Think Tank - Ackley's Destruction of Offspeed Pitches
G-Money notes the Angels' announcers' confusion on Ackley :- )
Announcer 1: I don't understand why he doesn't get more changeups and curves thrown at him. the way he's always early on his front-side...he can keep his hands back long enough to hit fastballs but offspeed stuff should be really hard for him.
Announcer 2: Well we did see him hit some stuff hard into LF by keeping his hands back long enough...
Announcer 1: Sure, maybe on fastballs, but it takes a really special hitter to be that far into your swing before the ball reaches the plate and hit off-speed stuff....
Reminds me of Men In Black. Lurch is seated in a restaurant, and the Instellar Cockroach shows up and demands Orion's Belt.
Lurch protests, "You can kill us, but you will never find Orion's Belt."
The roach holds up one finger calmly. "You're right about one thing..." ....... and kills him.
The Angels' announcer is right about one thing. He doesn't understand why they don't throw Ackley offspeed stuff. ;- )
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=== Data-Rich Enviro, Dept. ===
Thanks to F/X being made public, we don't have to guess. Behold Ackley's results against fastballs and offspeed. Here is how many runs, above average, a team full of Ackleys would score if thrown 100 of each pitch:
- +0.6 per 100 - Fastball (nine Ackleys would score 5.2 runs per 140-pitch FB game)
- BTA - Sliders/cutters combined (one negative, one very positive; inconclusive)
- +1.5 - Curve balls (6.5 runs per game vs 140-pitch curveball game)
- +8.1 - Changeups (16 rpg)
- +8.3 - Splitters and forkballs (16 rpg)
- +3.0 - Knuckleballs (9 rpg)
So, if the Angels' announcers are reading, now they understand. Pitchers don't throw Ackley offspeed stuff because when they have in the past, they have had to back up 3B on almost every pitch.
G continues,
But we see him more than they do and he DOES keep his hands all the way back on changeups or breakers. His hand control is phenomenal with a swing like that. Only freaks can swing like that for a .300+ average and power - and Dustin is most certainly a freak.
=== Let's! Go To! the Video! Tape!, Dept. ===
If you want to see this for yourself, here's a video. Ackley's first ML hit, an offspeed pitch by Roy Oswalt.
Watch the video a few times, and you'll see Ackley commit his weight -- over-commit it, actually -- but keep his hands back, and sock it into CF.
..........
Ackley's weight commitment was often poor during his first week, and this is an example. You can see his wallet flying way out to RF as he has to lean over awkwardly. But he still gets the sweet spot on a low-away pitch (note the catcher's glove).
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The reason that offspeed stuff has NEVER bothered Ackley is because of the bat wrap that, apparently, only SSI has any interest in.
Despite the early commitment of the weight, notice the angle of the bat wrap as the offspeed stuff arrives.
the pitch and then transfer the weight. Not one human being on the planet can move his CG that fast. Maybe there's some insect someplace that can. Maybe a mongoose can do that against a cobra strike, I dunno.
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Edgar and Dustin Ackley had/have extreme CG transfer and torque, and they make that work because -- on offspeed -- they keep their hands back and "stretch the rubber band" even more on offspeed stuff than they do on fastballs.
Which explains why they never seemed to be "in between" on offspeed stuff, and why they can hit it so hard.
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You're right about one thing,
Dr D