:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSHdFsRQzn7QHRFMsaBuiAjucQs4qSgQqb4GzzWgXxf7Jb6C0Lp_HTyE2r4o8jpSoTuROBFr6I8r-ZuRmYLbGYCQtMrbd9ck2YooKiBDLukmJx8CdnKdP_Y-ekzt3hhN8cI_liCO_KqU/s1600/Kishi+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSHdFsRQzn7QHRFMsaBuiAjucQs4qSgQqb4GzzWgXxf7Jb6C0Lp_HTyE2r4o8jpSoTuROBFr6I8r-ZuRmYLbGYCQtMrbd9ck2YooKiBDLukmJx8CdnKdP_Y-ekzt3hhN8cI_liCO_KqU/s1600/Kishi+5.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
Overall, Kishi was pretty balanced, not ignoring a location, or focusing on just one. Low in the strike zone seemed to be the norm, as glove low and arm low were his two favorite locations. However, middle low was his least frequent, meaning that he threw it to one side when he threw it low, which matches what we see on high pitches. He also stayed out of the very middle of the plate.<br />
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What is impressive about this last fact is that Kishi threw a large amount of pitches in the strike zone: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7SyPEHKAkC6CNqzMhsNFoDHUL__S-sAEqw0TNtJig5P4oPbMTqH0EI5VrFJgNBmTif1l3Xyd7Ldrc6SKBNcI1ykC1Uw1eax7Sc4kBo-sdZeDYWJ83xtecXcMMF5TagqZnsge6q88poec/s1600/Kishi+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7SyPEHKAkC6CNqzMhsNFoDHUL__S-sAEqw0TNtJig5P4oPbMTqH0EI5VrFJgNBmTif1l3Xyd7Ldrc6SKBNcI1ykC1Uw1eax7Sc4kBo-sdZeDYWJ83xtecXcMMF5TagqZnsge6q88poec/s1600/Kishi+6.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
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The above graphs suggest that he lived on the corners of the strike zone very well.<br />
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The last four graphs will be about his fastball, with the first two showing his fastball results by velocity and pitch count, and then by percentage. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQmZXMatuGrY01urKkokJPS6qZma_NPoPz06XRwh3kxvHcUU8NAs2jBpInt4TvmGxAXztNlCDQRLxlK_vORQG4wh5UXao747AeDuqNZXXorSiK1Jk0E1ZIUZ2O-Vo9wNTaLILn3XvBys/s1600/Kishi+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQmZXMatuGrY01urKkokJPS6qZma_NPoPz06XRwh3kxvHcUU8NAs2jBpInt4TvmGxAXztNlCDQRLxlK_vORQG4wh5UXao747AeDuqNZXXorSiK1Jk0E1ZIUZ2O-Vo9wNTaLILn3XvBys/s1600/Kishi+7.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
Strangely, many of his hardest thrown fastballs were either fouls or balls. Most of the flyballs came on the middle velocity fastballs or the slowest fastballs, not surprising. He also seemed to get whiffs with his fastball earlier in the game than later in the game. The graph seems to show the uptick in velocity back to where it was at the beginning of the game late that I noted in the first graph.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6kwV3mS4BlYUSy4dmccOAO4ixlEBY8LZWqF-r85PXtuzzwFQDWAkgBMHvUyawiBCTmmodixLW8WQXpxrRy9W-NJhMAYYvr8xovKtn7FkiEodCaBuKJgjNTeRUyhwmIiHdWjWXGcLg7w/s1600/Kishi+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6kwV3mS4BlYUSy4dmccOAO4ixlEBY8LZWqF-r85PXtuzzwFQDWAkgBMHvUyawiBCTmmodixLW8WQXpxrRy9W-NJhMAYYvr8xovKtn7FkiEodCaBuKJgjNTeRUyhwmIiHdWjWXGcLg7w/s1600/Kishi+8.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
Oddly, his fastball was a more efficient whiff pitch than his other pitches, but it also ended up being foul balls a lot as well. His strike percentage was exceptionally high with the pitch, as was his flyball percentage.<br />
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Now, let's look at how he located the fastball, first by velocity and pitch count: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48PiqqcmyQR8qotpgWPUCjE9ZRbiE7KLjsG4dcNZJtY2lPnyYAPtrIMmWX9yZutaZKD-PF8AgLXP9FXBkV8viv5AWrhb7RzHHP2Nk5vEh5HzYsqPH6nS5WtKFrWaHf_9Uty-Hp0eNfyg/s1600/Kishi+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48PiqqcmyQR8qotpgWPUCjE9ZRbiE7KLjsG4dcNZJtY2lPnyYAPtrIMmWX9yZutaZKD-PF8AgLXP9FXBkV8viv5AWrhb7RzHHP2Nk5vEh5HzYsqPH6nS5WtKFrWaHf_9Uty-Hp0eNfyg/s1600/Kishi+9.png" height="150" width="400" /></a></div>
Now by percentage:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1AGu2pJ7CffANkOVoHRRnM9IT9WuzlIyr2sGeK9Dp80h2LI-O3TMrOGcvCJyhqykc1oM_VxxmEs0Yr7Yw3_biI7rgnFOa5C4cw6S5hFvMXSD09ZsF1rKUaH4l_YpjoVr0eE3xSOcWO5U/s1600/Kishi+10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1AGu2pJ7CffANkOVoHRRnM9IT9WuzlIyr2sGeK9Dp80h2LI-O3TMrOGcvCJyhqykc1oM_VxxmEs0Yr7Yw3_biI7rgnFOa5C4cw6S5hFvMXSD09ZsF1rKUaH4l_YpjoVr0eE3xSOcWO5U/s1600/Kishi+10.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
He really liked to throw it high, and he balanced keeping it arm side, glove side, and middle while doing so. When he threw it low, it was usually arm side. He almost never kept it arm side and in the middle of the plate. <br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-6011677056121720132014-04-28T17:31:00.002-05:002014-04-28T17:31:43.657-05:00Masahiro Tanaka: Start FiveMasahiro Tanaka's fifth start of the season was his shortest so far, but still relatively successful, as he went 6.1 innings and gave up two runs, including a homer, and struck out 11 and walked 4 against the Angels. Through five starts this year, Tanaka has given up 10 runs, but 5 homers. He has a 2.27 ERA and a 2.91 FIP. <br />
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Like usual, let's start by looking at the home run Tanaka gave up, this time to David Freese, on the first pitch of an at-bat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFyVIpKnKfM460QQ78QP0BGzUGJEYI6lt6OwmAzNqGdetOEL-y88pxCd2EkeyLSCA4z6YqCyLZhAxcaVoqf0JvkMKSq39Hjoo5dvUaFZ9WI9kkoqGxHhnwoVBtOsh6K7EpilOa80JLY_I/s1600/Tanaka+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFyVIpKnKfM460QQ78QP0BGzUGJEYI6lt6OwmAzNqGdetOEL-y88pxCd2EkeyLSCA4z6YqCyLZhAxcaVoqf0JvkMKSq39Hjoo5dvUaFZ9WI9kkoqGxHhnwoVBtOsh6K7EpilOa80JLY_I/s1600/Tanaka+1.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
Freese is a right-handed hitter, so the fastball was actually up and away from him. For comparison, here is how Tanaka pitched him in the other at-bats.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2cP_Q1QJ0yDCJh5VKucjNk-bgseszupdSi7fNRGmli5pRetCDSsKpCEf-2aR5saty6_UZB9xmZC5p8TpPixsssj1lVbT0rJ9BAEkpsK7-rdzXaCahV6Iz6cL3cRgI58X3j6JJYJzDpwI/s1600/Tanaka+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2cP_Q1QJ0yDCJh5VKucjNk-bgseszupdSi7fNRGmli5pRetCDSsKpCEf-2aR5saty6_UZB9xmZC5p8TpPixsssj1lVbT0rJ9BAEkpsK7-rdzXaCahV6Iz6cL3cRgI58X3j6JJYJzDpwI/s1600/Tanaka+2.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
Tanaka went middle to high and away twice more, and gave up contact again, though for an out, and got a foul ball. When he stayed inside, he was more successful.<br />
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Here is Tanaka's spin and speed chart from the game: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5Os6x8NvESk1UeN5Y6pQc2gdM4lBzFFHjRgxsFVaX1hyphenhyphenjC9Nad4x1en0sBBDg0-PW7udKW1E2lmbBT-kcGdSGk8uKoH0lMQnuVLNWAhZDt1BHnLmxnHJYD4J7U4qzOgdbwYyDOc8M7g/s1600/Tanaka+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5Os6x8NvESk1UeN5Y6pQc2gdM4lBzFFHjRgxsFVaX1hyphenhyphenjC9Nad4x1en0sBBDg0-PW7udKW1E2lmbBT-kcGdSGk8uKoH0lMQnuVLNWAhZDt1BHnLmxnHJYD4J7U4qzOgdbwYyDOc8M7g/s1600/Tanaka+3.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
Perhaps this was just affected by the park, but it seems that there were more high spin splitters in this outing. Let's see if there was any major differences in how he located in this outing compared to other outings:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSnrEOJghxLQ7G00HOCXE5LW1O62GmzDKx4wpvLxDMzh9t6Qik1KOBq9iLy7TVEaI7XjII0CYp1MeG27hTv6IchKn5lPgwpMaz2v61j69Rt4-KbgpQJzZaz2M9LV5nvwdrgOMqAzGl_s/s1600/Tanaka+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSnrEOJghxLQ7G00HOCXE5LW1O62GmzDKx4wpvLxDMzh9t6Qik1KOBq9iLy7TVEaI7XjII0CYp1MeG27hTv6IchKn5lPgwpMaz2v61j69Rt4-KbgpQJzZaz2M9LV5nvwdrgOMqAzGl_s/s1600/Tanaka+4.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
The curve was still relatively high, but this time he really struggled to get the slider down. He also couldn't get the sinker glove side enough to get inside the strike zone, though his splitter was still located well. Now, here is an average result location graph for comparison.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNugqnX3U4TX6GNi8OxoEoq40eaPnshzT_9DY94d0tFvXGwyNenYNyF6GUJL2phpLiOhv_g74F9WxchrNpmxmJ4iGN6QReGG91IDQUafsEKhNXACzUjGSnBJI_cs23CaDYZS7pL1iYzA4/s1600/Tanaka+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNugqnX3U4TX6GNi8OxoEoq40eaPnshzT_9DY94d0tFvXGwyNenYNyF6GUJL2phpLiOhv_g74F9WxchrNpmxmJ4iGN6QReGG91IDQUafsEKhNXACzUjGSnBJI_cs23CaDYZS7pL1iYzA4/s1600/Tanaka+5.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
Tanaka was more likely to give up a foul ball when he went furthest glove side. His furthest arm side pitches were the most likely to give up runs. His whiffs, yet again with the splitter, came low and arm side. It appears that they came further arm side than his average splitter as well, suggesting that his furthest arm side splitters were the best. Strangely, pitches down in the zone were less likely to turn into outs, while his outs and called strikes were basically the same, arm side and middle.<br />
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This graph will show whether or not Tanaka was able to successfully locate away from both lefties and righties:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PmfWvVAWBDH4VpJrq3yuLgAsse3tOANUQ-KLJlOradhXBiGRQ21ZyLOIk8IhI3HqAZIy7D2QbD2mVKYOeZudKVcCCvohtTmJlRbz_YHteW0BxxXCQGd9iTvp1wYtRwhxN59WMbOyYQY/s1600/Tanaka+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PmfWvVAWBDH4VpJrq3yuLgAsse3tOANUQ-KLJlOradhXBiGRQ21ZyLOIk8IhI3HqAZIy7D2QbD2mVKYOeZudKVcCCvohtTmJlRbz_YHteW0BxxXCQGd9iTvp1wYtRwhxN59WMbOyYQY/s1600/Tanaka+6.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
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This graph not only shows how low he threw on average (as the entire graph is an approximation of the strike zone), but it also shows that he never really got the ball glove side consistently. He was always arm side, which was good against lefties, but not as good against righties.<br />
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Tanaka's groundball percentage was the second best out of his five starts, and this time, there was a big difference between the two<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjfXboTz3umChYfPVBVucZbuIZoXkLSjFFiANIZRNXv_tXC_5MonZzCSvVVy2Yp00o3OHlmNV6HT4hQ33oB-pC9AwSG_1aDVa0f6ui3U6VPbfMa1xCycqL3flaDnqhmkWl1vahKpWZeI/s1600/Tanaka+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjfXboTz3umChYfPVBVucZbuIZoXkLSjFFiANIZRNXv_tXC_5MonZzCSvVVy2Yp00o3OHlmNV6HT4hQ33oB-pC9AwSG_1aDVa0f6ui3U6VPbfMa1xCycqL3flaDnqhmkWl1vahKpWZeI/s1600/Tanaka+7.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
Tanaka got groundballs when he stayed arm side and low, like the splitter, but gave up flyballs when he went higher and glove side, like the slider or fastball. Digging further into location, the next two graphs will look at how he located by the count in the at-bat. First, let's look at his average locations by balls in the count:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFyHcsBNGWnajUWJN5C5eaEq2RUPnK4xDdZGIJMc5ClAdmckxA5XzG1VaGh7TmPu1Kqh7MzP1-TsPTt-aSuBDCYTsBfNU0H4TAVbAK4ewvoA20AZOhjEkElBp7cduAf9ifOc_onzcN2o/s1600/Tanaka+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFyHcsBNGWnajUWJN5C5eaEq2RUPnK4xDdZGIJMc5ClAdmckxA5XzG1VaGh7TmPu1Kqh7MzP1-TsPTt-aSuBDCYTsBfNU0H4TAVbAK4ewvoA20AZOhjEkElBp7cduAf9ifOc_onzcN2o/s1600/Tanaka+8.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
With no balls in the count, he was more likely to go higher in the zone, but the deeper into the count he got, he went lower. The lowest, and only glove side location on average, was with two balls. With one ball and three balls, he located nearly exactly the same, which seems a little strange. Here is how he located by strikes in the count.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_WJcaHXwPWGkzps7jPJ3h_PZQWJr0K-2qgeebS2aNkv779lZc63u36wvL5jzvLoQJgm0n9IZhQNjIEVxJ0PTVtMyOwlxpbE6fq69X77L1i_8BkAMWvky2HlZEJlD0ECegHV_8me0IBc/s1600/Tanaka+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_WJcaHXwPWGkzps7jPJ3h_PZQWJr0K-2qgeebS2aNkv779lZc63u36wvL5jzvLoQJgm0n9IZhQNjIEVxJ0PTVtMyOwlxpbE6fq69X77L1i_8BkAMWvky2HlZEJlD0ECegHV_8me0IBc/s1600/Tanaka+9.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
With no strikes, he located just about everywhere, which brings his average to be right down the middle. With one and two strikes, he really attacked low, bringing his splitter more into play.<br />
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Lastly, let's see if he located any differently based on what inning it was:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCI8Oi5ejYuulWtjIJzdBJchNFla6xrlfkyZVLhxAfNC0Elizv4MgXG51u7teXElhxJ6sYj-2r3roumj4siWPVw2uAL08lto5xAaYAheKGsO3_GuMAiqJOIhMOsz-BEiwajAqzT3hv-o/s1600/Tanaka+10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCI8Oi5ejYuulWtjIJzdBJchNFla6xrlfkyZVLhxAfNC0Elizv4MgXG51u7teXElhxJ6sYj-2r3roumj4siWPVw2uAL08lto5xAaYAheKGsO3_GuMAiqJOIhMOsz-BEiwajAqzT3hv-o/s1600/Tanaka+10.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
In his short time in the 7th, he threw the lowest and the most glove side of all his innings, though it is notable his other glove side inning was the beginning of the game. The third was a strange inning, in that it separated his consistent 2nd, 4th, and 5th innings. The 6th inning was odd in that it was his highest zone and extremely arm side. <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-42883151473633736392014-04-27T13:46:00.000-05:002014-04-27T13:46:03.980-05:00Breaking Down Shohei Otani's Most Recent StartWith Yuki Matsui now in the Ni-Gun, I wanted to continue my breakdown of NPB starts. So until he gets back up, I will look at individual starts of notable NPB pitchers, with this one being about Shohei Otani's start on April 27th against the Chiba Lotte Marines. Through four starts this season, Otani has struck out 28 batters and walked 7 with a 2.83 ERA in 22 innings. His start against the Marines was his worst so far, as he still struck out 9 in 7 innings and walked just 1, he gave up 2 home runs and 5 runs, all earned. <br />
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Let's start looking at his start by looking at his velocity and pitch count chart:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2MGhTTcpKWKF3eSwlgYGfuCdHTAUG47PnLDQ_YNlOmEahK-FvCLtr1S-WU6KrqVhPGoOzKnlC67Ut6JI_5uWq7X1v4b9y11bBd5iWP7cDcJdBWxDmQ6DY_cVIahw3KciUxgoiq1szfKo/s1600/Otani+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2MGhTTcpKWKF3eSwlgYGfuCdHTAUG47PnLDQ_YNlOmEahK-FvCLtr1S-WU6KrqVhPGoOzKnlC67Ut6JI_5uWq7X1v4b9y11bBd5iWP7cDcJdBWxDmQ6DY_cVIahw3KciUxgoiq1szfKo/s1600/Otani+1.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
It appears that Otani maxed out at the end of his outing with his fastball. At the beginning, he started slow for him, and built up to around the 40-50 pitch mark before decreasing again. Once he got to about 100 pitches, he started throwing as hard as he could, with both his fastball and his splitter/fork. His slider velocity basically moved the same way his fastball velocity.<br />
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So since this wasn't a great start for Otani, let's break down his results: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHHVDVU59domFP1of4UJWlruWiHg6-I-s417-Hu5W516hfu03PoQyEOVzH4lEE8HwryPAxAwc82aFFvE0b9P2HWDXyPPP6e5eSSv0SOXITXXzsGmLr-25NzUitx5qVX-qECiCFhUDrT0/s1600/Otani+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHHVDVU59domFP1of4UJWlruWiHg6-I-s417-Hu5W516hfu03PoQyEOVzH4lEE8HwryPAxAwc82aFFvE0b9P2HWDXyPPP6e5eSSv0SOXITXXzsGmLr-25NzUitx5qVX-qECiCFhUDrT0/s1600/Otani+2.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
It seems that he gave up a lot of fall balls, but he had a good strike percentage and got plenty of called strikes. His whiff percentage was only about average. Looking at the pitches he threw in the strike zone, it appears that if anything, Otani threw too many pitches in the strike zone.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pHc1QFS0o-tn0SNKSZqYS0phTEC6NV9E1KQFTUDpPr-Ez8MANWt_XCKEXKEZS73puxP6Dwc24xbsiuIBt9SR3spK2duEkjTqAT5Jj-3YFfzmwoXkHD84eP4z-PWDvVr1jmO2t2uPdWM/s1600/Otani+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pHc1QFS0o-tn0SNKSZqYS0phTEC6NV9E1KQFTUDpPr-Ez8MANWt_XCKEXKEZS73puxP6Dwc24xbsiuIBt9SR3spK2duEkjTqAT5Jj-3YFfzmwoXkHD84eP4z-PWDvVr1jmO2t2uPdWM/s1600/Otani+3.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
