Comments on: 2009′s Toughest Pitches

By: joser

joser — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 07:40:05 +0000

I still regret we never got to see him hit the Moose.

By: joser

joser — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 07:39:01 +0000

And opinions expressed in all caps OBVIOUSLY trump actual DATA.

By: quincy0191

quincy0191 — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 02:19:50 +0000

Yup. I’m a SF fan, but objectively Lincecum’s changeup was the best pitch last year. I find it hard to consider RP’s for the “best pitch” honor for the same reason they hold a massive disadvantage in the Cy Young voting: they simply don’t throw enough. It’s not hard for League to do as well as he did when he only threw 74.2 innings against Lincecum’s 225.1. When hitters get to see Timmy as often as they do, every additional PA gives them more of an advantage, whereas League likely didn’t face the same hitter more than two or three times. It’s hard to make adjustments when you have two ABs against a guy in six months, but not so hard when you see a guy at least once a month, and two or three times per game. The fact that Tim’s changeup was so good all season and despite its frequent exposure should hand the award to Tim.

By: Will

Will — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:42:36 +0000

I wonder what the numbers would look like if you removed the first month of the season. Mariano was coming off an off season surgery and a slow spring training schedule, so that might explain some of these “declining” rates.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:30:30 +0000

tim lincecum OBVIOSULY had the best pitch in baseball last year…

HIS CHANGEUP was best pitch in last 10 years…

By: Joe

Joe — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 22:33:44 +0000

I agree. Biased Giants fan here, but his change was glorious in ’09. Strangely the numbers seem to back it up by different criteria, but not by this author’s apparently.

By: csiems

csiems — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:21:02 +0000

You know, if you count all of the times his fastball was literally unhittable (like when he threw it 20 feet outside or in AAA), then Brandon Morrow comes out much better on this list.

By: Toffer Peak

Toffer Peak — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:14:49 +0000

Greinke’s was actually quite pedestrian last year.

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=sta&lg=all&qual=y&type=7&season=2009&month=0

Soria’s was great but not the best.

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=rel&lg=all&qual=50&type=7&season=2009&month=0

By: NEPP

NEPP — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:14:25 +0000

Which made it very annoying when Madson would basically abandon his changeup when he was thrust into the closer’s role and in the playoffs. He’d end up throwing a very straight 96 mph fastball instead and ignore his best pitch.

By: John C.

John C. — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:40:00 +0000

What about Zack Grienke’s or Jokaim Soria’s curveballs, both of them break about a foot and are nasty. UNHITTABLE.