Sean West Flight Paths

Firstly, I've got to point everybody in the direction of Harry Pavlidis' tutorial on how to make your own Pitch F/X flight paths, including handy-dandy Excel template.  Combined with BrooksBaseball's "tabular data" feature and honestly, I think anybody could whip them up. 

And since I just happen to be 'anybody,' I figured I'd give it a go.  So may I now present, Sean West in flight paths...

Hooray!  (click for bigger version)

A few explanations are in order.  First, this is the aggregate data from both of his starts thus far.  So what is charted as his fastball (FF) is actually the average of all the fastballs he has thrown.  Second, I didn't really bother to fix the Gameday pitch classifications.  There were a few odd two-seamers and a cutter, all of which I just collected into the FF class.  What's probably more important is that we know West actually has two sliders: a hard slider and a slower, slurvier one.  If I wanted to (slash, you know, had the aptitude) I could dig down and attempt to decipher the split.  But since this was my first time out, and since this isn't really anything analysis-oriented, I just went with the Gameday SL classification.

You could probably eyeball any number of takeaways from the paths (the late horizontal break on the change is the one thing that kinda sorta stands out to me), but really it's just fun to look at.  Not to mention we're talking 12 innings of work here.  I suppose I could have waited until after tonight to have another game's worth, but I don't have that kind of patience (or, tomorrow, the time). 

Like I said, really anybody can do this stuff now (it's just a matter of elbow grease if you're using Brooks' data, since you have to go a game at a time).  But I suppose if there's anything you really want to see, I could take a shot at it.  I mean, I probaby won't (let's say it's due to time) but I could.  I definitely will do K-Lero at some point.  I've got half a mind to look at Josh The Ace vs. Josh The Ace: JJ vs. Beckett.  Who knows?  All that matters is that we can path them, we have the technology.