posted on May 19, 2009 10:47
While “this guy’s good” or “he’s throwing gas” are three-word phrases that pitchers do love, in the opinion of this writer, there are three words that sound better. “Hasn’t shown it” is the best three-word phrase a starting pitcher can hear. “It” can be many different things, but the later in a game a starting pitcher can hear this, the better he is doing.
“Hasn’t shown it” means, in essence, that the pitcher has not shown a particular part of his arsenal. It is most commonly associated with a pickoff move to first, but it is often used from batter to batter in describing particular pitches or locations. I have stressed in past columns that giving the batter as much to think about as possible is important. Imagine how much a batter’s mind wanders when the only time he has seen your curveball, slider, etc. is at 70 percent while warming up in between innings.
As usual, this sounds good in theory, but is difficult in practice. There are, of course, certain assumptions that are made when discussing keeping a certain pitch or certain pitches in your pocket for later. Sure, you can simply throw fastballs and an occasional other pitch, but if you can’t locate and be deceptive, “hasn’t shown it” will have you icing your arm sooner than you had hoped and likely watching your ERA rise like a helium balloon.
I have always tried to simplify the game, and when I work with pitchers, it is usually the simple comments that make a pitcher realize what he is doing wrong, not the complex ones. With that in mind, if you can locate your fastball the first time through an order and stay out of trouble, why do anything different? You’ll quickly find yourself in the 3rd/4th inning with batters who have, at best, rarely seen your secondary pitches or a different location.
The location aspect of “hasn’t shown it” bears further explanation. Most pitchers tend to try to move the ball around throughout an at-bat. At most levels, including pro ball, this is (potentially) giving hitters too much credit (remember, we are the superior ones).
Look back at Tom Glavine, particularly when he was an absolute stud. The first time through the order, he would throw fastballs away, away, away. As players crept up onto the plate, thinking that they could cover the two to three inches he was getting away (from an umpire), he would mix in fastballs inside. The third time through, you’d see more cutters inside. In short, Glavine showed the batters something different each time. It goes without saying that you can reverse this as well and set up your fastball through using cutters, sliders, etc. early. This works particularly well for pitchers with average-to-below-average fastballs.
At any level, be it the minor leagues or high school, batters will get caught looking at a 2-2 curveball, sometimes looking silly. Many times, this is not necessarily because the curveball was a hammer, but more because it was something different, something that they hadn’t seen in previous at-bats. I have excluded Major League Baseball from this comment because the advanced scouting and video technology allows for batters to see every pitch in a particular pitcher’s arsenal.
If you want to be around for a win, quality start, etc., you must not show your hand too quickly or show your hand only when necessary. The themes of the columns may change, but the crux of each one ties back to the notion of throwing strikes, being efficient and being deceptive. Saving a pitch or location until it is necessary certainly qualifies.