The Perez Issue
A Little something to think about on a Monday:
The current consensus out there is that the problem Perez is having currently is that he is trying to be something that at this point of his career he is not. The Pirates have had him change his style some to be less of a bring-the-heat-all-the-time pitcher and more of a finesse pitcher so to try to get more innings out of him to a start. While this is a good idea on paper, more innings out of a start, where is the good in getting an extra inning out of him, but giving up 3 or 4 more runs?
Perez currently is a strike-out pitcher, not a pick at the corners and work the count pitcher and the Pirates need to take that into consideration. Its almost as if the Pirates want to achieve changing everything all at once, more innings, less walks, more targeting of pitches, all right now all at the same time. The problem being of course is that where in the past he relied on just blowing the ball past a batter, now they are asking him to try to work a 3rd pitch into his pitches and paint the corners of the plate with some sweeping curve balls. Which don’t always sweep, and don’t always curve and then tend to end up about 450 feet away in right-center.
The more prudent thing for them to do would be to maybe accentuate one area, maybe less walks if they wish or slowly developing a 3rd pitch. But in genral the control will come with age as he matures, he is after all still a young pitcher. And this approach will aid him then when his speed trails off some as he ages and he can't simply blow the ball past batters all the time. But to try to make him into a low walk and control oriented pitcher almost overnight is simply not working.
The current consensus out there is that the problem Perez is having currently is that he is trying to be something that at this point of his career he is not. The Pirates have had him change his style some to be less of a bring-the-heat-all-the-time pitcher and more of a finesse pitcher so to try to get more innings out of him to a start. While this is a good idea on paper, more innings out of a start, where is the good in getting an extra inning out of him, but giving up 3 or 4 more runs?
Perez currently is a strike-out pitcher, not a pick at the corners and work the count pitcher and the Pirates need to take that into consideration. Its almost as if the Pirates want to achieve changing everything all at once, more innings, less walks, more targeting of pitches, all right now all at the same time. The problem being of course is that where in the past he relied on just blowing the ball past a batter, now they are asking him to try to work a 3rd pitch into his pitches and paint the corners of the plate with some sweeping curve balls. Which don’t always sweep, and don’t always curve and then tend to end up about 450 feet away in right-center.
The more prudent thing for them to do would be to maybe accentuate one area, maybe less walks if they wish or slowly developing a 3rd pitch. But in genral the control will come with age as he matures, he is after all still a young pitcher. And this approach will aid him then when his speed trails off some as he ages and he can't simply blow the ball past batters all the time. But to try to make him into a low walk and control oriented pitcher almost overnight is simply not working.
posted by -Me at 6:29 PM
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