The Seventh Tool

Steve Bernhardt: Building the Better Ballplayer

What do Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Lou Gehrig, Stan Musial, Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams all have in common? Yes, they’re Hall of Famers and yes they belong in the discussion of the greatest hitters of all time, but did you know that they also all walked more times than they struck out in their careers? They all had knowledge and control of the strike zone. They all had plate discipline.

I know that the walk to strikeout ratio is considered by many as an archaic way to measure plate discipline. Statisticians have conducted many recent analyses of plate discipline that include percentages of balls swung at that are out of the strike zone, contact percentages, pitches per at bat, hitter tendencies toward passive or aggressive approaches and others. For this discussion we’ll keep it simple and stick with the BB/K ratio that I happen to feel still has merit.

Strikeout totals continue to rise in baseball today and they seem to be more accepted. I understand that there are a lot of variables in the mix. Closers, set-up men, splitters and sliders have emerged. So has the line-up in which every player is capable of hitting the ball out of today’s smaller parks at any time, as well as a propensity for working deeper counts. Gone are the days of the 2-strike approach and fighting to avoid making that walk back to the dugout after being beaten by the pitcher.

Despite the high strikeout totals, some players do buck the trend. Recent HOF inductees Rickey Henderson, Tony Gwynn and Wade Boggs all walked more than they struck out as did the current career HR leader, Barry Bonds. In today’s game it’s getting harder to find players that maintain a positive ratio. Superstar Albert Pujols has walked 802 times while striking out just 566 times at this point in his career. Others with a positive ratio are Chipper Jones, Todd Helton and Dustin Pedroia, all quality hitters.

I discussed in a previous blog that a player’s make-up should be regarded as the 6th tool for position players joining the standard five tools (hitting ability, power, defensive ability, arm, speed). Finding a player with multiple plus tools out of the “original” five will normally result in a productive Major Leaguer and if those “tools guys” have solid make-up you normally have an All-Star. Add in plate discipline to the mix and the result seems to be a Hall of Famer. I think plate discipline deserves its place as the 7th tool when scouting position players.




Steve Bernhardt is the Executive VP of Baseball Operations with Baseball Factory. Bernhardt played for five years in the Colorado Rockies organization. As Executive VP of Baseball Operations at Baseball Factory, he oversees all events and instruction. Bernhardt formerly served as an Associate Scout with the Colorado Rockies. He received his B.S. from the University of Richmond where he was an All-Conference player.

Change of Pace

Steve Bernhardt: Building the Better Ballplayer

What do the 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner, the MVP of the 2008 World Series, the 2008 ERA champ and the All-Time ML Saves Leader have in common?

They all throw a great changeup.

Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Johan Santana and Trevor Hoffman are among the pitchers in the Major Leagues who have perfected the pitch that every young pitcher should have in his repertoire. After all, a major goal of pitching is to disrupt the timing of the hitter. A quality changeup disrupts timing better than any other pitch.

I have written before about the importance of fastball command to a pitcher. That is still the top priority, but the next pitch to establish is a changeup. Too many young pitchers are caught up in throwing a curveball or slider at a young age without ever learning a change. You will be amazed at the swing-and-misses and weak contact that a quality change will induce.

For many high school players around the country, there are a few more weeks before games start. Take that time to get comfortable in the bullpen with a changeup. It is a feel pitch that can be thrown from a number of different grips (circle, three-finger and vulcan a just a few of the many variations). As long as the pitch is thrown with the same delivery and arm speed as the fastball but with less velocity, it can be extremely effective. Not only will you see more success in games, but this pitch is easier on your arm than a breaking ball. In fact, most Major League pitchers throw exclusively fastballs and changeups during the early weeks of Spring Training working on command and feel while limiting the stress on their arm.

I should mention one other successful Major Leaguer with a quality changeup – Tim Lincecum. He won the National League Cy Young Award last year. Although he is best known for his electric fastball that he throws at 95-plus, this is what he said in an article on MLB.com after receiving the award as the league’s best pitcher:

"That's the thing that helped me out the most, to get more ground balls and strikeouts," Lincecum said of his changeup, explaining that finding a comfortable grip for the pitch gave him the command he lacked as a rookie.

If it’s a major part of the success of the most recent Cy Young Award Winners as well as the World Series MVP, don’t you think you should make it a part of your arsenal?


Steve Bernhardt is the Executive VP of Baseball Operations with Baseball Factory. Bernhardt played for five years in the Colorado Rockies organization. As Executive VP of Baseball Operations at Baseball Factory, he oversees all events and instruction. Bernhardt formerly served as an Associate Scout with the Colorado Rockies. He received his B.S. from the University of Richmond where he was an All-Conference player.

Post Season Awards

Jason Budden: Un-Common Sense?

Early this year, I gave a rundown of my MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year selections, based on their performance through the early part of May. Now that the season is over, here are my picks for the end of season MVP and Cy Young awards.

