Article: What Went Wrong For Ryan Pressly?

[yarnivek1972]

I still believe his problems can be directly linked to his workload in the first half of :015 and 2016. I have a longer breakdown somewhere, but the gist is that in a two month period in 2015 Pressly appeared in 27 games and then went on the DL. In the first 86 team games of 2016, he appeared in 44. And then after that just 28 out of the final 76, because he just wasn't the same. I don't know if he is actually injured or if Molitor literally used all the bullets Pressly had.

 

But, yeah, Pressly has been overworked beyond any reasonable usage, two years in a row. And now, I fear, he and the Twins are seeing the consequences.

[Mr. Brooks]

So we're blaming the catching now?

Well plenty of people are giving the catchers credit for the success of certain pitchers. If so, that has to cut both ways to have any credibility.

Personally, I think a catchers influence - good or bad- is overblown, so I don't really give credit or blame to them. But I could be totally wrong.

[KirbyDome89]

 

Well plenty of people are giving the catchers credit for the success of certain pitchers. If so, that has to cut both ways to have any credibility.
Personally, I think a catchers influence - good or bad- is overblown, so I don't really give credit or blame to them. But I could be totally wrong.

Completely agree. That was the point I was driving at. 

[akmanak]

One of Pressely's problems was his inability to hit the outside corners He was constantly tossing in the middle of the plate. Even when the pitch was suppose to be tossed to the inside or outside.

[chpettit19]

No control=no success in the bigs (unless you're throwing 103 and are 6'4" with crazy long arms so you're halfway to the plate when you let it go). If you can't move your fastball in and out, up and down or throw your offspeed for strikes when you need to you're going to struggle big time.

 

As far as catchers being to blame it's probably a very small percentage of the blame. At the end of the day it's the pitcher's choice whether to throw what the catcher (or pitching coach) suggests. And that's all it is, a suggestion. I'm guessing the Twins' catchers are going by the scouting reports discussed for each hitter prior to the game and calling pitches accordingly. Someone would have to go back and look at the percentage of times Pressly shook off a pitch and also the number of times he completely missed the spot it was called for. If a catcher calls for a fastball away and it's thrown down the middle it's not the catchers fault for calling the fastball. And pitch framing is only accomplished if you're around the zone. I don't care who the catcher is, if the pitch isn't close to the black there's nothing they can do to "steal a strike" by framing it.

[ashbury]

If the curve is Pressly's best pitch, but he can't throw it for strikes, then Pressly doesn't really have a best pitch, does he?

It depends, because the other factor which I don't remember seeing brought up is how well he disguises it. If the batter thinks a fastball is coming down the middle and it drops out of sight, it might not matter whether IT ever crosses the strike zone - the bat will. I am guessing there's a tell that comes early in his delivery, and he thinks he can live with it in order to get maximum break on the pitch. Maybe he could disguise the curve for longer, at some expense in the pitch's quality, and still be more effective. I am no pitching coach, however.

[Darius]

Tim Laudner.,,,

[Riverbrian]

 

If the hypothesis is that he's not throwing the curve ball enough, yes.  And I would also throw the coaches under the bus. If Parker can see this then professional baseball coaches should be able to see it!!! Plus Pressly should be told 'hey kid, you throw the ball, throw what the catcher tells you to throw, let him do the thinking for you, he has years of experience'.

 

I haven't really noticed if Pressly has been shaking off the fingers being put down. Maybe he is but I don't see a lot of shaking off so I tend to believe that he isn't.

 

On the other side of the battery. Castro isn't going to put down two fingers on the 1st pitch too often if Pressly can't toss it for a strike at a higher percentage. This limits the pitch to only in situations where he got himself ahead and then it becomes predictable. If you can't command your secondary pitches it allows hitters to eliminate options and dial in. 

 

It ain't a Catcher thing... This is... go down to Rochester... work on the curveball... come back when you can spot it better and watch an immediate change in results at the MLB Level. The Catcher will be able to mix up his game calling and get hitters off balance and that 99 MPH will look 105 when it arrives. 

