Third Hand Report on Hobgood

[Birds of B'more]

Hobgood should talk to Jake Arrieta, who is 6'4" 225 and chiseled out of granite. Find out what Arrieta does and follow that.

It's not that simple...we're not all cast from the same mold. Matt's a big kid, and he may have the sort of DNA that requires him to make a lot more effort when it comes to his weight than other players his age. And not just because it's optimal for his playing career, but for his own health and for the rest of his life.

[Birds of B'more]

Is really losing 5% of your weight that big of a deal. We aren't talking about a Sid Fernandez type slim down. 15 pounds is nice to lose, but when you are 265 pounds, it really isn't much. Nothing that should bring your velocity from 93-96 to 88-91.

I would love to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, but really.

Or, like someone already suggested, maybe his velocity is down some because he's more focused on honing his command right now?

[Frobby]

Or' date=' like someone already suggested, maybe his velocity is down some because he's more focused on honing his command right now?[/quote']

Since Hobgood himself has hypothesized that his weight loss has cost him velocity, I sincerely doubt he is purposely dialing it back.

[Stotle]

Hobgood should talk to Jake Arrieta, who is 6'4" 225 and chiseled out of granite. Find out what Arrieta does and follow that.

I haven't spoken to Jake, but seen him up close several times and spoken to folks who have seen a lot of him. Sounds like he is just a naturally lean guy. One of my roommates in college was a football player -- he drank and ate as much as anyone and was always a cut dude. At a certain point, being "chiseled" is genetics.

[PBR Street Gang]

They said he hit the upper 90's in high school, but I don't think he's ever hit the mid 90's ever as pro based on the stadium guns. Matt's uncle said he was dialing it up into the mid 90's at an away stadium earlier this year, but that seems like an aberration. He's always been regularly in the upper 80's. Always.

[Frobby]

They said he hit the upper 90's in high school, but I don't think he's ever hit the mid 90's ever as pro based on the stadium guns. Matt's uncle said he was dialing it up into the mid 90's at an away stadium earlier this year, but that seems like an aberration. He's always been regularly in the upper 80's. Always.

I don't remember reading that Hobgood hit upper 90's in high school. I think I recall Jordan saying he was touching 96 on occasion. That's "mid" 90's by my definition. The same scouting report someone referenced earlier in the thread in regard to his weight says:

Very athletic for size, multi-sport athlete. Possesses above-average arm with aggressive delivery. Predominantly uses 2-seam FB (91-95), avg. 92-93. Maintains velocity throughout. Gains strength later in game. Hit 94 several times in seventh inning. CB has power and depth with occasional tight rotation, 78-82, mostly 81. CH (change-up) is split-grip style, down to 81. Fields position very well. Highly athletic. Competitive kid and shows it.

http://baseballbeginnings.com/2009/04/11/matt-hobgood-scouting-report/

Can I ask, how often do you go to Shorebirds games? How fast does the Delmarva stadium gun show other pitchers are throwing, compared to what they supposedly threw in high school?

I'm not really doubting that Hobgood is throwing at less velocity than in high school, but I'm trying to figure out how much we're really talking about. As with his weight, there seems to be a tendency to embellish (1) how fast he was throwing in HS, and (2) how slow he is throwing now.

[DrShorebird]

One thing I have noticed through the years is that when HS pitchers hit Delmarva in the first year of pro ball, the playing and working out every day, the long road trips and working on new pitches often leads to "dead arms" for a while.

Just saying

[PBR Street Gang]

Can I ask, how often do you go to Shorebirds games? How fast does the Delmarva stadium gun show other pitchers are throwing, compared to what they supposedly threw in high school?

I'm not really doubting that Hobgood is throwing at less velocity than in high school, but I'm trying to figure out how much we're really talking about. As with his weight, there seems to be a tendency to embellish (1) how fast he was throwing in HS, and (2) how slow he is throwing now.

Delmarva's gun consistently shows him throwing in the upper 80's. I've asked the same MPH question to Shorebird attendees fishing for a bright side. The claim is that the gun is a tick slow. Maybe Dr. Shorebird can fill in that blank for us.

[allstar1579]

Delmarva's gun consistently shows him throwing in the upper 80's. I've asked the same MPH question to Shorebird attendees fishing for a bright side. The claim is that the gun is a tick slow. Maybe Dr. Shorebird can fill in that blank for us.

That gun is extremely inaccurate. It will be all over the place, fast for some, slow for others and in the ballpark occasionally. It's more of an entertainment thing than an actual reading thing. You wanna see what he's throwing, stand behind home plate for a second and scope out a couple of the scout's guns.

[DrShorebird]

Maybe Dr. Shorebird can fill in that blank for us.

