Thanks, Ron. Very interesting.
We're going to prioritize trying to find some pure strike throwers out of the bullpen, but the guys we do have, have room for improvement and virtually every one of them does, just their career norm would be an improvement over this year. We've got to find a way to get those guys locked in.
Koji was an attempt at a strike-thrower this past offseason. Adam Warren the year before. Well, Davis too, I guess.
Throwing fastball strikes when your fastball isn't very electric is kind of a risky game. Can see why Warren and Koji were reluctant, and Davis too when some of the fastballs were getting driven over the wall, unlike in his prime.
Think Warren's performance is kind of noteworthy; he didn't look very good for us, his stuff looked blah. But his walk-rate, and HR-rate, and every other performance feature, were distinctly worse for Cubs then they were before and after with Yankees. (And Yankee RF porch is more HR-dangerous for a righty than Wrigley). And he's not like Koji, where he's ancient so you expect his performance to be worse. Or Davis, who's presumably in the decline phase of his career. Warren was right in his prime age.
Strike-throwing relief will be a higher priority this winter, sure. But obviously strike-throwing often comes at the expense of stuff. Koji could throw strikes, but was usually kinda scary to pitch him. Warren might have profiled as more of a strike-thrower, but his stuff looked so vulnerable, not sure any of us were upset when they dumped him. Bob Howry at the end was still a strike thrower, but everything got whacked. Seth Frankoff and Dylan Floro were nice strike-throwers, but with no stuff they get killed.
Strike-throwing relievers who have excellent stuff, they are very expensive and very hard to find. Tough target for Theo.
I am in favor of the wild relievers being more aggressive with the fastball, though. I know for Rondon and Strop, and Duensing too, the fastballs aren't nearly as hard to hit as the sliders and curve. But Rondon and Strop both have enough life on their fastball that if you attacked early in count with the fastball, guys could take their swings and get some hits but also get some fast outs. And if guys are expecting fastball and get slider, you could maybe get more chase strikes early in counts. If you get to two strikes more often, and 3 balls less, you'll again get more chase swings, whether for fastballs off the plate or for chase sliders. Just seemed to me that they went to the slider so early and so often they routinely pitched from behind, where hitters did NOT end up chasing their sliders, and could fastball anyway, or take walks.
Maybe that's just wishful thinking, that throwing more fastball strikes early would be a win-win thing. If there was so simple an adjustment, the pitchers and coaches and management would have already done so.
CJ it's a different story, since for him the ability to throw even a fastball for a strike is so inconsistent. Still seems to me that when he's good, he attacks early with fastball and gets strikes. But often when he's bad he's got no clue where even his fastball is going, and as wild as the curve is that may no more wild or less wild than the fastball. Not sure what you can do there, other than take the bad with the good and accept what you get.