MtGrizzly with an excellent link:*

Here's what Baltimore manager Dave Trembley said:

"We had trouble with him because he nibbles and locates on both sides of the plate and up and down. He shows you a lot of stuff, nothing overpowering. He pitches around the plate very well. He looks like he's going to give you some hittable pitches and then they're not real good pitches.

It looks like every at-bat, he gives you one decent one, but then he locates and changes speed. He nibbles on both sides of the plate, moves the ball around, changes speeds and changes eye levels.''

Thanks for the link Grizzly.  Doogie giving them fits right now.

Very info-taining postgame from Trembley, on a lot of levels ...

.

=== Kibbles & Bits Dept. ===

For those who just joined us, "Nibbling" is a sour-grapes term in baseball.  It's an accusation, not a compliment.  You weren't going to hear people accuse Moyer, Maddux or Glavine of "nibbling."  They commanded their sub-89 fastballs.

"Nibble" of course has the connotation that you're scared out of your shorts to throw a strike -- so you stay off the plate and hope that you get lucky and a pitch nips the strike zone. 

Umpires usually reward this crazy-making attitude with a series of walks and an early shower, so that the game can go on with professional pitchers involved.

Dr. D is a major expert on the Nibbling syndrome, the reason being that he followed the Seattle Mariners from 1977 to 1988.  :- )

.

=== Baseball's Prospectus Dept. ===

Trembley's backhanded compliment sort of presumes that Fister is just having a good trip through the league at the moment, and that he cannot really execute the way he has been doing.  But then, who can blame Trembley for being in a bad mood...

One thing for sure.  The league had better HOPE that Fister is getting lucky, as opposed to showing a "70 Command" skill.

Some fastballs, such as Moyer's, Maddux', and Glavine's, are 88 mph but are plus fastballs.  As Jack Wilson said postgame last night, it's where the pitch is in the zone.  88 on the black is a superior pitch to a 93 fastball tubed.

If the Anaheim Angels called up a Doug Fister who started firing shutouts via Greg Maddux fastball command, we'd be holding our breaths until his command turned out to be phony.

A rook, first trip around the league, who showed Catfish Hunter command of a fastball? probably would turn out not to be Catfish. :- ) Bear in mind that we opined after one 2009 start that this is the pitcher who has some potential to be Catfish. 

You start to see why the 7:1 control, just before he was called up, is relevant to the discussion.  If Fister were going to be an impact pitcher, that 7:1 would be the canary, er, oriole falling off its perch in the coal mine.

...................

His bad mood notwithstanding, Trembley's quote captures the nature of the hitters' problem.   Notice that Trembley's quote, given by Grizzly, could have been applied word-for-word after a Greg Maddux game, if a sour-grapes manager hadn't known who Maddux was.

The idea that Fister is just tossing strikes in there, and letting Safeco do his work for him, is way off the mark.  Garrett Olson throws strikes too, guys. 

"Hey, he throws strikes!"  Hain'tcha noticed?  All our BOR's throw strikes.

Trembley and Wakamatsu just told yer the reasons that Fister has been great.  The fun is in checking in next Bat-time, next Bat-channel to see whether it might continue.

.

=== Updated Odds Board ===

He's on a high right now.  Wait until he gives up three homers and see how the conversation changes again. :- )

But:  having seen the revised 88-90 velo, and having seen Doogie get a foothold on translating his game to the AL, here's the roto corner recommendation...

• 60% - chance of Fister being a Blanton-like, 100-110 pitcher for a few years
• 25% - chance of Fister being better than that, a Radke-like impact pitcher
• 5% - chance of Fister being a stealth-type Jamie Moyer 150-Wins find
  
• 100% - coefficient of confidence that Fister is a better prospect than the alternatives
  

Throw your own numbers up there.

.

BABVA,

Jeff