Here is where Otani liked to locate his pitches in the outing:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8nC4dtPRZmcuIJbjk3kxxd4nVQeKmsPQO2aYZnpjDGJOPaO_okz8M2PE_acAWOKuTdeV0mKKVJStRcaQ_ZeKI67TmG_VboabZ6hyphenhyphennro4fmHiLt6cTwr89mmgBDwrPIqFI8uZzJ1nOtU/s1600/Otani+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8nC4dtPRZmcuIJbjk3kxxd4nVQeKmsPQO2aYZnpjDGJOPaO_okz8M2PE_acAWOKuTdeV0mKKVJStRcaQ_ZeKI67TmG_VboabZ6hyphenhyphennro4fmHiLt6cTwr89mmgBDwrPIqFI8uZzJ1nOtU/s1600/Otani+4.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
Otani threw a great number of pitches low and to the glove side. However, Otani's second biggest location was right down the middle, perhaps confirming that he threw too many hittable pitches (as the two home runs show). Middle arm and high glove were his least frequent locations. Otani only threw three different kind of pitches, and his pitch breakdown may give us an insight on why and how he located:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYMy6i7DWHL3g7r1kZ6O2NPDAuYeMEaikwN5j8XN8XBBpm4vKdWkytlE20rMdJ5T9C8emtIMUdyZpheYoqOwpWgVssn7z5xcMmIOiRJcQAXAkHAbDEz9Wtz799wfyiM60b4Gs9xxTFcQw/s1600/Otani+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYMy6i7DWHL3g7r1kZ6O2NPDAuYeMEaikwN5j8XN8XBBpm4vKdWkytlE20rMdJ5T9C8emtIMUdyZpheYoqOwpWgVssn7z5xcMmIOiRJcQAXAkHAbDEz9Wtz799wfyiM60b4Gs9xxTFcQw/s1600/Otani+5.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
His fastball percentage was perhaps a little low, and he threw a lot of sliders, which may be why he located so many pitches low and to the glove side. One of the home runs he gave up was on the fork (splitter) and another on a fastball. Looking further into his pitch selection, the following two graphs breakdown how he got groundballs, and how he got flyball. As the second graph shows, he gave up more flyballs than groundballs: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikVukLzUe86hOfRaH8vL1OEJkVVyJNQFTglrznVcaYHN37URZnF2aJUoe_uctoaMEqBsWw-KXl0Aj9sWgnmQw1JHZXXPcBY-Xvk_27ycITFTGzA6n3avDMYr1vqiRAu_kxyrtOGOxzk6Y/s1600/Otani+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikVukLzUe86hOfRaH8vL1OEJkVVyJNQFTglrznVcaYHN37URZnF2aJUoe_uctoaMEqBsWw-KXl0Aj9sWgnmQw1JHZXXPcBY-Xvk_27ycITFTGzA6n3avDMYr1vqiRAu_kxyrtOGOxzk6Y/s1600/Otani+6.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
Otani was more likely to get groundballs off the fastball, and flyballs off the slider. His forkball was also more likely to get flyballs. <br />
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Since, like most pitchers, Otani's main pitch is his fastball, let's compare the pitch to his overall results and locations. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQ54GQT3vvfEFtQ-rMZcIRylNEABSoz8p6kbslOFVwwWn_orDxh1K17coYJ9j117tNCiq7GVVSM-2y4TJ7M6v5y6wOTt-JUDl-4JtHiKed7mWlvjJDkcV5PwTCQkrnB8J7wlIokLnCF8/s1600/Otani+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQ54GQT3vvfEFtQ-rMZcIRylNEABSoz8p6kbslOFVwwWn_orDxh1K17coYJ9j117tNCiq7GVVSM-2y4TJ7M6v5y6wOTt-JUDl-4JtHiKed7mWlvjJDkcV5PwTCQkrnB8J7wlIokLnCF8/s1600/Otani+8.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
Clearly Otani located the fastball to the low glove side less than his slider. Surprisingly he threw less pitches down the middle with the fastball than his other two pitches. Middle glove and low arm side were two locations that saw increases, as well as high arm. <br />
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Otani's fastball results:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1fOP4T_nyYhdGot1iiDMmuQ-HG359cRMD5hFDJ5YRdQMbdnCMO4oMrTCgKKxwB1VxYYresKlnEKO80hZ6lK8ma64DQutufjL-XyH8r6S2BUDLCSw9X1FDbYmqpxAUEt9ZlxkPVYLFdo/s1600/Otani+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1fOP4T_nyYhdGot1iiDMmuQ-HG359cRMD5hFDJ5YRdQMbdnCMO4oMrTCgKKxwB1VxYYresKlnEKO80hZ6lK8ma64DQutufjL-XyH8r6S2BUDLCSw9X1FDbYmqpxAUEt9ZlxkPVYLFdo/s1600/Otani+9.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
The fastball is where a good number of his foul balls came from, and his strike percentage was higher with the fastball. His whiff percentage was lower with the fastball. The following graph also shows that he threw more pitches in the strike zone with the fastball than his other two pitches:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZhdGFa81fjkrF5lTjdaroKF52E_PUbqNc2eZ-V8X8EHfPkmAX2KBrooafe6e4H_JOnXEkjzi7MvjVi5agb02gglG65obe3MFdwmzCVBd71NTp639jqE56dYYQ_ubvnyGFuQFP1hFrh0U/s1600/Otani+10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZhdGFa81fjkrF5lTjdaroKF52E_PUbqNc2eZ-V8X8EHfPkmAX2KBrooafe6e4H_JOnXEkjzi7MvjVi5agb02gglG65obe3MFdwmzCVBd71NTp639jqE56dYYQ_ubvnyGFuQFP1hFrh0U/s1600/Otani+10.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-65068215163616674272014-04-24T21:29:00.002-05:002014-04-24T21:29:37.193-05:00Yuki Matsui: Start FourYuki Matsui's fourth start of the season did not go well, as he walked eight batters and struck out six. In 127 pitches, he went five innings and gave up five runs. He was immediately sent down to the ni-gun after the game. <br />
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We will start the post the same way all the Matsui posts have been started, by looking at his velocity:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVMS1Dz4YVaGvyI0hRi5_O4fuf5-fIy87eXMglLsgA-n6wrwzR7Frzh58ZsZTe8o1erMgtE5Ea10Dmnw-4BhJ-TIKW0_Rq5A0JV6D2a9h3g4h4Ickmc6FVjiR6Q5mmo9u3cC6tsICZjI/s1600/Yuki+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVMS1Dz4YVaGvyI0hRi5_O4fuf5-fIy87eXMglLsgA-n6wrwzR7Frzh58ZsZTe8o1erMgtE5Ea10Dmnw-4BhJ-TIKW0_Rq5A0JV6D2a9h3g4h4Ickmc6FVjiR6Q5mmo9u3cC6tsICZjI/s1600/Yuki+1.png" height="157" width="400" /></a></div>
Matsui's velocity clearly declined as the start went on, especially towards the end, when he clearly shouldn't have been pitching anymore. Even his change and slider velocity dropped towards the end. <br />
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Matsui's big problem was obviously throwing strikes, as this graph shows what percentage of pitches he threw in the strike zone<br />
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Throwing less than a third of his pitches for strikes, it was clear that something was wrong with Matsui, or at the very least, he didn't belong in the Ichi-gun for the time being. <br />
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Looking at Matsui's results, we see that he still got whiffs despite his control problems:<br />
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Matsui got much more flyballs than groundballs, and got the same amount of called strikes as foul balls. <br />
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What may be helpful when discussing his problems with control is to look at is where he generally located all of his pitches:<br />
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Again, his favorite location was low and glove side, though he threw a lot of pitches high and glove side as well, meaning he was probably just yanking the ball overall. He also threw high more instead of low, while the majority of pitchers throw low more than high. <br />
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To further evaluate his outing and control problems, I think we need to look at his individual pitches. First, let's look at his overall pitch selection:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOopkX-PoAQk51oUlo5SSWEoW3Dx3OOF-C5yPJ1hmL5A5x-B9eBH5A_hrxGffIaydB8Jj32iA8tIixVmXYBUo84TQJvpdebbq48ySKCfg6jH8dGY2mfmOTEdgJ72U_l6DrXw_-SmFK2yU/s1600/Yuki+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOopkX-PoAQk51oUlo5SSWEoW3Dx3OOF-C5yPJ1hmL5A5x-B9eBH5A_hrxGffIaydB8Jj32iA8tIixVmXYBUo84TQJvpdebbq48ySKCfg6jH8dGY2mfmOTEdgJ72U_l6DrXw_-SmFK2yU/s1600/Yuki+6.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
Notice how it appears that he has dropped the curve, at least in this outing. He stayed with the change more than the slider, and had a relatively normal amount of fastballs.<br />
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Looking deeper at his fastball, let's start by looking at the percentage of them he threw in the strike zone:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCSnY5heLDMpJGkgMhxP82iDBZK4_0ZqCsMmcuUwYY8-AmHlb5VwtiisYhrRUTFUNmANaDPx31KvfxiKIn3fppRYciCR0KBWLcWYnlcW_75ObQchMOrwzeHEq6kuK6ILD-Jxtworr_rY/s1600/Yuki+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCSnY5heLDMpJGkgMhxP82iDBZK4_0ZqCsMmcuUwYY8-AmHlb5VwtiisYhrRUTFUNmANaDPx31KvfxiKIn3fppRYciCR0KBWLcWYnlcW_75ObQchMOrwzeHEq6kuK6ILD-Jxtworr_rY/s1600/Yuki+7.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
This rate is higher than his rates on sliders and changeups, but is still not an acceptable rate.<br />
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Here is where he generally threw his fastball location-wise:<br />
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This is where the high percentage of high glove pitches come from, though there was a good portion of low glove and high middle pitches as well.<br />
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Here were his fastball results for the game:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjgehnytIimlVBnrc8Vwq5QswBYOO09UVEdZgaax_t-zLGTLq5KXcbDtLVQIeshwhP3M-PD4jwWQusqsUMEk8tzBLdHdha6KeVKY7Wph4tGyWofr5dxta_6-hEtBnHSTzXyLgYCXKMdU/s1600/Yuki+10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjgehnytIimlVBnrc8Vwq5QswBYOO09UVEdZgaax_t-zLGTLq5KXcbDtLVQIeshwhP3M-PD4jwWQusqsUMEk8tzBLdHdha6KeVKY7Wph4tGyWofr5dxta_6-hEtBnHSTzXyLgYCXKMdU/s1600/Yuki+10.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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Matsui's whiffs didn't come from his fastball, and a higher volume of called strikes and fouls came the fastball. <br />
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I wanted to look at his locations of his other pitches, so let's start with the slider:<br />
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This is where his high percentage of low glove pitches come from, though some of them stayed up a little and were middle glove. <br />
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His changeup locations:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiac1aosDqjBMGsE9nGi6ZZ1g6j8g0ma8Up4qO8N8Hhw0n5SKm24X5jpkkmmwe3qtWvZWSVtFB2oSTqMLi6_244x-LNrB0XCoJ28XOZA0V2ywinXrSbG9kTFLG7NURb5lAfkKx-M5nIYr4/s1600/Yuki+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiac1aosDqjBMGsE9nGi6ZZ1g6j8g0ma8Up4qO8N8Hhw0n5SKm24X5jpkkmmwe3qtWvZWSVtFB2oSTqMLi6_244x-LNrB0XCoJ28XOZA0V2ywinXrSbG9kTFLG7NURb5lAfkKx-M5nIYr4/s1600/Yuki+9.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
Not surprisingly, this pitch was mainly located on the low arm side, with a good balance in the other zones. So really, the slider and changeups are in traditional locations, they just aren't finding the strike zone. <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-55686801885458549502014-04-22T22:49:00.004-05:002014-04-22T22:49:54.328-05:00Masahiro Tanaka: Start FourMasahiro Tanaka made his fourth start of the season on Tuesday, pitching in Fenway Park and going seven and one thirds of an inning, walking no one and striking out seven. He gave up two runs, both solo homers, to go with seven hits. Tanaka has now given up one home run per start (two against the Red Sox, none against the Cubs), and let's start this post by looking at the two home run at-bats, which actually came right in a row.<br />
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The first was to left-hander David Ortiz:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eHpybCZECwsESSsxnVpmiFt5fnQROMivp9bHYakIqCzq-lPytiSwyKpFs9FAdn8ZgV-Bqznt5e1H_iINqTS1VpOQh2VNyDe4kaJkugG-MwClUceZYgFSTcqjnwtVZGN_UwLwy0C6xi4/s1600/Tanaka+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eHpybCZECwsESSsxnVpmiFt5fnQROMivp9bHYakIqCzq-lPytiSwyKpFs9FAdn8ZgV-Bqznt5e1H_iINqTS1VpOQh2VNyDe4kaJkugG-MwClUceZYgFSTcqjnwtVZGN_UwLwy0C6xi4/s1600/Tanaka+1.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
Other than one low and in fastball out of the zone, Tanaka stayed away from Ortiz, but notice that the home run ball was closer to the middle of the plate than the other three pitches. <br />
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The second was to right-hander Mike Napoli:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUVkBQ2lwAiqirGq8FT1pF2MD_YJJDDBAIgUsY0-W2hbbSNIlRNopuzri0h1XYJObgbyIr15u091nqJcy0zHry9VDq2YrSSL-ybgeCt6lrkkU1oZkjOxEexm_A9iiMXngfMarF5qI8Rw/s1600/Tanaka+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUVkBQ2lwAiqirGq8FT1pF2MD_YJJDDBAIgUsY0-W2hbbSNIlRNopuzri0h1XYJObgbyIr15u091nqJcy0zHry9VDq2YrSSL-ybgeCt6lrkkU1oZkjOxEexm_A9iiMXngfMarF5qI8Rw/s1600/Tanaka+2.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
This time, Tanaka continued to go arm-side, but against Napoli, that meant he was going inside. The pitch that was most up and in, what appears to be a sinker that didn't sink, turned into the homer by Napoli.<br />
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For comparison, here is how Tanaka pitched David Ortiz in the non-home run at-bats:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmZWc0Hle5IajXe-WWg0KEwtm0QXmLm1AuFhEx0ONr3jUm7FiO2921GCk8ehyJ7f65T5q9GXPioFwO44BpKeAhmOpHwViFa8bGqExdiAb8YWrJNLC36Ihci2OY2XdcKRRHvA94qq9uWNs/s1600/Tanaka+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmZWc0Hle5IajXe-WWg0KEwtm0QXmLm1AuFhEx0ONr3jUm7FiO2921GCk8ehyJ7f65T5q9GXPioFwO44BpKeAhmOpHwViFa8bGqExdiAb8YWrJNLC36Ihci2OY2XdcKRRHvA94qq9uWNs/s1600/Tanaka+3.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
Tanaka mainly kept the ball up and away, but notice that he got two swinging strikes by keeping the ball low and in the middle of the plate, similar to where the homer had been hit. <br />
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And here is how he pitched Napoli in the other two times he faced him:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_4EHB0fBKh_GEOhRjeG8eyzS3Wlt_F4afKS3zVr2b19K3yb5E0tiFLgS1-YNW6_CaecLuxcK786CwZTHxnJm4PEVvlUpWaJM2xCtsFC16V6I_DKHQpVdB9ShWlB580vmRRHwLHNjPF4/s1600/Tanaka+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_4EHB0fBKh_GEOhRjeG8eyzS3Wlt_F4afKS3zVr2b19K3yb5E0tiFLgS1-YNW6_CaecLuxcK786CwZTHxnJm4PEVvlUpWaJM2xCtsFC16V6I_DKHQpVdB9ShWlB580vmRRHwLHNjPF4/s1600/Tanaka+4.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
Tanaka was much more successful at keeping the ball away in both at-bats, but got burned again by going up and in. <br />
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Here is what Tanaka's overall pitch selection looked like from a spin and speed perspective, labelled with MLBAM tags:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Za3r_NvnpAZyevlQDzXfxaRs_uaZCtQ03oU0-pjV0-PJRZhYBIE5u0YMIVwrPUvbU5KZ4ugsjEUQYnDUdtI5u56fng2Q3ARK-_AxMyjfhoCxV1av9zEVrOgHL3ej9LtOuo68uLmH6Gc/s1600/Tanaka+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Za3r_NvnpAZyevlQDzXfxaRs_uaZCtQ03oU0-pjV0-PJRZhYBIE5u0YMIVwrPUvbU5KZ4ugsjEUQYnDUdtI5u56fng2Q3ARK-_AxMyjfhoCxV1av9zEVrOgHL3ej9LtOuo68uLmH6Gc/s1600/Tanaka+5.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
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One thing that stands out is fewer curveballs. Also, Tanaka threw more four seamers than sinkers. However, the most prominent thing was his velocity. It seems that he threw more pitches over 95 MPH than he had in any other start. This is probably not park related, as Fenway Park is <a href="http://irfast.blogspot.com/2013/06/velocity-pitch-fx-park-factors.html">actually known to be a</a> "cold" park when it comes to velocity. For whatever reason, it appears Tanaka was just throwing harder. <br />
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Since we looked at location in individual at-bats, let's compare how he located each pitch on average:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioe3aszYxvZ7I3l4BZVW9pm0hbypR7qQvV_x0JYpGQlbPL7hcOzBlMYCcgeiz2jWsg56Ynyna9xhHrkLcMbZJAbrHFlsKN5ariD16glB1teMQbZTDrJY4ZZaMxtOTcoL7rfxWMYRMVjj0/s1600/Tanaka+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioe3aszYxvZ7I3l4BZVW9pm0hbypR7qQvV_x0JYpGQlbPL7hcOzBlMYCcgeiz2jWsg56Ynyna9xhHrkLcMbZJAbrHFlsKN5ariD16glB1teMQbZTDrJY4ZZaMxtOTcoL7rfxWMYRMVjj0/s1600/Tanaka+6.png" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
Again, I think we see why he went to the curve so rarely, as he still hasn't got it down like you would want. However, he kept all his pitches down on average, and had good horizontal differential with his sinker and fastball. His splitter stayed below the strike zone on average and the slider was in a decent spot. <br />
