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357 sats \ 8 replies \ @Undisciplined 16 Apr \ parent \ on: CJ Wilson / @Str8edgeracer AMA AMA
That's fascinating.
I'm a data analyst and what you're describing is such a smart approach to defending against being the subject of analysis.
These analytic techniques really stretch the available data to its limits, so increasing the noise is extremely disruptive.
exactly.
I threw the following pitches, and variants:
4 seam / carry
4 seam / cut
2 seam sink
2 seam sideways run
2 seam sail
4 seam changeup
2 seam changeup
split finger
cutter
slider
curveball
spike curveball
sidearm 4 seam carry
sidearm 2 seam sink/run
sidearm slider
I was the first person I know of to actively increase the 'noise' and try to deceive the scouts in this manner. I even threw a few knuckleballs as a starter just to confuse hitters if I was totally in the zone.
I was very analytical but it pushed me to be 'creative' as opposed to robotic.
I would do things like Nestor Cortes and Cueto with the leg kicks etc and my coaches would LOSE THEIR SHIT- especially when I would drop down for different angles.
But I can 100% say with confidence that dropping down and throwing 93-95mph was one of the wackiest things I could show a lefthanded hitter and contributed to my extreme success against some lefties over the years.
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That's great.
The other brilliant element of this strategy is that you weren't just increasing the noise. Because you were doing something systematic, you were also biasing any results that could be estimated.
Are most athletes trying to do stuff like this now? We're so deep into the analytics age, I imagine a lot of thought and energy goes into countering it.
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I don't think guys have that much self awareness right now, they're just focused on 'how sharp' they can make their pitches...which is fine for power pitchers and relievers.
But conceptually if you look at my ERA and my HR/9 stats they were way way lower than I should have been as a Texas Ranger, in that crazy stadium.
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I enjoyed pitching in Seattle and Yankee Stadium, and had pretty good success in both places. I really disliked pitching in Detroit, KC and Oakland. Pitching in SF seemed like it was WAY easier to keep the scoring down vs somewhere like Boston- so as you move around you start to understand how ERA+ and FIP make winners and losers more value averaged across the league.
I got to pitch against Halladay in Philly, and batted against him. It was truly a high water mark of my career.