tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post7448664668390641698..comments2024-03-16T08:21:16.037-04:00Comments on The DiaTribe: A Lucky Lazy SundayPaul Cousineauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490622970961409253noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-30836985299399072882010-04-27T02:25:45.530-04:002010-04-27T02:25:45.530-04:00Here's the thing with BABIP and contact though...Here's the thing with BABIP and contact though: a pitcher can decide where a ball is going.<br /><br />It's simple, pitcher throws it up it's most likely a fly ball, he pitches it in the dirt it's most likely a ground ball, outside to a left handed batter and it's most likely headed towards 3B, etc...<br /><br />It's my belief that many of these balls happen to get away from a pitcher's defense or can be pulled the other way etc, but that doesn't negate the fact that a pitch outside to a lefty is more than likely going to go towards third, it's more of a matter of can the fielder get to it.<br /><br />I've recently heard while watching a Rockies game (displaced Ohioan in Denver) the announcers say that a Mets' pitcher was "pitching to his defense". What they meant by this was that the pitcher had a good knowledge of what defensive alignment his fielders were in and threw the ball to locate it towards them, like throwing it up and in to Todd Helton to get him to fly out to right field.<br /><br />It's my belief that a pitcher conscious and confident of his defense can lower his BABIP by locating his pitches affectively.llamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15482390949044801339noreply@blogger.com