Sunday Notes: For Cubs Southpaw Jordan Wicks, (The) Change Is Good

Jordan Wicks is among the most promising younger pitchers within the Chicago Cubs group. Drafted twenty first total in 2021 by the North Side membership out of Kansas State University, the 24-year-old southpaw is coming off of a season that noticed him win 4 of 5 selections and log a 4.41 ERA over his first seven huge league begins. Moreover, his minor-league ledger included a 7-0 file and a 3.55 ERA between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa. Assigned a 50 FV by our personal Eric Longenhagen, Wicks is projected to fit comfortably into new Chicago supervisor Craig Counsell’s rotation within the coming marketing campaign.

The huge lefty — he’s listed at 6-foot-3, 220-pounds — has a various arsenal, however one providing stands out above the remainder. His changeup, which he started throwing as a Little Leaguer in Conway, Arkansas, is just not solely the perfect within the system, it may show to be top-of-the-line within the National League. As he defined on the tail finish of final season, the pitch is his “bread-and-butter, and it has been for awhile.”

Asked for extra historical past on his go-to, Wicks advised me that it was his “premium off-speed” rising up, and that he “didn’t really throw a curveball or a slider when [he] was younger.” His repertoire now contains each, in addition to a cutter and each two- and four-seam fastballs. Pitchability is one other of his property, and he will get excessive marks for his competitiveness, however once more, it’s the diving circle that earned him his first-round pedigree and has him poised to contribute to a big-league rotation.

“For him it’s always been about the changeup, and it will probably continue to be the changeup,” mentioned a scout who has watched Wicks lately. “He showed flashes of his other pitches in college, but he didn’t really need to use much more than his fastball and his changeup. It’s a good combination. While he’s made some tweaks to his repertoire — he’s not just a two-pitch guy — even if a hitter is sitting on it, he can double or triple up on it because it’s a pretty difficult pitch to hit. There have been pitchers who are successful with just a good fastball they can locate and a double-plus changeup.”

Wicks grips and delivers his signature pitch in pretty normal vogue. He described it as a small circle, one wherein he hooks a seam together with his thumb, his thumb knocking down when he releases the ball. He doesn’t consciously pronate. Having thrown the pitch for so long as he has, that’s “just natural at this point.”

His most-frequently-thrown pitch (29.7% in his seven outings) is handiest when it’s getting extra depth and fewer side-to-side. Wicks feels that it’s simpler for hitters to choose it up when it runs greater than ordinary, therefore his efforts to remain on high of the ball and primarily get downward motion. That mentioned, he doesn’t view motion as its most necessary attribute. Nor does he contemplate optimum velocity separation from his heater to be paramount to its success.

“I think it’s primarily the ability to sequence it,” opined Wicks. “The changeup is a pitch where you can’t really quantify what makes it good. It has to be how you use it. It has to be the arm-speed. It has to be the command of it. Arm-speed is probably the biggest thing, but you can’t just sit at a computer and tell who has a good changeup and who doesn’t.”

Jordan Wicks has a great changeup.Just ask the hitters.

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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS

Jose Altuve went 17 for 34 towards Félix Hernández.

Felix Fermin went 10 for 12 towards Mark Guthrie.

Felix Pie went 9 for 14 towards Gavin Floyd.

Felix Millan went 6 for 7 towards Sammy Ellis.

Junior Felix went 5 for 9 towards Hipolito Pichardo.

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Jon Matlack did a reside interview over Zoom for SABR’s Oral History Committee earlier this week, and the entertaining alternate included his recollections of a success he surrendered on September 30, 1972. It was the final of Roberto Clemente’s profession, and one whose circumstances caught the then-22-year-old southpaw without warning.

“I was a wet-behind-the-ears rookie that did not know that the famous Clemente needed one more for 3,000,” admitted Matlack, who was with the New York Mets. “I was having a tough day. I walked too many guys. I’m getting beat [and] was just trying to get another out… I tried a backdoor curveball, and when it [leaves] my hand I know it’s not going to be a strike; I’m mad at myself because of how it came out. Somehow he rifles it one hop off the left-centerfield wall for a double. They present him with the ball at second base and I’m going, ‘Wait a minute, we’ve got a ballgame here to play. Why are you giving him the ball?’ Then I see the 3,000 flashing on the scoreboard. It dawned on me that I was going to be in the history books.”

The now-74-year-old West Chester, Pennsylvania native is within the historical past books for greater than only a pitch thrown to a Hall of Famer. Matlack gained NL Rookie of the Year with the Mets, and 4 years later he made three begins for them within the World Series (he was the shedding pitcher in Game 7, which noticed the Oakland Athletics seize the second of their three consecutive titles). A 3-time All-Star who additionally performed for the Texas Rangers, Matlack completed his profession with 125 wins and a 114 ERA+.

The video will probably be archived at SABR.org within the close to future.