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For comparison, here is his average result locations:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2nPwfPR7dBJ0wqAgRDH2rlJFlTYeCBZzhriyxRj9C9u35m5knDVkGhJ5oqId-UGi8Da9UyVpR8nu5UxPu5rDroNd7zEWQyExowB4ZycZaD_7rZ9mV5qqzQHqm2iHH_ZLn3glWpmz6wl8/s1600/Tanaka+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2nPwfPR7dBJ0wqAgRDH2rlJFlTYeCBZzhriyxRj9C9u35m5knDVkGhJ5oqId-UGi8Da9UyVpR8nu5UxPu5rDroNd7zEWQyExowB4ZycZaD_7rZ9mV5qqzQHqm2iHH_ZLn3glWpmz6wl8/s1600/Tanaka+7.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
Not surprisingly, he had more success going glove side, showing that the slider and fastball were effective. His sinker really seemed to hurt him against Boston.<br />
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Tanaka's groundball rate wasn't bad against the Red Sox, but he fell short of the 50% mark that he posted in the first three starts. Here is where he located the average pitch that was hit on the ground and the average pitch that was hit in the air. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja364pVpMtzP2IjG3MBOtXl6BiKwCz5o8Crpu_aBBp74JhQsW1AvJlGEF-ojf6PmZcFOriJoweNE2m9jvLYHamtSn5nad6-X68Ulwpe6byLQq1ErJp3ii4l-N60x51zlrzQZL76VInZB8/s1600/Tanaka+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja364pVpMtzP2IjG3MBOtXl6BiKwCz5o8Crpu_aBBp74JhQsW1AvJlGEF-ojf6PmZcFOriJoweNE2m9jvLYHamtSn5nad6-X68Ulwpe6byLQq1ErJp3ii4l-N60x51zlrzQZL76VInZB8/s1600/Tanaka+8.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
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This time, there was basically no difference on average. Next, continuing to look at pitch results, I wanted to do something different, giving a visual look using movement, something we haven't looked at since Tanaka's first start. So here is a simple average strike, ball, and contact movement chart:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Uc8wgrVlJn4kcCKE-yE1yLpghIX4de8FpSCPqFbdKfuHJSmZuZvPk4iFfEyuf-59e9BR_hsxsQAeGE8vZ3H4-qgAUCcfsYJAuwy6twJ3MK20GewZ1kYohzXpxE98WNfHtO_STqIdGSE/s1600/Tanaka+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Uc8wgrVlJn4kcCKE-yE1yLpghIX4de8FpSCPqFbdKfuHJSmZuZvPk4iFfEyuf-59e9BR_hsxsQAeGE8vZ3H4-qgAUCcfsYJAuwy6twJ3MK20GewZ1kYohzXpxE98WNfHtO_STqIdGSE/s1600/Tanaka+9.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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There seems to be a considerable difference when it comes to movement and results for Tanaka, at least in this start. An average movement chart with each pitch type will most likely demonstrate which pitches were the most effective:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2MfncrK8LF4yE0buHFACtKoYbC7LjuHFV7gwn7PKKeFB0laDWO_jy1Zm2utntZ6FY7tREAmdlijl-TRVJS_naDSUlaXJcDRUtXSFspL3jgHIfs_87MrD0pWEe7Y384aDFDo-prn-tm8/s1600/Tanaka+10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2MfncrK8LF4yE0buHFACtKoYbC7LjuHFV7gwn7PKKeFB0laDWO_jy1Zm2utntZ6FY7tREAmdlijl-TRVJS_naDSUlaXJcDRUtXSFspL3jgHIfs_87MrD0pWEe7Y384aDFDo-prn-tm8/s1600/Tanaka+10.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
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This again seems to support that his fastball and slider were effective and his sinker was not. Notice that his splitter and slider have low vertical numbers, and <br />
his balls and contact pitches had higher vertical numbers on average. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-28820605048412351092014-04-17T13:26:00.000-05:002014-04-17T13:26:30.980-05:00Masahiro Tanaka: Start ThreeMasahiro Tanaka's third start of the season for the New York Yankees was his best so far, as he went a season high eight innings against the Chicago Cubs, and gave up no runs, striking out ten and walking just one. He kept the ball in the park and only gave up two hits, though his groundball rate was his worst out of the three starts. Here is his speed and spin chart from the start, labelled with MLBAM tags:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheH_NyO07wb9WDcW0TnjCYsojSjqYx41jnQ11Z7902WygcY3yCkCxV7Hx6AIHSOTfSal-5PZzFiGTRke9lsS8m935Cx8ss6bynUHhTCvLJgftJL-L9qyn32GerSg4-eke6aF8fZNExus/s1600/Tanaka+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheH_NyO07wb9WDcW0TnjCYsojSjqYx41jnQ11Z7902WygcY3yCkCxV7Hx6AIHSOTfSal-5PZzFiGTRke9lsS8m935Cx8ss6bynUHhTCvLJgftJL-L9qyn32GerSg4-eke6aF8fZNExus/s1600/Tanaka+1.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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His splitter has two different spin modes, one cluster that spins more than any other pitch, and another than spins like the slider. This may not mean anything, but to make sure, let's look at the speed and spin chart with only the pitches labelled as splitters, and labelled with results.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWDSnGGwY8Yq0FsflE5eBIOL0J57gswhqbAoaXTt8RpWs6yMCh_hE_IE3gSjX15xa7C19Ltsb911sMvFnV5MvsH7jiqz2IUvxeiHitPWIqfJTSVv_UA-sKlKT8aymBaJiQlBhjwzoT3o/s1600/Tanaka+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWDSnGGwY8Yq0FsflE5eBIOL0J57gswhqbAoaXTt8RpWs6yMCh_hE_IE3gSjX15xa7C19Ltsb911sMvFnV5MvsH7jiqz2IUvxeiHitPWIqfJTSVv_UA-sKlKT8aymBaJiQlBhjwzoT3o/s1600/Tanaka+2.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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Clearly Tanaka was having a lot of success with his splitter no matter the spin and speed, though the harder ones in velocity seems to have been the most successful. In previous starts, Tanaka left a few pitches up and got hurt, so let's look at his average pitch locations to see if he did a better job of keeping the pitches down:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIO2KRTZC70p7zIlEHlWupMYHqd41F4CgWV6S1knOFHSsmaa7ZpdvAPeGtQoHcyxzJwzW5tpFrRUhyMRTZMRFk-QQw2Btm4PHaskyYp8OLWmThD0wTVqvVk_yzX3t32PAQoJvx9-gt7-k/s1600/Tanaka+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIO2KRTZC70p7zIlEHlWupMYHqd41F4CgWV6S1knOFHSsmaa7ZpdvAPeGtQoHcyxzJwzW5tpFrRUhyMRTZMRFk-QQw2Btm4PHaskyYp8OLWmThD0wTVqvVk_yzX3t32PAQoJvx9-gt7-k/s1600/Tanaka+3.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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Again Tanaka couldn't get his curve down, and he couldn't get it glove side enough to be a strike most of the time. We see the same classifications that we saw in his last start, and I mentioned I didn't like the sinker tag, and according to the MLBAM tags, this was more common than the four seam fastball. The four seam and sinker/two seam fastball are both traditionally located, with the latter being lower and arm side. The slider location is still sketchy. He couldn't get it as low as you would want it, nor as glove side on average. His splitter location was great, and that seems to be what carried him in this start. Next, let's take a look at his result locations:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDS5-tVB2-eZ6SKc4ugBbutQHP6LEnYtVLh2qm8rB08sSzb77heyFHENwazEZWkTSgS7OKD6GphaNyNHymZRqzCj9w-_DAolFSUiVm-zjVzn6y_I3EGnm73WlIYZ8g0AhdFaSm7fyGLxY/s1600/Tanaka+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDS5-tVB2-eZ6SKc4ugBbutQHP6LEnYtVLh2qm8rB08sSzb77heyFHENwazEZWkTSgS7OKD6GphaNyNHymZRqzCj9w-_DAolFSUiVm-zjVzn6y_I3EGnm73WlIYZ8g0AhdFaSm7fyGLxY/s1600/Tanaka+4.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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When he got the ball low and glove side, that is when he was most successful, while the further arm side or higher he got, the less successful he was. This really speaks to the curveball and sinker not being effective, while the splitter being extremely successful. Using average release point data, let's see if he is releasing each pitch in the same spot, or if he is being consistent.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_BW0RsaAkglMyG0A-XkeeZLYX1LMrCDvSVm66R8JEVu_vD_nh54P65l1Uk6z0by9suUdY67GzmUAI5e1vcFWGnmuYpGhvPaQ9fuYJB47lRoHiySNwLgNHQPiYUy4b5JI2DBaQ6U9cW8/s1600/Tanaka+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_BW0RsaAkglMyG0A-XkeeZLYX1LMrCDvSVm66R8JEVu_vD_nh54P65l1Uk6z0by9suUdY67GzmUAI5e1vcFWGnmuYpGhvPaQ9fuYJB47lRoHiySNwLgNHQPiYUy4b5JI2DBaQ6U9cW8/s1600/Tanaka+5.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
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There aren't huge differences in his release points, but there are some subtle differences that don't necessarily support a simple narrative. His curve was released closer to his body, and higher, but the closest one to it was his best pitch, the splitter. One interesting way to look at how a pitcher progresses through the game is to look at the average release points by inning:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpFULaFpLVCbWL8YpI40L1o-edM17QH5FoASKo3XgSCNM8Z3umfY7SpXNBJTxnT7XxLLgWSS_hYn9R5QNg9-KmXqb8VAlVCVzk0X3hDZzmfcwy2UAE-GQGnw7YT75emMvdl4uttKbHec/s1600/Tanaka+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpFULaFpLVCbWL8YpI40L1o-edM17QH5FoASKo3XgSCNM8Z3umfY7SpXNBJTxnT7XxLLgWSS_hYn9R5QNg9-KmXqb8VAlVCVzk0X3hDZzmfcwy2UAE-GQGnw7YT75emMvdl4uttKbHec/s1600/Tanaka+6.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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Tanaka was more consistent from inning to inning than from individual pitch, with his biggest differences being the first and seventh inning, which were very similar to each other.<br />
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Moving on to the subject of the fewer groundballs, let's look at the average locations of the pitches that were hit in the air versus the ones that were hit on the ground.<br />
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Strangely, the pitches he got groundballs on were more arm side, while his flyballs were more gloveside. Not surprisingly, the lower pitches were the groundballs. Keeping on the subject of location, let's do a couple of things we did last time and compare them to his last start, starting with how he located pitches to left-handers and right-handers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNmacHjHKCDrVqBs4l6zQFAx0azfQj2T36pXauMRN8hyphenhyphenA5wGrrOoydtR1elAf_JkbDkUglHtcSiIoRoyUtKJVWDHjR4xV22U6H920frgx9lUCppqd01Umcd-_bfF8417OF7xcNX3RpUU/s1600/Tanaka+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNmacHjHKCDrVqBs4l6zQFAx0azfQj2T36pXauMRN8hyphenhyphenA5wGrrOoydtR1elAf_JkbDkUglHtcSiIoRoyUtKJVWDHjR4xV22U6H920frgx9lUCppqd01Umcd-_bfF8417OF7xcNX3RpUU/s1600/Tanaka+8.png" height="143" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />This time, Tanaka didn't pitch lefties and righties much differently. Instead of keeping the ball away from both, he kept the ball inside to righties on average. Like last time, let's look at his location by pitch count, but this time I'll break it up into two graphs, the first being the ones with strikes in the count, followed by one with balls in the count.<br />
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Not surprisingly, he was more likely to go glove side with two strikes, though Tanaka pitching lower on average with one strike was surprising.<br />
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The more balls Tanaka threw, the more likely he was to throw high in the zone. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-60533638737046117952014-04-16T20:13:00.002-05:002014-04-16T20:13:41.242-05:00Yuki Matsui: Start 3Yuki Matsui made his third start of the season on Wednesday April 16th, facing 26 batters in five innings and 101 pitches, giving up three runs, while striking out four and walking six against the Softbank Hawks. Like usual, let's start with the graphs and start with his velocity chart.<br />
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Unlike the last two starts, Matsui's velocity peaked in the middle of the outing instead of around the first of the outing. His slowest pitch overall was a curveball early in the outing. His fastball velocity dropped a little toward the end until his last start. Here are his average pitch velocities from the outing:<br />
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At least compared to his first start, his fastball velocity is down over a full kilometer, and his change is down about two kilometers. His slider and curveballs were actually faster though. Whether or not that is a classification error or not is tough to say. <br />
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<br />Here is a pie chart that shows his pitch selection:<br />
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We still see a relatively low fastball usage, and it has actually been decreasing compared to his other two starts. He really fell in love with his slider in this particular start. <br />
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Again, Yuki Matsui struggled to throw pitches in the zone, as this chart shows:<br />
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Since he struggled again to throw pitches in the strike zone, let's see where he located his pitches:<br />
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Once again, Matsui was very heavy to the glove side and low. Armside and high was his second favorite spot. He kept the ball out of the very middle of the plate though, even though he still gave up five hits. <br />
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Here are the results of each of Matsui's pitches broken into a pie chart:<br />
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His whiff percentage was pretty impressive, though his called strike percentage wasn't. To get a better look at pitch results, let's bring the velocity chart back up but instead of labelling each pitch with pitch type, let's label them with the results.<br />
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When he was throwing his hardest in the middle of the outing, he was throwing balls, which probably means that he was overthrowing. His breaking balls at the end of the game were also almost all balls, except for the one whiff. He got a couple of called strikes with early breaking balls, just like the early fastballs. <br />
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Here are the pitch locations for the balls put in play off Matsui:<br />
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As you can tell, things were pretty balanced, but his increase in pitches thrown arm side and high seemed to hurt him, as that is the location where most of the balls were put in play.<br />
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Here are the pitch types that were put in play off Matsui:<br />
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Not surprisingly, a plurality of them were fastballs, but his slider and change had higher percentages of contact than pitches thrown, meaning they were more hittable than the curve and fastball in this start.<br />
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For comparison, here are the pitch types that Matsui got whiffs with:<br />
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The slider was a risk-reward pitch for him in the outing as he gave up more contact than he should have with it, but it got him half of his whiffs. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-12547380995816312052014-04-10T17:07:00.003-05:002014-04-10T17:07:48.705-05:00Masahiro Tanaka: Start TwoMasahiro Tanaka followed up his solid debut with the New York Yankees with a strong second start, throwing seven innings and striking out ten, walking just one, and giving up three runs to the Baltimore Orioles. There was a key difference in the start; he didn't get grounders. <br />
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Like last time, let's look at the home run at-bat first:<br />
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The whole graph is the strike zone, and the splitter (notice how MLBAM has fixed the tags by calling it a splitter instead of a changeup) is what was hit for a home run. The slider was actually called a ball despite being in the traditional strike zone, though clearly no one wants to throw a slider there. Now, let's look at how he pitched the same batter (Jonathan Schoop later in the game (both at-bats), with the results as the labels this time. <br />
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<br />You can see that Tanaka was able to lower his pitches the next two times he faced him, though he worked both sides of the plate. While we are on the subject of location, here is where he located his pitches on average (using MLBAM tags).<br />
