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Ok, for all you baseball savants...

Posted on 4/8/26 at 8:45 am
Posted by SouthernInsanity
Shadows of Death Valley
Member since Nov 2012
26714 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 8:45 am
what's your take on the pitching issues, specifically these midweek slash bullpen arms.

Is it coaching or the fact that they aren't anything more than a roster spot? Some of them look like they haven't done any work before warming up and walking out on the mound.

Posted by pgaddxn
between here and there
Member since Jul 2008
1212 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 8:59 am to
Not a savant but unless any of the savants on here are present for these pitchers training and bullpens and practice, how would any of them know? You cannot just watch and then presume to know what their routine or mental state is.
Posted by LSUJML
Central
Member since May 2008
54626 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 9:03 am to
Not claiming to be a baseball savant at all but my opinion is the pitching issues are 95% mental
That is something coaching can’t fix

Posted by poncho villa
DALLAS
Member since Jul 2010
19069 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 9:06 am to
I know way more about football than baseball.

Never pitched a day in my life but I just can't fathom the entire bullpen has trouble throwing strikes when they need to. IDK I guess maybe they are still kids but a D1 athlete on the LSU payroll should be able to throw a strike on command.

As JML said it has to be a mental thing.
Posted by Bayou_Tiger_225
Third Earth
Member since Mar 2016
12718 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 9:09 am to
quote:

what's your take on the pitching issues, specifically these midweek slash bullpen arms.

Everyone is so focused on speed and movement, because if you want to pitch at the next level it’s a necessity. The difficult part isn’t creating that speed and movement, it’s controlling it.
Posted by Jim bean xxx
Member since Sep 2018
10164 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 9:11 am to
(no message)
Posted by ProjectP2294
West St. Louis County
Member since May 2007
77239 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 9:13 am to
The first half of the game, when guys were getting hit around, I could live with it because they weren't giving up free passes. But after Theophilus left the game, the same HBP and BB (though still only 2) issues returned.
Posted by HvacGoon
Pineville, La
Member since Apr 2024
259 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 9:16 am to
Rizy is arse, that I know.
Posted by LSUJML
Central
Member since May 2008
54626 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 9:19 am to


Thought you were done posting about baseball
Posted by Bayou_Tiger_225
Third Earth
Member since Mar 2016
12718 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 9:19 am to
quote:

As JML said it has to be a mental thing.
Part of it is mental, but a large portion of it is physical.

I’m not claiming to be a savant, but I did play catcher at the college level, so I gained a lot of insight on pitchers and how the coaches manage them.

At the end of the day, it’s all about speed, movement, and location. But the more speed and movement you have, the more difficult it is to locate your pitches.

It may not seem that way, but it’s more than just getting up there and throwing strikes. A flat 93mph fastball is getting crushed. So coaches take the guys with the big speed and movement, trying to help them control it. But that’s so much easier said than done.
This post was edited on 4/8/26 at 9:28 am
Posted by mdomingue
Lafayette, LA
Member since Nov 2010
46365 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 9:22 am to
quote:

Is it coaching


Seldom at this level.

quote:

or the fact that they aren't anything more than a roster spot?


That's not how any competitive athlete thinks.

quote:

Some of them look like they haven't done any work before warming up and walking out on the mound.



I've seen guys who had great major league careers go through stretches like that.

Honestly, any evaluation would have to be individual. Rizy is an example that comes to mind. At his height, small mechanical varials in his delivery can translate from a strike to a ball or from a strike on the corners to a hit batter, or a ball the catcher will struggle to get the mitt on.

Just my take on it. I also think there is a tendency to relax for these midweek games, which also affects consistency. Too tight or too loose is where small details suffer.

ETA: not a savant, just an old man who has watched some baseball in his life.

This post was edited on 4/8/26 at 9:28 am
Posted by GeauxldenGuy
Frierson
Member since Jan 2016
421 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 9:23 am to
This is the answer
Posted by Bring Da Wood
Texas
Member since Dec 2006
2206 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 9:28 am to
It’s a combination of mental issues and facing hitters that have strike zone discipline. You can’t just groove a 94 mph FB like you can in HS and miss barrels. So they are pitching to spots and missing those spots when the lights are on. If they couldn’t hit their spots in their bull pens Jay and Yeskie wouldn’t put them out there. You have to be mentally tough to play at this level and some guys take time like Schmidt. Others may not ever get there like we might be seeing with Rizy.
Posted by mdomingue
Lafayette, LA
Member since Nov 2010
46365 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 9:31 am to
quote:

It may not seem that way, but it’s more than just getting up there and throwing strikes. A flat 93mph fastball is getting crushed. So coaches take the guys with the big speed and movement, trying to help them control it. But that’s so much easier said than done.



Great analysis. tRanters are always screaming, "throw strikes." Then they get pissed when they throw a strike that gets hammered.
Posted by tarzana
TX Hwy 6-- the Brazos River Valley
Member since Sep 2015
31806 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 9:32 am to
quote:

95% mental That is something coaching can't fix

That's glaringly obvious in a pitcher like Rizy, who has the mechanics and talent to be great, and nevertheless can falter and become unable to throw strikes to multiple batters.
Posted by Lester Earl
3rd Ward
Member since Nov 2003
290566 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 9:32 am to
Rizy has no clue where the ball is going. I’m shocked they use him in leverage spots in SEC games.
Posted by thunderbird1100
GSU Eagles fan
Member since Oct 2007
72180 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 9:34 am to
Most surprising thing to me about the pitching is not a single freshman has stepped up to give us anything really on a weekend. With Moore out especially though someone would have to step up.

Ricken, Paz and Theophilus have combined to throw a whopping 5.0 IP in the SEC this season. Just 4 of those outs came in the last 2 SEC weekends against TN/UK without Moore around. So relying on them even less with Moore out on the weekend.

With so much supposed pitching talent we bring in each year, this is very odd to me.
This post was edited on 4/8/26 at 9:36 am
Posted by tarzana
TX Hwy 6-- the Brazos River Valley
Member since Sep 2015
31806 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 9:37 am to
quote:

screaming, "throw strikes." Then they get pissed when they throw a strike which gets hammered

That's Maverick Rizy 101, for Dummies.
Posted by TopWaterTiger
Lake Charles, LA
Member since May 2006
12307 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 9:38 am to
quote:

I’m not claiming to be a savant, but I did play catcher at the college level, so I gained a lot of insight on pitchers and how the coaches manage them.

At the end of the day, it’s all about speed, movement, and location. But the more speed and movement you have, the more difficult it is to locate your pitches.

It may not seem that way, but it’s more than just getting up there and throwing strikes. A flat 93mph fastball is getting crushed. So coaches take the guys with the big speed and movement, trying to help them control it. But that’s so much easier said than done.


Great insight. Thanks for commenting! Because I'm that guy that never played yelling at my tv to throw that 93 fastball strike.
Posted by TBoy@LSU
Member since Sep 2012
6242 posts
Posted on 4/8/26 at 9:42 am to
"Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical"
-Yogi Berra
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