Cliff Lee is still a pretty good pitcher

[navamind]

Crashburn Alley ? Cliff Lee Is Still Very Awesome

 

[depraved]

It seems that Lee gets looked now with the fireballers who light up the radar gun and are young. Fernandez is amazing right now but where will he be when he is 35? We are already watching what is happening to Sabathia at 33, who used to be pitch in the mid 90's. Will he be the next King Felix or will he be the next Volquez? I get the excitement around the guns who can light up the radar gun and have the nasty hooks, but give me Lee, Verlander, Wainwright, Hernandez or Kershaw any night over them.

 

[bravesfan]

Pitchers who rely on blowing hitters away with 95+ fastballs do not last, at some point they have to learn to pitch to contact or be more elusive

 

[Mistaken4193]

Pitchers who rely on blowing hitters away with 95+ fastballs do not last, at some point they have to learn to pitch to contact or be more elusive

Thats what made Greg Maddux so great he didn't win with power he won with location. His fastball was like 89 mph but he knew how to locate it. Oh and that 2 seamer to left handed batters was deadly.

 

[Lemon Harang Pie]

Thats what made Greg Maddux so great he didn't win with power he won with location. His fastball was like 89 mph but he knew how to locate it. Oh and that 2 seamer to left handed batters was deadly.

Greg Maddux will probably always be my favorite player but it's hard not to credit a significant amount of his success to the strike zone he was given. He could have tossed the ball into the dugout and get the call.

 

[bravesfan]

Greg Maddux will probably always be my favorite player but it's hard not to credit a significant amount of his success to the strike zone he was given. He could have tossed the ball into the dugout and get the call.

He could throw his change up and two seamer wherever he wanted, he didn't need a lot of help

 

[seahawksfan234]

Phillies are lucky to have Cliff Lee. During his brief time with the Mariners I loved watching him pitch.

 

[Toucanbird]

Pitchers who rely on blowing hitters away with 95+ fastballs do not last, at some point they have to learn to pitch to contact or be more elusive

That's what I really like about Gallardo for the Brewers right now. He's essentially given up trying to be a strikeout pitcher and now pitches to contact. So far I'd say it's paying off...

2-0 1.42 ERA 1.07 WHIP 9 BB 23 SO in 31.2 IP

He used to average a strikeout an inning. He's well below that so far and it's paying dividends to his ERA.

 

[depraved]

That's what I really like about Gallardo for the Brewers right now. He's essentially given up trying to be a strikeout pitcher and now pitches to contact. So far I'd say it's paying off...

2-0 1.42 ERA 1.07 WHIP 9 BB 23 SO in 31.2 IP

He used to average a strikeout an inning. He's well below that so far and it's paying dividends to his ERA.

It'll be interesting to see if he can continue his adjustment. He had a rough year last year but much like Sabathia he's in that transition from having high heat to trying to be a bit more elusive and being an actual pitcher instead of a thrower.

 

[navamind]

It'll be interesting to see if he can continue his adjustment. He had a rough year last year but much like Sabathia he's in that transition from having high heat to trying to be a bit more elusive and being an actual pitcher instead of a thrower.

Gallardo wasn't striking guys out last year either. His groundball rate is climbing though.

 

[depraved]

Gallardo wasn't striking guys out last year either. His groundball rate is climbing though.

Which is good. He's realizing like pitchers who have to transition that he needs to reduce his flyball to groundball ratio. In the long run both pitchers may end up being really good for quite a few years if they can continue with their adjustments. They just won't post the high k rates they once did. That is impressive. Not every pitcher is like Randy Johnson who for some reason could throw high heat well into his career and not blow his arm up.