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Gavin Floyd

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hardballtimes.com - 8/12/2008

The Hardball Times:Anatomy of a player: Gavin Floyd

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Has Gavin Floyd finally become the starter he was predicted to be?

• MGL

  +1

  Josh,

   

  Good article, but I have one question about this:

  "I shudder a bit when I look at Floyd's slider. It definitely is a slider and not a cutter—he throws it around 86 mph, which is much slower than you would expect for a cutter—but it has cutter movement in that it rises 4.8 inches and actually breaks in to a right-handed batter 0.7 inches. "

  Why do you call that a slider when THE definition of a slider is a pitch that breaks away from a same-side batter, but is thrown harder than a curve ball. In fact, that is the only thing that makes a slider a slider - the fact that it breaks like a curve ball but with usually less break and more speed!

  If a pitch breaks into a same-side hitter, we might not know what it is, but we do know one thing - that it is not a slider. 

  It could be a variation on the fastball, sinker, splitter or even a fast change - but it ain't a slider.

  Posted 8/13/2008 respond (flag)

• MGL

  +1

  One more thing.  When I look at his context-adjusted component numbers since 2004, almost nothing has changed over the years, but one thing - and that is his singles rate this year.  His HR rate is still below-average (to the bad side).  So his his walk rate.  His K rate is a little below average and his doubles and triples rates reflect his below average HR rate.

  So there is nothing in his numbers that indicates that he has been anything but lucky in BABIP and ERA so far this year, and that he is likely not a very good (not terrible) pitcher.

  I am glad that your pitch f/x analysis (which was great) supports that notion. 

  You would think that a team and their coaches and scouts would be able to see whether somehing fundamental in a pitcher has changed or whether he is just getting lucky.  I think not.  I think that an organization gets so wrapped up in a player's garbage numbers that they "invent" scouting reports to conform with those numbers.  Not all the time and in all cases, but this is a classic example of that dynamic I think.    

   

  Posted 8/13/2008 respond (flag)

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Anatomy of a player: Gavin Floyd -- The Hardball Times
South Side Sox — Anatomy of a player: Gavin Floyd -- The Hardball Times Has Gavin Floyd finally become the starter he was predicted to be?