How does Elias build a playoff quality pitching staff?

[wildcard]

47 minutes ago, Frobby said:

 

Tampa’s bullpen was 20th/30 in average bullpen fastball velocity.   So if our plan is to slavishly imitate everything Tampa does, getting harder throwing relievers isn’t the way to do it.  The hardest throwing bullpen was the White Sox at 96.0 mph, Tampa was 20th at 93.7, O’s 24th at 93.5.

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=rel&lg=all&qual=0&type=17&season=2021&month=0&season1=2021&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=&enddate=thanks 

When I think of the Tampa's pen I think of Castillo, Kittridge and Fairbanks at the end of the game.   I am sure they have guys that don't throw that hard but then again when Tampa has a opener even the bulk guy is a reliever.

[Frobby]

38 minutes ago, wildcard said:

When I think of the Tampa's pen I think of Castillo, Kittridge and Fairbanks at the end of the game.   I am sure they have guys that don't throw that hard but then again when Tampa has a opener even the bulk guy is a reliever.

The interesting thing about Tampa’s pen is nobody threw a ton of innings.  As a reliever, Kittredge had 65.1, McHugh 52.0, nobody else over 50.   Now it’s true sometimes they do the opener thing that throws off these categories.   Even so they had only 10 pitchers over 50 innings, all of whom started at least 4 times.    Of the guys you mentioned, Castillo threw only 36.1 innings, Fairbanks 42.2.   

[Frobby]

Another interesting Tampa fact: they led the AL in ERA at 3.67, yet three of their top four pitchers in IP had ERA’s over 5.00.   So they had a ton of guys pitching not that many innings but pitching them very effectively.   

[waroriole]

57 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Another interesting Tampa fact: they led the AL in ERA at 3.67, yet three of their top four pitchers in IP had ERA’s over 5.00.   So they had a ton of guys pitching not that many innings but pitching them very effectively.   

It’s really astonishing how they’re able to do this. With so many different guys providing above average results. I wonder if part of it is a confidence from coming up through this organization and knowing they’re the best at producing quality pitching. Kind of like what I assume was the old Orioles Way

[now]

7 hours ago, Frobby said:

 

Tampa’s bullpen was 20th/30 in average bullpen fastball velocity.   So if our plan is to slavishly imitate everything Tampa does, getting harder throwing relievers isn’t the way to do it.  The hardest throwing bullpen was the White Sox at 96.0 mph, Tampa was 20th at 93.7, O’s 24th at 93.5.

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=rel&lg=all&qual=0&type=17&season=2021&month=0&season1=2021&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=&enddate=thanks 

If I remember correctly, during the playoffs an announcer was crediting their dominance not to velocity but to variety (in stuff, angles, pitch selection, delivery, etc.). Or was that another team? I believe it was Tampa.

[justD]

On 12/26/2021 at 5:14 PM, now said:

If I remember correctly, during the playoffs an announcer was crediting their dominance not to velocity but to variety (in stuff, angles, pitch selection, delivery, etc.). Or was that another team? I believe it was Tampa.

I remember this too, where they overlaid several pitchers’ arm slots on release.  Here’s analysis from Mike Petriello that covers it really well

https://www.mlb.com/news/rays-pitchers-unique-arm-angles

And a tweet that shows what he means:

 

[Frobby]

2 minutes ago, justD said:

I remember this too, where they overlaid several pitchers’ arm slots on release.  Here’s analysis from Mike Petriello that covers it really well

https://www.mlb.com/news/rays-pitchers-unique-arm-angles

And a tweet that shows what he means:

 

That was a strong point of the O’s with Britton/O’Day/Brach/Givens.   

[BohKnowsBmore]

10 minutes ago, justD said:

I remember this too, where they overlaid several pitchers’ arm slots on release.  Here’s analysis from Mike Petriello that covers it really well

https://www.mlb.com/news/rays-pitchers-unique-arm-angles

And a tweet that shows what he means:

 

 

5 minutes ago, Frobby said:

That was a strong point of the O’s with Britton/O’Day/Brach/Givens.   

[Brooks The Great]

On 12/26/2021 at 12:53 PM, waroriole said:

It’s really astonishing how they’re able to do this. With so many different guys providing above average results. I wonder if part of it is a confidence from coming up through this organization and knowing they’re the best at producing quality pitching. Kind of like what I assume was the old Orioles Way

This makes a lot of sense if the underlying philosophy is that pitchers are the most effective the first time through the order, and much less effective the second and third time through. Even with a pitching staff utilizing openers, the guys throwing the most IP are facing the opposing lineup that second and third time by default. That's the most common way to accumulate more innings than a 1-inning specialist/reliever.