April Power
As a pitcher growing up, I was intrigued by the notion that early in the season the “pitchers were ahead of the hitters”. The mindset was that cold weather in the Midwest made batting uncomfortable. A pitcher could pour fastballs inside on a hitter’s hands and have great success. It was April Power pitching!
Although there are some differing views, much of the commentary prior to 2000 suggests lower run production in April MLB play. Cold weather certainly played a role given that MLB schedulers, until recently, refused to stay away from early home stands in northern cities. More than that, science did, and still does, come into play since a baseball does not “carry” as well in colder weather and hence, long drives are less likely to reach at or beyond the outfield walls.
Other factors played a part.In spring training, starting pitchers went deep into the game in their last two starts so they were in ready form when the season started. April schedules provided for many open dates that allowed managers to utilize four-man (and in some earlier days, three-man) starting pitching staffs through much of April, so that teams would more often than not see your top end starting pitching.Also, opposing team hitting coaches and players would in many cases not have a scouting book (and clearly no video) on any new pitchers.
April MLB baseball has now changed and is just like any other month. A review of FanGraphs information during the 2009-2013 MLB seasons shows no statistical difference in run production or pitching performance in April vs. other months.
Indeed, it seems that in 2019 it is now April Power hitting! Prior blog entries have referenced the Dodgers’ early home run prowess. Seattle has more than matched that by hitting a home run in each of its first 18 games, 41 HRs in total. Last Monday Edwin Encarnacion of the Mariners hit two home runs in the same inning. Tim Anderson of the White Sox leads the majors with a .429 batting average after 14 games. Whit Merrifield of the Royals continued from last September his consecutive games with hits streak into this season at 31 games before it ended on Thursday. It’s a regular batting barrage in the MLB!
I know what jumps to your mind; the ball is more lively now!That is an easy out, so to speak, and does not give credence to some other key factors.Putting the April analysis aside for the moment, the game of baseball is just a different game nowadays with so much emphasis on offensive production.No longer is it a station to station game (taking one base at a time), but rather managers (and bench coaches, of course!) play for the big hit and the big inning. Players up and down the lineup are not able to execute a bunt.And frankly, in traditional situations where a sacrifice is the right strategy, batters aren’t being asked to do it.
But let’s get back to the April analysis and pitching. Managers in spring training now seem to ease the starting pitchers into form. In fact, ESPN’s Buster Olney mused this week that one reason that the Red Sox are off to a slow start is that its starting staff was taxed due to the long postseason run last year. As such, they were allowed to back off from the usual spring training rigors.
While MLB schedules still have more open dates in April than other months (teams average six in April and two in September), pitching staffs are being deployed differently. It is now uncommon to go with a short rotation in April. Managers simply don’t want starting pitchers to start more than 30-32 games a year.
Finally, April Power pitching meant owning the inside part of the plate for a pitcher. You weren’t afraid to get inside on the hitter because backing hitters off the plate was just playing the game. Now, hitters come to the plate adorned with so much padding that they appear ready for the Game of Thrones. The effective, inside pitch and April Power pitching are now relics of the past.
Until next Monday,
your Baseball Bench Coach