Is it possible our veteran pitchers are over analyzing themselves?

kired

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Aug 22, 2008
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The thread on our freshmen pitchers got me curious - any chance our veteran guys are not developing because they are over analyzing their pitching mechanics? Have you guys ever seen our pitching lab? I got to see it during a tour this fall, and it's impressive how much data they can collect. I would have loved to spend a few throwing sessions in there 25 years ago as a teenager, seeing how small changes really affect my pitches (I'd even love to do it now with my 42 year old arm just for the hell of it).

You would think any pitcher on our team could improve by spending time in there, regardless of who the pitching coach is. But it seems we've seen a lot of guys regress the longer they are here.

Were they just not that good to begin with, and they are exposed now that other teams have scouting reports on them? Are their arms shot by they time they hit 20 years old? Or is it possible that because they have access to so much information, they've done like Michael Jackson - started tinkering with little things until they've turned into a disaster?
 

OG Goat Holder

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Sep 30, 2022
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No. They are just all high-talent, measurable type guys who really don't know how to pitch when they can't simply out-talent folks. They were brought up on velo. Throwers, not pitchers.

It's hard to develop those guys in college, especially when they have control problems, and even moreso when you micromanage and call every pitch like Foxhall does.
 
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DoggieDaddy13

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Dec 23, 2017
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Do we know for a fact that Foxhall call every pitch? Seems like opposing batters would be scouted and pitchers/catchers would have to know their tendencies/weaknesses and try to exploit them.

Or do most college pitchers get told what to throw, pitch by pitch? I find that really hard to believe.

Seems like for good pitchers, you'd want to give them a bit of freedom to figure it out and let 'em play.
 

CochiseCowbell

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Oct 29, 2012
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Do we know for a fact that Foxhall call every pitch? Seems like opposing batters would be scouted and pitchers/catchers would have to know their tendencies/weaknesses and try to exploit them.

Or do most college pitchers get told what to throw, pitch by pitch? I find that really hard to believe.

Seems like for good pitchers, you'd want to give them a bit of freedom to figure it out and let 'em play.

Pitch calls coming from the dugout has been a thing for almost a decade. I'm not a fan either.
 
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Seinfeld

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Nov 30, 2006
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The thread on our freshmen pitchers got me curious - any chance our veteran guys are not developing because they are over analyzing their pitching mechanics? Have you guys ever seen our pitching lab? I got to see it during a tour this fall, and it's impressive how much data they can collect. I would have loved to spend a few throwing sessions in there 25 years ago as a teenager, seeing how small changes really affect my pitches (I'd even love to do it now with my 42 year old arm just for the hell of it).

You would think any pitcher on our team could improve by spending time in there, regardless of who the pitching coach is. But it seems we've seen a lot of guys regress the longer they are here.

Were they just not that good to begin with, and they are exposed now that other teams have scouting reports on them? Are their arms shot by they time they hit 20 years old? Or is it possible that because they have access to so much information, they've done like Michael Jackson - started tinkering with little things until they've turned into a disaster?
Maybe, but take a look at this trend of young pitcher development ever since Foxhall arrived in 2019. I mean... in 4 years, the ratio of busts and/or downward spirals to actual hits is 3:1 at best, and this is without even bringing up some of the transfers like Auger, Tullar, and Walling. Foxhall's track record for player development here is not a good trend at all

2019
JT Ginn
Brandon Smith
Eric Cerantola
Bryce Brock
Christian MacLeod

2020
Will Bednar
Landon Sims
KC Hunt

2021
Dylan Carmouche
Cade Smith
Mikey Tepper
Jackson Fristoe

2022
Pico Kohn
Cole Cheatham
Jack Walker