Help me learn how to identify pitches watching baseball on TV
May 1, 2018 10:01 AM
I love baseball. I love watching baseball on TV. But despite having done so for many, many years, I'm just pitiful at identifying pitch type. Please help me learn how to do so!
I'd love to learn more both visually—just recognizing a pitch based on how it looks—and "strategically," i.e., getting a better sense of what type of pitch is likely to be thrown when (based on the count, the matchup, runners on base, score, etc.).
Ideally, I'd love to read some descriptions of every common type of pitch ("this is what a slider is supposed to do"), watch some videos that show what each type of pitch looks like (preferably with some slo-mo!), and also read some general strategic guides on how a pitcher ought to pitch to each batter (and conversely, what kinds of pitches batters should look out for), depending on the circumstances.
I'd prefer to depend as little as possible on the radar gun, especially since one pitcher's changeup can be as fast as another's fastball. Thanks for all your help, fellow baseball fans!
I'd love to learn more both visually—just recognizing a pitch based on how it looks—and "strategically," i.e., getting a better sense of what type of pitch is likely to be thrown when (based on the count, the matchup, runners on base, score, etc.).
Ideally, I'd love to read some descriptions of every common type of pitch ("this is what a slider is supposed to do"), watch some videos that show what each type of pitch looks like (preferably with some slo-mo!), and also read some general strategic guides on how a pitcher ought to pitch to each batter (and conversely, what kinds of pitches batters should look out for), depending on the circumstances.
I'd prefer to depend as little as possible on the radar gun, especially since one pitcher's changeup can be as fast as another's fastball. Thanks for all your help, fellow baseball fans!
Most good pitchers have three basic types of pitch they can throw: a hard one, a soft one, and one that moves unpredictably. The particulars vary, depending on the individual pitcher's mechanics and grip, and there are variations on these basic pitch types. So, if you have a particular team that you follow during the season, you might start note down the best/most common pitches of each of the starting pitchers.
Let's say you follow the Astros. Justin Verlander has four pitches: a fastball, a slider, a curveball, and a changeup. By watching each of his pitches, and taking note of the ball's position when it leaves Verlander's hand, its movement and arc, its speed, and where it ends up (in the dirt, up high, to the left of the batter, to the right of the batter), you'll learn what each of Verlander's pitches looks like. When the batter connects with the pitch, pay attention to whether the batter has to reach for the pitch, and to where the ball ends up.
With time, you'll notice differences in his style versus those of the other starting pitchers. To continue the Astros example, Verlander will throw differently than, say, Gerrit Cole, who is a power pitcher and relies mostly on the fact that he can throw both two-seam and four-seam fastballs really hard, but can also throw a changeup (that looks like a fastball to the batter, who, knowing what Cole throws, will expect one, but then slows down) or a slider (which can leave the pitcher's hand looking like a tempting on-the-slow-side fastball but will curve down and under the swung bat at the last moment). And then you can get into the reasoning behind pitching matchups: which hand is dominant for the batter/pitcher; whether a given batter tends to swing at every pitch or show more patience; whether a given batter will likely just mash the heck out of a fastball, and so on.
This site has a handy guide for the twelve most common pitches. You can print out a PDF of the diagrams and use it as an aid while watching games!
This may sound a bit out-there, but this pitching guide for the MLB The Show 18 game is surprisingly good at succinctly explaining each pitch's utility; this playthrough explainer is also very clear and has some helpful information.
posted by halation at 10:45 AM on May 1, 2018
Let's say you follow the Astros. Justin Verlander has four pitches: a fastball, a slider, a curveball, and a changeup. By watching each of his pitches, and taking note of the ball's position when it leaves Verlander's hand, its movement and arc, its speed, and where it ends up (in the dirt, up high, to the left of the batter, to the right of the batter), you'll learn what each of Verlander's pitches looks like. When the batter connects with the pitch, pay attention to whether the batter has to reach for the pitch, and to where the ball ends up.
