Fun with Pitch F/x: Vlad
by mlbnotebook on Mar 6, 2009 1:06 PM PST
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Look at where those extra-base hits are located in the zone. They are scattered all over the inside of the zone, and a cluster of doubles are far outside and low. Amazing. This guy is truly ridiculous.
Also, notice where all the called strikes are. They are way towards the outside half of the plate. Vlad scares pitchers into keeping the ball away from him, mainly because he has proven to be able to turn on the ball. The fact that two of those HR are way inside is truly astounding.
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This i sgreat
Look at those outside pitches … who here thinks he should have been more selective and taken a few walks?
Nice Graphic!
Thanks for posting this!
The low-and-away doubles are a trip too. Especially the one only 12" off the plate!
Questions on the graphic:
Are these the final pitches in his AB’s from last year or what?
I'm not sure
I’m no Pitch F/x expert. As far as I know, those are all the called strikes like season. Well, maybe not all, but from all situations.
I just sorted the data by HR, then Doubles, then Triples, then Called Strikes. Then I simply morphed all of them together to put them all on one graph.
-Zach Sanders
MLB Notebook.com
how is he able to hit home runs off balls on that are nearly on his balls?
this graphic doesn’t make sense the way the guy explained it. What is the perspective we’re to look at this box with (in other words – what view is this, from pitcher, or batter looking out to pitcher?)
It makes more sense to me (i know, my opinion is worthless) if it’s flipped from what the guy is explaining – that is if it were a pitcher’s perspective (left hand side being outside the plate, right hand side being inside on Vlad’s hands.).
I seem to recall a lot of pitchers pitching him up and in, but this doesn’t seem to reflect that at all, in fact quite the opposite.
either way, Vlad is a stud. too bad he had to waste the prime of his career/talents in Montreal on that cement.
load the spaceship with the rocket fuel... load it with the warriors...
Obviously from the catcher's point-of-view (my notes are in bold)
Look at where those extra-base hits are located in the zone. They are scattered all over the inside of the zone, (nearly hitting Vlad (at left in the box shown above)) and a cluster of doubles are far outside and low (far away from Vlad — making him REACH for it (at the right in the box shown above). Amazing. This guy is truly ridiculous.
Also, notice where all the called strikes are. They are way towards the outside half of the plate (at the right). Vlad scares pitchers into keeping the ball away from him (pitching on the right of the box), mainly because he has proven to be able to turn on the ball. The fact that two of those HR are way inside (at the left) is truly astounding.
by Downing Rules on Mar 6, 2009 2:23 PM PST up reply actions
got lazy when I was reading...
thanks for injecting it into my brain. ;)
unreal how he is able to turn on those extreme inside pitches and drive them out.
here’s to hoping we see lots of those this year (and none actually hitting his hands…)
load the spaceship with the rocket fuel... load it with the warriors...
Also, the “up-and-ins’” on Vlad usually came earlier in the count. I translate this graph to show only pitches that end the AB either he struck out or he knocked it into play. Notice the lack of balls shown, so it is not showing his BB’s.
Although, maybe I am wrong — in 2008, he K’d 77 times, there are more than 77 purple dots I see there …I count somewhere in the mid-80’s.
by Downing Rules on Mar 6, 2009 2:39 PM PST up reply actions
I'm pretty sure that's every called strike Vlad has last year. Which tells you something
in and of itself. :/
Plugging the upside since 2006.
Never give up, never surrender!
aha. So then the “up and ins” do not show up on this since it is not showing balls (green dotss on the legend).
by Downing Rules on Mar 6, 2009 3:43 PM PST up reply actions
Also
this is only called strikes, so has nothing to do with strikeouts based off swings. Like I said, I’m not entirely sure, but my understanding is that it’s every called strike.
However, I’m not sure if it includes games from September, because Josh’s last announced update was late August.
-Zach Sanders
MLB Notebook.com
no worries - I should have been able to read more closely and figure it out myself.
I’m just astounded that this guy can turn on pitches that far inside like he can.
thanks again for the post, neat stuff.
load the spaceship with the rocket fuel... load it with the warriors...
Remember the two balls he deposited into the upper deck at Safeco (in one game)? I am pretty sure those were really far inside. They ended up landing halfway to Idaho.
by Downing Rules on Mar 9, 2009 4:10 PM PDT up reply actions
They were both off Jaime Moyer.. I know one was a 3-0 fastball,high and the other a hanging curve ball… The MLB has removed the top plays archive, I know it was in April either 05 or 06…Both pitches were in,the curveball being the more extreme of the 2.. Both balls were destroyed
8/12/2005 : http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SEA/SEA200508120.shtml
Top of the 4th was a 5-pitch AB and the top of the 6th was a 4-pitch AB.
Looking at the old box score, Putz and Sherrill got absolutely ROCKED in that game.
