The title of this thread is right on target. "The Night of Return of Folty" hit the nail on the head, we saw what we've seen for several years.
JohnAdcox (09-18-2018)
Did Leo Mazzone ever win a Cy Young as a player? Is he in the Hall of Fame?
I suspect Hernandez is a very average coach. Should the Braves get a really good pitching coach if they can? Sure.
concluding that Hernandez is the reason the Braves pitchers walk guys just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.
as per Mark Boman
The Braves have issued 26 walks over their past 27 IP. Greg Maddux issued 23 BB over 209.2 IP in 1995, 28 BB over 245 IP in 1996 and 20 BB over 232.2 IP in 1997. Atlanta has also issued 89 BB over 127 IP going back to Sept. 3. Maddux totaled 71 BB over 687.1 IP from 1995-97
JohnAdcox (09-18-2018)
jpx7 (09-18-2018)
my disagreement stems from the fact that pitching performance goes up and down...and we can all cherry pick periods that distress us or makes us happy...but i have an old fashioned view which is that statistics should be used for illumination
end of anti-cherry picking rant
"I am a victim, I will tell you. I am a victim."
"I am your retribution."
jpx7 (09-18-2018)
Braves team pitching walk rate data by month:
April 4.9 per 9 innings
May 3.4
June 3.2
July 4.0
August 3.0
September 5.7
Was Chuck Hernandez a lousy pitching coach in April then a better one in May, June and August. Were our pitchers good those months and bad the others. Enough with the nonsense.
These numbers always fluctuate month to month and even more week to week.
I will throw out an "analytic" observation. And I haven't looked at the data on this. But from watching the games, it seems to me in the past few weeks our pitchers are throwing more breaking balls, especially early in the count. Might want to go back to the fastball.
"I am a victim, I will tell you. I am a victim."
"I am your retribution."
jpx7 (09-18-2018)
I would guess (perhaps wrong) that 38 bb in 45 innings is the worst stretch or top 5 in mlb this season. This made it noteworthy to me. The braves are 3rd worst in mlb this season in walks, so not like im painting a good control team as being wild
ETA... actually 2nd at 3.89 bb9
Last edited by msstate7; 09-18-2018 at 10:03 AM.
jpx7 (09-18-2018)
And what do the data show regarding my theory?
Fastball % by month for Braves pitchers:
April 55.4%
May 59.4%
June 51.3%
July 54.8%
August 51.5%
September 51.1%
Well, we have gone away from the fastball the last two months. But our walk data was good in August. I suspect though if we investigated this in a more granular way (by pitcher and by early in the count) we might find some interesting things. Anyone want to do the grunt work on this?
"I am a victim, I will tell you. I am a victim."
"I am your retribution."
Of course not, but when a team collectively fails, it usually falls on the manager. When players get over weight or don't have the ability to last a full season, it typically falls on the strength and conditioning coach...when a pitching staff collectively cannot throw strikes it is 100% on the pitching coaches.
He is working with these pitchers on a daily basis in the bullpen and behind the scenes. He has to figure out a way for these guys to get control.....You are a major league pitcher, you have to know how to throw strikes.
Get off my lawn!
jpx7 (09-18-2018)
Collectively the pitching staff has been a positive. So I don't see it as a failure. The walks do suck but the team suddenly walking a ton in 5 games is not on the pitching coach. As you said these are major league pitchers and they should know how to throw strikes.