Z Would Have Vetoed Trade
From Bruce Miles' blog. Bruce also reports that:
Z also revealed that he's scrapped the cutter and will concentrate on the sinker, slider and "high fastball." The sinker is his best pitch, as it comes in heavy, like a cannonball. He also said most of his mistakes last year came on the cutter.
For those worried because they say Z's cutter is "his best pitch", some of Z's greatest success has come from when that heavy sinker is working and he gets hitters to beat the ball into the ground.
almost 2 years ago
Al Yellon
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260 pounds
I’d like to see him get down to 230.
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings. ~Earl Wilson
Not going to happen
230 would be 25 pounds lower than his listed weight, which is from his rookie year in 2001.
"On offense, your most precious possessions are your 27 outs" - Earl Weaver
by RiskyBusiness on Feb 18, 2010 12:39 PM CST up reply actions
Too small...
For his build and height. Don’t forget he’s 6’5"… he’s not built like Tim Lincecum.
Someday we'll go all the way...
by CubsBullsBears on Feb 18, 2010 3:46 PM CST up reply actions
260 still seems heavy...
but I’m still excited with the apparent discipline Zambrano has had this offseason.
Colvin puttting on 25 pounds seems a bit extreme though.
Two things I don't believe.
That we’ve seen the last of the cutter and that he would have vetoed any trade. He loves Ozzie and I’m convinced wouldn’t mind playing on the South Side.
"Pounding sand since 1982...."
The cutter issue is quite interesting.
I know Harry Pavlidis is going to write about it, so I’ll wait to read his thoughts. For now, I guess I’d say If dropping the cutter does improve Z’s control and helps him focus on getting groundballs (and Ks when he absolutely needs them), great. I’m just a little upset that Carlos revealed the decision publicly where other teams can get early word of it.
I don't think it matters much...
…when you have good stuff, it really comes down to executing your pitches. Z has had trouble doing that on a consistant basis and maybe simplyfing his selection of pitches will help.
Z is not a guy who need to overthink when he is on the mound. He just needs to keep pounding the strikezone with his sinker, slider and elevate the 4 seam fastball when he gets ahead of guys.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
Yeah, I agree.
And, fortunately enough, relying more on his sinker, slider and “high” fastball seems to be his plan.
How tall is Z anyway?
Because 260 is enormous.
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by Craig in South Bend on Feb 18, 2010 12:02 PM CST reply actions
7 foot 1
Or just two inches shorter than Ted Lilly.
by Josh Timmers on Feb 18, 2010 12:07 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
6' 5"
"On offense, your most precious possessions are your 27 outs" - Earl Weaver
by RiskyBusiness on Feb 18, 2010 12:40 PM CST up reply actions
Colvin put on 25 pounds?
That’s a lot. He needed to bulk up though now that it looks like his CF days are over.
That’s going to be interesting. He had good power in the second half last season. We’ll have to see if that added weight will translate into more power.
I could see him taking...
the center field job by the end of this season.
by Damen Jackson on Feb 18, 2010 1:48 PM CST up reply actions
What gives you that impression?
Colvin isn’t even likely to make the major league 25-man roster.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I said possible by the end of the season..
I like his defense, he looked like he was beginning to make good adjustments as needed at the plate towards the end of the season, and I find this talk of power potential intriguing. When I couple that with his left-handed bat, and my somewhat pessimistic expectations for Marlon Byrd, I say it’s possible. Likely? Probably not. But I wouldn’t rule out Colvin making a nice contribution to the club this season.
by Damen Jackson on Feb 18, 2010 2:29 PM CST up reply actions
I like Colvin, too.
But to see him as the starting CF before the end of 2010? No way.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I guess it's not out of the question...
…that Colvin could wind up in CF this season, but I think it’s pretty unlikely, too. For starters, I actually feel pretty good about Marlon Byrd. It’s nice to finally go into a season with a full-time centerfielder, to be honest. And I’d think, at worst, maybe he and Sam Fuld could wind up in a platoon if Marlon really tanks.
But I suppose if Byrd were injured and the team really gave up on Fuld, we could see Colvin. Or maybe if (pleasedon’tletthishappen) the Cubs are hopelessly out of it they could give Colvin a long look in September.
I think if Colvin put on 25 pounds
he doesn’t have the range for CF anymore—not that he ever really did.
I’m curious to see if his game has changed any. I’m still not optimistic that he’ll ever start for the Cubs (or anyone, really) but I’ve learned to never count Colvin out.
by Josh Timmers on Feb 18, 2010 3:09 PM CST up reply actions
What do you all make of the elbow?
Supposedly he has better extension and coverage now that he’s fully healed.
by Harry Pavlidis on Feb 19, 2010 10:05 PM CST up reply actions
For anyone who is wondering what 25lbs on Colvin looks like...
He really doesn’t look fat at all and a lot of that weight is probably muscle, which weighs more than fat for those who’ve forgotten. He’s definitely not sporting a gut or anything so I don’t think it’s all that serious. He could be a guy with a fast metabolism too. There’s a player for the Illinois men’s basketball team who has to eat 6000 calories a day because he loses up to 6lbs in practice.
"That's the beauty of baseball. You never know what's going to happen until you get that final out." –Lou Piniella
by cubbiebluekdawg on Feb 18, 2010 3:34 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Muscle does NOT weigh more than fat, it takes up less space.
