Tim Wheeler — Rockies’ Prospect Spotlight

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 18:06:36 +0000

In the dog-eat-dog world of professional baseball, lefties are wearing the Milkbone underwear. Franchises will do just about anything to get their hands on a quality southpaw hitter or pitcher. Left-handed people make up roughly 10% of the world’s population, but nearly a quarter of professional baseball players. Almost half of the position players in the Hall of Fame are left-handed. Iconic players Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., Ty Cobb, and Stan Musial were all southpaws. There is a reason why fathers get excited when they see their toddler pick up a ball and heave it left-handed.

As a general rule, right-handed batters have an easier time facing left-handed pitchers and lefty batters are better against righties. Since the vast majority of pitchers are right-handed, lefties have a built in advantage. When a right-handed pitcher throws to a right-handed batter, the ball is often released behind the batter’s head and breaks across his body towards the plate. This creates an indirect line of sight, making it difficult to recognize the pitch. However, when right-handed pitchers face lefties, they lose the element of deception. The same holds true for lefty on lefty matchups, only the pitcher’s advantage is exaggerated because of unfamiliarity. Some left-handed batters never get used to the effect and find themselves on the bench every time there is a southpaw on the mound.

Tim Wheeler, a Rockies 2009 first-round draft pick, serves as an example of a left-handed player that is having trouble adjusting to good left-handed pitching. In two minor league seasons with Colorado, Wheeler has hit under .200 against lefties. Tim is a highly touted prospect — many consider him one of the Rockies’ ten best — but his inability to produce against minor league southpaws is disconcerting. Fortunately, the Rockies are stacked with outfielders, allowing the luxury of patience with Wheeler as he works to improve.
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The Hall of Fame Double Standard. My take on steroids, cheating, and the hypocrisy of Cooperstown.

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 17:10:22 +0000

The Baseball Writers Association of America rules over the Hall of Fame like Stalin once did Russia. The onus of deciding which ballplayers should forever be enshrined in Cooperstown has fallen on the BBWAA for years. They make decisions based upon personal biases and false perceptions. They also maintain themselves as some sort of baseball moral police. It is now extremely difficult for players to be elected and only the absolute elite that have never committed a perceived transgression make it. These “elections” have become nothing more than overly subjective popularity contests. While the Association does count many good writers as members, there are far too many hypocrites and bitter hacks holding a vote for the Hall of Fame.

(Photo: Yardbarker.com)
No Pete, Mini-Me can’t help you get in either.
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Rox Pile » Ty Cobb

Tim Wheeler — Rockies’ Prospect Spotlight

The Hall of Fame Double Standard. My take on steroids, cheating, and the hypocrisy of Cooperstown.