Jesse Rogers at ESPN.com compares Kyle Hendricks to Greg Maddux, talking to the Hall of Famer about the Cubs rising star. I thought Maddux’s ability to consistently throw a first pitch strike on the outside corner made him great, but there was a more subtle innovation that was devastating:
“It’s mostly the [sinking] fastball,” Maddux said. “He has the ability to throw a two-seam fastball to both sides of the plate. Most pitchers are four-seam to one side and two-seam to the other. If you can throw your two-seamer to both sides of the plate, that’s an advantage to the pitcher.”
Informed of what Maddux likes best about his game, Hendricks smiled and nodded his head. Talented, cerebral type pitchers apparently understand each other.
“In his time, it was hard to throw a sinker glove side — away from arm side,” Hendricks said. “It’s developed more because pitchers see the benefit of it. But he was one of the pioneers, freezing lefties like that. Throwing my sinker to both sides of the plate has been a key for me.”
Something to keep an eye on Saturday night.
from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2dHRHHg
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