Echo Box: Marc-O
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Quite the deluge of comments on Marc-O, every one of which was erudite and interesting. The 'Frame gets stuck, makes strange sounds, and smokes slightly trying to process them all at once...
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Wishhiker sez,
I was just looking back to see effects and movement of previous slider usage and Brooks only really had useful 2014 data because he didn't use it much in MLB since then. Well he wasn't in MLB much since then until last year when he wasn't using it.
1 The Curve and Splitter are around 8-11 inch horizontal movement different from his other pitches.
2 In 2014 he used CB+SPL about 11.33% VS RHB, 26.59% VS LHB
3 In 2014 he gave up OPS of .827 VS RHB, .397 VS LHB
It's surely not that simple, although I'd bet there's something to it.
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In short: his curve, and especially his split, were devastating. Due to their rolling-off-the table action. Dr's Diagnosis: we didn't see those pitches on Sunday. He had a power slider that F/X would probably have with slight rise. Marc-O already has 4 pitches he's using to excellent effect; no idea what the scenario would be if he added #5 and #6 with hellacious drop. Thanks for the research Wish.
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Matty sez:
[No F/X at all, so hard to tell] But, watching him pitch, he reminded me of Jimmy Key. Which, I assure you, is quite encouraging.
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Love the Key comparison! :- D Key had a 5:1+ Control ratio in a different era. He threw a solid-average fastball right into the mitt, mixed pitches, and was very aggressive about his strike zone. Maybe Jimmy Key is the idol towards which Marc-O is attempting to emulate.
Here's a fanblog putting Key #97 among all Yankees ever. A minor difference - Dr. D vaguely remembers Key as using a slightly more Wellsian bloopier slider, but even if that's right, Marc-O's slider on Sunday looked just about as impressive.
IIRC, Key gave up more-than-usual HR's in exchange for a ridiculous walk rate. If I remember right, Key was about the best lefty going, who lacked a plus fastball. Gonzales may be exactly the same kind of lefty. Here is Key's baseball card - his career ERA was 122 and he fired two back-to-back seasons for NYY going 18-6 and 17-4, getting of course a lot of luck and contextual help. But a typical year for Key would be maybe 15-9, 3.51 with a 120:50 CTL.
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Nathan sez,
John Trupin at Lookout Landing came out with a great post a couple of weeks ago about Marco's arm-slot change.
https://www.lookoutlanding.com/2018/2/19/17025530/marco-gonzales-lowered...
TL;DR - Marco's arm slot change has unlocked a few extra MPH in all of his pitches at the expense of his impact change-up.
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Muchas gracias for that link brotha. I agree with Trupin on 80% of it. The takeaway is that Marc-O used to short-arm the ball horribly, meaning that he didn't unbend his elbow at the back of his stroke. Indeed Marc-O's delivery now uses a much longer, more comfortable loop. Trupin's very fine article is convincing on that point.
Dr's Diagnosis: Of COURSE it strips velocity to short-arm the ball (which adds deception). For sure the added velocity is permanent. But. What about his new motion prevents his throwing a Moyer changeup? Changeups are a question of touch, less leg action, grip and feel, not arm slot.
Agree however, that it's looking like this version of the guy does not depend on a -12 MPH changeup. We'll follow.
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Wishhiker sez,
I don't understand 2016 counting against his clock. IMO he should have an option left not that I think it should change retroactively.
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Anybody?
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... in his TV interview, Marco said there came a point in September when he just decided to "let it rip." Lacking any F/X information, SSI sees a confident lefty who is hammering a located fastball and tormenting a pinpoint slider. The other stuff remains to be seen.
Felix is set back, Erasmo is certainly a question mark for Opening Day, and Gonzales is in there, hard #5 and climbing towards #3-4. Will take a while to understand the kid, which promises great fun all the way. Kid is a buy recommendation early on, no doubts there.
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PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
There is a Miranda - Moore - Gordon article that I idiotically put under the "ALL" subdomain. Once there are comments on an article I can't do anything about the domain. But if you missed it, go check it out.
Enjoy,
Dr D
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Mojician - we'll ask about your suggestions, muy pronto. And the Shout Box generally - what was it you liked about the original version? That it was unattached to the articles?