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A quiz:

Who has the very best batting common in Texas Rangers franchise historical past (minimal 2,000 plate appearances)?

The reply could be discovered under.

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NEWS NOTES

SABR introduced this week that the record of audio system for this summer time’s nationwide conference, which will probably be held in Minneapolis from August 7-11, will embrace Bert Blyleven, Rod Carew, Jim Kaat, and Tony Oliva. More data could be discovered right here.

SABR additionally introduced a brand new panel for subsequent month’s analytics convention, which will probably be held in Phoenix from March 8-10. Moderated by Mark Simon, it can comprise Vince Gennaro, Brian Kenny, Eno Sarris, Bobby Scales, our personal Meg Rowley. More data could be discovered right here.

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame has inducted former Toronto Blue Jays Jimmy Key and Russell Martin, in addition to Howard Birnie, Paul Godfrey, Rod Heisler, and Ashley Stephenson. The induction ceremony will probably be held on June 15 in St. Marys, Ontario.

Al McBean, a local of the Virgin Islands who pitched primarily for the Pittsburgh Pirates in a profession that spanned the 1961-1970 seasons, died on January 31 at age 85. The right-hander went 15-10 as a starter in 1962, then switched to the bullpen and went 27-12 with 51 saves and a 2.29 ERA over the subsequent three campaigns.

John Pregenzer, who made 19 pitching appearances for the San Francisco Giants in 1963-1964, additionally died on January 31, at age 91. The Burlington, Wisconsin native was on the successful finish of each of his profession selections, every coming towards the Pirates in video games the place Al McBean additionally took the mound.

Yet one other former big-leaguer to go away not too long ago is Brant Alyea, who performed for 4 groups from 1965-1972. Born Garrabrant Ryerson Alyea, in Passaic, New Jersey, the right-handed-hitting outfielder homered for the Washington Senators in his first big-league look, then went on to have his finest season with the Minnesota Twins, logging a 144 wRC+ and 16 dingers in 1970. Alyea was 83 when he died on February 4.

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The reply to the quiz is Al Oliver, who batted .319 with the Rangers from 1978-1981. Will Clark is second, having hit .307 with Texas from 1994-1998.

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Corey Kluber introduced his retirement on Friday after a 13-year, injury-marred profession that included three All-Star nods, two Cy Young Awards, and a no-hitter. Those are spectacular accomplishments, they usually recall to mind these of a up to date who threw his final pitch in 2016. Tim Lincecum had a 10-year, injury-marred profession that included 4 All-Star nods, two Cy Young Awards, and two no-hitters.

Which of the right-handers was higher? I requested that query in a Twitter ballot shortly after the retirement information broke, and the outcomes had been intriguing. Lincecum acquired 57% of the 305 votes solid, whereas Kluber acquired 43%.

Did the voters get it proper? Keeping in thoughts that “better” is considerably subjective, right here is snapshot of their numbers:

Lincecum: 270 begins, 1,682 IP, 1,736 Ks, 110-89 W-L file, 3.45 FIP. 104 ERA+.
Kluber: 260 begins, 1,641.2 IP, 1,725 Ks, 116-77 W-L file, 3.23 FIP, 122 ERA+.

Does Kluber’s clear edge in ERA maintain extra weight than an additional All-Star appearances and a second no-hitter? That’s a matter of opinion.

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Sticking with Twitter polls, I ran one a couple of days in the past asking which of 4 younger gamers will go on to have the perfect profession. There was no runaway winner, however there was a possible famous person garnering a scant quantity of assist. Tooled-up Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz acquired simply 8.0% of the 352 votes solid.

As for the three who polled nicely, NL Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll got here out on high with 37.2%, whereas AL Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson completed third with 23.3%. Sandwiched in between was Bobby Witt Jr. — he of the recently-inked $288.8M contract extension — with 31.5% of assist.

Which of the proficient group would get my very own vote? I’d be inclined to go along with Witt. Predicting the longer term generally is a fools’s errand — well being or any variety of different elements can compromise a profession — however the 23-year-old shortstop has an opportunity to in the future be regarded upon as top-of-the-line gamers in Kansas City Royals historical past. I wouldn’t wager towards it.

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FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Venezuela captured this yr’s Caribbean Series, beating the Dominican Republic 3-0 in Friday’s championship recreation, which was performed in entrance of 36,677 followers in Miami. Ricardo Pinto, who was named collection MVP, went five-and-two-thirds innings for the win, whereas Hernán Pérez plated a run-scoring triple. Panama gained the third-place recreation, edging Curaçao by a rely of 5-4.

Scott Radinsky will probably be managing within the Netherlands this summer time. The former Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels pitching coach will probably be on the helm for UVV Utrecht, which performs within the Hoofdklasse, Holland’s high league.