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The MLBAM tags have changed all of his 2-seamers and cutters to sinkers, which I don't think is right, though he kept it arm side like a 2-seamer. His slider control was horrible, as he couldn't even get it glove side enough to be in the strike zone on average. His curve also stayed high and arm side, though his fastball was glove side and in a decent spot. His splitter remained low, with the home run a big exception. When looking at his pitch selection via the spin and speed chart, we see that he really didn't use the slider much, perhaps because he was struggling so much to locate it:<br />
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Here is what Masahiro Tanaka's release points looked like from a relatively normal view:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_4-_8h3o-n2O0GwCv-n44cjTenm4EMwEYUsb8K5AEQhtvmYJcrO3_u82nukg3qvD8_yJm8xc1n0f9MOiAHuVXh3Hvj9bGgmIWwHKzFHLDDwFe_pWBAq1zSq2vmN4vT55mgcY2nu8jgGw/s1600/Tanaka+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_4-_8h3o-n2O0GwCv-n44cjTenm4EMwEYUsb8K5AEQhtvmYJcrO3_u82nukg3qvD8_yJm8xc1n0f9MOiAHuVXh3Hvj9bGgmIWwHKzFHLDDwFe_pWBAq1zSq2vmN4vT55mgcY2nu8jgGw/s1600/Tanaka+5.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
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Just for curiousity's sake, I wanted to look at a closer view of the release points labelled with the MLBAM tags:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZO7hsLj3jA1M7AF6cNSGBQzrU4jIYOZigt-GTAoejfTOg_RcA60kvVqKnp_KWMSC_5nLIzTDFj72-3hijh_d7e5FpX48hi9ACIFdYD8d_bHDOIjtZBEuOYLMOIBaxULUsl4OoGw4vVQ/s1600/Tanaka+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZO7hsLj3jA1M7AF6cNSGBQzrU4jIYOZigt-GTAoejfTOg_RcA60kvVqKnp_KWMSC_5nLIzTDFj72-3hijh_d7e5FpX48hi9ACIFdYD8d_bHDOIjtZBEuOYLMOIBaxULUsl4OoGw4vVQ/s1600/Tanaka+6.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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Going back to location, I wanted to look at all of his pitches, labelled with the results:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsbkkjEFsHyDcOF6zzefyhcnbN8uTY8KqJqxTWIn3PL1lg6mttBlKdzhm1JVRxrAgMSjLk0y_csV4zLtjBdPrIVQdh_zL9_edoJerTmbBP0pabMag7BL4_U6eeS78v-x7ayBlKlS-1Hc/s1600/Tanaka+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsbkkjEFsHyDcOF6zzefyhcnbN8uTY8KqJqxTWIn3PL1lg6mttBlKdzhm1JVRxrAgMSjLk0y_csV4zLtjBdPrIVQdh_zL9_edoJerTmbBP0pabMag7BL4_U6eeS78v-x7ayBlKlS-1Hc/s1600/Tanaka+7.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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For a cleaner look, here are the average locations of the results:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozqLWvtzQljLjbNvPTajTJnb38sgs9T4Xr_xpsUrjaEkV3q1Gcj0qye1t2tFu8xVp4ojskQaMUbRVb-qd9t1WYPFEnXfYoeUBWiUHbHO3I0LFs9iGIdoP0S4jvRpxvWztED5ABpVSYE4/s1600/Tanaka+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozqLWvtzQljLjbNvPTajTJnb38sgs9T4Xr_xpsUrjaEkV3q1Gcj0qye1t2tFu8xVp4ojskQaMUbRVb-qd9t1WYPFEnXfYoeUBWiUHbHO3I0LFs9iGIdoP0S4jvRpxvWztED5ABpVSYE4/s1600/Tanaka+8.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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Tanaka also pitched extremely away from left-handers, but kept the ball away from right-handers as well, as this average location graph shows:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QVEnHUtGnqvFC48S3JMPCnuW5eK13ZJuQGxmhZN5wRRCNUp7T9zfBs-FU0bhklLUTHSRcZWrfOqfR56L3NESB-Nk4QPg4n2rmSnWX0G5FXTOmNNpfCs-KRLM5LCl8e1z9VlVGuVzMX0/s1600/Tanaka+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QVEnHUtGnqvFC48S3JMPCnuW5eK13ZJuQGxmhZN5wRRCNUp7T9zfBs-FU0bhklLUTHSRcZWrfOqfR56L3NESB-Nk4QPg4n2rmSnWX0G5FXTOmNNpfCs-KRLM5LCl8e1z9VlVGuVzMX0/s1600/Tanaka+9.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Lastly, let's look at how Tanaka pitched by count:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20mZ69rDuOxlqBXLDgqrHgTQIn52BS04k_zttQ41tLcItDysk_MGNJN0YQe8Cxk-uQ8gbIXJRwb4pN77Xt9cjQfXmWXgYyLIj6kHSJE4OWfJy8aNwdVu7o9pbVK08n3Q2FZEd-YR6FRE/s1600/Tanaka+10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20mZ69rDuOxlqBXLDgqrHgTQIn52BS04k_zttQ41tLcItDysk_MGNJN0YQe8Cxk-uQ8gbIXJRwb4pN77Xt9cjQfXmWXgYyLIj6kHSJE4OWfJy8aNwdVu7o9pbVK08n3Q2FZEd-YR6FRE/s1600/Tanaka+10.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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It seems that you can see a general trend of him staying extremely arm side with no strikes in the count, and going glove side with two strikes. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-64181948651244340182014-04-09T18:24:00.000-05:002014-04-09T18:24:49.701-05:00Yuki Matsui: Start TwoYuki Matsui made his second career official NPB start for the Rakuten Golden Eagles on Thursday, and packed 86 pitches into three and one thirds of an inning. Out of the 17 batters he faced, he struck out 7 and walked 5, with 2 runs and 3 hits. Similar t<a href="http://irfast.blogspot.com/2014/04/yuki-matsui-start-one.html">o his last start</a>, what follows will be a few charts and graphs on his start. Like last time, let's start with his full velocity chart from pitch to pitch:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNjeOKCfM0yvpr3_KlVMpGK_7M0OnDHfyznDZRv2m5VYybJwgAjjoTuk7k_cHt0V61FBhvwKExTqHO2pOUDRKFvnoUp6VRgdPT07_6SuC8SNmRgePAssJ7UyVZlVK43usVoFdCua-ucI/s1600/Yuki+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNjeOKCfM0yvpr3_KlVMpGK_7M0OnDHfyznDZRv2m5VYybJwgAjjoTuk7k_cHt0V61FBhvwKExTqHO2pOUDRKFvnoUp6VRgdPT07_6SuC8SNmRgePAssJ7UyVZlVK43usVoFdCua-ucI/s1600/Yuki+1.png" height="153" width="400" /></a></div>
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While he threw less pitches, it does appear that he maintained his velocity a little better, though again, he peaked out early in the outing. When only looking at fastballs (all Matsui throws is the 4-seam fastball, or at least that is the only classification he has through two starts), I think we see this exaggerated a bit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLDFFw5j58sRZ4GlrHgQi-Wxvw1FXf-xoUieeu28O9sHMJ0HxewC5Dk07OYRL5lzMnOK5YC-FXK1Nzr0HKf8DdBVMX6hVKaNhK39MNxynMJ_IdNb4HDozVC3Y2VRT9_T40jQX2YbxwaQ/s1600/Yuki+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLDFFw5j58sRZ4GlrHgQi-Wxvw1FXf-xoUieeu28O9sHMJ0HxewC5Dk07OYRL5lzMnOK5YC-FXK1Nzr0HKf8DdBVMX6hVKaNhK39MNxynMJ_IdNb4HDozVC3Y2VRT9_T40jQX2YbxwaQ/s1600/Yuki+2.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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His fastball averaged about 87.48 MPH in the outing, between Dan Haren and Jason Vargas in the Majors in 2014. How does his pitch selection compare to his last start? Here is the pie chart from start two:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq15A1MJX-Kd5cNxeJb1m-r2AomfXpqMP1SkVAazTIdrDzIoHn-k9DnBMPX19EESzI3m1SUuvtK_aiLdRjvxrxuUWmjaJpVkshknj5O8P6dEsSVgMeGWGggGlGxrrOpXp4X96WbCtXgqM/s1600/Yuki+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq15A1MJX-Kd5cNxeJb1m-r2AomfXpqMP1SkVAazTIdrDzIoHn-k9DnBMPX19EESzI3m1SUuvtK_aiLdRjvxrxuUWmjaJpVkshknj5O8P6dEsSVgMeGWGggGlGxrrOpXp4X96WbCtXgqM/s1600/Yuki+3.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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All three off-speed pitches saw increases, with him throwing less fastballs overall. The slider is what increased the most. The pitch actually lost about .2 kilometers per hour on average from his last start, slightly less than the fastball (.7 kilometers per hour on average). Here is how he located the pitch:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJ4KjZmoDQbDdbEagaOQYts7fOis55HBUIPiap6pMpqVTw04vFvmGGdWaJk28WR-3EFYeZxAPxN1XoxSyOzFFQLWdKAr48ck9JwSFeJoyVX-R40rTgyuQfiElgX-T3Vzfihs_59x9_cg/s1600/Yuki+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJ4KjZmoDQbDdbEagaOQYts7fOis55HBUIPiap6pMpqVTw04vFvmGGdWaJk28WR-3EFYeZxAPxN1XoxSyOzFFQLWdKAr48ck9JwSFeJoyVX-R40rTgyuQfiElgX-T3Vzfihs_59x9_cg/s1600/Yuki+4.png" height="156" width="400" /></a></div>
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Low and glove side, where you want a slider to be, was the most common place, but too many of them stayed high or in the middle. Surprisingly, more than half (13 of 23) were actually thrown in the strike zone. Perhaps this is why he threw it so much, as he had problems throwing in the strike zone overall:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDPc673r7uhkipEeWQydzzSzOgJu6HSDMYG48QuQnu2ga16b8UNd5QznwQN94NkI_NphfNpcCaH3MKDUcIbSqyrIxqyBWoY2v0CMH5N6zgFn0QOgvtytZR9CpzRAuh3Fq-mlhWwrgOiQ/s1600/Yuki+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDPc673r7uhkipEeWQydzzSzOgJu6HSDMYG48QuQnu2ga16b8UNd5QznwQN94NkI_NphfNpcCaH3MKDUcIbSqyrIxqyBWoY2v0CMH5N6zgFn0QOgvtytZR9CpzRAuh3Fq-mlhWwrgOiQ/s1600/Yuki+5.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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So the slider may have been the only pitch that Matsui could actually get over, and since it wasn't hit (his problem was walks not hits), then he had no incentive to go away from it. So where did he locate the majority of his pitches?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPcktpKq59Lkd_z-sT1m0nGa5O4O3NJqSOFW2qbRmOE-NyJkird5_LJglrwy6fUIFkArEPX-NxGS1txFlElqviuVz8pPPJ7v9BNfNTRdAWcAEAt-7BT-l2EAwTzOFj_V94fwtuN4d5Co/s1600/Yuki+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPcktpKq59Lkd_z-sT1m0nGa5O4O3NJqSOFW2qbRmOE-NyJkird5_LJglrwy6fUIFkArEPX-NxGS1txFlElqviuVz8pPPJ7v9BNfNTRdAWcAEAt-7BT-l2EAwTzOFj_V94fwtuN4d5Co/s1600/Yuki+6.png" height="156" width="400" /></a></div>
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Because of the slider, low and glove side was the most common location, though he threw more pitches in the middle and arm side in this outing. A simpler chart:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglPQswijFs02EvvAuH38EQN9EIBIlTkv5WbruSE0wnjIeO2wcgGB0EM8qIvI_cZprXbrr157U60hl6PHJFGZiNz6ITXszajpOUrLDKVxkX1w9RPmoplw5qXWrnUjaTl3VCcZBsYPk4hQc/s1600/Yuki+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglPQswijFs02EvvAuH38EQN9EIBIlTkv5WbruSE0wnjIeO2wcgGB0EM8qIvI_cZprXbrr157U60hl6PHJFGZiNz6ITXszajpOUrLDKVxkX1w9RPmoplw5qXWrnUjaTl3VCcZBsYPk4hQc/s1600/Yuki+7.png" height="156" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />He didn't throw hardly any pitches low and arm side or middle and arm side, which made me curious about his changeup locations, which you can see here:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGltus8dpXlDC3nDmfvN9pl9apHI80174RCCFQWd1W-lz59uxOwEBdOR4TV5hxbDKGu_RkW62n5Yc51BItt8SZD9ng2rkhUm0Cm8wDKQ2DOqzIyd7Hyfa8nG-uTitS_bCRK8J1QxRxuLo/s1600/Yuki+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGltus8dpXlDC3nDmfvN9pl9apHI80174RCCFQWd1W-lz59uxOwEBdOR4TV5hxbDKGu_RkW62n5Yc51BItt8SZD9ng2rkhUm0Cm8wDKQ2DOqzIyd7Hyfa8nG-uTitS_bCRK8J1QxRxuLo/s1600/Yuki+8.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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Weirdly, he throws the pitch to the glove side, or at least he did in this start. Just one of the seventeen changeups turned out to be in the zone, so it is easy to see that he doesn't have much feel of the pitch.<br />
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Now, let's take a look at Matsui's results:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1lZnpvY5QKLgG7lBxG_xb-I_CBwVfhhKS9sQWcIR3mQeQOiX5xwmv1JVW8lMkwN0etTcvRtFJlzEdWFPWl46qbYb8JTmbSBcHDoLKaC8a-vvQ4TRAlyzqALXHNwb8jbrBA9a-PBcVcw/s1600/Yuki+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1lZnpvY5QKLgG7lBxG_xb-I_CBwVfhhKS9sQWcIR3mQeQOiX5xwmv1JVW8lMkwN0etTcvRtFJlzEdWFPWl46qbYb8JTmbSBcHDoLKaC8a-vvQ4TRAlyzqALXHNwb8jbrBA9a-PBcVcw/s1600/Yuki+9.png" height="156" width="400" /></a></div>
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The higher volume of balls from last start isn't surprising, though he increased his whiff percentage and called strike percentage. When he threw strikes this time, he was more effective than his first start, as there was even a lower foul percentage. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-78726049944263001972014-04-05T14:41:00.001-05:002014-04-05T14:41:26.491-05:00Masahiro Tanaka: Start OneMasahiro Tanaka made his much anticipated debut for the New York Yankees on April 4th, pitching seven innings with three runs allowed, striking out eight and walking none against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto. Tanaka got twelve groundballs versus six flyballs, but famously gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, Melky Cabrera, a switch hitter (so in this case, batting left handed). I thought I should start the post by looking at that at-bat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9LggoaukCoUekvIGU0TXeh1kxOqWuRM3JCKHjn6We4v2xda4TbGdGFS2KHV6XC-2K7EMbl5cojH9AEhFlUWQgQRx5-bnnUbetSP7I9EB5K7zF3Du5szYHF5nrFcB-q1E4-Gr5RyGt0k/s1600/Masahiro+Tanaka+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9LggoaukCoUekvIGU0TXeh1kxOqWuRM3JCKHjn6We4v2xda4TbGdGFS2KHV6XC-2K7EMbl5cojH9AEhFlUWQgQRx5-bnnUbetSP7I9EB5K7zF3Du5szYHF5nrFcB-q1E4-Gr5RyGt0k/s1600/Masahiro+Tanaka+7.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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The pitches are labelled by the MLBAM tags and by the pitch number in the at-bat. Tanaka obviously attempting to keep the ball away from him at all costs, and kept the first two pitches low in the strike zone, with the slider staying far enough arm side that it was a ball. Tanaka then hung the splitter in the strike zone, and even though it was away, it turned into a home run. However, I thought it was interesting what Tanaka did to Cabrera the next time he faced him, when he struck him out. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxt60ksUuNjPCO24FovzYXqDA0FoH_Yvf8L8rZwFpPcSHnOwdLY1TE1P-37R_oBhoF5tVYVhSPPIHBymSwcDdFWDugw7fMQ3nkyGbpoG-0W4dr6VvN0jbE7jKAq_lagBpFAb3TQuwL98/s1600/Masahiro+Tanaka+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxt60ksUuNjPCO24FovzYXqDA0FoH_Yvf8L8rZwFpPcSHnOwdLY1TE1P-37R_oBhoF5tVYVhSPPIHBymSwcDdFWDugw7fMQ3nkyGbpoG-0W4dr6VvN0jbE7jKAq_lagBpFAb3TQuwL98/s1600/Masahiro+Tanaka+8.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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This time, Tanaka stayed high in the zone on the first four pitches, even with a curve and a slider, which were both balls, and both probably mistakes. However, he went inside with a fastball and got a foul, and then went away with a fastball and got another foul. Tanaka finished the at-bat with his patented splitter, keeping it arm side (away from Cabrera) and low in the zone. <br />
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Before taking a closer look at his stuff, let's take a look at his release points:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBqbbIAiPjXqWjfEdAiBbFOsitcdCpCwGGITQrAY97qxyg2AfTeayZt4tFM7riawTvqcurfg2l8R5g4bsC6AZTDblfSoLj4dLm_W6se28SzRommn8XSVKPuhik25zJPdpxKMeVpLEqrY/s1600/Masahiro+Tanaka+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBqbbIAiPjXqWjfEdAiBbFOsitcdCpCwGGITQrAY97qxyg2AfTeayZt4tFM7riawTvqcurfg2l8R5g4bsC6AZTDblfSoLj4dLm_W6se28SzRommn8XSVKPuhik25zJPdpxKMeVpLEqrY/s1600/Masahiro+Tanaka+1.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
So his release point seems to be a little lower and more out than I had thought in <a href="http://irfast.blogspot.com/2013/08/masahiro-tanaka-scouting-report.html">my original scouting report</a>. The original scouting report gives us an idea of his stuff, but here is his speed and spin chart from his first Pitch F/X start:<br />
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We see five real clusters here, suggesting about five pitches. The curve is the pitches on the far left and bottom, the slider in the middle and low, the splitter around the 88 MPH mark and high, with two clusters of fastballs, suggesting a four seamer and a cutter or moving fastball (the MLBAM tags have a little of both, and he threw both in Japan). I don't want to focus too much on velocity in these posts, because that is something someone can easily find elsewhere, but I thought it would be interesting to compare his velocity in Japan according to the data in my original scouting report and his velocity according to the general MLBAM release point (for these posts, I will be using the modified Brooks Baseball data, but this part will be the general pitch velocities you can get on FanGraphs and other places). So here is the difference, with the plus or minus compared to what his pitch velocity numbers were in Japan.<br />
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FF: + .8<br />
