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3-4, 2.37 |
7-3, 3.45 |
Game time is 7:05.
Listen live here. Gameday link here.
Great discussion the past couple of days. Thanks again go to Carlos Gomez for coming by and chatting with us, even if it’s not always the news we’d like to hear.
Battle of the soft-tossers happening tonight, two hurlers who have a lot in common. The scouting report on Wade LeBlanc from the 2007 Minor League Baseball Analyst by Derek McKamey (an annual must buy book) says of LeBlanc-
Low upside hurler with below average velocity, but wins games by keeping ball low, hitting spots and mixing pitches. Repeats delivery well which aids CU and command. Slow CB can get hammered if he hangs it and will have to pitch close to perfect to survive.
McKamey grades out his fastball and curve as below average offerings. LeBlanc’s fastball is in the 84-88 range and his best pitch is his change. So, other then handedness, you could say he does have quite a bit in common with Walters. Like Walters, despite having a blazing fastball and above average stuff, LeBlanc has struck out 24% of the batters he’s faced this season between A ball and AA. Walters has struck out 23%, but hasn’t had quite the same success at missing bats in AA as in the lower levels, but has been successful at three different levels this year.
UPDATE lineups per Kary Booher:
San Antonio
Will Venable, rf
Matt Antonelli, 2b
Chase Headley, 3b
Peter Ciofrone, 1b
Chad Huffman, lf
Brett Dowdy, ss
Nick Hundley, c
Drew Macias, cf
Wade LeBlanc, p
Springfield
Colby Rasmus, cf
Jose Martinez, ss
Amaury Marti, rf
Cody Haerther, lf
Allen Craig, 3b
Bryan Anderson, c
Juan Lucena, 2b
Mark Hamilton, 1b
P.J. Walters, p
Filed under: Game Threads
erik
azruavatar
fewgoodcards
roarke49
theredbaaron
Gawd, I wish this stuff was on TV. I have lost my stomach to watch the big club.
I want to thank Carlos. He is a good sport and I really enjoy bouncing questions off him. His views on pitching mechanics are some of the best. I teach this stuff and I really take his pitching advice to heart.
I am pretty sure that they have 3 at home now, unlike the Majors they try to avoid travel so I think the last 3 games of the series is in Springfield, so they will win or lose it all at home.
i didn’t know that hugo, but after going to the team’s site it looks like you are right. makes sense. has to be a nice advantage for springfield.
I stayed out of the chat yesterday, b/c my total opposition to Carlos’s views would have muddy’d up a nice chat you guys had, so I will just voice my 2 cents here and even thu it seems to be going against 99% of the people’s beliefs on here…here it goes.
If hitting mechanics was a good indicator of a hitters success, Russell Branyan would be great.
Anyone who thinks Kyle Russell has a better swing and approach then Kozma makes me wonder if they are watching the same player. Not every player has to swing for power and get extension, not every player is a cookie cutter simulation, a persons body and natural ability make them what they are. If hitting a certain way was the answer, we wouldnt see so many unique MLB hitting stances.
I dont doubt his pitching mechanics, I pitched for my whole life and arm slot, elbow position, extension and repetition in a delivery are very important and often led to success or failure….but hitting mechanics to me arent quantifiable.
In a world when Rod Carew’s choppin wood style can win batting titles year after year and the picturesque swings of Branyan and Travis Lee lead to a .200 avg tells me all I need to know about breaking down a player via a swing video.
Again, sorry dont mean to stir anything up, I enjoy this site…I just feel completely opposite on this one.
PS…..I would love for someone to get a Kozma swing video and sync it up with Derek Jeter’s swing….The approach, finish and objective are nearly identical…yet we hear nothing derogatory against Jeter’s swing.
Find me a Scouting Report from BA, PG, from any 3rd party scouting service that once mentions Kozma’s hands or the belief he wont hit and wont hit for power??
Thanks for hearing my rant.
We do have the next three here at home in Springfield. I have had my tickets for all 3 games if necessary since early August. GOOD LUCK to the guys tonight. It is going to be a cool night with a pretty good breeze from the north. This means the wind blowing in and left to right field. Should be a low scoring game with the pitching match up, but you never know. Temperature is suppose in the 60’s.
p-fork
I agree with your thoughts on the hitting side of things. That was kinda where my questions about lau and williams yesterday were heading.
BJM