WC GDT: Jays @ Twins Game 1, Best of 3... So It Begins...

[max silver]

The Vladdy and Chapman flyballs are the story of the season. Our guys keep trying to go oppo but for some reason the power just isn’t there.

 

They should have switched gears months ago when it was clear the oppo approach wasn’t working out, but the entire lineup has failed to make any adjustments or climb out of the hole they’re in.

 

I'd be fine with an actual opposite field approach vs the rash of flyballs to center field and the center field alleys. I've just had enough of the 390+ foot fly ball outs this team constantly hits. I think this is the biggest thing killing all of Springer, Vlad and Chapman's power numbers this season.

[connorp]

The point of a generational hitter is he can take it pitch and take out to whatever part of the park makes sense. That’s what Vlad is supposed to be

[connorp]

Chapman, sure. Pull that ball and do something if you don’t strike out or pop up

[Omar]

RISP- .385/.452/.785

Based loaded 15 AB but still: .545/.585/1.636 slugging lol

Now the playoffs

 

You can at least conclude if there is any anti-clutch gene, he doesn’t have it

That said, he’s not Bonds or something, but worth of putting on 1b for sure if he can beat you

 

Well if you're going to throw him the heater, make it away off the plate.

 

[Stangstag]

As much as I love Royce Lewis, he doesn’t have Vlads power. How he can take a FB on the outer half of the plate with ease to Right-Center and Vlad can’t, idk

 

Vlad is all kinds of f***ed up this season.

[Stangstag]

Well if you're going to throw him the heater, make it away.

 

 

Some simple s*** like this, the front office should know and relay to the players. Maybe Gausman knew but just missed his spots. Don’t throw him a fastball anywhere near the heart of the zone

[BatFlip]

The Vladdy and Chapman flyballs are the story of the season. Our guys keep trying to go oppo but for some reason the power just isn’t there.

 

They should have switched gears months ago when it was clear the oppo approach wasn’t working out, but the entire lineup has failed to make any adjustments or climb out of the hole they’re in.

 

 

I've noticed the same thing, but I just don't understand why the strange change in approach. Whether it's under coaching or over coaching, something has to change for next year - 162 games has been telling that something is not working here for the hitting strategy. I know it's easy to pin it on the hitting coach, but something feels off in terms of game plan / discipline / unique approach (playing to strengths) for most of the hitters.

[BatFlip]

Some simple s*** like this, the front office should know and relay to the players. Maybe Gausman knew but just missed his spots. Don’t throw him a fastball anywhere near the heart of the zone

 

I think he was missing spots. He just didn't have location yesterday.

[max silver]

Some simple s*** like this, the front office should know and relay to the players. Maybe Gausman knew but just missed his spots. Don’t throw him a fastball anywhere near the heart of the zone

 

I didn't think that was necessarily that bad of a bad pitch as it was 97 in on the inner black, but this is Royce Lewis's most dangerous zone by far so it was a bad spot for that particular hitter. The broadcast did mention it was supposed to be on the outer part of the plate so it was definitely a missed spot.

[Laika]

Some simple s*** like this, the front office should know and relay to the players. Maybe Gausman knew but just missed his spots. Don’t throw him a fastball anywhere near the heart of the zone

 

they definitely do

 

Gausman can only do so much with two pitches. He tried to get the second pitch above the zone and missed middle-middle. He probably tried to get the first HR pitch down and away and missed middle-in.

[bones10]

they definitely do

 

Gausman can only do so much with two pitches. He tried to get the second pitch above the zone and missed middle-middle. He probably tried to get the first HR pitch down and away and missed middle-in.

 

He had literal dog s*** command yesterday I don’t think the twins had excellent approaches or anything. They eliminated the splitter completely early on and Gausman couldn’t get chase, and couldn’t locate his fastball all game, missed spots constantly.

[bones10]

I would like to Schneider pinch hitting over whit today if it comes to it.

[G-Snarls]

MLB Network people talking about how poorly the Twins do against breaking balls and about good Berrios is at just that

[Laika]

MLB Network people talking about how poorly the Twins do against breaking balls and about good Berrios is at just that

 

excited to see him give up multiple home runs on hanging sinkers or something

[connorp]

He had literal dog s*** command yesterday I don’t think the twins had excellent approaches or anything. They eliminated the splitter completely early on and Gausman couldn’t get chase, and couldn’t locate his fastball all game, missed spots constantly.

 

I didn’t play past high school but can remember being in the dugout and hearing “this guy is all over the place today”.. Same thing in my kids dugout.. pretty sure that basic philosophy never goes away

 

He looked like s***. Wasn’t barely missing or anything. Balls were in the dirt and not close early on

[Olerud363]

I didn’t play past high school but can remember being in the dugout and hearing “this guy is all over the place today”.. Same thing in my kids dugout.. pretty sure that basic philosophy never goes away

 

He looked like s***. WasnÂ’t barely missing or anything. Balls were in the dirt and not close early on

 

A-Rod played past high school and that is not what he thought. The entire idea of the splitter is it makes you swing like an idiot because you can't tell it's a splitter until it breaks.

