Game of Arms: The Power of Pitching
Written by Josh Smith
Offense has always dominated our league since we began. For the past two years good pitchers have gone unnoticed because of the types of bats we use, the runs that are generated, and the focus on hitting. Pitchers are starting to see their chance to shine in 2014 as we have entered a new age, one that affords pitchers to throw into the strike zone without the ball necessarily being hit into orbit. It's an exciting time and it will be a year that pitchers will presumably dominate.
The league has some great pitchers but nothing like other leagues have (as we saw in the NWLA Tournament last summer). We have a long way to go on developing nasty pitches and accuracy. This year could change that as pitchers will now have better odds at striking out their opponents due to the skinnier bat. The threat of deep home runs being hit is still very much present but the odds of that happening have been reduced. The bat hits the ball an estimated 25-30 feet shorter than the black bats, and in some cases that can make all the difference.
Some of the leagues greatest pitchers could reach new heights as they continue to do what they do best - strike out batters. Some of the league's most notable strike out pitchers could break league records. Pitchers like Greg Sowards, Josh Berletich, and newcomer Steven Adkins struck out 40+ batters last year. Sowards set a new record of 66 Ks during the regular season last year and we could see that record broken quite easily this year. Adkins and Berletich both pitch at reasonable speed. Adkins has a gradual curveball that needs to become more sharp if he's to freeze batters stiff. His fastball is accurate but he will need more than that in his arsenal to strike out another 40+ batters in 2014. He showed remarkable progress throughout fall ball so he is definitely up to the task. Berletich has grown as a pitcher substantially since 2012. He not only has a killer fastball but a great curveball and change-up that can dazzle most batters. If he perfects those pitches even more and works on a splitter he could be incredibly difficult to hit off of this season.
Greg Sowards has practiced quite a bit during the off-season and has always been a reliable and accurate pitcher who seems to inexplicably hit the strike zone. This season you should expect him to do the same. His half-lob pitching style has served him well as he won Cy Wiffle in 2012 and Strikeout King in 2013 (while setting a new record at that). Could 2014 be a year he accomplishes even more or will he plateau? With other pitchers on the team (Josh Smith, Andrew Hankins, & Mike McCoy) he will still be the teams number one pitcher in the rotation but will batters figure him out and unload on him. Time will tell. Meanwhile average to good pitchers like Hankins and Smith may see a sudden uptick in success on the mound with a little practice. Smith struck out 38 batters (tied for 2nd most in league) last year. His 5-8 record is no doubt a blemish but the Terrorhawks had a difficult time scoring runs, a problem that seems less likely with this new team. Smith has a great (although unpredictable) hard slider and cut fastball that keeps batters guessing. His main struggle is with accuracy, if he can get on top of that he can rise up in an area he has proven lackluster thus far. Meanwhile, Hankins struck out 29 batters (4th most in league) last year. His amazing curveball and varying speeds through the count keeps batters on their toes. With a great defense behind him, can he do better than 2-7 like he did last year? We will see.
Team BagTag are wild card contenders in this category. Zach Blatt was the team's main pitcher seemingly by default. Zach struggled with accuracy early on but improved dramatically by the time the fall ball season came to a close. He's a lefty which throws a lot of batters off automatically. But hopefully he either increases his speed or sharpness of his pitches. Many batters began hitting off of him considerably towards the end. Brian Ball has since committed to the team and is practicing now. Brandon Woolum also made some impressive progress as he tries to work through his shoulder pain. The team has also acquired Ryan Blatt, who pitched in high school. So it's difficult to say BagTag has any dominant pitchers, we will just have to wait.
Breaking Balls have probably practiced the most out of any team in the off-season. No one outside of the team is really sure who is practicing on the mound the most. Ryan Pritt was the team's go-to pitcher in fall ball. Jeff Rider also showed promise on the mound. But with all this practice it's safe to say with weekly practices, whoever it is - is probably pretty good.
On a more tragic note it is impossible to ignore that there are four pitchers who will not be joining us this season who would otherwise benefit immensely from this sudden advantage in pitching: Ryan Miller, Thelmer Damron, Jeff Kim, & Russell Odono. They were possibly the most impressive movement pitchers of 2013 and they will not even be involved this year. Their absence will be noticeable but hopefully the rest of us are able to rise to the occasion to bridge the gap to make this the most challenging year yet for hitters. So get out there and practice hitting the zone. You can build your own easy. The zone itself is only 20" wide and 30" tall. The bottom of the zone needs to be 12" off the ground. We pitch 48' from the zone and it's harder than it looks which is why practice is advised.
