Sarris: The Astros’ grand fastball experiment
From SABR member Eno Sarris at FanGraphs on June 21, 2017:
No team’s batters have ever seen fewer four-seam fastballs than the Houston Astros this year. Few teams’ pitchers, meanwhile, have thrown fewer four-seam fastballs than the Houston Astros this year. This all has something to do with changes in baseball, yes, and also with the personnel on this current team. But there’s also a wrinkle to the thing that tells us a little more about why these trends are happening, and why the Astros are at the forefront in both cases.
First, take a look at where the Astros rank when it comes to four-seamers seen and thrown. They’re the blue dot in the graph below. Here’s the Tableau link, if you want to poke around. You’ll notice that two-seamers were classified more often after 2010 when you do so.
Read the full article here: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-astros-grand-fastball-experiment/
Originally published: June 23, 2017. Last Updated: June 23, 2017.