 

Looked to me from watching on TV they were taking some pitches other teams swing at. Yeah there were a few in the dirt but a lot of low splitters, just out of the zone where they didn't swing and a lot of fastballs they took very aggressive swings at. The idea for the 2 pitch, pitcher is that they swing at some splitters and look like fools, and take some fastballs in the zone and also look like fools, they rarely looked like fools.

 

It might not even be a 'tell' technically, perhaps just massive game prep with their video nerds, pitching machine nerds and there hitting strategists who weren't distracted by McCarthy getting voted out yesterday.

[connorp]

Ex athletes are usually always the ones being the talking heads. Like building a narrative after someone has a terrible playoff game that he wasn’t focused yada yada. Just a different kind of narrative for a pitcher that looked like s*** on that given day. BP was just fine. Gausman also settled down.

[Olerud363]

excited to see him give up multiple home runs on hanging sinkers or something

 

I saw him at Target Field last year. Game was over like the 3rd inning with Berrios getting destroyed... 5-0. Actually what ended up happening after would have been a s*** scenario for a Wild Card game. Jays came back somehow, with everyone's favorite 5th hitter (my second favorite behind Fred McGriff) tying the game in the 9th. Then the Jays loaded the bases in the 10th and screwed that up big time, also involved a baserunning error (not scoring from 2nd on basehit to center) then Twins win it in their bottom of the 10th.

 

OK. What do we got in store for us? Over before it begins? Heartbreaker? The rare-combo of both? No way they will repeat a big blow lead. I could see them repeating a small blown lead which leads to everyone hating Schneider for tiring out the bullpen yesterday, but not caring because there would be no bullpen for tomorrow anyway.

[Olerud363]

Ex athletes are usually always the ones being the talking heads. Like building a narrative after someone has a terrible playoff game that he wasn’t focused yada yada. Just a different kind of narrative for a pitcher that looked like s*** on that given day. BP was just fine. Gausman also settled down.

 

This isn't just from A-Rod. It has been talked about since last year.

[Olerud363]

https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/video/blue-jays-gausman-tipping-pitches-loss-vs-twins/

 

From June 2022

[connorp]

This isn't just from A-Rod. It has been talked about since last year.

 

Well, as a team they didn’t capitalize much. Lewis owned him, not the Twins. As a stark contrast, Swanson got behind 3-0 with much closer splitters than Gausman’s that missed down. Lewis was prob licking his lips for a FB, Swanson threw a curve over. Then off speed not close the next pitch. Gausman walks Lewis both times, who knows if they score anything

[Olerud363]

As much as I love Royce Lewis, he doesnÂ’t have Vlads power. How he can take a FB on the outer half of the plate with ease to Right-Center and Vlad canÂ’t, idk

 

Royce Lewis hit 18 balls over 380 feet this year. Projects to about 55 in a full year. Vlad and Chapman each hit only 30 balls over 380 feet.

[Olerud363]

Royce Lewis hit 18 balls over 380 feet this year. Projects to about 55 in a full year. Vlad and Chapman each hit only 30 balls over 380 feet.

 

Just looking at some statscast stuff looks like a good power hitter having a great year hits around 50-60 fly balls over 380 feet, like Vlad 2021 or Acuna 2023.

 

Until a few weeks ago I was 100% convinced that Vlad and Chapman were not pulling enough, and too many long outs to center. That may be part of it, but they aren't making that many long outs to center (Vlad 6, Chapman 9)... it's that they aren't hitting as many 380 foot flyballs as power hitters having good seasons.

[connorp]

Just looking at some statscast stuff looks like a good power hitter having a great year hits around 50-60 fly balls over 380 feet, like Vlad 2021 or Acuna 2023.

 

Until a few weeks ago I was 100% convinced that Vlad and Chapman were not pulling enough, and too many long outs to center. That may be part of it, but they aren't making that many long outs to center (Vlad 6, Chapman 9)... it's that they aren't hitting as many 380 foot flyballs as power hitters having good seasons.

 

Vlad should be going with balls like Royce’s 2nd HR. He has to get to that and not some dead pull hitter. I can remember a few Vlad HR of that variety…

 

Not sure if it’s a launch angle thing idk.. for the nerds to figure out with him I guess

[Grant77]

A-Rod played past high school and that is not what he thought. The entire idea of the splitter is it makes you swing like an idiot because you can't tell it's a splitter until it breaks.

 

Looked to me from watching on TV they were taking some pitches other teams swing at. Yeah there were a few in the dirt but a lot of low splitters, just out of the zone where they didn't swing and a lot of fastballs they took very aggressive swings at. The idea for the 2 pitch, pitcher is that they swing at some splitters and look like fools, and take some fastballs in the zone and also look like fools, they rarely looked like fools.

 

It might not even be a 'tell' technically, perhaps just massive game prep with their video nerds, pitching machine nerds and there hitting strategists who weren't distracted by McCarthy getting voted out yesterday.

 

People are acting as if the Twins identified splitter out of the hand and laid off or something. That clearly wasn't the case. They went up like a 3-0 count and had already decided not to swing before the ball left his hand. Everyone knows that stance when they see it. We saw very few check swings or anything.

[Spanky99]

[ilovejohnschneider]

 

thats the idea spankster! lets go blue jays! woooohoooo!