It is weird that the Top Plays Archive has disappeared! What a bummer.
by Downing Rules on Mar 10, 2009 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions
Just thought I’d throw in one my favorite all time Vlad Guerrero moments as an Expo to you guys—- vs Atlanta in the 9th at home.. down 5-3 with John Rocker on the mound.. Guerrero destroyed a high fastball for a walk off home run…He also hit back to back game winners off the Diamondbacks when Byun Hun Kin was the closer there,def good memories back when he was an Expo.
I will miss the top plays archives,I have seen them go and come back before,hopefully is the case.. I love watching the Home run he hit off Schilling in Boston,July 30th ?? 06. Game was on ESPN Sunday Night
A spliter that just caught the inside corner..The reaction from Schill was priceless..
vaguely...
the memories are fuzzy and slowly returning – it just seems like it’s been so long since Angels baseball season.
I really tried to divorce myself from the game and ’08 following the dreadful ending vs. “those guys” from “that place”… grrr… blood is boiling just typing about it.
load the spaceship with the rocket fuel... load it with the warriors...
Let it go.
Heck, I bought a DVD copy of 1986 ALCS Game 5. I use it as a point of reference. Feeling that sting of a bitter defeat gives you a bit more low as a reference for the high water mark that was established in 2002 WS games 6 and 7.
Next time you are down about something, just whip out your WS Game 6 and Game 7 and feel the joy all over again. It’s quite therapeutic.
by Downing Rules on Mar 10, 2009 11:31 AM PDT up reply actions
it is... but I just loathe "that place"/"that team"/"those fans"/"that stigma"
to me there’s still unfinished business.
As sweet as 2002 was, I wanted a bit more because I wanted to go through Boston to end the bad juju we have when it comes to them (regular season success means nothing imo).
do you think Boston would have felt the same about their championships had they never gone through the Yankees at all in the post season?
that’s all I’m saying. but thanks for the encouragement nonetheless DR ;)
load the spaceship with the rocket fuel... load it with the warriors...
Boston hatred goes a little bit deeper for me (even though it looks like you have some Laker scars too, eh?). I had the super bowl in 2002 to deal with as well.
I agree, we will really clear some skeletons once we knock off the Red Sox. And I don’t want it to be with anyone on their team hurt, as it will become a crutch of an excuse (like we Angels fans did for 2007, and that really bit us in the ass in 2008 when we were healthy).
by Downing Rules on Mar 10, 2009 11:41 AM PDT up reply actions
Why on Earth would it be catcher's perspective?
I’ve been fooling around on Josh Kalk’s website, and he doesn’t specifically say that it’s from the catcher’s perspective.
I’m not a scouting expert by any stretch of the imagination, but every similar graph I’ve ever seen has been from the pitcher’s perspective (for example, the hitting zones chart you posted below). Unless Josh Kalk says otherwise, I think we have to assume it’s the standard pitcher’s perspective.
This also better explains the home runs 10 inches off the plate. I’ve seen Vlad hit far more HR reaching for an outside pitch than swing at pitches aimed at his balls.
Vlad has his own inverse "Greg Maddux" effect.
A: Vlad can hit anything within a foot of the plate.
B: Fearful pitchers spend more time throwing off the plate.
C: Umps stretch their zone out as they see more and more outside pitches to Vlad
D: Therefore, those pitches become strikes.
Pitching fear becomes umpiring empathy.
One thing to keep in mind is that this also shows where Vlad is more inclined to TAKE
pitches. Those huge holes in the zone where he has NO called strikes probably indicate that anytime somebody threw him a ball there he took a hack at it, whether he hit it or not.
Plugging the upside since 2006.
Never give up, never surrender!
I wonder what the BA is in the “chase zones” and how his chase zone BA compares to the “better than average” hitters in all of baseball. That would really tell you the gory details about his ability to strike the baseball.
by Downing Rules on Mar 6, 2009 3:45 PM PST up reply actions
This just confirms what I have always said about Vlad...
best thing a pitcher can do is pitch him right down the middle! :)
There are three things in my life which I really love: God, my family, and baseball. The only problem - once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit. -- Al Gallagher
This is really cool.
But why are there only 17 home runs, Vlad hit 27 last year?
I was uncool before uncool was cool.
No Clue
All I did was take the data from Josh Kalk’s Pitch F/x database. I have no ideas to why data is missing or omitted.
-Zach Sanders
MLB Notebook.com
Maybe the data is pre 7/31/08?
He hit 10 more after 7/31.
by Downing Rules on Mar 6, 2009 4:20 PM PST up reply actions
Possibly
I may send some emails out tonight to see if I can’t get some of these questions answered for you guys.
-Zach Sanders
MLB Notebook.com
The more I stare at the chart...
…the purple dots are connecting to form an image of Vlad…or is the Jimi Hendrix?
hahahaha
There is an "Angel in the outfield" and his name is GA! ps. he is lazy but not a bum GO HALOS!
too much purple haze
to make anything out
That'll only happen if that one prospect is the second coming of Christ and redemption for mankind can only be achieved by smacking many balls out of the yard.
-The Limey
by anaheim angels on Mar 6, 2009 10:47 PM PST up reply actions
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