The MVP Machine

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The MVP Machine Page 44

by Ben Lindbergh


  outlier outing/psychological consequences, 339

  Outliers (Gladwell), 105

  Paths to Glory: How Great Baseball Teams Got That Way (Armour and Levitt), 13

  Paultz, Billy, 152

  Peak (Ericsson), 211

  Pearce, Steve, 285

  PECOTA, 16–17, 351

  PEDRO (pitching, evaluation, development, research, and optimization), 141

  Pelican Grip Dip, 205, 206

  Peña, Carlos, 14

  Pérez, Roberto, 159–160, 237, 238–239

  Perry, Gaylord, 130, 199

  Petti, Bill, 206–207

  Pettis, Gary, 197

  Pineda, Michael, 201

  Piniella, Lou, 145

  pitch-framing, 127, 173, 174, 324

  pitch tunneling, 31

  Pitcher Abuse Points metric, 69

  pitchers

  aquatic therapy, 225

  classifying, 337

  elbow spiral and, 246–247

  extended breaks and, 116–117

  pitchers (continued)

  preventing balls in play, 323–325

  releasing pitch and, 108–109

  string setup/feedback (Rickey), 43, 44

  “yips” and, 243–244

  young players/injuries examples, 69

  pitches

  breaking balls trend, 122–126

  labels, 110

  percentage/four-seamers thrown high (Boston/2015–18), 142, 143 (fig.)

  physics and, 111–112, 140–141

  promoting “secondary stuff,” 121–126

  sticky substance use and, 200–207

  PITCHf/x, 14, 352

  PitchGrader, 215

  pitching biomechanics, 71, 71–72, 106, 110–112

  pitching machines, 44, 327

  player development

  astronauts analogy and, 198

  baseball history and, 40–41

  as Betterball, 19

  chance occurrences and, 54–55

  communication/cultural awareness, 127–129, 289–292

  cluture shock/second-language and, 289–292

  data analysis/mechanics need, 126

  education and, 290

  fan game enjoyment and, 323–325

  fielding and, 324

  financial literacy and, 290–291

  gender skew in staff and, 292

  genetics and, 278

  high school and, 218

  history summary, 61–62

  host families and, 290–291

  imbalance between defense/offense, 255–256

  increasing staff/expansion, 177–180

  insiders vs. outsiders (baseball people vs. numbers people), 127–129

  international leaders and, 296–297

  international market and, 331

  last mile concept and, 129

  medical analogy, 139

  meditation and, 287, 288–289

  mindfulness and, 287, 288–289

  minor/major leagues and, 178–179

  off-season and, 330–331

  pitch-framing and, 127, 173, 174, 324

  player change examples, 8–9

  player examples, 5–8

  school comparison, 126–127, 128–129

  softer factors and, 286–295

  spin and elasticity, 278

  sports science/strength and conditioning, 295–301

  stress sources and, 289–295

  trading for someone and, 186

  unfixable flaws/examples and, 263–276, 277

  “unlikely source” and, 128–129

  velocity/muscle and, 278

  weaknesses and, 278

  writing about, 17–19

  year-round support and, 330–331

  youth and, 331–332

  See also colleges/player development; conduits; minor leagues

  player-development era, 9–11

  Players Association, 298, 322–323, 325, 352

  Players’ Tribune, 331

  Plutko, Adam, 245

  Polanco, Gregory, 249

  Polar, 298

  Pollock, A. J., 310

  Popova, Maria, 25

  Popular Mechanics, 226

  Porcello, Rick, 310, 339–340, 341

  Porter, Bo, 176, 179

  postseason/players, 335–341

  Powell, Alonzo, 197

  Practice, rule/Gladwell, 105

  Pressly, Ryan, 163, 179

  pitch spins and, 167, 201–202

  pitching/improvement and, 8, 164–167, 187, 192, 339

  Price, David, 64, 339, 340–341

  Prior, Mark, 69

  Prospect Development Pipeline, 331

  Proteus equipment/assessment and Lindbergh, 224–226

  Psychologist at Bat, The (Tracy), 287

  Puerzer, Richard J., 45, 46, 51

  pulldown/long-toss, 28, 29, 33, 36–37, 199, 242

  pulling the ball, 257

  Putila, Pete, player development, 182–183, 194, 197

  Quantitative Hitting (Willardson), 126

  Quick Bat II, 226

  Radison, Dan, 174

  Rakuten, Tohoku, 145–146, 147

  Ramírez, José

  Bauer and, 284

  as hitter, 257–260, 260 (fig.)

  size, 258

  Ramírez, Neil, Bauer and, 245–247, 342

  Rapsodo, 3–4, 110, 113, 141, 204, 205, 235, 268, 269, 271, 294, 303, 305, 306, 309, 314, 344, 353

