When Mariano Rivera entered the game, chances are New York Yankees fans felt good about their chances of winning. After all, Rivera’s cut fastball was one of the best in the game, and hitters had a hard time squaring the pitch up to make solid contact. With a career Baseball WHIP of 1.00, Rivera’s cutter grip made … Read more
Starting pitchers and relievers are constantly experimenting with different pitch types to get hitters out. Some pitches stick with fastballs and changeups, while others opt for breaking balls. One type of breaking ball pitch that is faster than traditional curveballs is the slurve. So what exactly is a slurve pitch, how do you throw it, … Read more
Today, baseball teams analyze a catcher’s catch stealing (CS) percentage as a measurement metric in run protection. The concept behind a catcher who throws out a high percentage of base stealers does two things. The first is that throwing out a runner adds an out in the inning and takes a baserunner off the diamond, … Read more
The on-deck circle is an area in foul territory near both dugouts for the batter to get ready to hit when they come up at the plate. The on-deck circle area typically has baseball donuts, barrels, a weighted baseball bat, batting gloves, and more, and it tends to either have the home team’s logo or … Read more
Batting practice lets hitters take warm-up swings against live pitching before a game. Since there can only be nine players in the starting lineup, some players will be on the bench, so taking BP before a game keeps their hand-eye coordination and timing fresh for when they might need to come into play. Not only … Read more
A slump in baseball is a phrase that describes a player’s bad performance for an extended amount of time in either hitting, pitching, running, or fielding. A slump can be a combination of fatigue, injury, poor mechanics, bad luck, or confidence issues for a player resulting in lower-than-expected results. Due to the longevity of the … Read more
A bullpen in baseball is an area where the relief pitchers warm up, stretch, go over pitching strategy, and more before entering a game. Usually, the bullpen is out behind the outfield walls, but a few Major League Baseball stadiums have theirs in foul territory. In this area, you have the bullpen coach, the relief … Read more
Baseball players and coaches tend to get the most credit for winning or losing. However, the team and coaches are built by the GM, which sometimes gets overlooked. The GM (General Manager) works directly with the owner to spend their money in a way the owner would like. Here is the breakdown of what a … Read more
The baseball manager handles more day-to-day operations. For example, they fill out the lineup card, make changes like going to the bullpen, swap in a pinch hitter, bring in a pinch-runner, inspire the team, and answer questions in the media. The baseball manager also works with the baseball General Manager during the offseason and regular season on … Read more
The MLB draft does not receive nearly as much attention as the NFL draft each season. However, finding great baseball-playing talent locally and internationally can set up an MLB team for future success, starting with a good MLB scout. So what exactly is the role of a baseball scout, what do they look for, and … Read more