Former GATOR Players

Unfortunately, Puk has been shut down with season-ending shoulder surgery. Granting that "season-ending" means something entirely different this year compared to most, and granting that I might be overreacting a bit, it does feel like Puk's career is at kind of a precarious moment. Having Tommy John surgery and then shoulder surgery within the span of two years is rough -- TJ surgery is bad, but elbow injuries and recovery from them are pretty predictable, but once you get into the shoulder things start getting a lot scarier.

 

I just wonder if too much emphasis is put on muscle strength and not enough on tendon/ligament strength when training athletes currently. When the two get out of balance bad things happen.

I trained as a fencer for a while. There was a lot of emphasis on building up tendon and ligament strength because the sport is very explosive. It was first get the supporting tissue ready and then build the muscle. A lot of static positions that hurt like hell.

 

Ups, downs for young pitchers
By Noah Trister Associated Press
The Royals’ Brady Singer took a no-hitter into the eighth inning Thursday.
Then, a night later, Casey Mize began a game with five hitless frames for the Tigers.
For fans of the teams, it was a welcome glimpse of what the future could hold.
Singer and Mize were both drafted in the first round in 2018 — Mize was the top pick overall — and each has had a chance to pitch during this pandemic-shortened season.
Neither has particularly good numbers overall, but this last week was a step in the right direction.
Singer is 2-4 with a 4.66 ERA in nine starts. His eight-inning effort Thursday was the first time he’d lasted at least six. Mize hasn’t gone six innings yet, but he went 5 1 /3 on Friday for his longest start. He’s 0-1 with a 5.85 ERA.
These two aren’t alone with their growing pains.
The Blue Jays’ Nate Pearson (0-0, 6.61 ERA) made four starts but has had elbow issues recently, the Padres’ Luis Patino (0-0, 5.52) has pitched only out of the bullpen, and the Phillies’ Spencer Howard (1-2, 5.92) has lasted five innings in only one of his six starts. The Tigers’ Tarik Skubal is 1-2 with a 7.27 ERA.
There are success stories among the game’s current group of pitching prospects.
Sixto Sanchez (3-1, 1.69) pitched a seven-inning complete game Sunday for the Marlins.
Ian Anderson (3-0, 1.64) has been impressive through four starts for the Braves, while Dane Dunning of the White Sox (1-0, 2.70) and Deivi Garcia (1-1, 3.06) of the Yankees also are off to nice starts.

 

Another outstanding start for Dane Dunning. 7IP, 1ER, 7K. Got the win.

 

Yes sir. And he did it versus a very good offensive ballclub, and the team the White Sox are competing against for the division title (Minnesota).

Here is the recap:

Twins vs. White Sox - Game Recap - September 15, 2020 - ESPN

 

Dunning's been exceptional for the White Sox -- ERA of 2.33, more than a strikeout an inning, solid job preventing home runs. Getting a bit lucky overall (he's not going to hold hitters to a .206 batting average on balls in play for long), but it's pretty much been a perfect rookie season for him. Aside from, you know, everything else going on in the world.

 

I used to follow the White Sox when I followed MLB.

It looks like they are having a great season so far.

Of course in Chicago the media is all Cubs.

 

To that end, Singer had a great start yesterday. Two in a row.

6IP, 2H, 0ER, 8K

 

How much is learning how to pitch at that level and how much is getting respect from the home plate blue on close pitches?

 

In my opinion, Maddux style pitching is dead at that level. Since the inclusion of the K zone, umpires seem far less likely to allow creep.

I think it is learning to pitch.

 

But that zone is not perfect. The strike zone is actually a prism and not two dimensional. A pitch might be off the front of the plate and still be over the plate later. Or the opposite.

This K zone is kind of what I grew up with playing what was called Strikeout or Fast pitch in Chicago. It was a rectangle painted on a wall and if you didn't swing it was a ball or a strike depending on if it hit the wall inside or out side of the box. It was played with a rubber ball that would last no more than two games. Good thing that they were cheap. About half the price of a pack of cigs back then.

It was not perfect because a slow curve could be WAY outside the strike zone and still land into the painted strike zone. Alternately a good two seamer could be over the heart of the plate and hit the wall outside the zone. But we dealt with it.

 

I completely agree it isn’t perfect but I think umps have learned from it and seem to call quite consistently with it.

They have experimented with the automated approach in the minors and visually it has caused problems because of curve balls that catch the bottom of the zone as you state.

 

My Dad built a strike zone out of balsa wood and kite string for the dimensions of the zone “knees to underside of the letters” and “width of the plate”.

He built several because they would explode when you hit the sticks. He said it would help me to learn the depth of the strike zone. I guess I thought everybody learned it that way.

 

Just saw Brady Singer strike out Harrison Bader. Friendly fire. However Brady ended up giving up 3 runs. He has 5 walks in 2 innings. Not his best stuff tonight.

Edit: Bader just made a ridiculous diving catch. So fun watching him play the outfield!

 

I learned it by more glaring at umps.

 

Bader is a really good defensive outfielder. He reminds me of Ken Berry.

Brady will find his way as a pitcher.

 

Harrison Bader's diving catch | 09/23/2020