Hey, it's a new century!
by cowsarecool220 on Feb 18, 2010 4:37 PM CST up reply actions
Very true...
Which weighs more… a pound of feathers or a pound of sand?? (see what I did there… pound… sand????)
+1977 BCB points for die-hard reference to a certain poster
-75 BCB points max for having to explain it…
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
Lol. Nice.
Some men learn through what they read. Some men learn through what they're told. Some men have to piss on the railroad tracks. And some men keep on pissin'.
i dont get it
explain pls
SARCASM
Wait for it....POUND SAND Without me this board is Al Yellon talking to himself.....................by BLou
-1969 BCB Points for being picayune
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
Could someone explain the difference
between a sinking fast fall (aka 2 seam fast ball) and a cut fast ball?
Hey, it's a new century!
I'll take a stab at it.
I believe a sinking fastball moves vertically (downward) and a cut fastball moves horizontally (left to right or right to left).
Pretty much
A cutter from a right hander does a weird glide in on a left handed hitter. A sinker from a righty moves in on a right hander, and also drops. Everything about a sinker causes ground balls from right handed hitters, and either ground balls or popups from lefties. It’s a great pitch… as long as you keep it low in the zone. Leave it up and a hitter will blast it.
"You’re playing a baseball game. You’re not playing Tiddlywinks. There is competition, for God’s sake."— Lou Piniella
generally
a 2 seamer moves down and in to same side batters (it has what they call “tail”)
a cut fast ball moves in the opposite direction it moves away from same side batters and in on the hands of opposite handed batters
basically they move in opposite directions
follow me on twitter for fantasy sports analysis @http://twitter.com/DrewDinkmeyer or get the full analysis at www.fantistics.com
by DartmouthCubsFan on Feb 18, 2010 1:20 PM CST up reply actions
Agree. Here is my word (player) association with different pitches:
Cut fastball : Mariano Rivera
2 Seam fastball : Greg Maddux
Sinker : Brandon Webb
For whatever reason, those are the guys I think of when talking about those pitches.
and FWIW, maybe Z giving up on the cutter isn’t such a bad thing. IIRC it seemed that a lot of hard hit balls where from cutters that just kinda hung out over the plate?
Yeah, I seem to recall...
…Z blaming a lot of his HBPs on his cutter. Who was the White Sox player he hit last season? DeWayne Wise? In any case, I distinctly remember Carlos saying, “It was just a cutter that got away from me.”
Thanks everyone!
Hey, it's a new century!
by cowsarecool220 on Feb 18, 2010 3:59 PM CST up reply actions
Meatball: Aaron Heilman
"That pitch wasn’t down and in, that pitch was down and up." Tim McCarver
by wrigleyrocker12 on Feb 18, 2010 4:11 PM CST up reply actions
so what's a slider?
and please – no white castle pictures…
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
A slider is similar to a cutter
But will be a slightly slower pitch (slower than a fastball, a little slower than a cut fastball, but faster than a curve). It has more break in it, but still moves laterally.
Here are some explanations...
From play-by-play guy Rich Burke and former Cub Steven Ellis’s pitching grips explanation and a blog.
If his intention was to veto any trade
Then why the heck did he tell his daughter that they may have to move? Kinda strange, if you ask me, to upset your 9-year-old daughter for no reason. Guess that’s just Z.
"Every player should be accorded the privilege of at least one season with the Chicago Cubs. That's baseball as it should be played - in God's own sunshine. And that's really living." ~Alvin Dark
by DamonBerryhillsMitt on Feb 18, 2010 2:12 PM CST reply actions
"Honey...
We’re not going anywhere… unless it’s Boston or New York"
Someday we'll go all the way...
by CubsBullsBears on Feb 18, 2010 3:48 PM CST up reply actions
That is a very odd and somewhat disturbing aspect of this story.
But we may not know everything that went out. It’s entirely possible Z’s daughter overheard him and his wife talking about a possible trade or maybe she heard something at school.
I don't think I believe anything he says
After his whole “I plan to retire at the age of 30 to spend more time with my mom” thing, I just can’t take him seriously.
"That pitch wasn’t down and in, that pitch was down and up." Tim McCarver
by wrigleyrocker12 on Feb 18, 2010 4:13 PM CST reply actions
that's an interesting point ...
I don’t think Z is dishonest, but he’s emotional and doesn’t always think before he talks (or acts). I like Z and want to see him fulfill his potential as a Cub, but his statement doesn’t mean THAT much.
There's a video
Of Z with Harold Reynolds @ MLB.com somewhere. He shows his pitch grips, and shows that he adds sink to his two-seamer by moving his fingers closer together, off the seams. Opposite of a splitter in that regard (it’s also not pushed back like the split).
Anyhoo…as I noted at THT, Z’s cutter is his “best pitch”. Based on run values, which are in context. In other words, his best performing pitch may not be his best pitch without being set-up by another one etc etc. Still, over three seasons it’s reliably the best of his hard stuff.
Z has said (to Muskat) that he had issues controlling the cutter at times. He told Miles that he made his mistakes with it in 2009. I’ll see if the data agrees with his memories. Or Larry’s memories.
by Harry Pavlidis on Feb 19, 2010 10:02 PM CST reply actions
I meant to post your article as a Fanshot on Friday...
…but kept getting sidetracked. I’ll do that now.
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