Sunday Notes: Cactus League Meanderings

On Friday, we ran an interview with Rockies outfielders Chris Denorfia and Charlie Blackmon on the subject of launch angles and bat paths. I’ve asked a few other players for their opinion — we’ll hear from them in the near future — as well as a few managers and coaches. Craig Counsell and Jeff Banister are among them.

“Telling a player to hit a pitch harder isn’t a very good coaching tool,” Counsell told me. “The same goes for hitting it at certain angles. But it is appropriate feedback to tell them something was a well-struck ball, when they’re in the cage: Those are balls that are going to go a long way. A hitter probably knows that, but it’s still good feedback.”

The former infielder went on to make an interesting observation.

“What I’ve really come to see, and we’ve been talking about this, is that the theory you’re talking about — launch angles, and such — really goes to show that Ted Williams had the genius book of all time. He was basically preaching the same philosophy. All we’ve done is updated the terminology. Ted Williams didn’t use the term ‘launch angle’ but he was expressing the exact same thing in The Science of Hitting. He talked about the way to go at a baseball — his term was ‘slight uppercut’ — and that’s the way to create those angles.”

Banister knows The Science of Hitting well — he said on Thursday that it might be the only book he read all the way through before graduating high school — and he largely concurs with Counsell. In his view, launch angle data is more valuable as an assessment-and-projection tool.

“I think the data helps us identify those guys, more so than actually converting guys to that type of bat path, and angle,” said the Rangers manager. “The reality is that each individual person is individual. That kinetic chain of events in each athlete is not the same. It’s not like developing footwork as a left tackle to be able to protect your quarterback, or developing footwork as a receiver to run a route.

“This is an authentic swing path, and a kinetic chain of events, that happens in a hitter’s body. And there is reaction time. These kids grow up with hand-eye coordination and swings that allow them to be successful. To change that in midstream, for some of these guys, would be a devastating challenge. But I do believe that it is a tool to identify guys who are much more efficient at it than others.”

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The third-time-through-the-order penalty is no secret. The numbers clearly show that starting pitchers fare worse once the opposing lineup turns over that second time. White Sox manager Rick Renteria had an interesting take when I asked him about this on Thursday.

“You’re talking about a statistical-based idea in terms of using pitchers,”replied Renteria. “You’re talking about using guys in terms of history. I think your eyes tell you where a pitcher is at. It depends on the pitchers, it depends on the hitters. We have to use our common sense, also.

“I don’t necessarily disagree with the numbers — they are what they are — but numbers are outcomes. We’re trying to stay ahead of the curve. If we figure something out that can get that person through the order that third time around, those numbers might change as they’re compiled over an extended period of time.”

Based on Renteria’s response, one of two things seems likely. Either he’s unabashedly old school, or the White Sox feel they have some tricks up their sleeves.

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In late January, Brandon Gomes talked about the Dodgers’ newly-created pitching department. According to the former reliever — now a member of LA’s baseball operations staff — the six-person department is replacing the traditional one-pitching-coordinator model in place throughout the game.

On Tuesday, I asked Farhan Zaidi is he could further expound on the department.

“I don’t want to comment too specifically on it,” said the Dodgers GM. “I will say we view part of our responsibility of running baseball operations as evaluating how the game, and the industry, has changed, and to adopt our own organization —the titles and organizational structures — to how the game has changed. Particularly with pitching. Having one coordinator in charge of everything didn’t make sense from a bandwidth standpoint.

“Think about all of the pitchers the department is in charge of, and all of the factors they’re in charge of within development. What’s their arsenal? What pitches are they throwing well? What are their pitching mechanics? It’s just hard to imagine that it’s a job for one guy. Having different people, with different skill sets, to contribute to that seems like the best way.

“If every organization was scrapped, and started from scratch, I think you would see bigger pitching departments than exist today. I think for every organization, continuing to evaluate how the game has evolved, and how your organizational structure has evolved, is an important part of the job.”

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Prior to coming to Colorado, Ian Desmond played shortstop in Washington and center field in Texas. I asked him earlier this week about the positioning schemes he experienced in both places, and he said they were pretty standard. Philosophically, there was nothing beyond your basic scouting reports.

What is he experiencing, positioning wise, as he acclimates to first base?

“We haven’t really gotten there yet,” Desmond told me. “I think we’re still trying to get my feet wet. Learn the position first, and positioning later, I’d imagine.”

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Talking to Jeff Banister, it appears as though Desmond wasn’t 100 percent forthcoming about the defensive strategies in Texas. His old manager wasn’t about to share secrets, but he did shed a little light on the hows and whys.

“Defensive positioning is a direct correlation to the guy on the mound,” said Banister. “Last year, our outfield depths were shallower, and then we retreated some as those hit velos and angles off the bat became a little higher and a little deeper, to where there were fewer balls hit in front of us and more balls hit in the gaps and over our heads. You have to adjust.”

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From a personnel standpoint, the Mariners have markedly improved their outfield defense. According to manager Scott Servais, that somewhat mitigates the need to be aggressive with positioning.

“That’s a question that came up this offseason (with the analytics department),” said Servais. “Can we do more with the outfield shifting? We are getting a little bit more aggressive with it, but with the speed of our guys, and their ability to cover ground, we don’t feel we have to shift quite as much in the outfield.

“Some teams, philosophically, play more shallow. Some play deeper. But you won’t see any big changes in our outfield. You saw the big changes in our infield shift defense last year, and you’ll see it again this year with a couple of new twists to it. We don’t see a lot of benefit with the outfield.”

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Arizona’s new front office in analytically-inclined, as evidenced by the interview with assistant general manager Amiel Sawdaye that ran here on Monday. On Wednesday, I asked D-Backs righty Archie Bradley if he anticipates that having an impact on him as a pitcher.