  Ravizza, Ken, 288

  Raymond, Tubby, 47, 48

  Rendon, Anthony, 36

  Research Program for Baseball, 47–49

  Reuss, Jerry, 98

  Revisionist History (Gladwell), 151

  Rice, Robert, 264

  Rickey, Branch, 41, 173–174, 208, 216

  Dodgertown opening, 43–44

  farm system/player development, 41–42, 65, 176–177, 184, 321

  innovations and, 41–44, 45, 49, 56

  on luck, 341

  Pirates and, 42

  players’ running speed and, 50

  Robinson/color barrier and, 41

  Snider and, 208–209, 212

  statistician employee and, 56

  status/reputation, 65

  string setup/pitchers feedback, 43, 44

  unfixable flaws and, 263–264

  Rickey, Branch, III, 54

  Rindal, Curt, 282

  Ringer, The, website, 282

  Rizzo, Anthony, 287

  Roberts, Dave, 248

  Robinson, Effie, 55

  Robinson, Jackie, 41, 208

  Roegele, Jon, 69

  Rogers, Scott, 288

  Rondón, Héctor, 166

  Rose, Pete, 48

  roster rule changes/effects (1930s), 41, 43

  Royals Academy, 49, 51–54, 185

  requirements/tryouts, 50–51

  significance of, 55

  See also Kauffman, Ewing M.

