Interesting, in a "why the hell would you throw that?" sort of way.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/giving-up-the-count-advantage/

 

The highlight:

 

[TABLE=width: 250]

[TR=bgcolor: #EDF1F3]

[TH=align: left]Pitching Team[/TH]

[TH=align: center]% HRs 0-2[/TH]

[/TR]

[TR=bgcolor: #FFFFFF]

[TD=align: left]Minnesota Twins[/TD]

[TD=align: center]5.9%

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR=bgcolor: #FFFFFF]

[TD=align: left]San Diego Padres[/TD]

[TD=align: center]5.1%[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR=bgcolor: #FFFFFF]

[TD=align: left]New York Yankees[/TD]

[TD=align: center]5.0%

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR=bgcolor: #FFFFFF]

[TD=align: left]Philadelphia Phillies[/TD]

[TD=align: center]4.8%[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR=bgcolor: #FFFFFF]

[TD=align: left]Atlanta Braves[/TD]

[TD=align: center]4.6%[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR=bgcolor: #F0F0F0]

[TD=colspan: 2, align: center]Data: 2010-Present[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

 

 

I know Chief will appreciate this thread.

I would imagine when you don't have an "out pitch" this happens more frequently. The Twins pitchers the last couple of years have been somewhat lacking in those types of pitches.

When I'm hired to manage the Twins, any pitcher giving up solid contact on 0-2 will be fined. Any pitcher giving up solid contact in fair territory will be fined and sent to AAA. Any pitcher giving up an extra base hit will be fined, sent to AA, and forced to do public service commercials for the AA team. Any pitcher giving up a HR on 0-2 will be fined, sent to A ball, forced to do public service commercials for the A ball team, and have his kids taken away.

When I'm hired to manage the Twins, any pitcher giving up solid contact on 0-2 will be fined. Any pitcher giving up solid contact in fair territory will be fined and sent to AAA. Any pitcher giving up an extra base hit will be fined, sent to AA, and forced to do public service commercials for the AA team. Any pitcher giving up a HR on 0-2 will be fined, sent to A ball, forced to do public service commercials for the A ball team, and have his kids taken away.

Chief,

 

Send them to Cashman Field in Las Vegas to pitch 5 p.m. batting practice at 100+ degrees, dressed as showgirls.

When I'm hired to manage the Twins, any pitcher giving up solid contact on 0-2 will be fined. Any pitcher giving up solid contact in fair territory will be fined and sent to AAA. Any pitcher giving up an extra base hit will be fined, sent to AA, and forced to do public service commercials for the AA team. Any pitcher giving up a HR on 0-2 will be fined, sent to A ball, forced to do public service commercials for the A ball team, and have his kids taken away.

My hope that you will become the manager has been diminished by this post. Hitters need to know that the 0-2 pitch might possibly be a good one, so that they don't lay off it.

 

I agree with whydidnt that a lack of out pitches is probably the biggest factor here.

When I'm hired to manage the Twins, any pitcher giving up solid contact on 0-2 will be fined. Any pitcher giving up solid contact in fair territory will be fined and sent to AAA. Any pitcher giving up an extra base hit will be fined, sent to AA, and forced to do public service commercials for the AA team. Any pitcher giving up a HR on 0-2 will be fined, sent to A ball, forced to do public service commercials for the A ball team, and have his kids taken away.

 

My hope that you will become the manager has been diminished by this post. Hitters need to know that the 0-2 pitch might possibly be a good one, so that they don't lay off it.

 

I agree with whydidnt that a lack of out pitches is probably the biggest factor here.

 

My terror inducing fear that he would ever become manager has finally been put to rest with this post..............along with a few others.

I've always had the impression that Baker was most guilty of giving up the 0 - 2 long ball. I still am. It's amazing how some pitchers do great in getting a batter to 0 - 2 and then put one in the zone. Is it hubris? A mistake? Or, fleeting mental focus?

Although I will concede that as I witnessed Cabrera launch that 0-2 fastball 410 feet, at my son's first Twins game, turning out what was setting up to be a picture perfect day, I thought about plotting an unfortunate accident for Matt Capps.

 

But hey, he has kids too and this is baseball and I got to run the bases with my kid so, no hard feelings.

 

 

 

I think.

Haha (to the comments) and interesting to the OP. It seems to absolutely be related to the out pitch, whydidnt.

 

Look it is one thing to "pitch to contact" but it is another thing to only throw straight fastballs in doing so. Pitching to weak contact with above average-to-excellent offspeed stuff on 0-2 counts (and elsewhere) is deeply lacking in the rotation at the moment. I do think that what separates Hendriks from the Walters and DeVries (and Blackburn, but that stupid, ridiculous, absurd contract) crowd is the ability soon enough to be able to have that out pitch work.

Haha (to the comments) and interesting to the OP. It seems to absolutely be related to the out pitch, whydidnt.

 

Look it is one thing to "pitch to contact" but it is another thing to only throw straight fastballs in doing so. Pitching to weak contact with above average-to-excellent offspeed stuff on 0-2 counts (and elsewhere) is deeply lacking in the rotation at the moment. I do think that what separates Hendriks from the Walters and DeVries (and Blackburn, but that stupid, ridiculous, absurd contract) crowd is the ability soon enough to be able to have that out pitch work.

Agree with Hendriks but he'll eventually tighten up his breaking pitches as well. I think Diamond, so far has shown excellent off-speed stuff and while Frankie will always have his slider (provided he's throwing fastballs near the zone) I was pretty surprised to see his change-up work as well as it did against Oakland. He didn't go back to it much against KC though.

Haha (to the comments) and interesting to the OP. It seems to absolutely be related to the out pitch, whydidnt.

 

Look it is one thing to "pitch to contact" but it is another thing to only throw straight fastballs in doing so. Pitching to weak contact with above average-to-excellent offspeed stuff on 0-2 counts (and elsewhere) is deeply lacking in the rotation at the moment. I do think that what separates Hendriks from the Walters and DeVries (and Blackburn, but that stupid, ridiculous, absurd contract) crowd is the ability soon enough to be able to have that out pitch work.

I am hoping that you are correct about Hendriks. But when I saw him pitch in Anaheim last month, he seemed to have good control but no out pitch. What is his out pitch?

I am hoping that you are correct about Hendriks. But when I saw him pitch in Anaheim last month, he seemed to have good control but no out pitch. What is his out pitch?

Well the out pitch can be a fastball just a bit farther out/in of the zone, but I also think his changeup is developing into that kind of pitch