

- #Arrieta baseball prospectus swing and miss how to#
- #Arrieta baseball prospectus swing and miss plus#
He came up as a shortstop in the Cubs’ system and was projected to be able to stay there. It has been a long winding road for Arrieta, but for Cubs fans’ money, there is no one they’d like to see on the mound more.Of course, Báez is lighting up the highlight reel with his tremendous defense at second base. While in a vacuum that might not be overly impressive, but with a rotation that has Jon Lester, a guy who you signed for $255 million for this purpose, the nod went to Jake Arrieta.
#Arrieta baseball prospectus swing and miss plus#
While all the other stats that will be tossed around, the most impressive is the evolution from a 4.00 plus ERA guy to the no doubt about it, you need one guy to win a ballgame, Arrieta is manager Joe Maddon’s man. That line hardly speaks to Jake’s dominating 2015 performance. The pitchers as MVP argument will not happen here, today, but that quick progression from a fading prospect to possibly the best in the league is monumental. That progression from thrower to pitcher has put Arrieta into both Cy Young consideration, as well as a possible league MVP. He was more electric than any pitcher I’ve seen in some time, but once he was exposed as a thrower, his time in the majors quickly evaporated.
#Arrieta baseball prospectus swing and miss how to#
Many guys can come into the majors based off a 97 MPH heater and a devastating slider, but if they never learn how to pitch instead of throwing, they are exposed in this league. That’s an odd thing to say about a pitcher, but this is true. So not only does he have dominating stuff, which has allowed him to rack up 236 strikouts this season, he has learned how to pitch. “I’ve developed a feel for that now to where I can save (the changeup) till the fifth, sixth or seventh inning if I need it,” Arrieta said, “Not for swings and misses or called strikes - but for weak contact early in the count to get quick outs to remain in the game longer. Yes, the change has been Jake’s favorite pitch this season, and not because he has added another strong pitch to his already formidable arsenal, it is because it allows him to stay in games longer. When he is pinpointing a mid to upper 90’s fastball, while changing speeds on a slider - anywhere from 84-92 MPH - and buckling knees with a curve likened to Bob Gibson’s, you should have success, but Jake admits the biggest turning point is when he learned to command his change-up. The magic to Jake’s turnaround is held somewhere in the freedom to conform back to his old pitching style, growth, work ethic, but maybe most importantly in his ability to command all of his pitches. His arrow was definitely pointing up, but I don’t believe anyone thought this far up. In the 2014 campaign Jake posted a 2.53 ERA and a winning record (10-5) while throwing the most innings of his career (159). Then began his climb to ace and elite status. Jake finished his 2013 season with the Cubs, notching a 4-2 record with a 3.66 ERA in 51.2 innings pitched for Chicago. When he got to Chicago, the Cubs wanted him to pitch from a comfortable spot, as Jake had shown the ability to repeat and position his body effectively to give him the chance of repeated success.

perfect mechanics Mark Prior and the arm troubles he endured. While in theory this is good, Cubs fans should still remember mr. It was in Baltimore that they were concerned with a more fluid pitching motion, creating better mechanics through the ball and to the plate. “I moved away from being concerned with mechanics to being more conscious of the positioning of my body and being able to put it in certain spots more consistently.”
