The New Cavalry?

[Can_of_corn]

3 minutes ago, TINSTAAPP said:

 

Bergesen's numbers didn't fall off because the league caught up to him. He injured his shoulder shooting a stupid MASN commercial and was never the same after that. His sinker in particular never returned to the same effectiveness that it had in his rookie year.

I'm not seeing a huge difference.

http://www.brooksbaseball.net/velo.php?player=448269&time=&startDate=03/30/2007&endDate=05/22/2019&s_type=2

[LookinUp]

I've told the story before, but during one of Bergesen's first ML starts, I had ESPN's gamecast on my phone. The location of his pitches was absurd. He pounded the bottom of the zone relentlessly. The ball NEVER elevated. He did well.

I'm guessing more changed re: velocity/movement, but the location on that particular day had to be nearly impossible to elevate if his sinking movement was what it was supposed to be.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

Just now, LookinUp said:

I've told the story before, but during one of Bergesen's first ML starts, I had ESPN's gamecast on my phone. The location of his pitches was absurd. He pounded the bottom of the zone relentlessly. The ball NEVER elevated. He did well.

I'm guessing more changed re: velocity/movement, but the location on that particular day had to be nearly impossible to elevate if his sinking movement was what it was supposed to be.

Are you sure the gamecast app wasn't broken one your phone that day? 

[Jammer7]

1 hour ago, TINSTAAPP said:

 

Bergesen's numbers didn't fall off because the league caught up to him. He injured his shoulder shooting a stupid MASN commercial and was never the same after that. His sinker in particular never returned to the same effectiveness that it had in his rookie year.

He had a solid rookie year in 2009 for who he was as a pitcher. He was never rated very high as a prospect because the stuff was mediocre: sinker/slider/change up, average velocity or maybe a tick under. He really needed a swing and miss pitch. About a 2/1 ground ball rate and a HR rate of less than one per 9. But hitters begin to spot the sinker down and they lay off. You have to bring it up and you get shelled. The slider had little depth. He could not pitch up nor inside effectively. He did not do much to change the eye level of the hitter. And the change up wasn’t great either. 

I looked briefly today, but could not find statistics on a breakdown of the type of contact made. (Too bad statcast was not in existence yet.) I remember thinking at the time, based on my observations, that hitters were making better contact at the end of his season. That is my recollection anyway. And then the shin injury ended his season after 123 innings. Then the freak accident thing with the commercial. 

All that said, I liked him. He competed with what he had.