What a difference a year makes.
In The Little Things, we discussed the HUGE offseason move the Tigers made this year – hiring pitching coach Rick Knapp from Minnesota’s minor league system. Knapp came into the program with Minnesota’s simple ideology – throw strikes – and it has started to pay off.
Detroit’s ace, Justin Verlander, was his first and most important project. The Tigers’ former pitching coach, Chuck Hernandez, had instructed Verlander to push the ball back into the palm of his hand in an attempt to limit his tendency to overthrow his fastball. The trade is typically velocity for control, but it didn’t seem to work out that way with the Tiger fireballer. He lost 2 mph on his heater (95.5 to 93.6), but his percentage of pitches in the strike zone hit a career low (50.0%) while his BB/9 hit the highest mark (3.9) since his rookie year.
Knapp, a simple man with a simple view of baseball, simply told Verlander to go back to the grip he was used to. Now, his fastball is back (95.3 mph) and blowing hitters away. Including tonight’s game, he has logged at least 8 strikeouts in 7 of his last 8 starts – 77 in 56 1/3 innings overall. Knapp also instilled in Verlander the Minnesota philosophy. He’s now locating 54.2% of his pitches in the zone (good for 7th in the Majors) and posting a 3.04 BB/9.
And Verlander isn’t alone. Detroit’s ERA is a much improved 4.04, good for 7th in the Majors. Their K/BB ratio is at 2.02, good for 8th and just barely behind Minnesota’s 2.08. And the Tigers currently sit in first with a 1 1/2 game lead in the AL Central.
Pitching coaches get no love among most fans. I just hope those in Mo-Town know what they’ve got. Justin Verlander certainly does.
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Last offseason, the Tigers tried to upgrade their team with a massive blockbuster trade, sending Andrew Miller, Cameron Maybin, and half a team’s worth of low-to-mid tier prospects for 24-year-old slugger Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. They followed this acquisition by signing Cabrera to an eight year, $153.3 million contract and Willis to a three year extension for $29 million. But at the end of the year, Detroit’s record had fallen to 74-88, watching rivals Chicago and Minnesota battle in a one game playoff for the AL Central Division title.
This offseason, the Tigers – strapped for cash in challenging economic times – addressed their faulty rotation with a move that probably flew under the radar. Replacing pitching coach Chuck Hernandez with former Minnesota Twins minor league pitching coordinator Rick Knapp might prove to be the brightest thing the team has done in years. Moreover, while the contrast between last and this offseason’s spending is stark, the bigger philosophical change will be seen on the field of play itself.
Knapp has spent the the last 12 years imparting the Twins organizational philosophy on the minds and arms of Minnesota’s many home-grown pitchers. The impressive list includes the likes of Johan Santana, Francisco Liriano, Matt Garza, Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey. That philosophy, which he now brings to the Tigers, is a simple one: pound the strike zone.
When you compare the frequency with which last season’s Twins and Tigers starting rotations threw strikes, the picture is quite clear.
Twins:
Nick Blackburn (strikes on 55.8% of his pitches)
Scott Baker (55.6%)
Kevin Slowey (58.1%)
Glen Perkins (56.4%)
Livan Hernandez (53%)
Francisco Liriano (47.1%)
Tigers:
Justin Verlander (50.0%)
Armando Galarraga (50.0%)
Kenny Rogers (47.4%)
Nate Robertson (50.0%)
Zach Miner (44.7%)
Jeremy Bonderman (46.2%)
The logic is simple and the results are clear. Throw more strikes and give up less walks, thus limiting men on base, runs, and unnecessary losses. Last year, the two teams finished with roughly the same amount of strikeouts, Detroit amassing 991 while Minnesota totaled 995. But Minnesota led all 30 major league teams in fewest walks allowed with 406, while Detroit gave 644 free rides. In turn, Detroit’s ERA was 4.90 with 74 wins and Minnesota’s was 4.16 with 88 wins.
All early reports portray Knapp as someone who provides minor suggestion rather than overhauling or tinkering with a pitchers mechanics. But his true impact will be seen if he can get the Tigers organization to buy into a simple philosophy – throw strikes.
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