 

I think Parker is on something... I mean on to something. 

[Riverbrian]

 

Baseball is a constant process of compensation. Pressly's early dominance depended on batters whiffing on his curve ball...until replays revealed that Pressly's curve usually isn't a strike. Then hitting coaches started telling players to hold up on anything Pressly threw that curved. That's when Pressly started falling behind in counts, which forced him to throw his fast, but relatively straight heater. 

 

There's a couple of things Pressly should work on in AAA. First, he should work on perfecting his stride and release point for his curve and his slider, so he can throw both of them for consistent strikes. Second, he should stop throwing his four seam fastball so much, going instead with two-seamers and cutters. Pressly needs to create lateral movement to get his heater off the sweet spot. Right now hitters are laying off his curve, and barreling up his heater. He can't be a big league pitcher if that keeps happening. 

 

I almost completely agree with you. I'd say...Let him keep that 4 seam heat. If he adds a cutter... alright... but that 4 seam heat will play if he can spot his breaking pitches better.

[Parker Hageman]

On the other side of the battery. Castro isn't going to put down two fingers on the 1st pitch too often if Pressly can't toss it for a strike at a higher percentage.

 

 

I don't think command of the curveball is the reason he doesn't throw it early in the count. Last year Pressly threw his curveball in the zone at a 47% clip. The years before, even higher than that. Nevertheless, even under those circumstances he choose to throw his slider over his curveball early in the count if he was going to throw something other than a fastball. Molitor said in spring training that Pressly likes to throw his slider on the first pitch to first-pitch fastball hitters.

 

This season, with the zone rate on the curveball is way down. Like Molitor said, he may be overthrowing it (hence grounding it) which, in that case, Rochester is a perfect option to refine that. That said, he should also try to unleash it early in the count as well. 

 

 

 

[Parker Hageman]

RE: Pressly's "straight fastball".

 

This is a fair point. His four-seam fastball, even as it is reaching 98, is arrow straight. Data backs that claim up.  According to Pitch F/X data, Pressly's fastball has one of the lowest deviation from a straight line path in the game. Two pitchers have an even straighter fastball that Pressly (deviates from the straight line path to home less) is Ardolis Chapman and Clayton Kershaw.

 

To me, the straight fastball in and of itself isn't necessarily a problem until hitters can sit on it. This is why I believe Pressly should be working on switching up his pattern and, like Trevor May said, keep hitters from eliminating other pitches.  

[USAFChief]

 

RE: Pressly's "straight fastball".

 

This is a fair point. His four-seam fastball, even as it is reaching 98, is arrow straight. Data backs that claim up.  According to Pitch F/X data, Pressly's fastball has one of the lowest deviation from a straight line path in the game. Two pitchers have an even straighter fastball that Pressly (deviates from the straight line path to home less) is Ardolis Chapman and Clayton Kershaw.

 

To me, the straight fastball in and of itself isn't necessarily a problem until hitters can sit on it. This is why I believe Pressly should be working on switching up his pattern and, like Trevor May said, keep hitters from eliminating other pitches.  

Not only can hitters sit on it, it ends up in the middle of the zone too often.  

 

Even if a hitter is sitting on a fastball, 98 on the low outside corner is tough to square up.  Real tough.

 

 

[wabene]

Oh well, it was a good run while it lasted. This pitching staff is in a full-on, unrecoverable, death spiral. The season is over.

And then Houston left town and everybody exhaled

[wabene]

This is one of the better TD articles I've read in a while. Some really bizarre and kind of half baked comments, but the article itself is compelling and presents interesting data.

 

I resent that. I am fully baked, Sir

[yarnivek1972]

Ryan Pressly walked two in his two inning stint for the Red Wings today. 28 pitches. 15 strikes. *sigh*

Edited June 5, 2017 by yarnivek1972

[Mr. Brooks]

And this is an example of why I'm always against trading for a reliever.

All but the elite ones flame out so fast. They really are a strange bunch.