SL: + 2.1<br />
FT: + 2.1<br />
Splitter: + 1.7<br />
CU: 3.54<br />
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So as I predicted, thanks to better pitch tags, and a cold gun in Japan (and perhaps some adrenaline since it was his first start), he is throwing harder in the Majors. <br />
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When it comes to pitch movement, it is hard to see clear classifications, so speed and spin is probably better to classify pitches for him, or at least easier:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvG-aiaGfLuCzt30BsxJB-lWOjDFkwolpCXCX-EL7OqVY8zUGm9DARvwap6xZETYTOWti9HBfQYxjE2wK10MW7qtJrI5srhi1WSn4ias3HmesRkJcb0PcRn6_AMkrJALKgddyoriYzlY/s1600/Masahiro+Tanaka+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvG-aiaGfLuCzt30BsxJB-lWOjDFkwolpCXCX-EL7OqVY8zUGm9DARvwap6xZETYTOWti9HBfQYxjE2wK10MW7qtJrI5srhi1WSn4ias3HmesRkJcb0PcRn6_AMkrJALKgddyoriYzlY/s1600/Masahiro+Tanaka+5.png" height="156" width="400" /></a></div>
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But what about location? We saw that it was important when it came to the at-bats against Cabrera, so how did he generally locate his pitches? This first graph is all of his pitches, labelled by whether they were strikes (s), balls (b), or put in play (x).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCYvZdIcFqL8Mn8Mj81BdEKJPK7lMcCAFy_Q2pz_br5c5OnkAk7jEDq6K-vi-jYr1El55AQPDYrC9815vBnSeKIqDt-KDlnuoBOCwJaq47b_RDX6FdwuDIXtY2h-OZamtprGXUW9yTZ4/s1600/Masahiro+Tanaka+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCYvZdIcFqL8Mn8Mj81BdEKJPK7lMcCAFy_Q2pz_br5c5OnkAk7jEDq6K-vi-jYr1El55AQPDYrC9815vBnSeKIqDt-KDlnuoBOCwJaq47b_RDX6FdwuDIXtY2h-OZamtprGXUW9yTZ4/s1600/Masahiro+Tanaka+2.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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The biggest cluster seems to be mid strike zone in height and on the arm side, with a couple of other major clusters, such as low in the zone and arm side, and mid zone and glove side.<br />
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Breaking down the average locations by pitch type (with the average release point for reference) looks like this (using MLBAM tags, I combined the non four seam fastballs into one pitch):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzZgqAnJZgkbg9hSpDu0B0hvO5E_37yez9-NySCXt7P972KSMU213a6AM-tUW6IDFrEkmiYJPSs1HiFPKy_Hj109PdlUV2_QICoCG1yXgimOfahEo8d6p-PnJybJHiKqRgpGAWsBviLg/s1600/Masahiro+Tanaka+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzZgqAnJZgkbg9hSpDu0B0hvO5E_37yez9-NySCXt7P972KSMU213a6AM-tUW6IDFrEkmiYJPSs1HiFPKy_Hj109PdlUV2_QICoCG1yXgimOfahEo8d6p-PnJybJHiKqRgpGAWsBviLg/s1600/Masahiro+Tanaka+6.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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I think his slider location left something to be desired, as it stayed up more than his other pitches and didn't get glove side. His splitter stayed low, as did his moving fastballs, and his curve was a glove side curve (though it stayed high as well). When you look at his average locations by pitch result, it looks something like that:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQr1yi5rBfbgvim_YW4JjenSOab3eK_tsSovzLujajnqP9yILOJAuovYgPz99bwyHDeYqqW0-P88cIEIQkAwqkJznGBM67VwbKpG5fo18rnhhEj5Hm_vs7-PAKchKhk-OyGUoQ5Lhflxc/s1600/Masahiro+Tanaka+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQr1yi5rBfbgvim_YW4JjenSOab3eK_tsSovzLujajnqP9yILOJAuovYgPz99bwyHDeYqqW0-P88cIEIQkAwqkJznGBM67VwbKpG5fo18rnhhEj5Hm_vs7-PAKchKhk-OyGUoQ5Lhflxc/s1600/Masahiro+Tanaka+9.png" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Strangely, his foul balls were the highest pitches on average, but not surprisingly, his whiffs were the lowest. Notice how everything is arm side. There also isn't much difference between his called strikes and his pitches that resulted in contact. Here are all 19 pitches that were put in play by Blue Jays hitters:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2vsE3T8ZVm8lJOTJwpKQss7jX2fb3Axv_ryOityknOh4sLMFb1aEHB9zBJumNokPNucDLyltczjpI-0bhrnsGxAitEOOgx2uBJPx9aJQwDEscWjx6_s8S1sXa1KDipmNFfychlrIBf0/s1600/Masahiro+Tanaka+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2vsE3T8ZVm8lJOTJwpKQss7jX2fb3Axv_ryOityknOh4sLMFb1aEHB9zBJumNokPNucDLyltczjpI-0bhrnsGxAitEOOgx2uBJPx9aJQwDEscWjx6_s8S1sXa1KDipmNFfychlrIBf0/s1600/Masahiro+Tanaka+3.png" height="156" width="400" /></a></div>
Most are really arm side, and the home run was the furthest up, but he got a lot of grounders on pitches low and arm side (though he got two groundouts just slightly lower than the home run). <br />
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I plan to have a post like this after each of Tanaka's starts, and if you have any ideas at what I should look at each start, then let me know in the comments or on twitter. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-82739365911520203662014-04-02T16:00:00.000-05:002014-04-02T16:00:31.769-05:00Yuki Matsui: Start OneYuki Matsui, the first pick in the 2013 NPB draft, made his NPB debut for the Rakuten Eagles on April 2nd against the Orix Buffaloes, pitching six innings, giving up three runs, striking out six and walking five over 112 pitches. Below is a short summation of his start using graphs and charts. <br />
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First, let's take a look at the velocity of his pitches by his pitch count (note, there a few blanks because the velocity of the pitch wasn't posted, as all data was copied from Yahoo, though all the charts are mine).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWyJEyLgYTPFt4kEqR0SqW7lW9VWlSVDZ11GCaraTsKfEMWaISG2M_zQ9GJQ350tbmHMA9ovosHMawyrqOF1XW1Wcc5aG-p2kl6u-U2Snm_ibGetWyWKiRDZCHeuu5Ypk_lI6sZYTLiE/s1600/Yuki+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWyJEyLgYTPFt4kEqR0SqW7lW9VWlSVDZ11GCaraTsKfEMWaISG2M_zQ9GJQ350tbmHMA9ovosHMawyrqOF1XW1Wcc5aG-p2kl6u-U2Snm_ibGetWyWKiRDZCHeuu5Ypk_lI6sZYTLiE/s1600/Yuki+1.png" height="222" width="400" /></a></div>
It seems that Matsui's velocity peaked early, and never returned to that peak, though he still threw a few pitches over 140 kilometers at the end of his outing. It also appears he used more slower breaking balls late. The next graph shows how his fastball velocity fared throughout the outing:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE7O3k4inlALZpZdg5JsZqN2TUq0pHuJN2O2TJFrAXBMYVXDOilt6DTuuV-c7Mtp_0pikKH1vVy2VtACsVrozAMQFnVZ2f9dBkm5Nqnk4vAHu3efGt2WDust88L6YExHOoh7_9AcoPiO4/s1600/Yuki+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE7O3k4inlALZpZdg5JsZqN2TUq0pHuJN2O2TJFrAXBMYVXDOilt6DTuuV-c7Mtp_0pikKH1vVy2VtACsVrozAMQFnVZ2f9dBkm5Nqnk4vAHu3efGt2WDust88L6YExHOoh7_9AcoPiO4/s1600/Yuki+7.png" height="162" width="400" /></a></div>
Again, we see that his velocity was the best after his first few fastballs. However, there wasn't a real sharp decline, and stayed steady from the middle of the game to the late part of the game. Here are the average velocities of the four different pitch types he used:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqw_5a-nwr3INmBoCsoMJ5cpPa031S3FZtVkXgYZTxco2l67wE1csfJnk40uOzvGYFaCoixkx9SYpLts74Q6Lmo7a6yynRWnCdAwoaAZfu3FwClI1aoF8Jj6MacQ7BgjTRWAiAwhg_Po/s1600/Yuki+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqw_5a-nwr3INmBoCsoMJ5cpPa031S3FZtVkXgYZTxco2l67wE1csfJnk40uOzvGYFaCoixkx9SYpLts74Q6Lmo7a6yynRWnCdAwoaAZfu3FwClI1aoF8Jj6MacQ7BgjTRWAiAwhg_Po/s1600/Yuki+3.png" height="156" width="400" /></a></div>
As expected, Matsui isn't a hard thrower, though that level of velocity from the left-hand side in the NPB should play pretty well. His slider was faster than his changeup on average, and his curve and slider velocity difference is pretty normal. The following is his usage breakdown, showing how much he used each pitch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrGZzkxOzK2wDyjZ6cHLL1SBkbHytaUy-v3EFmO3rLWo-XGhyphenhyphenoniVg1Fzj0TGASI7dG-FWrpCRrIuPTtYcKH63rlSdDq8kP6GBMq43SdcEGNR8A2a7E06fVPzQs6zjAjm-X5NM3KUoTc/s1600/Yuki+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrGZzkxOzK2wDyjZ6cHLL1SBkbHytaUy-v3EFmO3rLWo-XGhyphenhyphenoniVg1Fzj0TGASI7dG-FWrpCRrIuPTtYcKH63rlSdDq8kP6GBMq43SdcEGNR8A2a7E06fVPzQs6zjAjm-X5NM3KUoTc/s1600/Yuki+2.png" height="246" width="400" /></a></div>
His fastball usage is about normal (at least by American standards), and the change more than the slider usage could be explained by the right-handed heavy lineup of the Buffaloes. Here is how his pitch results broke down:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9gPE37qt2qXiiqjBFBgAPj4m_5_-fVysfHAW8LS3sjfOj5xKKiFZxRgqg7GSVqrqQsgNTup-fQbAEKiSG1G5shktD6IUvya_Q-vmB3qnzQzCp-SnGMhGnAoHGjOLjSczjORLVIUfMHs/s1600/Yuki+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9gPE37qt2qXiiqjBFBgAPj4m_5_-fVysfHAW8LS3sjfOj5xKKiFZxRgqg7GSVqrqQsgNTup-fQbAEKiSG1G5shktD6IUvya_Q-vmB3qnzQzCp-SnGMhGnAoHGjOLjSczjORLVIUfMHs/s1600/Yuki+4.png" height="195" width="400" /></a></div>
A less than 60% strike rate is not something to be desired, and his whiff and called strike percentages were a tad low, and the percentage of pitches he threw in the strike zone was a little low as well: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJEEz7M-JF4ceusxr9xHKkZsExv2nuXNtqVdCgnLnfvzj71jHZYsh6YmwQN47Ze6_a_QDcPiILiusIYjTH5kjs_b-jxpN7jR_jhmTOfaP9Mo0S7OaLZR-yAqMZ9bmpxiTNK-T5NGaAq4/s1600/Yuki+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJEEz7M-JF4ceusxr9xHKkZsExv2nuXNtqVdCgnLnfvzj71jHZYsh6YmwQN47Ze6_a_QDcPiILiusIYjTH5kjs_b-jxpN7jR_jhmTOfaP9Mo0S7OaLZR-yAqMZ9bmpxiTNK-T5NGaAq4/s1600/Yuki+6.png" height="227" width="400" /></a></div>
So we should dig a little more into location, and the following pie chart shows where each pitch was generally located. <br />
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As you can see, he was very heavily glove side, working across his body the majority of the time. As the next chart shows, this hurt him when it came to hits. <br />
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He was actually more likely to get whiffs when he stayed arm side.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWUIr8QIv7rSyVlPVtJoijYF2lcTBlG9G_tfytrHNcUo3yf3IfJMe1-eGI2JZ3Vvi3JrTX8nVFeEmpIwmQhOEMveE62Xal5ubp6242gnCFkEEB2jN0Iz59UJpWLiiBTHwhZx2BqFPE2Q/s1600/Yuki+10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWUIr8QIv7rSyVlPVtJoijYF2lcTBlG9G_tfytrHNcUo3yf3IfJMe1-eGI2JZ3Vvi3JrTX8nVFeEmpIwmQhOEMveE62Xal5ubp6242gnCFkEEB2jN0Iz59UJpWLiiBTHwhZx2BqFPE2Q/s1600/Yuki+10.png" height="156" width="400" /></a></div>
One reason that he may have been working so glove side is the way he releases the ball:<br />
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As you can see, he is leaning quite a bit to the right when he lets go of the ball. This may cause him to crossfire, and throw in to right-handed hitters, something you usually don't want to do when you are not throwing especially hard. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-29242710789022381732013-12-18T20:30:00.002-06:002013-12-18T20:30:41.565-06:00How Much Does Rakuten Believe Kazuya Fujita's Defense is Worth?The Rakuten Golden Eagles have re-signed (he did not exercise his domestic free agent option, so instead of just agreeing to a contract for the year, they extended him) starting 2nd baseman Kazuya Fujita to a 3 year deal worth 240 million yen, or about 80 million yen a year. Fujita is mainly known for his defense, and in my opinion, is the best defensive 2nd basemen in Japan, and possibly the best defender in the NPB as a whole, regardless of position. However, the NPB doesn't have the advanced defensive metrics (that are flawed as well) we easily access when looking at MLB players. The only thing close is range factor, which is crude, but does like Fujita a lot. In this post, I wanted to take a stab at estimating how valuable, in terms of money, Rakuten thinks Fujita's defense is. <br />
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The first step in doing this is to estimate how valuable the other parts of his game are, which should be easier. Defense is the toughest to quantify statistically, so we should look at how valuable his offense is, and assume that Rakuten, using simple metrics, value his offense about the same. In 2013, Fujita was worth -9.84 runs offensively against average but 11.21 runs against a fictional replacement level of .32 winning percentage. For the rest of this post, I'll be using average as the baseline instead of replacement, because it is easier, and a little less confusing when it comes to position players, as all three aspects of the game will be weighed against (Pacific) League average. Fujita's offense has been declining, as these are his adjusted OPS's over the last three seasons against league average:<br />
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112 OPS +, 100 OPS +, 91 OPS +<br />
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I think it is safe to say that Fujita, at age 31, will probably keep declining, or at least hold serve. A safe estimate for the three year contract would be Fujita being 10-15% worse than league average when it comes to batting, probably around 10-12 runs below average over full seasons. With positional adjustment, we can convert that to 8-10 runs a year. <br />
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Fujita is also worth nothing when it comes to the basepaths, with a grand total of 22 steals in his entire career. Out of the 68 qualified batters in the Pacific League in 2013, his 3 steals were tied for 33rd best in the league. He's not quick, but he isn't especially a baseclogger either, so we will conservatively estimate that he is worth 1-2 runs less than average per year. <br />
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So if Fujita was an average defender, we would estimate that he would be 9 to 12 runs worse than league average over a full season. A MLB comp might be someone like Jose Altuve, someone who plays 2nd with average defense (according to DRS), with below average offensive value and not much baserunning value. However, no one thinks Fujita is an average defender, and that is the purpose of this post, as we are attempting to see how much Rakuten thinks the defense is worth. However, there is another step that we haven't gotten to yet, and it may be the toughest. While we have an estimate of how much Fujita is worth, without defense, when it comes to wins and losses, we haven't converted that into money yet. In the MLB, a win is generally considered to be worth about 5 million dollars, or perhaps 6-7, depending on who you ask. However, we need to convert this into NPB salaries (and adjust for currency as well). So we need to look at how much NPB teams are paying for players, and more specifically, runs and wins.<br />
<br />
According to the salary data collected by Yakyu Baka, the average NPB
player made about 36.55 million yen, or about 365,000 American dollars
(for the purpose of this post, we are assuming that 100 yen is 1 dollar,
even though it is a little more than that. However, I'll keep most of the discussion to yen). So Fujita will make over double what the average player will make, but it seems far too simplistic, especially not taking in account things like service time and leverage to say that Rakuten values him twice as much as they would a league average player. <br />
<br />
First, I wanted to look at the domestic free agents signed in 2013, and see if their 2013 WAAs had any predictive value when it came to what they will be paid in 2014. I just used a simple wins above average using runs created offensively,
and just ERA WAA (split up between leagues) for pitchers. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywakWy93wtc_VE2eXxbyYPDueBdLRXfW-eKq0YJpN4TCRJCGSg3sZANoSaU9j69oJiWyvpDSfQ3WCN9c7WtlMjCpoS-RdyGn2Kcjd5x_hTrbGWbsvlc6nhZSExa2qQc0iUUKk151fXaY/s1600/chart_1(12).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywakWy93wtc_VE2eXxbyYPDueBdLRXfW-eKq0YJpN4TCRJCGSg3sZANoSaU9j69oJiWyvpDSfQ3WCN9c7WtlMjCpoS-RdyGn2Kcjd5x_hTrbGWbsvlc6nhZSExa2qQc0iUUKk151fXaY/s400/chart_1(12).png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The first problem we encounter is that there are only 8, which is really too small of a sample size to make any conclusions. Secondly, the worst player according to the simple WAA is the most expensive player, paid mainly for his past success. For these reasons, it seems tough to use those free agent contracts to project value. <br />
<br />
