On May 6, 3:06 pm, Jonathan Bernstein <j...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:
> Ron Johnson <john...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote
innews:6fe34bca-a799-452e-9f4b-d35b44dfb082@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>
> > On May 6, 8:35 am, Jonathan Bernstein <j...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> > wrote:
>
> >> The problem is that Moyer and Tanana both started out with much
> >> better fastballs than Zito did. Zito didn't exactly start as a
> >> Crafty Lefty, but his best pitch was always the hook, not the heat.
> >> I'm not sure I can think of a LHP who started out as a breaking ball
> >> pitcher who went on to be anything in his 30s.
>
> > Jerry Reuss? Memory says he had a great curve when he came up. I do
> > know
> > that by his 30s he was basically a low fastball pitcher who threw an
> > occasional curve.
>
> > Certainly can't think of a prominent pitcher -- though I think you'd
> > settle for Reuss' early 30s.
>
> Yeah -- I sure remember hating him quite a bit in those years.
>
> OK, looking him up now...what an odd career. Looks like the Pirates
> hitters basically carried him through his 20s; except for one
> outstanding year at age 26, he couldn't even crack a (adjusted) league-
> average ERA until he was in Chavez Ravine. He never struck out a ton of
> guys, although he had one terrific K season in Houston at age 23, but it
> looks like a fluke. And then he went to the Bums, improved his BB/IP
> and HR/IP, and basically had a ten year run as an above average SP.
Worth noting that my memory of his style as a really young
pitcher is not correct. He came up as a pure low fastball
pitcher and added the curve later -- after he lost his a
lot of velocity to three elbow operations.
So he made te exact opposite adjustment that Zito
probably needs to make.
While I was checking Reuss out, I did find one guy
who was a pure left-handed curveballer and aged
fairly well -- Herb Pennock. OK, basically finished
at 34 but still I think you'd take his 30s.
And maybe David Wells. Tough for a lot of
people to remember but when he came up he had
outstanding stuff. A plus fastball and an
outstanding overhand curve. (He added a change
after being moved to the rotation. He was strictly
a two pitch pitcher when he first came up)
His curve suddenly lost its effectiveness and his
fastball had slipped enough (about 5 MPH) that he
had to re-make himself. He went to a "sweeping" curve
and sinkerball (with an effective change and an
occasional slider)
Not a perfect precedent. Among other things even
after his fastball slipped it was still probably
better than Zito's is now.
Yeah, in his late 30s on he was the classic crafty
lefty, but his stuff was good enough before then to
allow him to make a relatively gentle transition.
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