Pavlidis: Flamethrowers, hammers and knucklers in PITCHf/x
From SABR member Harry Pavlidis at Baseball Prospectus on May 3, 2013:
As the calendar turns into May, we’re still seeing new arms pop up on the PITCHf/x radar. This week, we look at a pair of emergency call-ups. And now that we have a month of data under our belt, we can take a look at the best of the new arms in velocity and curveball drop.
Starter Number Nine
The Dodgers called on right-hander Matt Magill as an emergency starter to replace Stephen Fife, who had been promoted to replace Chad Billingsley. Billingsley’s damaged ulnar collateral ligament begat Fife’s shoulder bursitis, which begat Magill’s debut. Magill was the ninth starter used by the Dodgers this April.
This year’s Prospectus covered Magill for the first time, after passing him over five previous times. He’s not exactly a hot prospect, as it explained:
A 31st-round 2008 pick, Magill had never gotten much attention as a prospect prior to 2012 because his stuff was considered fringy, but thanks to a significantly improved changeup, he took a big step forward to fill the organizational void left by the trades of Rubby de la Rosa, Allen Webster, Nathan Eovaldi, and Ethan Martin. He led the Southern League in strikeouts and strikeout rate, and cut his home-run rate in half thanks to an increased groundball rate and the move to the more pitcher-friendly league. Added to the 40-man roster this winter, he could get his first big-league look in 2013.
Read the full article here: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=20449
Originally published: May 3, 2013. Last Updated: May 3, 2013.