With time, you'll notice differences in his style versus those of the other starting pitchers. To continue the Astros example, Verlander will throw differently than, say, Gerrit Cole, who is a power pitcher and relies mostly on the fact that he can throw both two-seam and four-seam fastballs really hard, but can also throw a changeup (that looks like a fastball to the batter, who, knowing what Cole throws, will expect one, but then slows down) or a slider (which can leave the pitcher's hand looking like a tempting on-the-slow-side fastball but will curve down and under the swung bat at the last moment). And then you can get into the reasoning behind pitching matchups: which hand is dominant for the batter/pitcher; whether a given batter tends to swing at every pitch or show more patience; whether a given batter will likely just mash the heck out of a fastball, and so on.
This site has a handy guide for the twelve most common pitches. You can print out a PDF of the diagrams and use it as an aid while watching games!
This may sound a bit out-there, but this pitching guide for the MLB The Show 18 game is surprisingly good at succinctly explaining each pitch's utility; this playthrough explainer is also very clear and has some helpful information.
posted by halation at 10:45 AM on May 1, 2018
The same pitch thrown by different pitchers can vary considerably, *and* the same pitch thrown by the same pitcher on different days can vary considerably, so some knowledge of the pitcher that you are watching will go a long way towards helping you.
This site seems to have a lot of what you are looking for, and skimming the fastball and slider articles, the information seems good.
Strategically, fastballs are more likely to be thrown when the pitcher is behind in the count and when there are runners on base. The pitcher is more likely to be able to throw the fastball for strikes, so a ball that gets away won't advance the runners. And the fastball gets to the plate more quickly, so it is more difficult for runners to steal bases.
The difference between a starting pitcher and a reliever is often an ability to get opposite-handed hitters out consistently. Good fastballs and breaking balls are easier to hit opposite-handed, while good changeups are effective to all batters. So opposite-handed batters should and will be thrown more changeups. Another difference is often fastball command-the ability to hit the catchers mitt precisely with location of the pitch. Fastballs that are not well located can be punished by big league hitters-in a way, the definition of being a big league hitter is being able to hit a good fastball that is in the middle of the strike zone. So therefore just throwing fastballs for strikes is not enough to get big league hitters out consistently. However, most pitchers can throw a few miles an hour harder out of relief, with fewer innings expected from them-and a little more velocity can help when the pitch is commanded less well and left out over the plate.
So a basic starting pitcher toolkit is a fastball that can be commanded into any part of the strike zone at 92 miles an hour or so, a breaking pitch that can be thrown for strikes *somewhere* in the zone, and a changeup that can be thrown for strikes *somewhere* in the zone. A basic relief pitcher toolkit is a fastball and a breaking pitch that can be thown *very hard* for strikes *somewhere* in the zone-the fastball won't be commanded as well as the starting pitcher, but will be thrown somewhat harder to make up for it.
There are exceptions to all of this, and lots of different ways to succeed. For example, fastballs and breaking balls with exceptional movement will be effective against opposite handed hitters. Andrew Miller of Cleveland is an example of a pitcher with that kind of movement. If you have exceptional fastball command and a great changeup, you can still be effective without a good breaking ball and without major league velocity. Bartolo Colon of the Rangers is a pitcher like that. On the other hand a pitcher with exceptional movement and velocity can be effective without commanding the fastball particularly well. Francisco Liriano has been an example of a pitcher like that.
A recent development in baseball is that more pitchers are pitching "backward": throwing their best pitch more often, even if it is a breaking pitch. The dogma in baseball has been that your fastball should be thrown very often-you have to "establish" the fastball. Many organizations are giving pitchers more freedom to use other pitches often if they are more effective: Lance McCullers of the Astros and Masahiro Tanaka of the Yankees are good examples of pitchers who will use breaking pitches much more often.
posted by Kwine at 10:46 AM on May 1, 2018
This site seems to have a lot of what you are looking for, and skimming the fastball and slider articles, the information seems good.
Strategically, fastballs are more likely to be thrown when the pitcher is behind in the count and when there are runners on base. The pitcher is more likely to be able to throw the fastball for strikes, so a ball that gets away won't advance the runners. And the fastball gets to the plate more quickly, so it is more difficult for runners to steal bases.