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A random obscure former participant snapshot:

He was something however obscure throughout his taking part in days, however as his profession dates again over century there’s a fairly good probability you don’t learn about Larry Doyle. A second baseman who performed for the New York Giants and (briefly) the Chicago Cubs from 1907-1920, “Laughing Larry” logged a 125 wRC+ and 49.6 WAR. Moreover, he was named NL MVP in 1912 after batting .330… and that wasn’t even his finest statistical season. A yr earlier, Doyle batted .310 with 25 doubles, 25 triples, 13 dwelling runs, and a 152 wRC+, then in 1915 he had a 143 wRC+ to associate with a league-leading .320 batting common. The Giants performed within the World Series every year from 1911-1913, shedding all 3 times.

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Blake Butera and Michael King had been teammates at Boston College for 2 seasons, they usually did extra than simply compete collectively on the baseball workforce. They additionally went head-to-head on the basketball courtroom, which frequently didn’t go nicely for the now Tampa Bay Rays farm director. King, whom the San Diego Padres acquired from the New York Yankees in December as a part of the Juan Soto deal, held a definite peak benefit over the athletic-but-undersized center infielder.

“He was two years behind me, and in the fall we would find time to play pickup basketball at our practice gym,” recalled Butera, who went on to play two skilled seasons after graduating from BC. “We would go against each other every chance we got. He was pretty good. I’m also 5-foot-8, so while I always thought I had a chance to beat him… man, I used to get so mad. There were times I left the gym pretty upset with Michael, not wanting to talk to him. ”

Was it principally as matter of being out-sized by the 6-foot-3 right-hander/hooper?

“That’s all I’m going to give him,” Butera mentioned of his good friend. “He could ball a little bit, but when it comes to talent, I think I had him beat.”

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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE

MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince advised the tragic story of Dobie Moore, a forgotten Negro Leagues phenom who performed for the Kansas City Monarchs from 1920-1926 earlier than being shot within the leg by a neighbor.

Sports Info Solutions’s Mark Simons checked out the largest variations between pitchers’ OPS-against and anticipated OPS-against.

Jason Kanzler left the Houston Astros group to turn into the Director of Player Development for the Chicago Cubs. Sahadez Sharma wrote about it for The Athletic (subscription required).

Also at The Athletic, Brittany Ghiroli talked to Bianca Smith, who made historical past as the primary Black girl coach in skilled baseball however has since moved on from the Red Sox.

At The Japan Times, Mai Yoshikawa launched us to Shiki Nakayama, a Gen Z-er in Japan who’s forging a path for ladies in baseball.

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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS

Zack Greinke has logged 2,979 strikeouts and thrown 101 wild pitches. Clayton Kershaw has logged 2,944 strikeouts and thrown 101 wild pitches. Their WP totals are tied for essentially the most amongst lively pitchers.

In 1932, Washington Senators right-hander Alvin “General” Crowder hurled a big-league finest 327 innings and threw nary a wild pitch, nor did he hit a batter or be charged with a balk. He issued 77 free passes and went 26-13 with a 3.33 ERA.

James Karinchak threw 39 innings final yr and walked 28 batters. In 1904, Cy Young threw 380 innings and walked 29 batters.

Jerry Reuss, Mickey Lolich, and Rick Reuschel all logged 191 losses. Their respective win totals had been 220, 217, and 214.

Félix Hernández threw 2,729-and-two-thirds innings, allowed 2,487 hits, and went 169-136 with a 117 ERA+. Hippo Vaughn threw 2,730 innings, allowed 2,461 hits, and went 178-137 with a 119 ERA+. Hernández had 25 full video games and surrendered 264 dwelling runs. Vaughn had 214 full video games and surrendered 39 dwelling runs.

Walker Cooper, an eight-time All-Star catcher within the Forties, had seven multiple-home-run video games. One was a three-homer recreation wherein he went 6-for-7 with 10 RBIs. Five had been two-homer video games wherein the second got here within the eighth inning or later and was a game-winner.

The Washington Nationals signed Adam Dunn to a free-agent contract on at present’s date in 2009. The Three True Outcomes legend slugged 38 dwelling runs in every of his two seasons within the nation’s capital, drawing 193 walks and placing out 376 instances alongside the best way.

Bill Madlock and Bobby Murcer had been the centerpieces of a five-player commerce between the Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants on at present’s date in 1977. Madlock, who had simply gained consecutive batting titles, and would later win two extra, went west. Murcer, a five-time All-Star who completed his profession with a 124 wRC+, turned a Cub.

Players born on at present’s date embrace Ben Oglivie, an outfielder who logged a 116 wRC+ and made three All-Star groups in a big-league profession that spanned the 1971-1986 seasons. The Colon, Panama native’s finest yr was 1980 when he slugged 41 dwelling runs and put up a 147 wRC+ with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Also born on at present’s date was John Paciorek, whose three hits are essentially the most amongst trendy period (since 1901) gamers who completed with a 1.000 batting common. The Hamtramck, Michigan native went 3-for-3 with two walks in his solely big-league recreation, with the Houston Colt .45s on September 29, 1963.