There seems to be a lot of concern and confusion about Matt Hobgood's progress this year. Matt has agreed to do another interview with me next week. (I'll be in NC for a few days).

There will be something newsworthy that I can report then. I also plan to chat with Troy Mattes.

If you have any questions you would like asked or issues clarified, send me a PM.

[Gurgi]

There seems to be a lot of concern and confusion about Matt Hobgood's progress this year. Matt has agreed to do another interview with me next week. (I'll be in NC for a few days).

There will be something newsworthy that I can report then. I also plan to chat with Troy Mattes.

If you have any questions you would like asked or issues clarified, send me a PM.

I will be waiting your update eagerly.

We may all be panic prone. I remember hearing that Strasburg was a fatty in high school and didnt get serious about training and his conditioning till get got to college.

[PBR Street Gang]

There seems to be a lot of concern and confusion about Matt Hobgood's progress this year. Matt has agreed to do another interview with me next week. (I'll be in NC for a few days).

There will be something newsworthy that I can report then. I also plan to chat with Troy Mattes.

If you have any questions you would like asked or issues clarified, send me a PM.

Awesome Doc. Thanks a lot.

A couple of questions if I may....

1.) He's managed to hold his own in his first year of professional baseball. Mixed results of course, but how is he adjusting to non-stop travel and baseball?

2.) Because he was a top pick on a struggling franchise(thus the added scrutiny) how is he handling the immense scrutiny about his A.)weight and B.) ERA?

3.) Does he think the pitch count is silly and could he throw 120 pitches a start if need be no problem?

4.) Who is the toughest out in the South Atlantic League right now?

5.) Does he think he could strike out Adam Jones with 2 strikes on him knowing that probably just rolling it up to the plate would do the job?

[KarlofDelaware]

There have been questions about the pitch speed indicator at Perdue Stadium. The staff has put a lot of time and effort into making the indicator accurate, and IMO it is accurate.

Around the years 2000 a speed gun was located in the press box on the 3rd level. It seemed to be off a few miles an hour at times. It was like most insects - in the cold it would lie dormant, but as things warmed up it started to be active and flash the speed display. So fans had no display in April, but a fairly consistent display in August. A bolt of lightening finished off that speed indicator.

In 2009 the Shorebird's got a new pitch speed indicator. It initially was in the press box, but it did not work well from that location. Then it was moved to the cafe area behind home plate on the 2nd level - again it did not work well.

The next step was to get a battery power pack for the indicator and to have a member of the staff sit in the stands immediately behind home plate where the charting pitchers work. Initially, the gun would be off 3-4 miles per hour routinely even from this location. The Shorebird staff persevered and got the gun caliberated correctly. Accuracy is getting ever closer!

The Delmarva gun is a Stalker Sport - the same gun used by charting pitchers

in most instances. The gun reading is transmitted by wireless broadcast to the centerfield pitch speed indicator. Every once in awhile the wireless part of the operation malfunctions and you get a 50's reading of a pitch or two. These incorrect readings are easy to detect as they are so far removed from actual pitch speed. In these situations the gun itself shows a correct reading, but the centerfield indicator is off 10-40 miles per hour.

So how does the gun perform in real game situations? Here are the readings from the 9th inning on Friday night (6/18) against Lexington, with the 1st number being the reading from the gun of a actual charting pitcher, and the 2nd reading being the Shorebird centerfield pitch speed indicator:

90-90

88-87

88-88

83-85

87-86

87-87

87-86

87-86

87-87

89-88.

You get the idea. To my mind, the Shorebird speed indicator is just as likely to be accurate as the radar guns of the charting pitchers.

The rest of the inning went like this: 86-87,89-88,88-87,78-78,88-87,78-77,77-78,90-88,89-88,90-89,91-91,89-88,91-90,88-89,91-51,91-90.

In that 9th inning, the Delmarva pitcher was Kevin Laundry, Delmarva won their 8th straight home game, and the Shorebird pitch speed indicator performed in satisfactory fashion.

[SombodysMom]

Thanks for the information.

Do you work for the Shorebirds? If so, could you please address how obnoxiously loud the PA system is? You have to shout to place an order on the concourse and it's nearly unbearable in the stands.

I went to the offices to request the volume be turned down, but the next game I went to, it was right back up there. I'm not alone in my opnion on the volume.

[epic]

One thing I have noticed through the years is that when HS pitchers hit Delmarva in the first year of pro ball, the playing and working out every day, the long road trips and working on new pitches often leads to "dead arms" for a while.

Just saying

I think this is a very good point and is definitly part of the explanation as to why Hobgood's velocity has been and down and his overall effectiveness has been questionable. The first year in the pros is a big adjustment.