Short post for now but wanted to share a little bit of the Pitch F/X data on the two guys from yesterday.
I found it pretty interesting that they both topped out at 91.3 MPH. Leake was throwing a tad bit harder on average though, but we aren’t even talking about a half of a MPH. Below is the movement charts for the two guys. I am still trying to find a comparable player for Leake’s fastball movement.
Below are the charts showing the amount of movement each pitch had, in inches compared to a pitch that had no spin.
Update – Added more charts
Here is how each guys pitches looked from both the first base view and the birds eye view. Special thanks to Harry Pavlidis for providing me with the means to create the graphs below. Harry’s work can be found at Beyond the Box Score and Cubs FX.
Mike Leake
Everything is coming in on the same plane here.
Here is where we can really see just how much run that Leake gets on his fastball. Despite mostly average velocity, this is why his fastball (along with the control of it) grades out as an above average pitch.
Travis Wood
It looks like you may be able to read Wood’s curveball a little sooner than his other pitches given the plane it comes in on is a little bit differently.
Here we can see that Wood has his change up with a very different type of movement than his fastball. Perhaps it is why his change up has been so effective in the past (along with deception and excellent arm speed on the pitch).