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A little over a week ago we looked into the results of Jordan Hicks, the Cardinals rookie reliever breaking records with his impressive fastball. Despite throwing some of the fastest pitches on record, Hicks just was not missing bats. It was curious. That curiosity drove this writer to pledge to track Hicks throughout the season. Maybe we will find something significant. Maybe this is just another example of baseball weirdness. There is only one way to find out: TO THE DATA!
As you can see, strikeouts seem to be trending up. This comes after reports from Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch of Hicks working with pitching coach Mike Maddux on some strikeout pitches. Per Goold:
To improve his whiff rate, pitching coach Mike Maddux said, they’re working on two breaking pitches.
“A bigger one and a smaller one,” he said. “One at 81, and another at 85...”
... Hicks has also been working on a four-seam fastball to elevate on 0-2 counts.
That’s an area where strikeouts can be found.
“They’re coming,” he said. “I think they’re coming.”
Looking at Fangraphs graphs for Hicks shows some changes in his pitching approach.
And his results have changed, too, as hitters seem to be swinging and missing more often.
Will these tweaks make Jordan Hicks a strikeout machine? Well, it has only been a week since these changes were implemented. It is way too early to draw conclusions based on these subtle trends, but the early results look like they could be promising. Only time will tell and as that time pass, I will diligently monitor it.
what else is going on in baseball...
Johan Camargo’s mom crashed his postgame interview to tell him how proud she was | SBNation.com
Citi Field caught fire on Wednesday, and it was put out with no injuries | SBNation.com
The Continuing Evolution of Justin Verlander | FanGraphs Baseball
The Astros’ Quiet Catching Advantage | FanGraphs Baseball
Yoenis Cespedes debuted some homemade goggles in the dugout | MLB.com
Marwin Gonzalez hit a grounder fair after already hitting it foul on the same swing | MLB.com
The Giants called up Dereck Rodriguez, son of Hall of Famer Pudge | MLB.com
A goose was on the loose during the Angels-Tigers game | SBNation.com
what the cardinals are up to...
Michael Wacha, the New Big Brother of the Cardinals Rotation | 101Sports.com
Girsch Has Faith Ozuna and Fowler Will Turn Things Around Like Carp | 101Sports.com
Alex Reyes Day Ends In Disappointment | Viva El Birdos
KNOW THINE ENEMY...
the pittsburgh pirates
Musgrove pitches Pirates to 2-1 victory over Cubs | Bucs Dugout
the nl central
Cubs roster move: Carl Edwards Jr. to DL, Cory Mazzoni recalled | Bleed Cubbie Blue
Pirates 2, Cubs 1: More extracurricular activity | Bleed Cubbie Blue
Anthony Rizzo homers as Cubs beat Pirates | MLB.com
Anthony Rizzo, Joe Maddon, and the Dangerous Play | FanGraphs Baseball
Anthony Rizzo slide stirs Cubs, Pirates debate | MLB.com
Shaw slashes .400 over past week | 05/28/2018 | MLB.com
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