Comments on: Two Very Different Cutters

By: Alireza

Alireza — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 09:25:47 +0000

“Somehow” isn’t really used properly, because we all know why Rivera is so effective against lefties. They have two choices with him: take a called strike or swing and get jammed. They may well make contact, but they will end up getting sawed off and/or popped up.

By: Mike I

Mike I — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:41:34 +0000

There was a very interesting article here maybe a week or two ago on DiFelice’s cutter, which is starting to gain a lot of attention (namely because it’s the only pitch he throws, it’s slow, doesn’t have a ton of movement, yet DiFelice has had amazing success). So that is part of what prompted this article, I guess. I personally find both of these guys’ cutters fascinating, considering the outrageous success they’ve had with it, so naturally it seemed like a fascinating article to me. But I suppose that some people just like to bitch about free content.

By: Matt Harms

Matt Harms — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:08:52 +0000

I think is really cool, personally.

By: nick

nick — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:09:49 +0000

“Somehow balls in play off his cutter from lefties have a higher pop out rate and much lower BABIP than from righties.”

I agree, “somehow” is a weird word to use here–it seems entirely intuitive–unless “somehow” signifies the sabermeteric “all BABIP variations are random until proven otherwise”?

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:38:23 +0000

I agree. This was a fun article.

By: Garrett

Garrett — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:27:14 +0000

Really? I love this article, and I was curious as to how two pitchers with such radically different velocities can have such successful one pitch repitoires. Great work here, I think this is a cool idea for an article.

By: Joe S

Joe S — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:10:26 +0000

The chart for Rivera against LHBs is amazing. You can see a gap between the inside and outside of the plate, that is some serious control.

By: Adam

Adam — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:02:48 +0000

Come on… was anyone really aching for a comparison of Rivera and DiFelice’s cutters? Calling this post relevant to anything is a real stretch. There is such a thing as overanalysis.

By: Tom B

Tom B — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:02:13 +0000

Pretty crazy you wrote this today, last night after the Yankee game me and my friends were delving into the majesty that is Mariano Rivera…

This freak of nature doesn’t even HAVE “splits” at all. His career numbers are almost identical regardless of home/away, day/night, lefty/righty. The only split that he even shows separation in is save/non-save.

In other words, I heart Mo.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:08:12 +0000

Mo’s cutter anyway, just wanted to make that clear.