Average Fastball Velocity for Cleveland Pitchers

[sportscoach]

A few more thoughts...

1) If fangraphs has video of Bieber, shouldn't we think that the Guardians pitching gurus also have video?

2) If the org has what looks like the biggest group drop in velocity in MLB, that doesn't look like mere coincidence. It looks more like a plan.

What is the likelihood that FIVE of the main pitchers on a MLB roster would all have dramatic drops in velocity at the same time without it being a conscious decision to slow walk them at the beginning of the season?

If we are still at the bottom at the All-Star break then that may be an issue, but right now it really isnt. We haven't lost players like other teams have to major injuries. Civale is out, but it has nothing to do with his arm so its more of a freak thing rather than anything major.

 

[KluberSociety]

A few more thoughts...

1) If fangraphs has video of Bieber, shouldn't we think that the Guardians pitching gurus also have video?

2) If the org has what looks like the biggest group drop in velocity in MLB, that doesn't look like mere coincidence. It looks more like a plan.

What is the likelihood that FIVE of the main pitchers on a MLB roster would all have dramatic drops in velocity at the same time without it being a conscious decision to slow walk them at the beginning of the season?

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

From The Athletic:

SOME PITCHERS STILL AREN’T ALL THE WAY BACK — We knew a three-week spring training wasn’t long enough for many pitchers. What we didn’t know was that real games, in April and May, weren’t the ideal platform for them to finish their buildup back to where they’d normally be.

“The lazy narrative,” said a National League exec, “was that three weeks into the season, it would be the equivalent of every other year for most of these guys. I’m not sure it’s that simple. We’ve seen more challenges to it than we were expecting. We’ve seen it in injuries, but also in guys having a tougher time rebounding from outing to outing.”

"I think it’s clear now we’ve seen unusual velocity patterns, because different guys handled the lockout time differently and the spring training time differently. So it’s been really hard to know what to make of players early.”

 

[buzzdog]

Blame the humidors.

 

[CATS44]

Its now August.

The plan, as stated recently by Willis, was to finally have the pitchers hitting on all cylinders in August and September.

We've just watched three straight lights out performances by Quantrill, TMac, and Bieber.

Lets check velocities...April vs the last month.

Bieber....91.4....92.0
TMac.....92.8....92.9
Quantrill....92.5....94.5
Plesac....91.5....92.1

All have gone up, although TMac not by much.

Now let's look at career FIP vs 2022 FIP.

Bieber.....3.01....2.87
TMac.....4.26....3.94
Quantrill....4.26....4.57
Plesac.....4.50....4.31

Only Quantrill has pitched below his career numbers, but generally all have pitched within what you would expect to be normal deviation.

More importantly, all have made at least 20 starts.

Conversely, Chicago has three who have made at least 20 starts. Minnesota has none.

At least for now, the season long game plan seems to be working.

 

[Alabuckeye]

Interesting. Thanks for updating

 

[Cratylus]

Some interesting facts and opinions about fastball speed are talked about in this video. The entire video is only 11½ minutes long and it's well worth the watch. I personally agree with the narrator's conclusion about how to "fix the game". I'm not trying to start a debate about that aspect of the video; I just thought the info about why average fastball speeds are up across the league over the last several years was somewhat relevant to the discussion in here.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

G's looking for biomechanics expert on Indeed.

Full Job Description​

Primary Purpose
The Cleveland Guardians are seeking a biomechanics analyst to join the team's Baseball Research and Development group. The position will use the team's proprietary in-game motion capture data to build tools and resources to acquire and develop players. The ideal candidate will possess a foundation in statistics and/or data science, experience working with biomechanics data, and a thorough understanding of pitching and/or hitting movement patterns. Strong applicants will demonstrate curiosity, creativity, and a drive to learn new concepts. We are open to a remote role for the right candidate, but relocation to Cleveland, OH is preferred. We can also be flexible on start dates.
If you meet some of the qualifications above, we encourage you to apply or to reach out for more information. We know that historically marginalized groups – including people of color, women, people from working class backgrounds, and people who identify as LGBTQ – and groups that may not have direct experience in the sports industry - are less likely to apply unless and until they meet every requirement for a job. Therefore, we encourage you to reach out if you have questions about the role or your qualifications. We are happy to help you feel ready to apply!
Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Analyze and interpret baseball biomechanics data.
• Process biomechanics data into digestible reports for end users.
• Educate colleagues about baseball biomechanics concepts and data processing techniques.
• Research, build, test, and deploy statistical and/or machine learning models using baseball biomechanics data.
• Communicate research findings to key stakeholders across the organization.

Requirements

• Demonstrated experience or degree in a field such as mathematics, statistics, computer science, operations research, data science, biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, or kinesiology.
• Demonstrated ability to solve problems in a data-driven way.
• Passion for baseball analytics and/or biomechanics.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language (e.g. R, Python, OpenSim, Visual3D).

Preferred Experience
We are looking for a variety of skill sets. If you have demonstrated experience with any of the following, you may be who we are looking for.

• Demonstrated experience working with a biomechanics scripting language (e.g. OpenSim, Visual3D).
• Demonstrated experience working with biomechanics data in baseball or another application area.
• Demonstrated experience with signal processing techniques.
• Knowledge of publicly available biomechanics research and technologies.
• Demonstrated biomechanics research experience.
• Demonstrated experience with database languages (e.g. SQL).

 

[Alabuckeye]

I hear Trevor Bauer has some free time

 

[sportscoach]

I hear Trevor Bauer has some free time

He wouldn't be a bad consultant when it comes to actually help analyzing what the pitchers need to work on. If he stayed out of trouble, he may have ended up a pitching coach...

 

[Mott the Hoople]