The Four Essential Skills Of A Pitcher

4/7/2006

I am frequently asked how to evaluate pitchers and determine which ones are ready for a chance to throw in a game. While that is potentially a very big question -- involving a whole range of things including grips, mechanics, and pickoff moves -- at the most basic level I decide whether a pitcher is ready to throw an inning in a real game based on whether they possess what I call the four essential skills of a pitcher...

1. Ability To Throw Strikes With A Batter In The Box
Last year I learned the hard way that you shouldn't evaluate pitchers based on how well they throw when it's just them and the catcher.

2. The Ability Keep The Ball Down Consistently
Once a guy has proven to me that he can throw strikes with a batter in the box, I then ask him to prove to me that he can keep the ball down consistently. I emphasize this skill for two reasons.
   First, it reduces the number of passed balls because it's much easier for a catcher to block a ball that hits the ground in from of them. There's little a catcher can do if a guy is constantly throwing the ball to the backstop.
   Second, it increases the likelihood that the batter will hit a ground ball, which increases the likelihood that my infield will be able to make the play.

3. The Ability To Get Through A Simulated Inning
Once a guy has proven to me that he can throw strikes while keeping the ball down, he has to prove to me that he can hold up under pressure. One way I judge this is by asking my pitchers to throw a simulated inning with a (non-swinging) batter in the box. When judging these simulated innings, I am most interested in seeing whether they can throw multiple strikes in a row, whether they can throw strikes after falling behind in the count, and whether they can get batters out after walking a few guys. I also find that pitching simulated innings is good practice in general because it helps my pitchers focus and concentrate.

4. Velocity
Only after a guy has proven to me that he can throw strikes, keep the ball down, and get through a simulated inning do I worry about velocity. I like my guys to be able to put something on the ball, but I have learned from experience that velocity is entirely useless if a pitcher doesn't have control (Essential Number 1 and Essential Number 2) and is mostly useless if a pitcher can't hold up under pressure (Essential Number 3).