Greg Maddux had cruise-missile control but his real secret was that he had it off the plate, too. He threw pitches just-right-over-there where MLB hitter-types just-couldn't-quite get it.
OK, that isn't a brain-surgey type point, is it? But once Maddux had you swinging at stuff 3 inches outside the zone....then it became 6 inches. You want to know something amazing about Bulldog? In his first full season with Chicago ('87) he gave up exactly 1.0 HR/9. He then pitched 15 consecutive seasons before he gave up 1.0 HR/9 again. In '03 it was precisely 1.0 again. AM-EH-ZING!!!
He did that playing in Wrigley and in Atlanta, BTW. Are you catching this Karnivore? Control in the zone is a great weapon to have to get ahead of the count, but control out of the zone is the weapon to have WHEN you are ahead in the count.
Greg Maddux had a 90 grade on that critical skill. It made him Maddux.
Doc, you know who else had that skill? Jim Palmer! He walked more guys than Maddux (3.0), but he didn't let you beat him deep. 0.7 HR/9 for his career. Do you think Earl's offensive love for Doctor Long Ball impacted his defensive front line; Palmer, Cuellar, McNally and Dobson?
All of their career HR/9 #'s were 0.7 or 0.8. I didn't know that. That's the Earl Corollary, isn't it?
Are you catching this Karns?
BTW, Palmer is sort of a template for Roach. 3 BBs and 5 K's per game. Well, a HOF template, anyway. I think we can show that Palmer's control was better than 3.0 BBs, really. I think I may just have.
On to Marte: It's decently clear that the kid can hit. And it is pretty clear that Dipoto/Servais don't ever intend to move him off of SS. He played ZERO games elsewhere this ST. Which makes the Sardinas love-fest a bit odd, unless Sardinas is our 2B of the future!! Since we have signed Cano for 2 or 3 more decades and that Lind guy is going to FA $10-$12M per next year....maybe the Sardinas thing is related to some of that?
Hmmmmm?????
Oh, this was about Marte, wasn't it? He will hit .300 soon. 10 HR's too. He can play.
Carry on.
Moe