The Swamp

Hitters spend their entire careers building a library of pitches, explains Garrett Beatty, who teaches physiology and applied kinesiology with a focus on sports at the University of Florida. Because they have only 200 to 400 milliseconds—about the blink of an eye—to decide whether and where to swing, they have to extrapolate where the pitch will end up, based on all the pitches they have seen in their lifetimes.

“There’s some [pitchers] where, if you swing where your eyes tell you, you won’t hit the ball, even if you’re on time,” Blackmon says. “I have to go out there and if my eyes tell me it’s in one place, I have to swing to a different place. Which is hard to do. It’s hard to swing and try and miss the ball. But there’s some guys where you have to do it, because their ball and the spin rate or whatever is defying every pitch that you’ve seen come in over the course of your career. … I basically have to not trust my eyes that the pitch is going to finish where I think it’s going to finish and swing in a different place, because the ball is doing something it has no business doing.”

brian wrote: ↑Fri Jun 04, 2021 10:37 am I think Griffey is probably closest to the right answer in my mind, but I see the arguments for Willie Mays as well.

Ryan wrote: ↑Fri Jun 04, 2021 11:41 amPedro

brian wrote: ↑Fri Jun 04, 2021 9:34 am When was the last time (before Fernando Tatis Jr.) that the best player in baseball was the most exciting player in baseball. I'm really not sure (because both are obviously subjective) but you have to go back before the start of Mike Trout's career for any correct answers.

mister d wrote: ↑Wed Jun 02, 2021 11:22 am

Giff wrote: ↑Wed Jun 02, 2021 9:43 amOPS up .220 since this post. Thanks man!

Yeah. He'll never know it, but I'm pretty sure I'm the one who turned everything around.

brian wrote: ↑Fri Jun 04, 2021 11:41 am

Ryan wrote: ↑Fri Jun 04, 2021 11:41 amPedro

One of the other guys I was thinking of.

Really the only argument you could probably make against this was that I think Bonds' peak lined up with Pedro's peak?

mister d wrote: ↑Fri Jun 04, 2021 2:25 pm I will, once again, posit that Eric Davis would have been in the running for best player in baseball through the early 90s if he'd stayed healthy and if so, he would have qualified here.

[–]thesayheykid24 90 points 28 days ago3
Appreciate what you are doing here, have learned a lot from this Q&A!

I planned on just sticking to my question but I figured I would shoot my shot in here because well, why not..

I am NDFA RHP currently going into my second full season of Indy ball. FB 92-96 avg 2400-2600rpm & ~18-21in of HB. Gyro SL 83-87 avg2700-3000rpm and SplCH 80-84 with 16-18in HB.

Posted a line of 21IP 4ER 0.71 WHIP 33/2 K/BB 14.1 K/9 in a Covid-shortened Frontier league season. My goal is to sign with an affiliate team bc I know I can add value to an org.

Thanks for your time Kyle!


kyleboddy Reds Director 73 points 28 days ago

Awesome. Keep playing. Send me your pitch physics reports (Trackman/Rapsodo) and any video you have. kboddy@reds.com works.

mister d wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 7:50 pm Oh yeah. PEDs all over again where something is fine until it’s not and then they need to sacrifice a few stars to save the executives.

EnochRoot wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 8:51 pm If I were Cole, I'd have told Josh Donaldson, as one union member to another, to shut his mouth. Then I'd have turned to the camera and pointed out this is a sport that only took steroids seriously when the United States Government started to threaten the league's antitrust exemption. That it made examples of some players, ruined some careers, and let others get away scot-free, when we all knew damn well everyone was doing it. I'd have pointed out that this is a league that, when it doesn't like statistical trends, actually changes the way baseballs get manufactured. That MLB's very approach creates the atmosphere of suspicion.

Then, if I were to be asked if I ever used the "spider tack" substance? I'd have jumped back and said, "Spiders?! Where?!" I'd then swat the back of my neck a few times and get up and leave the interview.

Giff wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 3:13 pm

EnochRoot wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 8:51 pm If I were Cole, I'd have told Josh Donaldson, as one union member to another, to shut his mouth. Then I'd have turned to the camera and pointed out this is a sport that only took steroids seriously when the United States Government started to threaten the league's antitrust exemption. That it made examples of some players, ruined some careers, and let others get away scot-free, when we all knew damn well everyone was doing it. I'd have pointed out that this is a league that, when it doesn't like statistical trends, actually changes the way baseballs get manufactured. That MLB's very approach creates the atmosphere of suspicion.

Then, if I were to be asked if I ever used the "spider tack" substance? I'd have jumped back and said, "Spiders?! Where?!" I'd then swat the back of my neck a few times and get up and leave the interview.

Anyone tell Fiers to shut his mouth? One union member to another?

Fuck all this media and dumbass fan narrative. This sport is full of cheaters, always has been. And it's fucked up the Astros are literally the only team vilified for it when it didn't even work.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 3:34 pm

Giff wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 3:13 pm

EnochRoot wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 8:51 pm If I were Cole, I'd have told Josh Donaldson, as one union member to another, to shut his mouth. Then I'd have turned to the camera and pointed out this is a sport that only took steroids seriously when the United States Government started to threaten the league's antitrust exemption. That it made examples of some players, ruined some careers, and let others get away scot-free, when we all knew damn well everyone was doing it. I'd have pointed out that this is a league that, when it doesn't like statistical trends, actually changes the way baseballs get manufactured. That MLB's very approach creates the atmosphere of suspicion.

Then, if I were to be asked if I ever used the "spider tack" substance? I'd have jumped back and said, "Spiders?! Where?!" I'd then swat the back of my neck a few times and get up and leave the interview.

Anyone tell Fiers to shut his mouth? One union member to another?

Fuck all this media and dumbass fan narrative. This sport is full of cheaters, always has been. And it's fucked up the Astros are literally the only team vilified for it when it didn't even work.

Fwiw, I've read a couple articles about how Fiers is shunned by a segment of the MLB players. Being a whistle blower is lonely.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 3:34 pm

Giff wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 3:13 pm

EnochRoot wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 8:51 pm If I were Cole, I'd have told Josh Donaldson, as one union member to another, to shut his mouth. Then I'd have turned to the camera and pointed out this is a sport that only took steroids seriously when the United States Government started to threaten the league's antitrust exemption. That it made examples of some players, ruined some careers, and let others get away scot-free, when we all knew damn well everyone was doing it. I'd have pointed out that this is a league that, when it doesn't like statistical trends, actually changes the way baseballs get manufactured. That MLB's very approach creates the atmosphere of suspicion.

Then, if I were to be asked if I ever used the "spider tack" substance? I'd have jumped back and said, "Spiders?! Where?!" I'd then swat the back of my neck a few times and get up and leave the interview.

Anyone tell Fiers to shut his mouth? One union member to another?

Fuck all this media and dumbass fan narrative. This sport is full of cheaters, always has been. And it's fucked up the Astros are literally the only team vilified for it when it didn't even work.

Fwiw, I've read a couple articles about how Fiers is shunned by a segment of the MLB players. Being a whistle blower is lonely.