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By Steve Adams and Jeff Todd | at
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Ray Ray
I still do not get the obsession with strikeouts when judging pitchers. I’d much rather have a pitcher that gives up 15 runs and gets 15 strikeouts in 28 innings than a pitcher that gives up 29 runs and gets 30 strikeouts in 28 innings. Pitchers need to stop obsessing over velocity and strikeouts and concentrate on location and not giving up runs. There is a reason that there is an 7 man defense behind the pitcher.
josc2
Yes, obviously you’d take the pitcher allowing fewer runs everything else being equal. However, the strike out is the most efficient type of out, minimizing the risk of error, advancing of runners, base hits etc. Its the reason relief pitchers at the end of the game tend to have higher strike out totals, as they are GENERALLY strike out specialists. If you can’t put the ball in play you can’t score runs.
BoldyMinnesota
I’m guessing strikeouts are viewed as the best out just because they can’t hurt you like the defense can with errors. And I don’t think it’s overrated, there’s a reason why kershaw, strasburg, scherzer and about every top reliever are the best, and strikeouts are a big part of their game
josc2
^^ exactly. Nothing wrong with a pitch to contact guy but with a worse defense behind him he’s much less effective
tim815
“But, but, he throws 97.”
“He has no second pitch, and might just hit the bull.”
“But he throws 97.”
I so enjoy pitchers who can have a six or seven pitch inning or two per start.
Sky14
If you’re judging the past performance of a pitcher or the result, then run prevention is best but if you’re trying to gauge the future performance of a pitcher, strikeouts (relative to walks especially) are superior. A simplified reason for this is that Ks are independent of defense, which can change year to year, and a contact reliant pitcher is more likely to suffer from bad luck from balls finding the gaps in the defense or errors. Another thing is that Ks help get out of tough situations and good stuff can lead to weak contact. Obviously without control or command the results will be inconsistent even with the best stuff but you’d rather see a young pitcher show strikeout ability than not. At least it would show his stuff is ready while the rest of his game catches up.
joe 44
the twins have been pitching to contact the last 6 years and they are the worst team in the majors in that time
jd396
The Twins have for years consistently failed to convert quality minor league talent into quality major league players. Sometimes guys just don’t pan out, but at some point it’s just that the organization has systemic problems. Terry Ryan was so old-school and he’s had his fingers ok the organization for so long that I don’t think anyone in the organization knows what they’re doing anymore.