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

=== He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is a folly and shame to him Dept. ===

The sufi judge hears the prosecutor's case.  In this instance, the case was better-prepared and more well thought out than a George Karl offensive set.  The sufi judge allows the prosecutor to wrap up, ponders, and nods his head.  "That's right.  Absolutely right.  Sentencing is set for ..."

The defense attorney objects instanter.  "You can't sentence before the defense is heard!"  Judge snaps back to present time.  "Oh, that's right."  The lawyer presents a case even better than the opening argument, as if he were Jack Zduriencik selecting Danny Hultzen over Anthony Rendon.  The judge acknowledges the logic.  "That's right, that's right."

The court clerk looks up and timidly offers, "Your honor, both sides cannot be right at the same time."  Judge looks over.  "That's right!"

..........

Geoff Baker, again sprinkling his posts with the gunsmoke-and-blood smell of the battlefield, demonstrates in this article that Hector Noesi got crushed when it mattered, and then piled on bulk stats after both teams had gone home.  Baker is absolutely right.

Kiddies, there is no such thing as a pro athlete or coach who won't tell you that there is a difference between (1) challenging an enemy eye-to-eye, trying to become his master, and (2) putting time in after the challenge is done and you know who's better.  I mean there is nobody who will disagree with Baker on this point, nobody who's been out there.  

It is true that, when the Game. Was. On., Hector Noesi was pwned.  That's right.

..........

Jeff Sullivan, himself an ex-pitcher as well as being the best kind of sabermetrician (one with a bit of self-awareness), demonstrates in this column that Noesi gave up runs on pitches that were quite feasible.  Sully tacks on the observation that Noesi got lots of swings and misses, and implies that sometimes the difference between success and failure is hair-fine.  

He's right.  That's right.  Like Brandon League's difference between failure and success at shortstop last time out.

..........

Both Baker and Sullivan can't be right at the same time.  Hector Noesi can't be both a joke and a pitcher within a few inches of much better results.  

That's right, that's right....

.

=== Mainframe Crunch on Noesi ===

What is Dr. D's interpretation of Hector Noesi?  And does his worldview account for everything that everybody is saying?  Actually, yeah, he says modestly.

Hector Noesi belongs in AAA baseball, if not AA baseball, and enemy hitters are taking advantage of his rawness by sitting dead red.  A few facts in evidence:

1. Noesi is getting 3% swinging strikes with his fastball, and 12% with his offspeed stuff.
2. Yankee$ hitters were pummelling fastballs in good locations.  They cheated fastball, which is why they could hit any location.
3. Simply watch the hitters.
4. Noesi's curve and slider are rudimentary, and his changeup average, his fastball very live, and yet the pitch values reflect the opposite:

His fastball is by far his best pitch, and his changeup is merely MLB mediocre.  His slider is much worse than that.  But his change and slider in effect are better because they're sitting dead red on everything.

Why would they sit fastball, if his offspeed stuff is not ready?  Because Noesi can't reliably throw anything else, and because his fastballs frequently miss out-and-over.

So, yeah, a given pitch might look like it's on the black.  But if the fastball is telegraphed, and the hitter has the timing, it's not a big deal for him to go out and get it.

It's two axes, you dig me?  If the batter doesn't have to worry about the Z-axis, the front of the strike zone and the back of it in deep, sure he can cover the whole zone.  The MLB strike zone is about the size of your computer monitor.  Tell the batter what's coming and he can tee off on pitches coming through an 18" by 24" area.

.

NEXT

.