I've seen about 25 games now. You can tell there are a lot of young hitters because they're looking for fastballs in a 3-2 count from pitchers who rely on sliders, etc. etc. That's the difference between MLB and the minors. Pitchers at this level are still going to rely on their best pitch, even if they haven't thrown it over the plate the first two times in the sequence. You won't see many pitchers throw a belt-high bunny over the plate because they're afraid of walking you. That's just a matter of learning the scouting reports and getting familiar with the pitchers. They should have a real good clue about this around July.
But I'm pretty impressed how they usually stick to the plan and show some patience. They're also pretty good working themselves out of a hole in the count. They foul of pitches, don't try to do too much in a pitcher's count.
I believe baseball is ultimately about pitch counts. The sooner you get the starter over 100 pitches, the more the numbers work in your favor against the bullpen. This is not always 100 percent true. Maybe you'd rather jump on the Padres starting pitching early in the count so you can get some runs so you don't have to face their bullpen looking at a deficit late in a game. But it's generally true.
If anyone has any stats that supports or denies my perception, I'd love to see some ...
But I'm pretty impressed how they usually stick to the plan and show some patience. They're also pretty good working themselves out of a hole in the count. They foul of pitches, don't try to do too much in a pitcher's count.
I believe baseball is ultimately about pitch counts. The sooner you get the starter over 100 pitches, the more the numbers work in your favor against the bullpen. This is not always 100 percent true. Maybe you'd rather jump on the Padres starting pitching early in the count so you can get some runs so you don't have to face their bullpen looking at a deficit late in a game. But it's generally true.
If anyone has any stats that supports or denies my perception, I'd love to see some ...
