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Q.  Is he a Vargas clone?

A.  It is true that they throw the same two pitches:

• Sidearm, LH "sneaky" fastball on one plane (the plane of the bat)
• Excellent changeup
• (Capuano spins the change to look like a slider sometimes, but it's the arm action)

But Capuano uses those pitches very, VERY differently.  Which is why he gets so many more swings and misses.  

Vargas is gutsy, but Capuano is aggressive.  Vargas sets you up for a weak swing; Capuano attacks you to miss your bat.

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Q.  Capuano is murder on lefties.  How do you do that with a slowball and changeup?!

A.  Usually, a lefty can't throw a change to a left hand batter.  LHP's throw the changeup "dead fish," to flop onto the low-away corner to righties.  

But this is precisely where David Ortiz wants that baseball, dude.  A dead fish change to Prince Fielder is a Home Run Derby pitch.  So, a Jason Vargas winds up grovelling any pitch he can use to survive.

But Capuano pitches LH in a way I haven't ever seen from a guy like him.  He throws the fastball up, way up ...

 

.... and then he throws the changeup low and away.  Wow!  I've never really seen a LHP hit the low-away corner to LH's.

So you get the Erikkkkkk Bedard effect to lefties:  a sharp little fastball up, then a change that drops off that eyeline below the bat.  It works well for him:  last year Capuano faced 118 lefties and allowed ZERO homers.

Like we have said a time or three:  WHEN CAPUANO IS FRESH, that 92 fastball up, and the slurvy changeup down, it's a whale of a combo for him.  He's a legit 7-8 strikeout pitcher when he's doing that.

Same with Bedard these days, right?  If his fastball is long enough, then great.

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Q.  You said he uses the Vargas weapons in a different way.  Like what?

A.  Well, take this video.

First pitch, he comes sidearm WAY into a right hand drop zone.  Consider the angle.  He attacks very aggressively - not to produce a "blonk," but to behead the rodent at the plate.

Second pitch is a dead fish change to a righty -- not very good by his standards, but plenty 'nuff.

Third and fourth pitches -- if you want to see why Dr. D does NOT want 200 innings given to this man, watch those pitches.  Until you figure the situation out.  (.312/.350/.508 vs RH last year, and it'll get worse, trust me.)

Fifth pitch - gorrggggeous jam pitch to a righty.  Aggressive!

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Here's another vid.  Check the dead fish change at 1:10.  It's Vargas class.   But also check the high, BP slurve at 0:35.  :: shudder ::

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Here's one more vid.  Check out the change/slurve at 0:45.  Give you the idea of the low-away attack on LH's.  It can make them look REALLY bad.

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Q.  A better version of Jason Vargas?

A.  You amigos always liked Vargas a lot better than I did, which is cool.  But Capuano is the Vargas v2.0 that I can sign off on.  I dig the way the man pitches.

BABVA,

Dr D