Creating strikeouts on a consistent basis can be challenging for some pitchers. Therefore, they rely on the defense behind them to generate outs. When a team has a strong defensive unit, with a pitcher whose strikeout stuff may not be working in that particular game, they may resort to creating grounders for fielders to manage.
In the case of Minnesota Twins second year starter Randy Dobnak, this was the case, as he led all starters in baseball with a Groundball% (GB%) of 62.1% as a member of a strong starting pitching rotation for the franchise.
Dobnak of course is not the only starter in the game that tries to generate grounders for their defense to convert to critical outs. Some organizations purposefully look for arms that possess a pitch selection that is capable of excelling in this area. For today's article, we focus on the exact three-pitch selection that will direct arms to turn to when facing a strong opposing lineup.
For this breakdown, we focus on starting pitchers who pitched at least 40 innings in 2020 (this is due to the shortened season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic). This results in a sample of 106 arms, which is then narrowed down to the top 100 pitchers based on GB%. We then look at each hurler's top-three pitches based on usage. Once this is achieved, we breakdown the first, second and third choice of pitch that will result in a three-pitch selection that will most likely generate grounders based on the percentages.
Now that we have set the table, let's eat.
In reference to the following figures below, there are several pitch mixes that could help starting arms create grounders:
Based on the data from our sample, the most effective mix, in the context of starting pitching is four-seam fastball, slider and changeup in that order. The second option could potentially be sinker, changeup and slider in that sequence.
One of the more crucial takeaways from this summary is that no matter which sequence a starter chooses to employ to generate groundballs, it must include an effective slider. With that in mind, this pitch type should not be used in the first pitch in the groundball sequence; it be employed as the second, or third, option.
If a starting pitcher is in their respective player development plan, or process, it may be wise to develop a strategy that may stifle lineups that are focused on generating consistent offense in the form of hits. By mastering a groundball sequence, this would accomplish this goal and it might be a secondary option for a starter in the future, even once they gained invaluable experience on the mound.
Thank you so much for choosing The Launch Angle for some out-of-the-box baseball analysis! If you liked this post, click on this link for our previous article.
Comments