So it may be more helpful to look at how Rakuten values wins and dollars, or at least how much they paid in 2013 for players versus the output they got. I limited the look at 7 individual players, the 5 foreign players and the two players on the team that were former MLB players. These players would most simulate "open market signings", which we are assuming Fujita is.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYLYH22HCVfihDDjbYP4-0de1hofxbWId2krL2GaFC9EFsjtAhFRHYfPqIgV6BZTrbk8399xB6YGeCXW4HNaRR4OOgGw-i7yZ7jJ5Zz2imkbFrmxbgWH8j_IotR2wjM57nSKTBwqM8p0/s1600/chart_1(11).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYLYH22HCVfihDDjbYP4-0de1hofxbWId2krL2GaFC9EFsjtAhFRHYfPqIgV6BZTrbk8399xB6YGeCXW4HNaRR4OOgGw-i7yZ7jJ5Zz2imkbFrmxbgWH8j_IotR2wjM57nSKTBwqM8p0/s400/chart_1(11).png" width="400" /></a></div>
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So Rakuten paid 622 million yen for the 7 players for 4.9 Wins Above Average or roughly 126 million yen per win over average. It should be noted<a href="https://twitter.com/qjamblues/status/413452029021794305"> that Rakuten has offered</a> Masahiro Tanaka a 800 million yen a year contract to stay with the team after a 5.4 WAR season. This is a little over the rate of the other players, but at 148 million yen per win, isn't too far off (and it is safe to say that Tanaka has more leverage than Fujita had and Tanaka holds more sentimental value to Rakuten).<br />
<br />
So with the 8 free agent signings in the NPB this year having a wins above average of just .51 total, and about 1068 million yen dolled out for the 8 players, Rakuten was much more efficient with their "foreign players" than the teams that dipped in the domestic free agent pool in 2013 (assuming these players don't perform much better in 2014). This should be kept in mind when discussing Fujita's contract, as it seems like NPB free agents were well overpaid. <br />
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If we keep the guesstimates about Fujita's non defensive value that we made above, and we assume that Rakuten is willing to match their 126 million yen per win above average, then Rakuten values Fujita's defense as worth anywhere from 15-18 runs per season, or about 189 million yen to 227 million yen per year (without subtracting what an average player would get anyway). Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-52640163065576298092013-12-08T15:12:00.000-06:002013-12-08T15:12:54.776-06:00Yusuke Inoue Scouting ReportFormer Rakuten Golden Eagles pitcher Yusuke Inoue is going to try to establish a baseball career in the United States <a href="http://yakyubaka.com/2013/12/08/1282013-hiroki-kuroda-yusuke-inoue/">according to reports</a>. Inoue is a 27 year old right-handed pitcher that was senryokugai'd (roughly the equivalent of non-tendered in the NPB) by Rakuten this off-season after not pitching with the Ichi-gun team (the "big league" team) in 2013.<br />
<br />
Inoue spent 2013 in the Ni-Gun (the farm league), appearing in 21 games for Rakuten, facing 153 batters. By ERA, he was one of the worst pitchers in the Ni-Gun (8.78). He also struggled to miss bats, only striking out about 12.5 % of all batters faced, while walking over 18 percent. Since being taken out of University in the 4th round in 2008 by Rakuten, he has only pitched in 9 Ichi-Gun games, 7 in 2010 and 2 in 2012, and those games did not go well either. In 2009, he didn't pitch in any games at any level thanks to injury. So statistically, there doesn't seem to be anything attractive about Inoue to a foreign team, but what about from a general scouting perspective?<br />
<br />
His size probably keep him as a reliever at 6-0 187 (though he may have put on a little more weight than that). He also comes from a pretty low sidearm angle, which is heightened by the fact that he gets low in his delivery. <br />
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His overall delivery seems to give him some deception, with a bit of a crossfire motion with his throwing arm temporarily hiding behind his glove arm and leg. Here is a look at his delivery from the first base side in one of his bullpens (so the delivery itself seems a little slower that it usually is):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXStIpA2KSIaMw0T6aRJ8_D0r9Wpw4oWAGuvLHQGvoO6deEgw8rLhLJQuxFjO8zxOokIP6ZORO0lsY234qFk0OaSZtmM3oDmsLxDCeov0bV5ORlBMdJfkqjT8QZkgq0ZQYjHsI94e8WP4/s1600/insta.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXStIpA2KSIaMw0T6aRJ8_D0r9Wpw4oWAGuvLHQGvoO6deEgw8rLhLJQuxFjO8zxOokIP6ZORO0lsY234qFk0OaSZtmM3oDmsLxDCeov0bV5ORlBMdJfkqjT8QZkgq0ZQYjHsI94e8WP4/s400/insta.gif" width="400" /> </a></div>
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At least to me, there doesn't appear to be much special here, pretty free and easy, pause as he gets his leg up and slings it back to him. At least in this look, his arm angle looks a little bit higher. </div>
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Stuff wise, Inoue is a bit of an enigma. In 2010 in the NPB, Inoue averaged less than .1 MPH below 90 MPH, with a slider almost 82 MPH, along with a forkball and a cutter. When he returned to the Ichi-Gun in 2012, he averaged below 87 MPH, with a slider at 76.5 MPH, a cutter also a couple of MPH slower, and no forkball. He is supposed to be able to get up to 92 MPH (and had a reputation of being somewhat of a power pitcher when drafted), but with no pitch data for his 2013 season and not enough video to go on for his Ni-Gun season, we have to assume he is still averaging less than 87 MPH on his fastball. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-53962444680578076562013-11-30T10:12:00.001-06:002013-11-30T10:12:15.656-06:00Choi Hyang-nam Scouting ReportAccording to reports out of Korea, Choi Hyang-nam of the KIA Tigers is aiming to come to the United States to play baseball. It wouldn't be the first time the right-handed reliever came to the States trying to pitch in the Majors, as he was famously posted for 101 dollars and pitched for the Dodgers AAA in 2009-2010 and Cleveland's AAA in 2006. He never made it to the Majors, but the now 42 year old (will turn 43 in Spring Training) had a very good year in AAA in 2006 as both a starter and a reliever, followed by a solid year in 2009 in relief, before struggling in 24.2 innings (despite not giving up a homer) in 2010. <br />
<br />
In the Korea Baseball Organization, Choi has pitched for Haitai (who eventually turned into KIA in the KBO), LG, KIA, Lotte, and then KIA again after returning from the States from a second time. In 2013, he only threw 30.1 innings, and was above replacement in all three metrics, with FIP favoring him the most and ERA favoring him the least (meaning his strikeout/walks/homers was better than his runs per game average, and he allowed just one "unearned" run). He was less than half a run below KBO average according to runs per game, but that is also not adjusted for relievers, so he was most likely a little worse than that. In 2012, his numbers were a little better, but he threw just over 20 innings. The lack of innings and his age severely hurts his value. However, he was pretty efficient, getting an out every 5.52 pitches, about the same a<a href="http://irfast.blogspot.com/2013/09/master-of-efficiency-woo-kyu-min.html">s Lee Jae-Hak</a>. <br />
<br />
Bizarrely, Choi doesn't have a Naver Scouting Report. Here is a look at his delivery:<br />
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I couldn't find any high quality video of his time in AAA, but this is a sideview of what he looks like before releasing the ball<br />
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His finishing point in his delivery reminds me a lot of what you see in some Dominican pitchers or sinker ballers, landing hard on the front leg and firing his body forward, shoulders square to the plate. Alexi Ogando's delivery is an example, without as much movement at the first of delivery. He has a high release point for his height, and the overall motion is unique enough that it seems deceptive. At times, the motion looks like he isn't even trying<br />
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Here are the pitches I saw him throw in the 2013 season: <br />
81-83 some sink, a little arm side movement<br />
78-79 slider, mostly vertical<br />
77-78 change, looks like the sinker with just a little bit taken off.<br />
<br />
Choi struggled with everything staying up when I saw him. I saw him get his fastball up to about 85-86 in 2012. I did not see this velocity in 2013 outings.I also saw a curveball at about 72-74 in 2012 video, but did not see it in 2013 outings. <br />
<br />
Ideally, Choi takes advantage of over aggressive hitters by slightly changing speeds and throwing pitches both in and out of the zone. It maybe a skill set that will still work for him in AAA, though returning to a hitter friendly park in the PCL like in Albuquerque would most likely lead to a lot of homers because of diminished stuff. If he didn't have the stuff for MLB teams (specifically Cleveland in 2006) in the past, he certainly doesn't now. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-85233088081688531582013-11-28T09:23:00.000-06:002013-11-28T09:23:51.793-06:00AFL Pitch F/X Data: Amador and RuaEventually what you want to be able to do with Pitch F/X data is to evaluate players. I have been looking at Pitch F/X data in the 2013 Arizona Fall League from several different perspectives, but have yet to look at isolated individual players. In this post, I wanted to look at a couple of notable hitters, not highly rated traditional prospects, but a couple of players I think are interesting, and see what the Pitch F/X data says about their tendencies during the AFL season (and perhaps, their offensive game as a whole). <br />
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Japhet Amador is 26 year old former Mexican League slugging 1st baseman signed by the Astros late in the 2013 season. Amador is most known for his weight, but he had some impressive seasons in Mexico. He <br />
saw 160 pitches measured by Pitch F/X in the Arizona Fall League<br />
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His 32 swinging strikes is twice as many swinging strikes as you would want (at least compared to MLB league average), and that is going to be a serious problem if he is going to be a MLB player, so let's take a look at the pitches he swung and missed at<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqy6hMD5C8aZdKXtkx_5RD7_XI-tf5QwdMMQEPlFwiyS5xy6TEh_HLGIih7tvOf9Wt09O8dH-CX9JYTWWuZaXtulgUUZTxTnStHAxcSqAu2GF41j-qtni3Vn65BKgkzuU75PGuXU-txWk/s1600/chart_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqy6hMD5C8aZdKXtkx_5RD7_XI-tf5QwdMMQEPlFwiyS5xy6TEh_HLGIih7tvOf9Wt09O8dH-CX9JYTWWuZaXtulgUUZTxTnStHAxcSqAu2GF41j-qtni3Vn65BKgkzuU75PGuXU-txWk/s400/chart_2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Amador is a right-handed batter, but their appear to be plenty of whiffs on both sides of the plate for him. There were also several high inside fastballs that Amador swung and missed at. So perhaps he is struggling with velocity, but let's continue to look at locations and start to focus on the good things he did in the AFL measured by Pitch F/X. Here are his 4 home runs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcGr1lUwDKbojDW7AMay5i9ljtVe985yAtEzXtdP00F0aZTmbjhzCyJB__mBYUY_R4czJ1TXttSE0QB6_anxxvoeD3Cd71MGhgLuMUGXwXomN3mRquG6eERqxnDcRBz4eDcTIvptXHug/s1600/chart_3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcGr1lUwDKbojDW7AMay5i9ljtVe985yAtEzXtdP00F0aZTmbjhzCyJB__mBYUY_R4czJ1TXttSE0QB6_anxxvoeD3Cd71MGhgLuMUGXwXomN3mRquG6eERqxnDcRBz4eDcTIvptXHug/s400/chart_3.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Up and in is also where Amador hit a couple of home runs, as well as missing some pitches. It is worth noting that Amador appeared on the list of hitters that hit a homer in the same at-bat they had a swinging strike. It would seem that pitchers could throw it there effectively at times, but Amador could strike there successfully. How about all of Amador's batted balls?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dnMeUGfzZrDRX761BLhcsJM1BH7H5l7VpFUOLr9AbENoXETE7HCHE_kxNNnWNhxASCAKe_b6G90lDCDCZedEcMKZCVAZJ8xdh8Sxv9c4UFFbI9xyu7FgwzAuWv3wCIyjzeXTsh3Q6dM/s1600/chart_4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dnMeUGfzZrDRX761BLhcsJM1BH7H5l7VpFUOLr9AbENoXETE7HCHE_kxNNnWNhxASCAKe_b6G90lDCDCZedEcMKZCVAZJ8xdh8Sxv9c4UFFbI9xyu7FgwzAuWv3wCIyjzeXTsh3Q6dM/s400/chart_4.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Amador was able to put balls in play when they were inside, and preferably up. Pitches away, especially low and away, were almost never put in play by Amador. To illustrate the differences, let's look at his average locations.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlbZJFaWzNtypvjpxr5Wy1Pjr1VdIwFvcLx3AQneRyI39gGvdScd1qcIdlSOaS5YJrT4G7qHlw6G37TGrv0N3YvyVTLSymCGsYDM674PHsD68kR_iFWgkMZ_ONtyjOt8cdPkiQM1YBOo/s1600/chart_5(1).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlbZJFaWzNtypvjpxr5Wy1Pjr1VdIwFvcLx3AQneRyI39gGvdScd1qcIdlSOaS5YJrT4G7qHlw6G37TGrv0N3YvyVTLSymCGsYDM674PHsD68kR_iFWgkMZ_ONtyjOt8cdPkiQM1YBOo/s400/chart_5(1).png" width="400" /></a></div>
While his average home run was on pitches that were harder than the average pitch, just as we saw in the home run graph, his average whiff was on pitches harder than the ones he put in play. His whiffs were much lower as well, and he hit balls inside better than outside. He was pitched slightly inside on average, something I have chalked up to inexperience and lack of control in previous AFL posts, and if he played in the Majors, we would expect to see more pitches outside. This could really hurt Amador's chances of hitting, as he doesn't seem to hit these pitches. Checking on whether or not he struggled with velocity, I checked the 4-seam fastballs he saw, all 90 by Pitch F/X, and saw that the average one he swung and missed at averaged 93.98 MPH, while the ones he put in play were 90.67 MPH, making it seem that he was dramatically affected by velocity in fastballs. The four seamers that he fouled off were 92.69 MPH on average, and the called strikes were 91.54 MPH, while the balls were 92.15 MPH on average. <br />
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Moving on from Amador, I wanted to take a look at someone who had a home run explosion in the lower minors (32 homers in all in 2013) for the Rangers system, Ryan Rua. Rua saw 228 pitches measured by Pitch F/X in the Arizona Fall League, 28 of them for swinging strikes. Here are were they were located, labelled with MLBAM tags:<br />
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Rua is also a right-handed hitter, so the low breaking balls to the right are actually inside, which is strange. While there are some low balls on both sides, and two pitches higher than the strike zone, almost all of these pitches are actually in the strike zone. Like Amador, Rua hit four home runs that were measured by Pitch F/X. This is what they looked like:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfm2EEkl_NeZ3Hn6xePaIVR6GzafxPH5lbolWbs6CKJcSwCgv0BI0hTM1dDTnYLcTJgBwExszSlZ-JbbYgxP8MQG54cKcaiTS2fIDS7dzeJC1_0QhqgRfN4UDSjv2XWKx9687BGJml9k/s1600/chart_7(1).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfm2EEkl_NeZ3Hn6xePaIVR6GzafxPH5lbolWbs6CKJcSwCgv0BI0hTM1dDTnYLcTJgBwExszSlZ-JbbYgxP8MQG54cKcaiTS2fIDS7dzeJC1_0QhqgRfN4UDSjv2XWKx9687BGJml9k/s400/chart_7(1).png" width="400" /></a></div>
All four are obviously in the strike zone, and are roughly middle height, three of them inside, one outside. Let's look at all of Rua's contact plays in context of location and the opposing pitcher's release point.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2PeUwI2rjJNHDlbBIZdlzb5cekqFQ98UwWk5W8jruNpwrLlYh0RnX8IpUh2mwRd4buLlLsS3Zh8wm7NPfq7j4LsegbZ-RVwtmdRY4LYjoSkJZsm2p0ZBKOHvq6bBm6XWnZr8pNOYZoeg/s1600/chart_8(1).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2PeUwI2rjJNHDlbBIZdlzb5cekqFQ98UwWk5W8jruNpwrLlYh0RnX8IpUh2mwRd4buLlLsS3Zh8wm7NPfq7j4LsegbZ-RVwtmdRY4LYjoSkJZsm2p0ZBKOHvq6bBm6XWnZr8pNOYZoeg/s400/chart_8(1).png" width="400" /></a></div>
Rua seems pretty balanced at making contact on pitches both inside and outside, even making contact on a pitch outside of the strike zone, as well as a pitch low and in, not in the zone. He also made contact on pitches in the normal right-handed pitcher cluster. Interestingly, it didn't seem like he made contact with a lot of pitchers with high release points, though the average AFL release point was lower than the average MLB release point in 2013.<br />