AL MVP

Dustin Pedroia - If you told me at the beginning of the season that the Red Sox would make the playoffs, even though 1) Manny Ramirez would be traded, 2) David Ortiz, Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew would each miss over 40 games during the season to injury, and 3) Josh Beckett would get hurt and only win 12 games...I would have said you're crazy. Hats off to Dustin Pedroia. He hit .326 with 17 homeruns, 83 RBI, 118 runs and 20 stolen bases. He carried this team when no one else could.

NL MVP

Albert Pujols - He quietly put together another monster year hitting .357 with 37 homeruns, 117 RBI and 100 runs. I don't know how that year was kept quiet, but this season there was not much fanfare around Albert Pujols. Maybe it was because the Cardinals faded late in the season. Maybe it was because the Cubs and Brewers were a more exciting story in the NL Central Division. Maybe it is because we have become used to seeing Albert put up these numbers. Regardless, he deserves the NL MVP award.

AL Cy Young

Francisco Rodriguez – I think I stand alone on this pick. Most all of the experts are selecting Cliff Lee, and I have no problem with that selection. Lee went 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA, but 14 of his wins came against teams with losing records including eight wins against the lowly Mariners, Tigers and Royals. That might be nitpicking, but if KRod doesn’t win the Cy Young, after breaking the single season saves record by five saves, what closer will ever win the award? How could you give it to a closer, unless they break this record, which is very unlikely? The previous record stood for 18 years. Are closers really disregarded that much that KRod’s accomplishment could go unrewarded? Not by me.

NL Cy Young

Tim Lincecum – The stats of Lincecum and Johan Santana are almost identical:

Lincecum: 227 IP, 18 – 5, 265 Strikeouts, 2.62 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 3.15 K/BB
Santana: 234.1 IP, 16 – 7, 206 Strikeouts, 2.53 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 3.27 K/BB

So why Lincecum? I really can’t give you a good reason. In the end, I picked Lincecum because he struck out 59 more batters than Santana, no other concrete reason.


Jason Budden is the Vice President of Operations and Marketing at Baseball Factory. Jason joined the Baseball Factory in 1997 while still a junior in high school. After going through the Baseball Factory's college recruiting program he was placed at Johns Hopkins University where he played two years of college baseball before graduating with a degree in Economics. After working part-time at the Factory throughout college, Jason joined the team as a full-time employee in January 2002 when he was promoted to Director of Marketing. He currently oversees all marketing projects and sponsorship opportunities at Baseball Factory. He is also in charge of development and marketing for Baseball University, the leader in online baseball education and a division of Baseball Factory.

Get the Trophies and Banners Ready - Part 2

Jason Budden: Un-Common Sense?

Last week, I recognized the premier performances in the American League through the first week of May. This week, let’s examine the top performances in the National League, at this early point in the season (all stats are through games on May 14).

National League

MVP

Lance Berkman, Houston Astros, .392, 42 Runs, 13 HR’s, 38 RBI’s, 6 SB’s, 1.260 OPS
When I first started analyzing the top players in the National League, I was having a tough time deciding between Lance Berkman, Chase Utley and Chipper Jones. I had this long argument put together analyzing the three players’ stats. I argued that Berkman was the MVP at this point in the season, mainly because he was hitting homeruns and driving in runs late in close Astros games. I was pretty impressed with the thought and analysis that went into this argument.

Then Berkman went on a stretch during which he went 22 for 31 (that’s a .710 batting average) with four homeruns, 11 RBI, seven doubles, two stolen bases and 14 runs scored. During this eight game stretch, he scored in every game, hit homeruns in four and had at least two hits in seven of the eight. This included a five-hit game, four-hit game and two three-hit games. Plus, the Astros went 7-1 during that stretch. Unbelievable! I wasted all that time putting together my initial argument just to have Berkman blow the other two out of the water last week. Thanks for wasting my time Lance!

Runner Up #1

Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves, .415, 27 Runs, 10 HR’s, 31 RBI, 1.158 OPS
What a season for good ole Larry Jones, Jr. If he can get through the season without getting injured I will be surprised, but while he’s healthy, he is going to continue putting up impressive numbers.

