Great interview with Zach Britton on Sirius.

[wildcard]

One of the best interviews I have heard on radio for any player.

Zach talked about how Wallace and Chiti got him to accept the change to being a reliever. They encouraged him to embrace that role and told him if he did he would do well. He figured with their resume that if they were enthusiastic about his role then he should be too. He decide to be the best reliever he could be. At the time he was a long reliever.

They told him how good he could be by just using his sinker. Forgot his other pitches just concentrate on controlling the sinker in and out at the knees. They set up strings in spring training for him to throw to. They were 5 inch by 5 inch squares on the inside and outside of the plate. He said that is what Greg Maddux did. He was told that Maddux could hit his spot 9 out for 10 times. When Zach first started he was 0 for 10 but gradually he improved. He say it really boosted his confidence. Zach said that in bullpen session he used to just throw to get his get his work in. But using the spring method really helped him concentrate on each pitch.

He said that Wallace had him concentrate on throwing to a certain spot on the catcher's body. No necessarily the glove. By starting pitches throwing to that spot he learned to control his pitches better.

He said when Andrew Miller joined the team his locker was right next to Britton. They talked all the time. Andrew being lefthanded told him how to attack certain hitters. He told him how to prepare himself for games. For pitching days in a row. For what to do between appearances. Miller had become a father the year before and Zach's wife had a baby before the playoffs. He said Andrew helped him a lot with how to deal with a new baby and they discussed how it affected him as a pitcher. He said Andrew had dealt with a lot of pressure from being a highly touted prospect coming out of school and Zach benefited for talking with him about how to handle pressure.

It was a great interview. I wish I could have taped it. After hearing that interview there in no way anyone could believe that pitching coaches do not make a difference.

[Il BuonO]

I remember talking about this last year in ST. No one can tell me that Wallace and Chiti haven't made a contribution. I believe the impact is much greater than we realize, but obviously Britton is the best example.

[Nevermore]

I remember talking about this last year in ST. No one can tell me that Wallace and Chiti haven't made a contribution. I believe the impact is much greater than we realize, but obviously Britton is the best example.

I'm a huge Wallace and Chiti fan. And you are right, Zach Britton is one of the best examples. :clap3:

[Frobby]

Great report, WC. Apparently I can't give you rep until I spread some around, but this was rep-worthy.

[VeveJones007]

One of the best interviews I have heard on radio for any player.

Zach talked about how Wallace and Chiti got him to accept the change to being a reliever. They encouraged him to embrace that role and told him if he did he would do well. He figured with their resume that if they were enthusiastic about his role then he should be too. He decide to be the best reliever he could be. At the time he was a long reliever.

They told him how good he could be by just using his sinker. Forgot his other pitches just concentrate on controlling the sinker in and out at the knees. They set up strings in spring training for him to throw to. They were 5 inch by 5 inch squares on the inside and outside of the plate. He said that is what Greg Maddux did. He was told that Maddux could hit his spot 9 out for 10 times. When Zach first started he was 0 for 10 but gradually he improved. He say it really boosted his confidence. Zach said that in bullpen session he used to just throw to get his get his work in. But using the spring method really helped him concentrate on each pitch.

He said that Wallace had him concentrate on throwing to a certain spot on the catcher's body. No necessarily the glove. By starting pitches throwing to that spot he learned to control his pitches better.

He said when Andrew Miller joined the team his locker was right next to Britton. They talked all the time. Andrew being lefthanded told him how to attack certain hitters. He told him how to prepare himself for games. For pitching days in a row. For what to do between appearances. Miller had become a father the year before and Zach's wife had a baby before the playoffs. He said Andrew helped him a lot with how to deal with a new baby and they discussed how it affected him as a pitcher. He said Andrew had dealt with a lot of pressure from being a highly touted prospect coming out of school and Zach benefited for talking with him about how to handle pressure.

It was a great interview. I wish I could have taped it. After hearing that interview there in no way anyone could believe that pitching coaches do not make a difference.

I may be in the minority, but I think they definitely make a difference, but I don't feel that there's a discernible difference between major league hitting coaches (WARHC, if you will).

