Here's a look around baseball, starting with the 50-60 Marlins..
- The strong belief around the Marlins is that this season will lead owner Jeffrey Loria to shake up his front office, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. The moves could even include the replacement of Larry Beinfest, who run the baseball operations department for eleven years under Loria. Knobler opines that this winter may not be as exciting in Miami, but it could be just as fascinating.
- Tigers manager Jim Leyland isn't afraid to allow Justin Verlander to throw 130 pitches per game and believes that pitch counts became an issue in baseball thanks to agents, writes Chris Iott of MLive.com. "It became a hot topic when agents and big contracts came into play, if you want to know the truth," Leyland said. "Tell it like it is, cut through all the (expletive), sort through all the (expletive): When the agents and the big contracts came into play, the pitch count came into play, in my opinion."
- The Rockies' "Project 5,183", a system in which pitchers are limited to 75 pitches per game, is unconventional and doesn't seem to be helping the club's arms, writes Steve Henson of Yahoo Sports. Tracy quibbled with Paul DePodesta & Co. as Dodgers manager over his stats-based roster tweaks but says that he is willing to help the club pilot test their idea this year as the Rockies aren't contending.
The best shakeup in the front office for the Marlins would be to get a new owner.
You’re right, Jim. It’s the agents… and the mountain of evidence.
Mountain of evidence? Yea you’re right – Mickey Lolich 1971 – check the stats out
It isn’t so much just a single season, but over 2,3, even possibly 4 that throwing that many (130+) per game can do.
i cite Bullet Bob Veale as my example here for yet another example. Bullet bob was said to have been able to hit 100mph (the VERY few times he was clocked) and only lasted 6 seasons on top of his game. Part of the reason? Very wild. Some say he threw HARDER than Ryan even did later on..
what evidence?
The main reason why is the pitching motion. More and more are doing like Strasburg, Prior and Wood did, instead of something simpler like Maddux’s. The off timing really puts a strain on your shoulder and elbow and has lead to an increase in injuries and decrease in pitches per start.
That’s why they need to stop letting agents be pitching coaches.
no amount of pitch counts can compensate bad mechanics
Evidence of what?? There is just as much evidence saying that higher pitch counts lead towards injuries as there is saying pitch count has nothing to do with injuries. Nolan Ryan, greg Maddox, Tom Glavin, smoltz, Pettit, mark buehrle all had 1,500+ pitch seasons multiple times all had 200+ inning season. In my opinion it’s not pitch counts or innings limits it’s the type of pitches. 96+ mph fastballs, 90 mph splitters, curve balls, 90mph sliders, sinkers all put an extreme amount of pressure on the elbow and wrist. Look at guys from the 90’s(supposed hay day of pitching) and before that. It was rare to have a power arm and those guys pitched for ever. Heck cy young pitch every 3 days and would routinely go 7-8+ innings each start.
He is right the second agents(boras) got more power than managers and gms is when this big scary pitch count/innings limit thing happened.
Ehh, 1500 pitches is not a lot of pitches at all. Put it this way, if a pitcher made 15 starts (even less than half a season) and averaged exactly 100 pitches a start, that’s 1500 pitches right there.
Unless you meant like 3500 pitches?
I think he meant 1500 batters faced.
That’s not really possible either. Maddux never faced 1100 batters in a season. And the most Ryan ever faced in a season was 1392 (that’s when he led with 332 IP and even had 202 BB’s)
Smoltz, for what it’s worth, had more than his share of elbow and shoulder injuries, but then again he did actually what you’re saying — threw hard sliders.
I actually wonder what the effect is of the number of pitches these kids are throwing before becoming pros. Not only are they poorly instructed on how to throw at all (much less how to safely throw a curve), but many are playing all year long. Sure, there are leagues with pitch/inning limits, but it seems like there must be some effect of playing four competitive seasons in a year as a 12 year old.
Evidence? Humor me. This should be good.
Marlins are in desperate need of a front office shake-up. These guys just royally screwed it up this season.
Did the Marlins not learn from the disaster that was the Blue Jackets (NHL)? They loaded up on players only to see it all fall apart and have to trade their disgruntled star players for well below their true value.
The new Miami park looks empty most nights. It’s really kinda sad.
demolish the field, add a couple of shuffleboard tables, remove some seats, build an applebees in left field, show the home shopping network on the jumbotron 24/7, and use the scoreboard for displaying bingo numbers. there now floridians will actually show up. as for the baseball team move them to a city that will actually care and support them.
It still amazes me that
Loria and his son in law who know nothing about baseball (the franchise proves it) are allowed to
Own and run a franchise yet mark Cuban who literally only wants to win and employees people who know the sport they are running is not allowed to
Own a team.
Wow Leyland, why don’t you talk your (expletive) way out of your (expletive) job. There is a coach not too far removed from coaching who is announcing games (Francona) who may be able to get things right. He can bring all the chicken and beer he wants too!
As someone who has had various conversations with Leyland (granted, they were when he managed the old Lakeland Tigers) and if you have ever paid any attention whatsoever to any “interviews” Jimmy gives now to the media.. One will get the factual impression he doesn’t really care what you (or anyone else) thinks about him, except for the people that he works for and the respect of the players he manages and that is the way it should be.
Jimmy is HARD WAY old school.. He is gruff/gravel voiced, wears steel spikes and (at least used to) chain smoke in the dug out. he could care less what kind of impression you or I got from him.
Something the man CAN DO very well? Manage a team and carry the respect of 25 players and knows how to win. i wish there were a lot of other guys still managing who were as good as him.
75 pitch count? That seems to take a starter off the hill who might be pitching well and into a bullpen a little quickly.