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Finally, here are his average locations to give us a better idea of his hitting tendencies in the AFL<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFJ_1Hy1AMbQotyPlC2rMUZGtCxc4bNGPcvpeUGZzzOaV-7SOucm7CNw7zVWUVJuiGHco3bUF7ltpN9b0GReXluVqTopQDUec0-rCNAJvxwR4VmYOOT4rVuslTStEPWoy8KI5HxvjRx0c/s1600/chart_9(1).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFJ_1Hy1AMbQotyPlC2rMUZGtCxc4bNGPcvpeUGZzzOaV-7SOucm7CNw7zVWUVJuiGHco3bUF7ltpN9b0GReXluVqTopQDUec0-rCNAJvxwR4VmYOOT4rVuslTStEPWoy8KI5HxvjRx0c/s400/chart_9(1).png" width="400" /></a></div>
Obviously the homers are higher on average, but interestingly they were further away on average as well. His contact came on pitches slightly closer to him than the average pitch, while his whiffs generally came low. While his home runs were on harder pitches than average, both his contact and whiffs were on slightly slower pitches, with his whiffs being slower on average. It would seem that he can hit for power if you get the pitch up and over the plate, while you can still throw inside on him, low preferably, and get him to swing and miss. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-3594762813779246642013-11-27T10:32:00.000-06:002013-11-27T10:32:19.252-06:00AFL Pitch F/X Data: SequencingTaking a break from looking at batting results, I wanted to take a quick look at another subject that has been very important in recent Pitch F/X research, pitch sequencing.<br />
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I think a good way to start is to approach seq<a href="http://irfast.blogspot.com/2013/08/understanding-pitch-sequencing-whiffs.html">uencing the same way I did</a>, looking to at-bats that contained both a whiff and a home run, meaning that the pitcher was able to make the batter swing and miss on one pitch, only to give up a home run later in the at-bat. There were 6 such at-bats in the AFL Pitch F/X games: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqgOo96rmicj_nMKrzOoyzoR82wqana3L9RJGE5a6l0WQmR8lLogOW91Mx_taGsQL1yxB-o9YjyHH1PitAo2O857tlTaBPpBSCKRCWABSsouZhi5CBOe7wt4-K1x0_nymyMLF1LlZXhg/s1600/chart_21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqgOo96rmicj_nMKrzOoyzoR82wqana3L9RJGE5a6l0WQmR8lLogOW91Mx_taGsQL1yxB-o9YjyHH1PitAo2O857tlTaBPpBSCKRCWABSsouZhi5CBOe7wt4-K1x0_nymyMLF1LlZXhg/s400/chart_21.png" width="400" /></a></div>
4 of the 6 at-bats that had swinging strikes and home runs ended with batters getting a different pitch than the ones that he swung and missed at. As far as general location goes, we see the same ratio, two of the six got pitches in the same area. Japhet Amador got the same pitch in a similar area and hit it for a homer, but the difference was that the first one was out of the strike zone. O'Brien got the same pitch in the same area against Pete Ruiz, both in the strike zone, and he didn't miss the second one. <br />
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The Peter O'Brien/Dominic Leone at-bat is fascinating because Leone managed to get O'Brien to swing and miss at two different pitches, one out of the zone and one in the zone, and then threw a third separate pitch in the strike zone, in a different part of the strike zone, and it was hit for a homer. Here is a location graph showing the three pitches: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JPRqlQCrOvvGk04jK1aJnEuQHtRP9w6yXrZw0BlsZMnQdWLyota3s3QdopE0qtcraGtiPwFJyj2Z5qxp8f8vZIpEKDwJnYb3iuUrw6bMMfG7AS8Yx_qbtNi_khWaSCuTfh-Mtnet1MU/s1600/chart_22.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JPRqlQCrOvvGk04jK1aJnEuQHtRP9w6yXrZw0BlsZMnQdWLyota3s3QdopE0qtcraGtiPwFJyj2Z5qxp8f8vZIpEKDwJnYb3iuUrw6bMMfG7AS8Yx_qbtNi_khWaSCuTfh-Mtnet1MU/s400/chart_22.png" width="400" /></a></div>
As the first chart shows, the cutter high and in the middle of the strike zone was the ball hit for a homer. The fastball thrown slightly away was missed at, and the slider was low away, not technically in the strike zone, but close. <br />
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Of course, the at-bat actually lasted 8 pitches, so the three pitches above were just a small, though dramatic part, of the battle at the plate. Here are where all 8 pitches were located, labelled with the MLBAM tags of the pitches, along with the amount of strikes there were at the time the pitch was thrown:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvnLpX5TAeVQ5ImM30m8dvA2WBUdrm1zb0wv0kqTPiupNXfw_HO3kdF9OHsBwtY55k5MUHSy7yEq9O_RjJ6JVIdevDp0SMoHwFJHF9FM4rYusx9swXyfgO496H5EUAIPP0Mq69S8pRUA/s1600/chart_23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvnLpX5TAeVQ5ImM30m8dvA2WBUdrm1zb0wv0kqTPiupNXfw_HO3kdF9OHsBwtY55k5MUHSy7yEq9O_RjJ6JVIdevDp0SMoHwFJHF9FM4rYusx9swXyfgO496H5EUAIPP0Mq69S8pRUA/s400/chart_23.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Leone threw fastballs early in the count, both away, one high and one low. After getting a strike on O'Brien, Leone threw the slider that got him a whiff to get the count to two strikes. O'Brien then bore down and fouled off four pitches, a slider and cutter away (perhaps both sliders), and a fastball and cutter high and slightly inside. This is when Leone kept the ball over the plate and O'Brien hit it for a homer. <br />
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Of course, we want to look at larger sample sizes, and look at more results than just home run at-bats that also contained whiffs. So here we will take a look at strikeout at-bats, breaking them down by what pitches were thrown by the amount of strikes in the count. <br />
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Here are all the pitches in Arizona Fall League Pitch F/X games in 2013 that were either called a strike or swung and missed at in at-bats that ended with a strikeout. First, here are the pitches that were thrown with no strikes:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzLuaEuEDAVgM8LGx_MCbaHCZM-yks6ZlH7DpJw-BWrdIvH9FiO3OulmYkJhkM2cze-2ZudaQ8kUbgOcuhcNybMBy3iiT0mLYJKTl298HixzRVbij2f9rnrLh_RpxcZNHQS8W4ETno_2w/s1600/chart_24.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzLuaEuEDAVgM8LGx_MCbaHCZM-yks6ZlH7DpJw-BWrdIvH9FiO3OulmYkJhkM2cze-2ZudaQ8kUbgOcuhcNybMBy3iiT0mLYJKTl298HixzRVbij2f9rnrLh_RpxcZNHQS8W4ETno_2w/s400/chart_24.png" width="400" /></a></div>
To spoil the two below graphs, while there are some sliders on the fringe here, we are mainly looking at pitches in the zone, with a stronger concentration. Pitchers are using their fastballs to get ahead in counts fro the most part. <br />
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With 1 strike:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfja2HQpjV14YzbWUCnGi4sYYPMJTEraRB9FPFhUBdwmoRl4hpTfSZl1Bze8DtneWcQJE818vIF9PueTngOOVd9lbMrttUwjLRmEpdzIrQi1P1sE8Q1jXJPNTgdFOZMmcGSVcKsj5xQU/s1600/chart_25.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfja2HQpjV14YzbWUCnGi4sYYPMJTEraRB9FPFhUBdwmoRl4hpTfSZl1Bze8DtneWcQJE818vIF9PueTngOOVd9lbMrttUwjLRmEpdzIrQi1P1sE8Q1jXJPNTgdFOZMmcGSVcKsj5xQU/s400/chart_25.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Here we see a lot more curves, with some more changes and sliders as well, we also see a lot more pitches off the plate horizontally, especially on the left side. Middle of the plate and high out of the zone seems to have a higher glut of pitches as well. <br />
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With 2 strikes:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_eKt8kLvbebTEkoFpb1BUr7Q_KrS9_zwmGS4o3S5bNECI17Htn8gSYxq6lgO_d5NLFuDLnzIgY6uFS6eznXyblaxRrtIfUr8vVRtm8lTosiIajVaEk_At3LVGiRbPYvIQKxDioDh4lI0/s1600/chart_26.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_eKt8kLvbebTEkoFpb1BUr7Q_KrS9_zwmGS4o3S5bNECI17Htn8gSYxq6lgO_d5NLFuDLnzIgY6uFS6eznXyblaxRrtIfUr8vVRtm8lTosiIajVaEk_At3LVGiRbPYvIQKxDioDh4lI0/s400/chart_26.png" width="400" /></a></div>
There are more pitches everywhere, whether buried in the dirt, extremely high in the zone, or to the left (still not a great glut of pitches to the right, which is where you should throw your pitches to a right-handed hitter, but again, this could be youthful pitchers). There are also more changeups in the zone. <br />
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In case the graphs do not show it, here are the average locations in strikeout at-bats, broken down by how many strikes there were at the time the pitch was thrown:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9eU-BKWaBUAguKclXHJBev8_yALGYFC0qr2Nrqla7oqa8JWzjNplWJiTubRb34ZMmwaCmH4LPNGg1fRRm7E3AX-FojGrQtjDidfaKeD4pNd3CPOwxfYtAwL7R9sIoPMKy3t2N16T7riU/s1600/chart_27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9eU-BKWaBUAguKclXHJBev8_yALGYFC0qr2Nrqla7oqa8JWzjNplWJiTubRb34ZMmwaCmH4LPNGg1fRRm7E3AX-FojGrQtjDidfaKeD4pNd3CPOwxfYtAwL7R9sIoPMKy3t2N16T7riU/s400/chart_27.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Not surprisingly, when pitchers in the AFL got to two strikes, they tended to throw more breaking balls, which are lower in the zone on average. Surprisingly, there isn't much of a difference in horizontal location. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-75802939135826481442013-11-26T10:43:00.001-06:002013-11-26T10:43:08.362-06:00AFL Pitch F/X Data: Individual Batting ResultsIn the previous post, I looked at general batting results and locations. In this post, I wanted to look at more individualized results, seeing if the data will tell us something about each individual batter. <br />
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First, let's look at how each batter was pitched by average locations:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlpnpaB_GllbWKOJmXpi20XHUm0BML7oeaEV7aLMCNPdEIYM_gIpZxDh9Xyjph5oW-ip0_nGkk8VjEnMJM2aeR4AS_HT1ATKnyHIRqJmYVy46Ra5piGc2MTqVE-LkA09hOe8Xj-tSit8/s1600/chart_13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlpnpaB_GllbWKOJmXpi20XHUm0BML7oeaEV7aLMCNPdEIYM_gIpZxDh9Xyjph5oW-ip0_nGkk8VjEnMJM2aeR4AS_HT1ATKnyHIRqJmYVy46Ra5piGc2MTqVE-LkA09hOe8Xj-tSit8/s400/chart_13.png" width="400" /></a></div>
I am surprised at the concentration of pitches and where they are located. Right-handers were pitched inside on average, which is surprising. However, this matches the average location data we saw with the pitchers, so this could just be right-handers struggling to get the ball glove side. This seems to a mark of a struggling or young pitcher, at least that is what other cases suggest. The White Sox' Micah Johnson, and Alex Dickerson, just acquired by the Padres were pitched extremely low, while Tyler Austin, a top prospect with the Yankees, was pitched extremely inside.<br />
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Now that we have seen where the batters were pitched, let's look at the average locations of their whiffs: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bWpBqXMMKrnC0y6gtI8z66IpyHR_9dDGLMVArx6kVH1GdJiu8wtskDFbijcgfIJzLEeTS4CTl78wThi8puBRqb5-7fRiQbOyBZ7q14P4JyhdKaKVAfmvSRgRRFqYHBwLyasgzluYV3k/s1600/chart_14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bWpBqXMMKrnC0y6gtI8z66IpyHR_9dDGLMVArx6kVH1GdJiu8wtskDFbijcgfIJzLEeTS4CTl78wThi8puBRqb5-7fRiQbOyBZ7q14P4JyhdKaKVAfmvSRgRRFqYHBwLyasgzluYV3k/s400/chart_14.png" width="400" /></a></div>
As you can see, the graph has shifted to the middle of the plate on a whole. This suggests that the batters were pitched inside on average, but were more likely to swing and miss at pitches away, something we saw in the previous post. Nick Ahmed, the dazzling defensive shortstop with the Diamondbacks, swung at missed at a lot of pitches away, while Johnson and the Phillies' minor leaguer Cameron Perkins struggled with balls low. Wes Darvill of the Cubs is a left-handed hitter, so he also struggled with pitches low and away. The Angels' Jett Bandy bucked the trend by struggling with high pitches. <br />
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With this in mind, I wanted to look at the worst pitches that batters swung at, that is, the pitches furthest out of the zone, starting with the highest pitch swung at:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETHSl5K3LnCGEbL3zvz72Xfq1A-a6eceEuIB0VXRRFhcpktNmLF8REI4YfP4V1jVDpRsKJhMIEhpVepp9HWEY5SpKEgjtFYimigome6Lox6cL7pJdWykaw54T9UncDhCjPwSRWb6j5Fc/s1600/chart_15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETHSl5K3LnCGEbL3zvz72Xfq1A-a6eceEuIB0VXRRFhcpktNmLF8REI4YfP4V1jVDpRsKJhMIEhpVepp9HWEY5SpKEgjtFYimigome6Lox6cL7pJdWykaw54T9UncDhCjPwSRWb6j5Fc/s400/chart_15.png" width="400" /></a></div>
This is not quite a full foot out of the zone. Lamb was a 6th round pick by the Diamondbacks in 2012 out of the University of Washington. He is a 3B/DH that has only played in the lower minors so far, but he has a manageable K/BB and has hit for a high slash line all the way around. AA may be a test for him, especially if he is consistently this impatient, but the numbers are good so far. <br />
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Lowest:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWzuzDPTO-lkgZgLDqiQ5lEiC-hrq1HyPtMrCptz7WYDli4GfFh7-jX8mphwRb1Rk2OrBxhuz8VcUEU3rW_24RpVl-NmKqf3B6gH_robQ2BAsmiTl13cVAtcnAGUlQoe79ZljPqxzbcw/s1600/chart_16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWzuzDPTO-lkgZgLDqiQ5lEiC-hrq1HyPtMrCptz7WYDli4GfFh7-jX8mphwRb1Rk2OrBxhuz8VcUEU3rW_24RpVl-NmKqf3B6gH_robQ2BAsmiTl13cVAtcnAGUlQoe79ZljPqxzbcw/s400/chart_16.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Alfaro is one of the Rangers' best prospects, and he has a reputation for being quite the free swinger, here swinging at a pitch that bounced before it reached the plate. <br />
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Furthest to the Right (catcher's perspective):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0O1BTPxRpIMu7ApPPBN6I3hwZlvmQZ6slyyHOFYSfemCJB1R5a1-zQKgYPKAvwFQIzx2LwPPjLUsziWDSjT2TSb-AmCk1e-yurnr-RqrSNzw05KpVS_hDOM7VrAO6WN0eWl7vgwTSf8/s1600/chart_17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0O1BTPxRpIMu7ApPPBN6I3hwZlvmQZ6slyyHOFYSfemCJB1R5a1-zQKgYPKAvwFQIzx2LwPPjLUsziWDSjT2TSb-AmCk1e-yurnr-RqrSNzw05KpVS_hDOM7VrAO6WN0eWl7vgwTSf8/s400/chart_17.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Parker has posted good numbers throughout the minors, including AA, since being drafted out of the first round by the Rockies after a football career. However, there does seem to be some concern about swing and miss, and here the right-hander swung at a pitch a foot out of the zone away. <br />
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Furthest to the Left:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBM3yFM6faZxC9MAs4Z3mNQaZcVED_MF_hWuES7Rnn3k1HM-g5EsYrv3pSw6YpGIQrEwytw2Bkfnuzki8OfmpLgVrHNRfii5eW6TAXH4fQ7H7-VjTE095yRd9V2FjMq-fWkwiI7I76FQI/s1600/chart_18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBM3yFM6faZxC9MAs4Z3mNQaZcVED_MF_hWuES7Rnn3k1HM-g5EsYrv3pSw6YpGIQrEwytw2Bkfnuzki8OfmpLgVrHNRfii5eW6TAXH4fQ7H7-VjTE095yRd9V2FjMq-fWkwiI7I76FQI/s400/chart_18.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Gift is interesting because he was signed out of South Africa, but the numbers haven't been very good, and he really struggled in AA in 2012. Here, the switch hitter swung at a pitch that was a foot off the plate, and in the dirt, which I think is indisputably the worst swing of the AFL Pitch F/X games. <br />
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Of course, looking at some positive things can be helpful as well, and we looked at homers in the previous post, so let's look at the other two extra base hits, starting with all the doubles in Pitch F/X games in the AFL, marked by location and labelled with the hitter of the double:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTE1UEsUeVT2suA-j9F176lj9mx_1pTZFex88j6zdOvOWcI9aenpHGNI_O9hANePtZGjceA312T6ozj38GlczerF1fvbyPQTOf-I3OU0VRgt8ihjcrHHysU4wfvcTNIPTVAPyP6F8R3E/s1600/chart_19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTE1UEsUeVT2suA-j9F176lj9mx_1pTZFex88j6zdOvOWcI9aenpHGNI_O9hANePtZGjceA312T6ozj38GlczerF1fvbyPQTOf-I3OU0VRgt8ihjcrHHysU4wfvcTNIPTVAPyP6F8R3E/s400/chart_19.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Cristhian Adames, a 22 year old with the Rockies who struggled in 2013, hit the highest double, while Robby Hefflinger, a former 7th round pick by the Braves, hit a double on the lowest pitch. Japhet Amador and 2012 Cubs 1st round pick Albert Almora hit doubles on pitches that were up and in and balls. Kyle Parker swung at a bad ball in an above graph, but he also hit a double on a borderline strike on this graph. <br />