The difference between a starting pitcher and a reliever is often an ability to get opposite-handed hitters out consistently. Good fastballs and breaking balls are easier to hit opposite-handed, while good changeups are effective to all batters. So opposite-handed batters should and will be thrown more changeups. Another difference is often fastball command-the ability to hit the catchers mitt precisely with location of the pitch. Fastballs that are not well located can be punished by big league hitters-in a way, the definition of being a big league hitter is being able to hit a good fastball that is in the middle of the strike zone. So therefore just throwing fastballs for strikes is not enough to get big league hitters out consistently. However, most pitchers can throw a few miles an hour harder out of relief, with fewer innings expected from them-and a little more velocity can help when the pitch is commanded less well and left out over the plate.
So a basic starting pitcher toolkit is a fastball that can be commanded into any part of the strike zone at 92 miles an hour or so, a breaking pitch that can be thrown for strikes *somewhere* in the zone, and a changeup that can be thrown for strikes *somewhere* in the zone. A basic relief pitcher toolkit is a fastball and a breaking pitch that can be thown *very hard* for strikes *somewhere* in the zone-the fastball won't be commanded as well as the starting pitcher, but will be thrown somewhat harder to make up for it.
There are exceptions to all of this, and lots of different ways to succeed. For example, fastballs and breaking balls with exceptional movement will be effective against opposite handed hitters. Andrew Miller of Cleveland is an example of a pitcher with that kind of movement. If you have exceptional fastball command and a great changeup, you can still be effective without a good breaking ball and without major league velocity. Bartolo Colon of the Rangers is a pitcher like that. On the other hand a pitcher with exceptional movement and velocity can be effective without commanding the fastball particularly well. Francisco Liriano has been an example of a pitcher like that.
A recent development in baseball is that more pitchers are pitching "backward": throwing their best pitch more often, even if it is a breaking pitch. The dogma in baseball has been that your fastball should be thrown very often-you have to "establish" the fastball. Many organizations are giving pitchers more freedom to use other pitches often if they are more effective: Lance McCullers of the Astros and Masahiro Tanaka of the Yankees are good examples of pitchers who will use breaking pitches much more often.
posted by Kwine at 10:46 AM on May 1, 2018
For identifying pitches, you'd probably get some help from YouTube. For example: this video to see a bunch of incredible sliders. Note how they're all in the 80-85 mph range, versus most curves are a bit slower than that.
The uploader of that previous sliders video has some other good videos of nothing but curveballs, etc.
His channel is here.
posted by kuanes at 10:49 AM on May 1, 2018
The uploader of that previous sliders video has some other good videos of nothing but curveballs, etc.
His channel is here.
posted by kuanes at 10:49 AM on May 1, 2018
Having a scouting report in front of them that details what's in the pitcher's repertoire and what kind of hitter is at the plate means the guys on TV are always going to be better at this than we are at home. After years of watching games, I can pretty easily tell a fastball from an off-speed pitch, but not often a slider vs change-up vs curve or whatever. The announcers are so good this because they have vastly more information than the casual viewer.
posted by something something at 10:52 AM on May 1, 2018
posted by something something at 10:52 AM on May 1, 2018
The TL;DR seems to be : know your pitches (there are graphics easy to find on the internet) and then know your pitcher.
If you are a fan of watching on tv then listening to the commentary for just a few batters should clue you in to what you are looking for for a given pitcher, as 3 or 4 pitches is the norm. for relievers it's even easier to get a handle, as they can often just rely on 2 pitches.
posted by OHenryPacey at 10:53 AM on May 1, 2018
If you are a fan of watching on tv then listening to the commentary for just a few batters should clue you in to what you are looking for for a given pitcher, as 3 or 4 pitches is the norm. for relievers it's even easier to get a handle, as they can often just rely on 2 pitches.
posted by OHenryPacey at 10:53 AM on May 1, 2018
Regarding watching on TV, it is way easier to identify pitches when the camera is more or less directly behind the pitcher.
