Tim Hudson - 90 MPH fastball, decent sinker/curveball..... ...he looks like David Phelps to me. Game 3 WS starter? yikes! The difference seems to be,I guess, he still knows HOW to pitch and doesn't leave many balls belt-high and over the middle. The Giants' game 2 starter was also mediocre AT BEST ! And Guthrie isn't exactly Don Drysdale out there for KC. We all know hitting is down in MLB ...but really...the Yankee teams of the 90's, the Redsox, those Braves teams, a few other teams from a few years back would eat these pitchers for breakfast and ask for second helpings. These are the World Series pitching rotations? Bumgarner (good pitcher) is the "big ace".. I see a 93 mph fastball and a good slurve..maybe that's all you need nowadays to be an ace. lol Yeah, I know about the PED era.....something just isn't right.... Our 2014 Yankees are the poster boys! Something isn't right....can't put my finger on it...lol. I've never seen so many mediocre starting pitchers getting away with robbery. lol
I think most of us feel the same. Not to many kids can throw in 3 digits, less Y. Ventura, A. Chapman, and only a select couple more. I love a fireballer as much as anything...... Not sure you saw an earlier thread, where I mentioned a semi-pro Fort Leavenworth Pitcher. He pitched in Wichita versus 2 Local Minor League Teams, and a few other Visiting Teams. In 20 games, "Fireball Jackson" struck out 252 Batters.....flipping amazing....! That kid was Doc-K long before Gooden was a gleam in his Daddy's eye.
___________________________ I hear ya Matt, but I don't necessarily need to see 97-100 mph from the starters... How about some good old fashion 94-95-ish with some good sharp breaking balls mixed in with an occasional change-up? I'm not seeing too much of this from these WS rotations. I realize we don't usually have more than 2 or 3 pitchers on staffs with that kind of stuff....and you don't have to throw VERY HARD to be a good pitcher- but I also don't see any wicked breaking balls or sliders from most of these SP. The relievers have MUCH MUCH better stuff and are the backbones of these teams. Mediocre quality of pitches = mediocre pitchers. Come to think of it....KC and SF aren't exactly loaded with good all-star type hitters on their teams. lol Wow - it's the WS of MEDIOCRITY. lmao...just kiddin
I know the epitome of a Pitcher's mentality, is to 1st develop a pitchers mindset. I still doubt this 'mindset' can be taught. To have a sense of intuition as to what the batters vibes/posture gives off. Tense? Laid Back, taking 1st Pitch et al. Pitching has to 1st be a mindset, in a world unlike any position. That Mind-Set cannot be taught, only studied, motivated & disciplined enough to execute. Greg Maddux was the heir apparent to the "Finesse" Pitcher. 4 Cy Youngs by painting corners, up, in, down, out.....Never had a fastball to speak of. The Era alot of came to age of loving this great game, differs for some: My own SP Heros: Marichal, Koufax, Drysdale, Bob Gibson, Fergie Jenkins, Feller, Ford, Vida Blue, Gary Peters, Nolan Ryan, Sam McDowell, Jim Palmer, McNally, Seaver, Lonborg Randy Johnson, Clemens, Saberhagen, Luis Tiant, and tons and tons of others to many to include all.
I just got a fever for flame throwers; with more accuracy than those 89-92mph pitchers Simply pointing out few remain fireballers, many others fail ie, Neftali Feliz I think as a young Little Leaguer to better years behind me, I've enjoyed the line drive HR, as much as I love batters who need to go to the plate with a white cane, for the blind....that pop bang of the glove is the epitome of gunning down the villian....
