Expectations For New Pitching Coach Garvin Alston

Outstanding: “Not one philosophy” and “commanding the zone.”

Definitely a good starting point for me for any pitching coach...

I like fastball command. I like understanding the importance of a changeup. 

I also like that he has some experience as a rehab guy with pitchers. That could be really important too. 

This is almost exactly the type of hire I expected -- the non-name, guy-behind-the-guy. 

https://twitter.com/ParkerHageman/status/921412255559929857

I am a bit surprised he wasn't someone from a more forward-thinking org (it sounds funny to say about the original Moneyball team but Oakland isn't at the forefront of pitching development). Frankly, I'm not sure what to expect out of him. 

There isn't a ton of information out there on his overall philosophy but we do have some clips of him talking about things like the implementation of weighted balls. For instance, in a BP article he said regarding weighted balls: “I’m not opposed to them, but I think there’s a time and place, and that’s in the off-season.”

The Twins have guys like Ryan O'Rourke who was using weighted balls this past spring. Part of Kyle Gibson's new routine from the Baseball Ranch involved throwing weighted balls (albeit in a sack attached at his wrist). Guys like Chapman and Rivera use weighted balls to warm-up in the bullpen. "Not being opposed" and using them "in the off-season" is an interesting philosophical statement. It will be interesting to see how that plays out. 

Then there is his comments on velocity. 

“Everyone wants velocity but we won’t put it over movement or command, things that make you a complete pitcher,” Alston told BP. Now, on the surface, I like that. You have to have a complete pitcher. Those are three pillars of what makes a great pitcher. On the other hand, the Twins have been really bad at developing hard-throwing pitchers. 

https://twitter.com/ParkerHageman/status/921475373468184580

Part of me wanted someone who prioritizes developing velocity. Then again, that doesn't have to necessarily be in a MLB pitching coach’s radar. A minor league pitching coordinator can have more influence over that product but an organization’s overall pitching philosophy can often stem from what the PC up top believes (such as Rick Anderson’s command and control emphasis).

“[A]t the core of a good pitching staff, there is the ability to command your fastball, throw it where you need to, when you need to. It’s your most used pitch for the vast majority of guys in the big leagues,” was Derek Falvey told me before the season started. Neil Allen echoed those comments as well. “What you gotta do is you gotta be able to work the four quadrants of the plate with your fastball,” Allen said. “You gotta be able to go up-and-in, down-and-away, up-and-in, down-and-away.”

Alston wants to continue down that path for improvement. “First,” he told reporters,  “one of the biggest things I teach is commanding the zone with the fastball.”

Truth is, opponents had success against the staff’s fastballs. According to BaseballSavant.com, teams posted a .363 wOBA against heaters. That was the 8^th highest in MLB. (Oakland, Alston’s team, was worst, by the way.) But the question that I have is, was the Twins’ lack of success with the fastball more a product of poor command or lower velo? On one hand, they averaged 91.7 – one of the lowest in the game – but on the other hand, the Cubs had the lowest average fastball velocity and were one of the more successful teams when they used their fastball (and the Cubs threw their fastball more than any teams outside of the Brewers). What’s more is that some teams are going away from being fastball-first teams.

In the end, the position is more about relationship building and communication over ideology. People can identify flaws, it’s being able to work with the pitchers to correct them that is important.