[Frobby]

I may be in the minority, but I think they definitely make a difference, but I don't feel that there's a discernible difference between major league hitting coaches (WARHC, if you will).

I believe that both pitching coaches and hitting coaches can make a difference, but their impact varies from player to player as to the degree and nature of their impact. A coach can have a huge positive impact on one player, but have little impact or even a negative impact on another. Great example, Leo Mazzone, who built those excellent staffs in Atlanta and really helped Bedard and Guthrie to blossom, but was poison to Bruce Chen and Rodrigo Lopez.

That said, a few things have been clear about Wallace and Chiti from the outset:

1. They operate as a team, moreso than any pitching coach/bullpen coach than I can recall. They have the same philosophies and approach, have worked together a lot over the years, and really trust each other and want each other's input.

2. They watch and listen to their pitchers, rather than just cramming their opinions and methods down their pitchers' throats. They have a definite philosophy, not dissimilar from Mazzone's, but they don't take a one size fits all approach and they want input from their pitchers.

3. On a personal level, they are easy to like and trust, and they came to the organization with a ton of credibility.

4. It seems like they like to make their suggestions pretty simple for each player, rather than cluttering their minds with a million mechanical things.

It's only one year, but I'm extremely impressed by how they handled themselves, and you sure can't argue with either the statistical results or the overt praise they've gotten from the pitching staff.

One thing I did want to say: I'm pretty sure Rick Peterson has been doing that "pitching to a string" drill in spring training for two years before Wallace and Chiti arrived. That's not unique to them.

I think they clearly helped Britton, Hunter and Norris, and are doing a nice job with Gausman, though there's more to do with him. They haven't messed around much with the guys who already were progressing before they got here, like Tillman, Chen and Gonzalez.

Their big projects for 2015 are obvious: help Ubaldo get his act together, continue Gausman's development, and plant some seeds with Bundy and the guys who will start the year at Norfolk but may see the majors this summer. I'm really looking forward to seeing how well they can build on the foundation they established in 2014.

[mdbdotcom]

For those who don't know, "the strings" were used by the Dodgers after they signed 18 year old Rex Barney in the 1943. Rex was the hardest thrower of his day, but rarely knew where the ball was going. Thanks at least in part to the strings, Rex became an effective starter for the Dodgers. He won 15 games one year, pitched in four World Series games, threw a no-hitter against the New York Giants, and was the starting pitcher for Jackie Robinson's first game. His career earned him a place in the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame.

Rex's career was derailed after he broke a leg sliding into a base and never regained his form. Fortunately for O's fans, he became a wonderful part of the fabric of the Orioles as our longtime PA announcer.

Once Rex retired, the Dodgers put the strings away. But, they took them out again for another promising pitcher with no control, Sandy Koufax.

On behalf of my old friend, Rex,

Thank youuuu.

[VeveJones007]

I believe that both pitching coaches and hitting coaches can make a difference, but their impact varies from player to player as to the degree and nature of their impact. A coach can have a huge positive impact on one player, but have little impact or even a negative impact on another. Great example, Leo Mazzone, who built those excellent staffs in Atlanta and really helped Bedard and Guthrie to blossom, but was poison to Bruce Chen and Rodrigo Lopez.

I agree completely. That's why I feel that all ML hitting coaches would be -0.5 to 0.5 WARHC on the whole lineup.

[Il BuonO]

And today Melewski with an article about Britton and his chances of returning to the rotation.

"Britton was so good and dominant at times during the 2014 season that some fans have wondered whether that stuff would play again in the rotation.

I think it could, but there are two big reasons it probably won't happen during the coming season: Britton was too good as the closer last year and the Orioles have six candidates for five rotation spots now.

....Britton's days as a starter may not be over for good, but they are probably over for now.

If and when Britton does get another shot to start, he will need more than the power sinker. You can't throw one pitch to big league hitters when they see you two or three times. But Britton has other pitches he could turn to. You just don't need them much when you have to get just three outs and your No. 1 pitch is so good."

Those are some of the key points and I agree with Steve. Maybe someday but not now.

http://m.masn.mobi/steve-melewski/2014/12/pondering-a-future-return-to-the-rotation-for-zach-britton.html