  Rule 5 draft, 163, 354

  Russell, Addison, 308

  Ruth, Babe, 9, 55, 95, 186, 263, 317

  Ryan, Nolan, 28, 130

  Saber Seminar, 16, 138, 353

  sabermetrician, 55–59, 353

  SABR (Society for American Baseball Research), 45, 51, 351

  sacrifice bunting and Moneyball, 16

  salary, minor leagues and, 293–295

  salary cap, 321

  Salazar, Danny, 93

  Sale, Chris

  Cy Young Award/chase and, 188, 280, 282, 284

  Hill and, 121, 123

  injury and, 282, 284

  as pitcher/stats, 10, 237, 252, 278

  Sanó, Miguel, 250

  Sanstreak, 3, 107, 345, 352

  Santana, Johan, 134

  Sarason, Seymour, 127, 128–129

  Sarris, Eno, 330

  Savage, John, 34

  Save America’s Pastime Act (2018), 292–293

  Sawchik, Travis, 100, 101, 150, 200, 202–203, 218, 221

  Scherzer, Max, 119, 123, 188, 210

  Schimpf, Ryan,
276

  Schwarber, Kyle, 308

  Science of Hitting, The (Williams), 53, 99, 211, 231–232

  Scioscia, Mike, 56

  scouts

  before minor leagues, 40

  player-development era/technology and, 190–194

  Research Program for Baseball and, 48

  Seager, Corey, 96

  Seaver, Tom, 130

  Segedin, Rob, 145

  Severino, Luis, 305

  Shah, Ronit, 10, 196

  Sheehan, Joe, 128

  Sherwin, Jason, 328–329

  Shields, James, 64

  Shiokawa, Tatsuya, 146

  Silver, Nate, 16

  Silver Slugger Award, 7

  Simi Reality Motion Systems, 297

  Sisler, George, 208

  Slaughter, Don, 99

  sliding pit origins, 43, 44

  Sneed, Cy, 323

  Snell, Blake, 239, 343

  Snider, Duke

  as baseball player, 208–209

  Rickey and, 208–209, 212

  specialization in sports, 117

  spin types, 111

  SpinGate, 200–207

  baseball rules and, 201

  experiments/data on, 204–207

  Sporting News, 41, 49–50

  Sports Illustrated, 23, 36, 37, 54, 69, 181, 264

  Springer, George, 170, 182, 185, 186, 342

  SQL (Structured Query Language), 141, 177, 316

  Staff, Jacob, 75

  Star Tribune, 271

  Stassi, Max, 166, 174

  Stat Speak, 173

  Statcast, 353

  “barrels” and, 102

  fly-ball revolution and, 97

  Japan’s similar system, 146

  MLB introduction/uses, 14, 142, 191, 197, 204, 206, 313, 324

  Statcast Podcast, 317

  stealing bases and Moneyball, 16

  Stearns, John, 23

  Steinhorn, Russ, 217

  on copying Astros, 196

  player development, 181–182

  steroids era, 9, 97

  Stewart, Art, 50, 51, 52–53, 55

  sticky substance use

  Firm Grip, 200, 202, 205

  Pelican Grip Dip, 205, 206

  Statcast and, 204

  See also SpinGate

  Stocking, Trevor, 102

  Strength Training and Coordination: An Integrative Approach (Bosch), 76

  Stride Tutor, 264

  Strikeout rate

  rise, 325–326

  spin and, 326–327

  technology/player development, 326–329

  Strom, Brent, 179–180

  Astros/player development, 30, 164, 180, 197

  injuries/rehab and wearables, 298

  trip to mound/talk with pitcher, 251

  Stroman, Marcus

  Boddy on, 80

  his slider/Bauer and, 157–158, 269

  Sullivan, Jeff, 186

  Sundberg, Jim, 56–58, 174, 354

  Tango, Tom, 276

  Tappe, El, 46

  Taylor, Brien, 176

  Taylor, Chris, 7

  technology

  changes, 226–227

  injuries/rehab and, 297

  minors vs. majors, 299

  player development and, 345

  privacy issues/ethics and, 299–300

  purchasing own equipment and, 330–331

  wearables, 298–299

  TED Talk, 24, 25, 70, 168

  Texas Baseball Ranch

  Bauer and, 22, 23, 30, 31, 39

  Boddy and, 81

  cameras/technology and, 30, 39

  constraint/differential training, 152

  practice drills/activities, 30, 31

  Strom and, 179

  Wagner and, 29–30

  Tezuka, Kazushi, 246

  “Theory of Attentional and Personal Style” (Nideffer), 242

  Thompson, Fresco, 44

  Thorn, John, 325

  threshold model of collective behavior, 151–152

  Thrift, Syd, 52

  Tippett, Tom, 138

  Tomlin, Josh, 241–243, 304

  Tommy John surgery, 6, 78, 79, 117

  Tommy John surgery database, 69

  Tony Gwynn Lifetime Achievement Award, 303

  Towers, Kevin, 37

  TPI, 222–223, 351

  TrackMan, 354

  college use, 215

  golf and, 60, 101

  high school and, 218

  Japan and, 146, 147

  other uses, 14, 59–61, 101, 122, 171, 183, 210–215, 227, 272, 294, 326, 328, 331

  Saber Seminar and, 138

  University of Missouri, 210–215

  Tracy, David F., 287–288

  Trainer Partnership Program, 331

  transverse spin, 111

  Trout, Mike, 165, 227, 254

  Trumbo, Mark, 276

  Trump, Donald, 149

  Turner, Justin

  broken wrist/consequences, 253–254

  Byrd and, 90, 91–92

  Latta and, 94–96, 253–254

  swing/Betts and, 89

  transformation/sharing information, 7, 90–92, 94–96, 101, 102, 253–255, 322

  Tuxen, Fredrik, 59, 60

  umpires and strike zones, 137

  University of Iowa, 216

  University of Missouri

  baseball program, 210–211, 214–215

  player development and, 210–215

  University of North Carolina, 215–216, 217

  USA Baseball, 331

  Van Burkleo, Ty, 258

  Van Poppel, Todd, 69

  Van Scoyoc, Robert, 100, 101

  velo/velocity slap, 250

  velocity improvement, 29

  Ventura, Robin, 81

  Verlander, Justin

  Cy Young Award chase and, 282

  improvement, 8, 164, 187, 188, 201

  injury/All-Star games and, 237

  as pitcher/spin rate, 8, 164, 187, 188, 201, 202–203

  Vermilyea, Brian, 227, 229, 235

  virtual reality, 327

  Voros’s law, 128, 355

  Votto, Joey, 237–238, 274

  Wade, Ed, 168

  Wagner, James

  Bauer and, 28, 29, 108

  ThrowZone Academy, 108, 112

  Wagshol, Matthew, 74

  Wallenbrock, Craig

  fly-ball revolution and, 98, 99, 100, 101

  Latta and, 98, 99

  Lisle and, 218

  Ward, Turner, 100

  Washington, U L, 54

  Wasserman agency, 22–23

  Weathers, Casey, 78–79, 80, 113, 115

  weighted balls, 27, 28, 30, 65, 267, 306

  Bauer and, 27, 119, 148, 152–153, 242, 245

  Driveline and, 75–79, 150–151, 248, 304, 320

  Weinstein, Jerry, 58, 303–304

  West, Joe (“Cowboy”), 309, 310–311

  White, Doug, 164, 197, 346

  White, Eli, 229–231

  White, Frank, 54

  White, Tyler, 189, 258

  Whitlow, Robert W., 47

  Wilk, Kevin E., 29

  Willardson, D.K., 126

  Williams, Ted, 53, 99, 211, 231–232

  Science of Hitting, The/advice, 53, 99, 211, 231–232

  Willis, Carl, 239, 250, 251

  Wilson, Bobby, 252

  Winsett, Tom, 263–264

  wOBA, 97, 352

  Wolfe, Joel, 36, 37

  Wolforth, Ron

  Bauer and, 30, 32

  Boddy and, 80

  pitching mechanics/clinics and, 29–30, 39

  Woodard, Robert, 215–216, 217

  Wright, Craig R., 55–59, 174

  Wright, Steven, 125

  Wright, Wilbur/Orville, 20, 73

  Wrigley, Philip, 45–47, 49

  Wrigley, William, 45

  wrist-weight training, 71, 248

  Yelich, Christian, 276–277, 317

  “yips,” 243

  Young, Chris,
197

  youth baseball, 331–332

  Zimmer, Kyle, 220

  Zito, Barry, 28

  Zobrist, Ben, 230

 

 

 


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