J.J. Putz Has No Command

by James Kannengieser on Jun 2, 2009 1:19 AM EDT in Analysis Comment 15 comments

Eric noted in last night's game recap that J.J. Putz's control has been awful this season. A BB/9 ratio of 6.04 would be totally unacceptable from even a replacement level pitcher, much less a supposed "relief ace" being paid $5 million. Putz spent yesterday afternoon working on his delivery, presumably to improve his control. The work paid off, as all of his pitches last night except 1 were in the strike zone, not including the intentional walk. This sounds like progress, until you see exactly where in the strike zone these pitches were:

This plot demonstrates awful command, which is the ability to throw a pitch in a desired spot in the strike zone. Command differs from control, which is simply the ability to throw strikes regardless of location within the strike zone. Sometimes you just have to tip your cap to a batter when he hits a good pitch hard, but that is not the case here. Putz was laying belt high fastballs down the heart of the plate. Even a terrible offensive team like the Pirates will take advantage of such mistakes. Something is wrong with Putz, be it injury, confidence, or decline in ability. It's been said numerous times already, but until he works out his issues the only pitcher he should be higher than on the depth chart is Sean Green.

0 recs | Comment 15 comments | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Agree completely about Putz

Not to get off-topic, but a different question regarding command vs. control.

I’ve heard your definition many times (the ability to throw strikes vs. locating pitches within the K-Zone). But I’ve always felt control was simply locating pitches (i.e. hitting the catchers target) while command was throwing a certain pitch with the proper movement, velocity, etc.

Just semantics, really, but an interesting discussion nonetheless.

by T Pac on Jun 2, 2009 1:38 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I've heard all different interpretations

This old thread from SoSH is one place supporting the interpretation you listed. I feel like pitch movement is something separate to evaluate from command, but it is an interesting discussion.

by James Kannengieser on Jun 2, 2009 2:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

One way I've heard it put that I like

“Control is the ability to throw strikes; command is the ability to throw quality strikes”

by James Kannengieser on Jun 2, 2009 2:04 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Command

I always understood it to mean throwing the ball where you want it to go. You could have good command of your pitches and still throw a lot of balls out of the strike zone.

by Reg Dunlop on Jun 2, 2009 8:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

F-Bart Got it Wrong

In today’s article on the game in the Post, he said Putz had his command back, but couldn’t get anyone out.

Manuel’s quote is closer. “He threw strikes, which was good, but you’ve got to get the ball down.”

by wobatus on Jun 2, 2009 9:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

baby steps

Let’s hope that first he wants to throw strikes again, then he’ll move on to command.

Nice work on this btw.

He did not get rocked last night, really, though. Meatballs perhaps, but nothing really crushed. Lady luck had been his friend but it came back to bite him.

What I had found encouraging was that last September in an admittedly tiny sample in meaningless games, he seemed to be bouncing back. 8 innings, 2 walks 13 ks.

Thus far this year his superficial numbers aren’t awful. BA/OBA/Slug against .214/.323/.330 before last night (now .243/.349/.355, actually slightly ahead of last year). And his numbers are still good against righties (.211/.254/.256). He has been awful against lefties (a .439 oba against, 15 of his 19 walks in just 64 pa). That isn’t true historically.

Parnell has been a lot better recently. And the last few games more swings and misses, nice sliders, etc. But his superficial numbers aren’t much better before putz’s “meltdown” last night. .301/.365/.325. And I know, he has pitched to bad luck, putz to good luck, until last night.

Parnell also hasn’t dominated lefties. .333/.405/.367. Nice k of vazquez last night, but he has been awful, worse than Delwyn Young, for example. You have to look at who these guys have faced. Admittedly Putz faced scrubs too, although Wilson puts the ball in play a lot, Young has been hitting righties this year in a tiny sample, laroche got an infield hit, etc.

Given the velocity drop, fact he throws maybe one less split every inning or 2, etc, he is likely hurting a little bit. He should still be serviceable. Maybe he needs a week or 2 off, instead of, “gee he has a bone spur, give him a shot, 2 days off and then start riding him again.” His stuff still seems like he can get some guys out, if not as dominant as he was 2 years ago.

