To the disappointment of many Astros fans, for a second consecutive season shortstop Adam Everett departed spring training headed for AAA New Orleans. His .130 batting average in exhibition games likely didn’t impress Astros management.
Archive for April, 2001
The Extra Something Of Pitching
On April - 9 - 2001
Pitchers who can throw a fastball 90 mph or better are a dime a dozen in professional baseball. In addition, it is not unusual to find strong high school baseball programs with several pitchers whose fastballs register 85-90 mph on the radar gun. Accomplished hitters, from high school through the major leagues, can hit the fastball, and it is rare for a pitcher in professional baseball to overpower good hitters repeatedly with mere velocity. A great fastball is not enough for a pitcher to win consistently at the professional level. So, what sets the consistent winners apart from the other pitchers who have the talent to play major league baseball but lack that extra something that vaults them into the ranks of the elite? What is that “extra something?” With very few exceptions, the extra something is an additional pitch or pitches that complement the fastball and that, more often than not, certain pitchers throw better or more effectively than most other pitchers throw the same pitch. The purpose of this article is to examine the extra something that specific pitches can add which will help set a pitcher apart from his peers. Read the rest of this entry »
Enron Bombs in 2000: You Don’t Know The Half Of It
On April - 5 - 2001
By Carnac
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on April 5, 2001.
Season home run data for major league ballparks are generally reported as a total number of home runs hit, or alternatively on a home runs per game basis. Frequently, these data are also split between the homers hit by the home club and those hit by the road club. Read the rest of this entry »
2001 Prospect Report – Part 2
On April - 4 - 2001
By Michael N
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on April 4, 2001.
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Ten Numbers to Ponder In 2001
On April - 3 - 2001
The good news for the Astros is the 2000 season is over. The bad news is some of the problems that plagued them, the lack of quality pitching in particular, might not be behind them. On that note, the following are some numbers that give a glimpse into what the 2001 season possibly holds.
Skill Development–Hitting
On April - 1 - 2001
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com.
Hitting a baseball: this skill is a path to fame and fortune if one does it well and is a certain ticket to enshrinement in the Hall of Fame if one does it exceptionally well. No less an expert than Ted Williams, however, once said that hitting a baseball is the single most difficult act to accomplish in all of sports. Because Teddy Ballgame was the greatest pure hitter of all time, perhaps folks should listen to him. How does one use a round bat to hit a round ball squarely? Surprisingly, the mechanics of hitting are relatively easy to learn, but because of the superior eye-hand coordination required, few can hit a baseball well enough to make just four successes out of ten tries commonplace. If averaging only three successes out of ten tries over a career can put a professional hitter into the Hall of Fame, the actual doing must be far more difficult than the “knowing how to do.” Basic hitting mechanics follow and can be practiced alone, in the batting cage, or against live pitching. Read the rest of this entry »