Runner Up #2

Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies, .325, 32 Runs, 13 HR’s, 28 RBI, 3 SB, 1.075 OPS
Utley got off to a blazing start, hitting 10 homeruns in his first 22 games. If I had decided to blog about this back on April 24, he clearly would have been the early season favorite for NL MVP. But I didn’t…

Honorable Mention

Considering how bad the AL was, I figured I’d mention these players that are having very impressive starts as well (BA, R/HR/RBI, SB, OPS):

Nate McLouth, Pittsburgh Pirates, .305, 32/10/31, 3, .996
(1999 Team One Midwest)

Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins, .325, 34/9/23, 13, .968

Derrek Lee, Chicago Cubs, .314, 32/10/27, 3, .964


Cy Young

Brandon Webb, Arizona Diamondbacks, 8-0, 2.41 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 41 K’s
This life throws us many curveballs, but there are certain things you can count on. The US Post Office will deliver your letter rain or shine, Chick Fil A is going to be closed on Sunday, Britney Spears will be back in rehab at some point and of course…Brandon Webb will be dominant. Since his arrival in 2003, Webb hasn’t posted a season ERA over 3.59. This year has been no different as he has posted a 2.41 ERA and is leading the league in wins (8). In fact, he has won every game he has started so far this year for the Diamondbacks. Hitters are batting only .197 against him in 2008 and he has been virtually untouchable for righties, who are hitting only .162.

Cy Young Runner Up & Rookie of the Year

Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati Reds, 6-1, 1.12 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 57 K’s in 48 1/3 IP
Volquez is my Cy Young Runner Up and also my early favorite for the National League Rookie of the Year. His only loss this year was a quality start in which he gave up two runs (one earned) in six innings, while giving up only four hits, walking two and striking out nine. He hasn’t given up more than one earned run in any of his eight starts this season. The 24 year old from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, has games in which he has struck out eight, nine and ten batters (twice).

Runner Up

Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs, .315, 17 Runs, 6 HR’s, 26 RBI, .996 OPS
This season has been a roller coaster ride for Soto. He started the season 2 for 10, followed by an 8 for 17 stretch and then another slump. At one point in late April he went 0-8 during a two game stretch, striking out in all eight at bats. He followed up those strikeouts by going 13 for 26 with three homeruns, ten RBI and seven runs. Basically, you never know what you are going to get from Soto on a day-to-day basis, but in looking at the whole picture, you can clearly see a player with amazing potential.

Next week, we’ll crown our early season Champion!

Get the Trophies and Banners Ready!

Jason Budden: Un-Common Sense?

It’s already May, so why not hand out some hardware. Who cares if the season only has one month in the books…let’s crown a champion!

But first, the individual awards…

American League

MVP

Manny Ramirez, Boston Red Sox, .315, 21 Runs, 6 HR's, 23 RBI, .962 OPS
As of May 5, the top player performances in the AL pale in comparison to the NL. If I were to rank the top 25 position players in the league so far in 2008, that list would include three players from the AL, four at most. That leaves me with little to pick from (seriously, this is brutal). Manny gets the nod based mainly on the fact that David Ortiz is hitting .225 and Mike Lowell is hitting .237 and has driven in two runs this season. Manny has been forced to drive the ship, and he has done an admirable job, leading the Sox to 21 wins, tied for the most in the Majors.

Runner Up

Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers, .300, 16 Runs, 6 HR's, 33 RBI, .878 OPS
If the Rangers weren’t in the basement of the AL West, he would have been my choice. What a remarkable turnaround Hamilton has made over the past few years.

Cy Young

Ervin Santana, Los Angeles Angels, 6-0, 2.02 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 38 K’s
Santana has been a bust the past few years. He was a prospect with outstanding talent that, up to last year, hadn’t delivered on his promise. After going 12-8 with a 4.65 ERA in 2005 and 16-8 with a 4.28 ERA in 2006, many of baseball’s experts picked him to have a breakout year in 2007, but he disappointed with a 7-14 record and a 5.76 ERA, giving up 26 HR in 26 starts. Finally, he has realized what everyone has been saying for a few years. He has the stuff to succeed, and is doing it in 2008. On May 5, he went nine innings giving up four hits and zero runs while striking out nine and walking none of the Kansas City Royals batters he faced.

Runner Up #1

Jonathan Papelbon, Boston Red Sox, 2-0, 10 Saves, 0 Blown Saves, 1.65 ERA, 21 K’s, 1 Walk. He continues to be the best closer in the game, by far, enough said.

Runner Up #2

Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians, 5-0, 0.96 ERA, 0.56 WHIP, 32 K’s
Unheralded started behind C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona, Lee has put up better numbers, and has five of the Indians 14 total wins.

Rookie of the Year

Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox, .275, 25 Runs, 3 HR's, 12 RBI, 11 SB
Ellsbury showed the world that he was ready to make an impact at the Major League level when he hit .360 in 25 at bats during the 2008 Postseason. Terry Francona came into 2008 expecting Ellsbury to contribute as an everyday player and he has not disappointed. In addition to his success on offense, he has not committed an error while playing all three outfield positions including 17 starts in centerfield.

Runner Up

Armando Galarraga, Detroit Tigers, 2-1, 1.87 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 15 K’s
The only bright spot in a pitching rotation that has been brutal. Galarraga leads the club’s starting pitchers in ERA by a full two runs per nine innings over Jeremy Bonderman (4.17 ERA).

We’ll review the National League next time and hand out some more early season awards.