<br />Triples are much more rare, so this graph is much cleaner, but there are no repeats, so it is difficult to guage any kind of predictability:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwSBZGFYXRN1bVJp65n4__JE4FJQDvYjnqVXKSXd8KjLOFbrvOsDnVfUJdZTPCCv0SAPq4LmTO01FMHAWH3UD6JQuYG1EiWpXtNZFuU_jttbdq4weHkLyVLTrANfwP1XGueDwTuDzY00/s1600/chart_20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwSBZGFYXRN1bVJp65n4__JE4FJQDvYjnqVXKSXd8KjLOFbrvOsDnVfUJdZTPCCv0SAPq4LmTO01FMHAWH3UD6JQuYG1EiWpXtNZFuU_jttbdq4weHkLyVLTrANfwP1XGueDwTuDzY00/s400/chart_20.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Other than Spangenberg, who hit a low and in pitch for a triple, the triples came on pitches in the middle part of the plate or high. It is interesting to see Alfaro here, hitting a high ball for a triple despite being a catcher. Austin Hedges is also a catcher, and Kris Bryant is hardly known for his speed, making triples as "doubles with speed" a misnomer. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-47001900843376216292013-11-25T12:13:00.000-06:002013-11-25T12:13:43.852-06:00AFL Pitch F/X Data: Battting Results Moving along from just looking at a pitching perspective when it comes to Pitch F/X data in the Arizona Fall League, I wanted to take a basic look at the batting results in the Pitch F/X game from a hitter's perspective. In the next post, I plan to take a look at the results from a more individualist standpoint, but for now, I'll look at results as a whole. The simplest way to start this seems to be by looking at all the swinging strikes in the AFL Pitch F/X games, labelled by MLBAM pitch type:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_8vfSgtp4p3aJCfs3s2kDYeC1IFLArpoxUNR6050EPFrTGlGYyd741BvZAIkUXPPGr6GP09iXLXK9bAuZMA4nR-vEZq_umyGSXnNFNdedTWsWZvhS0gtpAuFPYEwylT_cRJoGWKfuRw/s1600/chart_7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_8vfSgtp4p3aJCfs3s2kDYeC1IFLArpoxUNR6050EPFrTGlGYyd741BvZAIkUXPPGr6GP09iXLXK9bAuZMA4nR-vEZq_umyGSXnNFNdedTWsWZvhS0gtpAuFPYEwylT_cRJoGWKfuRw/s400/chart_7.png" width="400" /></a></div>
There isn't a lot of surprising things here, fastballs are more likely to be swung and missed at high, curves and changeups low, and sliders low and side to side. 2-seam fastballs (FT) are usually low or in the middle of the zone when they are swung at. There are some exceptions of course, as I see a couple of high sliders, a high cutter, and a high changeup on both sides. <br />
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When looking at home runs, the pitches are high in the zone, with really only one "low pitch" hit for a home run.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkAh_78EFM5zafnVU6CagT4wDI-VaDCOQMdrEzqJwdq5TM05I_LWmxKPi6NruqB2VGJln3dmV1pMM2iIIAW79x6jiDEhPpJZ64yAMwqDwcy9GyKrOrezM4Qizjq5XE1DGN45g_fXUmy0/s1600/chart_8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkAh_78EFM5zafnVU6CagT4wDI-VaDCOQMdrEzqJwdq5TM05I_LWmxKPi6NruqB2VGJln3dmV1pMM2iIIAW79x6jiDEhPpJZ64yAMwqDwcy9GyKrOrezM4Qizjq5XE1DGN45g_fXUmy0/s400/chart_8.png" width="400" /></a> </div>
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Obviously there is a lot of fastballs, but there is a hanging high curve, some sliders that didn't get real low, and a hanging changeup. Below is the same graph, but labelled with the names of the hitters instead of the pitch types:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Yniol7_J7lEY1ZPsIss479jJw7tG0Q8tJzjHWvPoGOnJImUxv_fpK33s29LERivANFY-zp9wZqIvC82iPeRr_s_6vyNXdof7nU7lZHWjUwoObqtfQX9idnMLMGUmJ8VdAoF9ptCQ2Vw/s1600/chart_9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Yniol7_J7lEY1ZPsIss479jJw7tG0Q8tJzjHWvPoGOnJImUxv_fpK33s29LERivANFY-zp9wZqIvC82iPeRr_s_6vyNXdof7nU7lZHWjUwoObqtfQX9idnMLMGUmJ8VdAoF9ptCQ2Vw/s400/chart_9.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Peter O'Brien, a Yankees C/3B prospect in the lower minors, managed to hit a homer that wasn't even a strike, while Ohlman had the low home run. The highly paid Cubs' prospect Jorge Soler had the home run on the highest pitch, while Mexican Leaguer turned Astro Japhet Amador had an honorable mention (as did Peter O'Brien). </div>
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Infield fly balls is something that I think has been getting too much attention in the sabermetric community in the last couple of years, but it is something that is interesting since they are almost always turned into outs. GameDay labels them "popups", and here are the locations and the pitch types of each one measured by Pitch F/X in the AFL in 2013. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBa_gGwjVqzkJ_4xiRmQxYjjKjkspZkrggsAdWATXJEhdPBIClG9shQjXI8JIGa8nwNrP1z5WIwuWqrH_IxCWrMI6GiGiDWyGQY_9PX-gABXri3bXC4yJWr86yAS9e4yQuRyOhkofDzjQ/s1600/chart_10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBa_gGwjVqzkJ_4xiRmQxYjjKjkspZkrggsAdWATXJEhdPBIClG9shQjXI8JIGa8nwNrP1z5WIwuWqrH_IxCWrMI6GiGiDWyGQY_9PX-gABXri3bXC4yJWr86yAS9e4yQuRyOhkofDzjQ/s400/chart_10.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Most of them are on fastballs thrown up and in to right-handed batters, which I don't think is surprising. There appear to be some breaking balls thrown away from right-handers that turned into popups, most likely pitches that the batter tried to pull (you wouldn't think a left-hander would pop up a low and inside breaking ball). </div>
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Groundballs are much easier to measure, and usually more predictable as a repeatable skill, but the problem is that there are more of them. This makes the graph a little messier, but here are the groundballs turned into outs in the AFL by Pitch F/X data:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzanhFAfklqayg74d_U8Z0jsvvA8fNmB2dBCJ8eOpi6-K0nvS7qnI8HDVKl-a6Ogq3xaiUGLHrKBdTDItJA0U29MCX75KXX1mWlgwgfEK0M4pPoG7ORHg7W_czVsb7MLGjFzyqxoXEJ9w/s1600/chart_11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzanhFAfklqayg74d_U8Z0jsvvA8fNmB2dBCJ8eOpi6-K0nvS7qnI8HDVKl-a6Ogq3xaiUGLHrKBdTDItJA0U29MCX75KXX1mWlgwgfEK0M4pPoG7ORHg7W_czVsb7MLGjFzyqxoXEJ9w/s400/chart_11.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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There aren't many high pitches, but the concentration of pitches is mostly in the middle of the plate. Not surprisingly, a lot of cutters and 2-seam fastballs show up here, without the concentration of breaking balls that we saw in the swinging strike graph. </div>
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Here are the average locations of the 4 main GameDay results:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwq7DNsT22bjvAgZVYwRS4VhM2zAlmHgHBk-ByBaYuWTg-HdlyTpsancqm7PpR68kITC7agSKxwmA1UZ9LcEPNNhNcDMit6LF70o937Cyr-Ls8eeFr7G5IADTrsuB77ZfJfWpZ2ouULq0/s1600/chart_12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwq7DNsT22bjvAgZVYwRS4VhM2zAlmHgHBk-ByBaYuWTg-HdlyTpsancqm7PpR68kITC7agSKxwmA1UZ9LcEPNNhNcDMit6LF70o937Cyr-Ls8eeFr7G5IADTrsuB77ZfJfWpZ2ouULq0/s400/chart_12.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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On average, there is no real average difference in location between outs, no outs, or run scoring plays. This suggest that most of the actual results off the bat were BABIP or randomness driven. Swinging strikes on the other hand, were thrown lower in the zone and a little further away from right-handed hitters. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-38411383776115785022013-11-24T17:36:00.001-06:002013-11-24T17:39:06.305-06:00AFL Pitch F/X Data: Release Point Data<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4975768989952885120" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4975768989952885120" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4975768989952885120" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>As I continue to look at the Pitch F/X data from the Arizona Fall League, in this post I'll look at the release point data from the AFL. First, here is a graph showing each pitch thrown in Pitch F/X games in the Arizona Fall League regardless of pitcher:</div>
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" /></div>
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It would be nice to have labels for those pitches, so here are the average release points for all 110 pitchers that pitched in Pitch F/X games in the Arizona Fall League. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfGHlyHXJGSAQscYfI9LtfFGanmHLKwu5ag5DbZieNbOT4-e0uHFoS26YOTnUfkozdQkm3TErbd3eZaVFdPIEi5F50XpoVfO-EnkqfHDJL3oPquFLZl8WtJBc_tk2PbZFQ1q6kJ68gwE/s1600/chart_5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfGHlyHXJGSAQscYfI9LtfFGanmHLKwu5ag5DbZieNbOT4-e0uHFoS26YOTnUfkozdQkm3TErbd3eZaVFdPIEi5F50XpoVfO-EnkqfHDJL3oPquFLZl8WtJBc_tk2PbZFQ1q6kJ68gwE/s400/chart_5.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Even the above graph isn't all that helpful without some context, so below is a comparison of each of the AFL pitchers' average release points to MLB pitchers in 20<a href="http://irfast.blogspot.com/2013/11/2013-mlb-release-point-leaderboards.html">13 based on the release point leaderboard</a> (sorted by height of release point of the AFL pitcher). Some comparisons are better than others obviously, and it has nothing to do with stuff or any other part of pitching, just average release point:</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="300" src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AvDUd_c_mKWrdFFaNmNiMlhwNE5TTmhYajNyOWxPbWc&output=html&widget=true" width="500"></iframe>
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Of course, like with pitch movement, release point data in Pitch F/X is subject to park factors, as it is measured slightly different from park to park. The AFL parks showed <a href="http://irfast.blogspot.com/2013/11/afl-pitch-fx-data-movement.html">significant bias in movement data,</a> so we would expect to see the same in release point data. So using the same method, we can see if there is biases from the individual pitchers that pitched in both the AFL and the MLB this season.<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4975768989952885120" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4975768989952885120" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMj8D59k6zL9x9mBkx_8cqVHGCIuJ2H2E4l7Igmb7JPvo57WJPNmiSkNHerSKMvmYSBQqCJcqv8mtbVnopNXH9TD34F1ksU2YY353dMHR_LBGpi7bbDUmVoxBMjpLZQ3ia3Y-IPEyZcoM/s1600/chart_6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMj8D59k6zL9x9mBkx_8cqVHGCIuJ2H2E4l7Igmb7JPvo57WJPNmiSkNHerSKMvmYSBQqCJcqv8mtbVnopNXH9TD34F1ksU2YY353dMHR_LBGpi7bbDUmVoxBMjpLZQ3ia3Y-IPEyZcoM/s400/chart_6.png" width="400" /></a></div>
For all three right-handers, we see basically the same height, but the AFL data brings them closer to the center of the rubber. For the lefties, 2 of them are brought further away from the center of the rubber, in the same direction, while Vidal Nuno stands out as an exception. Of course, if just one of six are different, it could have been a conscious decision by Nuno to slightly move on the rubber. The difference doesn't seem to be drastic, but there is probably some shift to the right (catcher's perspective) caused by the AFL Pitch F/X measurements. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4975768989952885120.post-90127359005808125492013-11-23T13:28:00.000-06:002013-11-23T13:28:51.870-06:002013 KBO Position Player WAR LeaderboardIn case you missed it, I posted the pitcher WAR leaderboard for the 2013 Korea Baseball Organization <a href="http://irfast.blogspot.com/2013/11/2013-kbo-pitcher-war-leaderboard.html">here</a>. This post is the position player version of the 2013 KBO WAR leaderboard. Before the list below, some quick notes on methodology. <br />
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For ease, I kept the same simple speed score method from last time. This time, I did note that league average simple speed score was 5.96, so I began by grading harder. So to keep it somewhat simple, I calculated the first method of speed score for each player, then subtracted it by .96. Then, to take account of playing time like we did with batting (I didn't do this last year), I assumed that a "full time player" had about 300 plate appearances (70 had that much in the KBO). So while I kept the run scale of doubling speed score from 5 to equal 1 run, I assumed it equaled 1 run over 300 plate appearances. So I used the percentage of plate appearances over or under to adjust the run value. But before I did that, I had to give everyone 6 extra runs to make league average 0, something I didn't do last year, just so we make sure we are weighing each player against average. Just like with last year, I am keeping the defense and speed values and the batting values separate, so if you want to ignore them, feel free, but hopefully this gives us some idea of how valuable the players' ability to steal (and by extension, run the bases) was. <br />
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For defense, this year's method will be a lot simpler. One reason is the lack of defensive stats easily available (like with the pitching numbers, I used the numbers from MyKBO.net). So I will just use positional adjustments, the<a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/library/misc/war/positional-adjustment/"> same I used last year</a>. I will just use the rosters' position labels on homeplate.kr to determine what position a player usually is. For the purpose of this article, we are assuming that all players at each position are equal defenders, which is obviously wrong and overly simplistic, but will have to work for this article. Again, you can ignore the adjustments all together.<br />
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With the pitchers' WAR, I put every single pitcher that threw an inning in the spreadsheet. For the hitters, this isn't practical. There were 60 players who played in a game as a position player but didn't have a plate appearance. 106 of them had 10 plate or appearances or less. So I decided to post the WARs of the 129 players that had 100 plate appearances or more. This is more than I di<a href="http://irfast.blogspot.com/2013/03/complete-hitter-kbo-war-for-2012.html">d last year</a>.<br />
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For defense and baserunning, I only posted the league average rates, but for the batting, I used three different levels of measurements: replacement, average, and "foreign level expectation". For the batting version of WAR, I used the sa<a href="http://irfast.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-kbo-war.html">me simple runs created method</a>, but as the run environment did change in 2013, I adjusted the baselines:<br />
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RC/PA League Average: .117<br />
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Replacement level (.320): .075<br />
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In 2014, KBO teams will be forced to use at least foreign roster spot on a position player (each team gets an extra foreign player as well), so I thought we needed some projection for how we expect those new players to perform. This isn't very mathematic, but without looking at past players for translations, we don't really have any idea what to expect from foreign position players. So I just used the same number baseline (which was gleaned from runs allowed per inning) that I used for foreign pitchers in the pitcher WAR post, which is 1.1 better than league average:<br />
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Foreign Player Expectation: 1.1 * .117 = .129 runs created per plate appearance<br />
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The sum of the batting runs above average, speed score runs, and defensive adjustment (divided by 10 to convert from runs to wins) creates the Wins Above Average at the end (like last year, I didn't create an actual WAR for position players). Here is the leaderboard containing every player with at least 100 plate appearances in 2013, sorted by WAA:<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="300" src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AvDUd_c_mKWrdHBkeWhjRjJTQkVHZ0ZSRlFWR0t0Y2c&single=true&gid=0&output=html&widget=true" width="500"></iframe>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132466409851614332noreply@blogger.com1