10/04: C.C. Sabathia
Posted by: James
Before tonight's game, head over to the Bronx Block to see Jim Johnson's breakdown of C.C. Sabathia. It's a very detailed analysis of the very good (and soon-to-be 2007 Cy Young) pitcher. I'd highly recommend reading through the comments as well as there's a lot of good info there as well.
As Jim points out, C.C. has three pitches:
To get an idea of how often Sabathia throws each pitch, I'd check out Josh Kalk's blog for a detailed player card. There you can find the pitch speed averages, which pitch he throws the most in each count and how he mixes it up between lefties and righties. It's a way to look at a pitcher and I'd encourage everyone to take a look.
In addition, Brian over at Depressed Fan has put together a heck of a resource for anyone taking an interest in this divsion series. From his main guide page, click on the batter vs. pitcher match ups link to find some Excel-based goodness. Also, included are links within that file to scouting reports (from the 2007 season) on each player and their tendencies. AWESOME stuff - way to come through Brian.
Finally, if you're looking for even more data, here's the game preview from Baseball Reference. Lots of good stuff there on both a team and player basis and it all links to each player's individual splits, gamelogs and BR's amazing play index.
Okay, all that's out of the way - LET'S GO YANKEES!
As Jim points out, C.C. has three pitches:
* A mid-90s fastball that can touch upper-90s when he reaches back for it. It’s a flat pitch but gains some life at the end if he decides to climb the ladder. Against righties, he occasionally adds a bit of a cut to his fastball.
* A slider that he can throw from multiple arm angles. When he drops down, it becomes more of a sweeping slurve, and is deadly. He likes to use it as an out-pitch against lefty hitters and he doesn’t often throw it the first time through the lineup. If he’s got both his fastball and his slider working, he’s mercilous.
* A low 80s changeup that he has a lot of confidence with and uses it off his fastbal effectively. He will use it early in the count in the beginning of the game and then later in the count as he works in his slider later in the game.
* A slider that he can throw from multiple arm angles. When he drops down, it becomes more of a sweeping slurve, and is deadly. He likes to use it as an out-pitch against lefty hitters and he doesn’t often throw it the first time through the lineup. If he’s got both his fastball and his slider working, he’s mercilous.
* A low 80s changeup that he has a lot of confidence with and uses it off his fastbal effectively. He will use it early in the count in the beginning of the game and then later in the count as he works in his slider later in the game.
To get an idea of how often Sabathia throws each pitch, I'd check out Josh Kalk's blog for a detailed player card. There you can find the pitch speed averages, which pitch he throws the most in each count and how he mixes it up between lefties and righties. It's a way to look at a pitcher and I'd encourage everyone to take a look.
In addition, Brian over at Depressed Fan has put together a heck of a resource for anyone taking an interest in this divsion series. From his main guide page, click on the batter vs. pitcher match ups link to find some Excel-based goodness. Also, included are links within that file to scouting reports (from the 2007 season) on each player and their tendencies. AWESOME stuff - way to come through Brian.
Finally, if you're looking for even more data, here's the game preview from Baseball Reference. Lots of good stuff there on both a team and player basis and it all links to each player's individual splits, gamelogs and BR's amazing play index.
Okay, all that's out of the way - LET'S GO YANKEES!