The same principle holds true for when you're at the game, though of course sitting perpendicular to the path of the ball allows you to see the vertical break well.
posted by Fukiyama at 11:04 AM on May 1, 2018
The same principle holds true for when you're at the game, though of course sitting perpendicular to the path of the ball allows you to see the vertical break well.
posted by Fukiyama at 11:04 AM on May 1, 2018
The announcers are so good this because they have vastly more information than the casual viewer.
They also have a better vantage point - usually high up behind the hitter. It makes it really easy to see a breaking pitch. MUCH easier than the offset centerfield angle most broadcasts use.
posted by Rock Steady at 11:12 AM on May 1, 2018
They also have a better vantage point - usually high up behind the hitter. It makes it really easy to see a breaking pitch. MUCH easier than the offset centerfield angle most broadcasts use.
posted by Rock Steady at 11:12 AM on May 1, 2018
Announcers make a lot of mistakes, and don't correct them. Sometimes you will notice that the "color" announcer will ID a pitch differently from the play-by-play announcer. Its helpful when an announcer is an ex-pitcher like Ron Darling of the Mets team because he offers more explanation.
I once saw Doc Gooden pitch, and from up in the stands it was easy to tell the fastball from the curve from the velocity difference. Not so easy on TV.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:57 PM on May 1, 2018
I once saw Doc Gooden pitch, and from up in the stands it was easy to tell the fastball from the curve from the velocity difference. Not so easy on TV.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:57 PM on May 1, 2018
This video where someone overlays five pitches from Yu Darvish really shows the difference in flight. You can also watch this other video where they've pieced together multiple examples of each.
posted by cali59 at 6:01 PM on May 2, 2018
posted by cali59 at 6:01 PM on May 2, 2018
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There are (roughly) two fastballs—a four-seam fastball will, depending on the camera angle, look like it "rises," and will (to the extent it moves horizontally at all) usually appear to move toward the pitcher's glove hand. After a long period of time in which high four-seam fastballs were considered dangerous (because a bad, high fastball is a home run derby pitch) lots of smart teams are now moving toward throwing more high four-seam fastballs. You'll see hard-throwing relievers rely on their four-seam fastball especially often, but it's the default pitch for most pitchers.
A two-seam fastball (alias sinker) moves down and toward the pitcher's throwing arm. Lots of pitchers (Cardinals pitching staffs were famous for this for years) try to pound the lower half of the strike zone with sinkers because they produce ground balls. As strikeouts go up across major league baseball this has become a little less common, but there are lots of pitchers who rely heavily on a sinker.
There are also two kinds of changeups: A straight change (less common now) breaks straight down, while a circle change has similar movement to a sinker, only slower. A number of pitchers (lots of Japanese imports throw it, though it used to be more common among American pitchers) throw a splitter or forkball, which is named for the way a pitcher keeps the ball tucked between his split index and middle fingers. A splitter is very difficult to throw for a strike, and most people don't try to do it—it dives into the dirt more drastically than a changeup or a curveball, and is designed to pick up swinging strikes.
Breaking balls exist on a rough continuum from fastball (not a breaking pitch at all) to curveball (a "12-to-6" curveball appears to rise out of the pitcher's hand and then dive into the dirt). In between, there's a cutter (ideally this looks like a fastball out of the pitcher's hand, only goes a little slower than his fastball, and runs toward his glove hand) and a slider (little slower, more dramatic horizontal break). Cutters and sliders have become more common over time in baseball, but big overhand curveballs are still in use.
Different pitchers pitch different ways—Japanese pitchers are (and this is, like all generalizations, just true enough to be confusing) famous for pitching "backwards," starting by establishing their curveball in the strike zone and then going with fastballs later in the count. As they get older some pitchers start to rely almost entirely on breaking balls, while others just throw as many sinkers as they can and try to minimize the damage opposing batters can do. Keep a Fangraphs window open while you watch the game and look up the pitchers you see—they have a really useful set of stats that shows how often a given pitcher throws each pitch.
posted by Polycarp at 10:43 AM on May 1, 2018