Chum Bucket

by craig on Apr 9, 2009 3:25 PM EDT in News and Rumors

The NL East leading Marlins are off today. Therefore we need to find other ways to entertain ourselves. What that may be, who knows.

Today is very light on posts, but sadly, I have stuff I need to do which doesn't pertain to Marlins baseball. Hopefully everything will resume to whatever normal is pretty soon.

You know the drill. Do what you do.

Have a Great Day!

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You mean the league leading Florida Marlins right?
At least for another day.

by brickell on Apr 9, 2009 6:48 PM EDT reply actions

On Andrew Miller.

I looked at Miller’s Pitch/FX from yesterday, thinking there might be something to pull from it compared to last year (there wasn’t really, especially off 15 pitches). But the thing that stuck out is that the algorithm suggests he only threw one slider (technically it got classified as a cutter, but that will happen when you’ve got a one-size-fits-all system). I understand that he’s still young and there’s concern about arm stress and whatnot, but for a kid whose scouting report has always pimped the quality of his slider, shouldn’t he maybe, you know, be using it?

I mean, when you look at guys who have made their living on the slider, they’re throwing it around 30% of the time. Last year, Miller threw it roughly 16%. That’s fine if you’re someone like Johan, who can use it as a third offering, but when it’s your beast pitch (yes, beast, though I suppose best would make sense as well), you’ve got to throw it more. Miller has thus far, as exemplified yesterday, leaned far too heavily on a fastball that hasn’t picked up the velocity it was projected to. If the new throwing motion turns out to give him plus-control over it, that won’t be a problem, but right now, he clearly isn’t locating it either.

Add it all up, and I think there’s one too many fixes that need to happen right now. Some of them are Miller’s to make, and some are the organization’s. But neither seem to be quickly done. This is the kind of thing Extended Spring Training is for.

Then again, they could keep putting him out there long enough to get some significant data points, and we could craft an open letter to Mark Wiley, a la USS Mariner, and be heroes. That’d be sweet too.

Marlins Stadium: When It's Raining, The Roof Will Happen!

by dan 2.0 on Apr 9, 2009 6:54 PM EDT reply actions

I’m telling you, there’s just something about Miller that does not fill me with confidence. Granted, part of that is the fact that he has not pitched well in the majors so far, but he’s young. And then there’s his mechanics… glad to hear they’re making an effort to work on those, especially considering how the Marlins organization has not always put safe pitching mechanics at a premium in the past, but you have to wonder how much of a beating his arm’s already taken over the years. The reduced velocity is a very worrisome sign.

If he really is still working on figuring out his slider, I really don’t see what good it does anyone to put him in the majors. Put him in extended spring training, as you say, or send him back down to AAA where he can get the pitching time he needs. He’s 23 years old — he has plenty of time to play in the majors when he’s worked out all these issues. Most pitching prospects wouldn’t even be in the majors by now anyway.

by 3.3seconds on Apr 10, 2009 8:07 AM EDT up reply actions