“I haven’t really put much thought into it, but I know that’s kind of the way the game is headed,” said Bradley. “More and more organizations are shifting over to that, and if the game is going that way, it’s going that way for a reason. I’m not too familiar with it yet, but it’s something to eventually sit down and listen to, and try to understand a little better.”

The 24-year-old former first-round pick has a more-immediate goal heading into what should be his second full big-league season.

“I want to be more complete,” said Bradley. “Same approach, but a more mature approach. I have a better understanding, and a better feel, for the things I need to do. I need to throw my changeup more. I can’t be a two-pitch pitcher as a starter, but outside of that, man, I feel really confident in my stuff. I’m excited to get out there and get going.”

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Torey Lovullo has described the Diamondbacks lineup philosophy as “nine linked at bats.” With continuity and flexibility in mind, I asked Arizona’s new manager if he plans to have each player hitting in the same spot every game, or if he’ll move certain guys around, based on match-ups.

“I believe in both sides of that,” said Lovullo. “I believe in lineup flexibility, and in flexible players, but there is going to be a core group of guys that I want knowing where they’re going to be every day. I believe in that. There is going to be a creative balance. How and when that starts, I’m not sure.”

As for the amount of influence he hopes to wield in his new position, Boston’s former bench coach plans to play things up the middle.

“I’ve got some great feedback from the front office, and staff, that has helped me understand what’s happened here that was successful,” said Lovullo. “I also have my own personal concepts, ideas, and beliefs that I’m trying to lay down and make sure we understand. So it’s going to be a combination of a lot of things. I don’t want to come in here and try to reinvent the wheel. That’s not what it’s about. Baseball is a simple game.”

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Jon Gray has been thinking about spin. Not spin rates — although he’s familiar with them — but rather consistency of spin. The 25-year-old Rockies right-hander told me it’s a main focus heading into the season.

“I want to feel more spin,” said Gray. “Maybe a better way to say it is that I want better spin. I want backspin, and sometimes I get inside the ball too much and I end up cutting my fastball. With my changeup, I get to where I make the ball spin sideways, which makes it easier to see. When I throw a good one, it has perfect backspin, like a fastball. For hitters, it’s all visual. The less spin they can pick up, the better. You’ve got them right where you want them.”

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Eddie Gamboa’s knuckleball journey is continuing in Texas. The Rangers acquired the 32-year-old righty from Tampa Bay last month in exchange for a PTBNL. Last season, he made his MLB debut with the Rays and allowed a pair of earned runs in 13-and-a-third relief innings. With Triple-A Durham, he logged a 2.68 ERA in 27 outings, 12 of them as a starter.

Gamboa recently told me that he’s much more confident in his knuckleball than he was when we first spoke, three years ago. He threw it “anywhere between 65 to 90 percent of the time” in 2016, depending on how well he was commanding it in a given game. In a perfect world, he’d use it exclusively.

“When you can throw a knuckleball for a strike, there’s not a reason to throw anything else,” said Gamboa. “But the knuckleball is very unpredictable. You’ll fall into that inning where you just can’t figure it out, so you have to get out of it, then regroup and go back the next inning.”

“It’s been a fun little trip with the knuckleball,” added Gamboa. “It’s opened up so many doors, and I’m very thankful to have had people along the way to help me. I want to throw my knuckleball harder this year, anywhere from the 74 and 80 range — try to really step on that, and be with consistent wth it — similar to R.A. Dickey and Steven Wright. Those are two guys I’m able to talk to quite often.”

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Cesar Vargas retired six of the seven batters he faced, three by strikeout, in San Diego’s spring training opener yesterday. The 25-year-old right-hander is competing for a spot in the Padres starting rotation, and he looks to be fully healthy. Last season, he started strong — two-or-fewer runs in five of six starts — before being shelled in a late-May loss. He then went on the disabled list with a strained flexor tendon, and remained there for the duration.

“It was pretty frustrating,” Vargas said yesterday. “No pitcher wants to get hurt. At the same time, every experience teaches you something. There is a maturation process there.”

Vargas pitched in his native Mexico this offseason, which helped ease his mind coming into camp.

“Getting some innings was really helpful to me, because when you have an injury like that, it’s always in your head,” said Vargas. “To be able to compete, and not focus on that, was really helpful.”

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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE

According to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, the Red Sox are retiring Carmine for a new analytics system.

At The San Diego Union Tribune, Dennis Lin wrote about how the Padres might go outside the box with starting pitching strategy.

In a world without stats, who’d be baseball’s best player? Sam Miller explored the question at ESPN.

At The Seattle Times, Ryan Divish wrote about how Leonys Martin is ready to move forward with the Mariners after testifying in federal court.

The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) announced the 2017 recipients of the Henry Chadwick Award, which honors the game’s great researchers—historians, statisticians, annalists, and archivists—for their contributions.

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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS

Dellin Betances had a 0.47 WPA last year. Andrew Miller had a 5.04 WPA.

Over the last three seasons, Nelson Cruz has 127 home runs in 2,000 plate appearances. Nick Markakis has 30 home runs in 2,080 plate appearances.

From 1917-1930, Joe Judge of the Washington Senators slashed .304/.383/.432. His 43.3 WAR over that period was third-most among first basemen, trailing only Hall of Famers Lou Gehrig and George Sisler.

Roger Clemens has the most wins (354) of any pitcher not in the Hall of Fame. Next on the list are Bobby Mathews (297) and Tommy John (288).

Creed Napoleon (Frank) Bates, Harry Colliflower, and Crazy Schmit went a combined 4-46 for the 1899 Cleveland Spiders.

The schedule is now out for the upcoming SABR Analytics Conference.