And I don’t mind giving Parnell some 8th innings. He certainly seems like he is ready for seeing how he handles it. But given that this is only about a third of the season, I am a not yet willing to speculate that the trade for him is a bust, or that parnell is definitively the answer over him.

But for now, I say agree, give parnell the 8th, and pray putz’s “adrenaline” down by 3 in the 6th doesn’t drop even more. :) Howie called him out on that last night (I am doing the dishes and cleaning and changing diapers in those game hours and can’t always get to the game thread, darn it, but I listen in the background). He scoffed at the adrenaline line. He said maybe not hurt, maybe mechanics, but not adrenaline.

by wobatus on Jun 2, 2009 8:15 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Split Finger

Actually, Putz only used his split 15% of the time in 2007, and 9% in 2006. He used it 20% in 2008, but he wasn’t too effective until September. BTW, he threw a pitch 97-98 last year in his last game I saw at fangraphs. We are getting his fb circa his first 2 years with seattle.

28 innings isn’t a lot.

Afgfter 28 innings, Pelf had 6ks and 14 walks and given up 34 hits, and 3 homers. His babip was .397 against, so he was unlucky.

Putz has only given up 3.3 % of fly balls for homers. He has been low since his early non-split finger 93 mph years (pre-juice?), but not that low.

Hard to believe we have been watching the lucky JJ putz.

by wobatus on Jun 2, 2009 9:50 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

oops

I meant to erase one sentence. I gave Parnell’s ba/oba/slugging against both before and after last night’s game. And that is a miniscule sample.

by wobatus on Jun 2, 2009 8:17 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

NOM NOM NOM MEATBALLS

by JoshNY on Jun 2, 2009 9:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

That picture

is just upsetting. Professional sportsperson…. huh…

by deadspy3 on Jun 2, 2009 9:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

did he rub himself with ham before taking that picture?

by HotChipWillBreakYourLegs on Jun 2, 2009 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

sigh

One smart Mariners fan I know said there are whispers that Putz was a juicer, and if so, maybe we’re seeing the speedy decline that happened to juicer Eric Gagne.

I wasn’t sure this trade was necessary when it was made, and now I’m even less sure. I know there wasn’t much given up, but like the Castro deal, it indicates a GM who does stuff for all the wrong reasons. In this case, it was because he listened to talk radio screaming about the bullpen too much. Yes, the bullpen was horrible last season, but the random fluctuations of middle relievers is part of baseball (look at the Phillies and Rays pens and how much worse they’ve been this year than last). He got Frankie Rodriguez (good), and from there, he should’ve tweaked the pen here and there and made a serious effort to land Javier Vazquez. Instead, he did this trade and then basically called it a winter.

Somehow, a chain of events unfolded that put Steve Phillips in a professional broadcast booth Sunday night so he could rip Carlos Beltran. Try to explain that in any other terms.

by Greenpoint Ian on Jun 2, 2009 10:23 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Piling on, perhaps

But it seems like Putz is also a “who, me?” kinda guy. In his aftergame interview, he shrugged off the continual bad performances and stated something along the lines of the balls that were hit were bleeders and seeing-eye singles. Not his fault. I remember that he said something too about the ball feeling really good out of his hand. Meanwhile, I am asking him through the TV how it felt to be tossing low 90’s puss to major league hitters, albeit the Pirates.
Now maybe I was pissed at the time, and that feeling clouded my intial reaction, but this nonchalance combined with his earlier assertion that “only the 9th gets him pumped enough to do his job” makes me kinda nauseated.

by TBlz on Jun 2, 2009 11:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

And last year

He wanted to blame the Mariners’ poor performance on the fact that Ichiro didn’t take him to dinner, or something.

by SupT on Jun 2, 2009 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Give credit where it's due.

After leaving Feliciano in to face Diaz, I’ve been impressed with the way Manuel’s managed his LOOGY’s and ROOGY’s. Haven’t been impressed with his continual insistence on predefined roles…

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on Jun 2, 2009 12:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs