SB Nation - Matt Harrison

Speed Check - AFL vs. MLB

Harry Pavlidis — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:45:10 -0000

Stephen Strasburg's fastball is raising some interesting questions. While Strasburg was on the mound on Monday, a Tweet and an email (so old fashioned) came in asking about the Surprise, AZ, PITCHf/x data. Was it hot?

Strasburg throwing 101 was a surprise to many, and seeing him sit near 98 for a few innings raised more questions. I took a look at the two PITCHf/x installations in the Arizona Fall Leauge (Surprise and Peoria) this morning at the Hardball Times.

The basic conclusion was, no, the system in Surprise isn't hot. Relative to Peoria, that is.

Assuming the two systems are pretty much on par, the opportunity came up to compare AFL pitchers to themselves as MLB pitchers. Using release speed (55 ft. from home plate) I was able to compare data from 14 pitchers.

Nothing fancy and statistical, but, as you browse the baker's dozen + 1 set of images below, I think you'll probably reach the same conclusion I did.

The years shown in the parentheses indicate the MLB seasons the pitcher appeared in. The scale is to the game (actually at bat) and varies by pitcher. September 2009 call-ups will have a vastly different x-axis scale compared to a pitcher who worked back in 2007. But it's the y-axis (MPH) that matters.

Bryan Augenstein (2009)

Randor Bierd (2008)

Josh Butler (2009)

Michael Dunn (2009)

Matt Harrison (2008-2009)

Wilton Lopez (2009)

Ian Kennedy (2007, 2009)

Joe Martinez (2009)

Andrew Miller (2007-2009)

Mike Parisi (2008)

Dustin Richardson (2009)

Travis Schlichting (2009)

Mitch Talbot (2008)

Donald Veal (2009)

AFLf/x ain't hot if you ask me.

Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg: LIVE AFL REPORT!!!

Ed Chigliak — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:30:23 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

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Coming to you this afternoon from Surprise, Arizona, it's Federal Baseball.com's LIVE AFL Report, with Stephen Strasburg and the Phoenix Desert Dogs taking on the Surprise Rafters at 12:35 pm MST (2:35 pm EST) from sunny Surprise Stadium. The AFL East's No.1 team versus the AFL West's worst (or, uh, third place team). The Washington Nationals' '09 No. 1 overall pick, pitcher Stephen Strasburg (2-1, 6.97 ERA) and the Desert Dogs vs former Braves' and current Texas Rangers' pitching prospect Matt Harrison (1-1, 6.00 ERA) and the Rafters. I'll be providing updates here in the comments section, and posting thoughts and pics on the FEDERAL BASEBALL.com TWITTERFEED. (ed. note - The TwitterFeed is acting up, so I'm including it here...but apologizing in advance if it doesn't work right...at least I know our comment section will work...thanks, SBN!!")

MLB.com's AFL Scoreboard and GameDay Link...

Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi On The Washington Nationals. + AFL Update.

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:00:29 -0000

More photos » by Luis Alvarez - AP

"Can I take your bags, Adam?" Washington Nationals' OF Josh Willingham, 3B Ryan Zimmerman and 1B Adam Dunn wearing what Rolling Stones' Matt Taibbi describes as, "...bright-red uniforms that appeared to have been stolen off the backs of two-and-a-half-star-hotel bell captains." (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

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Oh no! I'm turning the pages of the latest edition (RS 1091) of Rolling Stone magazine (the one with Shakira on the cover), and I get to the Sports column Matt Taibbi's been penning since the start of the football season as he takes a well-earned break from exposing Wall Street swindles, researching the sordid histories of companies like Goldman Sachs, Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers and attempting to explain terms like "credit-default swap" "naked short selling" and "collateralized debt obligations" to the masses, to let loose on America's Sunday institution, the National Football League, and in particular, in this column entitled, "How to Wreck a Team", the Washington Redskins and their owner Dan Snyder. "There's no way," I say to myself (and yes I talk to myself in complete sentences), "...that he's going to get through a column on DC sports without taking a shot at the Nationals." And sure enough, in the second paragraph, Mr. Taibbi goes for his own "Natinals" moment:

"You have a responsibility to deliver as a football owner when you live in a city whose only other diversions are a basketball team that used to be called the Bullets and a once-good baseball team that used to be called the Montreal Expos (before someone decided to douse its players in suck juice, dress them in bright-red uniforms that appeared to have been stolen off the backs of two-and-a-half-star-hotel bell captains and bus them to Washington)."

Huh? Not so bad...Taibbi even said the team was "once good", though, sorry DC fans, I think he means the Expos- version, I don't think his argument is as nuanced as to include the first-half-of-'05-Nationals under the heading of "once good" (seeing as how he also ignores the Capitals' existence since they don't fit his narrative), and as for the Nationals "dousing [their] players in suck juice" and outfitting them in the "bright-red uniforms" of "two-and-a-half-star-hotel bell captains", well, at least the Nationals aren't going to be saddled with a description like that which Mr. Taibbi forever attached to Goldman Sachs when he described "...the world's most powerful investment bank," as a, "...great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money."

The Nationals got off relatively easily, though the "suck juice" part hurts...Redskins' owner Dan Snyder...well he doesn't get off as easily as the Nationals...

BACKPAGE:

• Storen Saves!

• Strasburg Monday!

BACKPAGE:

• Storen Saves!

We'll skip the first eight innings of this afternoon's Phoenix Desert Dogs/Mesa Solar Sox AFL matchup since no DC prospects were involved until the Washington Nationals' second '09 1st Round pick Drew Storen took the mound in the ninth with Phoenix ahead 4-3 and the 9,1,2 batters in Mesa's order due up. Marlins' OF prospect Greg Burns sent a fly ball out to left for the first out of the inning, but then Storen surrendered a one-out single to another future Florida outfielder Bryan Petersen, who took second after Cubs' infield prospect Starlin Castro K'd and the #1 Prospect in Chicago's organization (according to Baseball America's '09 Rankings), third baseman Josh Vitters, hit a two-out single to put the tying run in scoring position. Two on, two out, 4-3 Phoenix lead. Storen vs David Cooper, the 5th best prospect in the Blue Jays' system (again acc to Baseball America), and Drew Storen gets a grounder and a force at second to end the D-Dogs' 11th AFL win and earn his second save.

Storen's Line: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 K, 20 pitches, 12 strikes, 5 BF. '09 AFL Stats: (1-0, 1.17 ERA), 2 SV, 7.2 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K's.

Final Score - Desert Dogs 4, Solar Sox 3. MLB.com GameDay.

Desert Dogs now 11-6.

• Strasburg Monday!

The AFL released their weekend update entitled, "AFL Game Notes: Oct. 31 (PDF)", and in it they report that Stephen Strasburg will start for the Desert Dogs on Monday when they travel to Surprise, Arizona to take on the Surprise Rafters in a 12:35 pm MST start.

Matchup:

Stephen Strasburg (2-1, 6.97 ERA) vs Matt Harrison (1-1, 6.00 ERA).

(ed. note - "I was really hoping for a Strasburg/Crow matchup...")

Wednesday morning Rangers things

Adam J. Morris — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:22:40 -0000

The Rangers interviewed Rusty Greer yesterday for the position of hitting coach, the first of what is thought to be interviews with eight potential candidates. I don't really have an opinion on any of them.

Matt Harrison was back on the mound yesterday, for the AFL Surprise Rafters, and says he's feeling good and wants to get his innings in. Harrison, coming back from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, seems like to start 2010 in AAA, given his struggles in 2009 and the time he missed, but I suspect that, if he does, he'll be the pitcher most likely to be brought up if someone in the rotation struggles or goes down.

Richard Durrett talks about the middle relief options for the Rangers in 2010, along with their setup options.

Matt Harrison out for the season with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Adam J. Morris — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:36:36 -0000

More photos » by Frank Gunn - AP

7 months ago: Texas Rangers starting pitcher Matt Harrison, foreground, stands on the mound as Toronto Blue Jays catcher Rod Barajas, background, rounds the bases on his second two-run home run of the game during fourth-inning baseball game action in Toronto on Wednesday, April 22, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Frank Gunn)

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Matt Harrison is out for the season with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.

He's the third Ranger in recent years to deal with this, and I have to wonder if this is coincidence, the Rangers' medical staff picking up on something others don't, or what.

In any case, forget about him being back in the rotation in early August. Wednesday's rehab start is apparently the last time he'll be on the mound this year.

Monday morning Rangers things

Adam J. Morris — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:42:18 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

4 months ago: Texas Rangers players swarm Ian Kinsler after Kinsler's game-winning home run against the Minnesota Twins in the 12th inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, July 19, 2009. The Rangers won 5-3. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

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Weird, frustrating game last night. It ended well, but at the same time, sort of drove home how messed up this offense is right now.

And exceptional work from the bullpen last night, which went 8 innings, struck out 9, walked 2, and allowed just 2 hits.

Jeff Wilson writes that the Rangers at the start of the game knew the M's and Angels had both won, which meant that another loss would drop them even farther back in the A.L. West race.

Jeff (the writer) Miller writes that the pen has adopted the name the "Wolf Pack," and its wolf pack mentality was key to last night's victory.

On the injury front, Nelson Cruz has a fractured ring finger, but it isn't considered serious, and he could be back in the lineup tonight. Matt Harrison, meanwhile, is set to make a rehab start in Frisco on Wednesday.

The Rangers are inquiring on pitching on the trade front, but don't want to seriously deplete the farm to make a move. Wilson runs down possible targets for the rotation and bullpen.

Saturday a.m. Rangers things

Adam J. Morris — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:00:42 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

5 months ago: Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, top, jumps over Minnesota Twins' Justin Morneau while turning the double play in the eighth inning of the baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Friday, July 17, 2009. Twins' Jason Kubel was out at first. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

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At least the Angels lost...

Evan Grant says that Vicente Padilla got squeezed by the home plate umpire last night, and in particular, had strike three to Jason Kubel called a ball before leaving a pitch up in the zone that Kubel hammered for the three-run homer than won the game for the Twins.

Anthony Andro says that Josh Hamilton was the only offense last night.

Matt Harrison is going to head out on a rehab assignment next week, assuming his bullpen session tomorrow goes well. Meanwhile, the Rangers are going to drop a reliever after this series with Minnesota, potentially in favor of Esteban German, whose addition would require a 40 man roster move.

Jennifer Floyd Engel says the Rangers need Hamilton and Ian Kinsler to hit if they want to stay in the race.

And the Rangers have the biggest percentage increase in their TV ratings of any of the 30 major league clubs this year. Amazing what winning some games will do...

Friday a.m. Rangers things

Adam J. Morris — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:08:37 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

5 months ago: Texas Rangers' Elvis Andrus, right, jokes around with Ian Kinsler as Kinsler rounds second base during an afternoon batting practice workout in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, July 16, 2009. The Rangers will host the Minnesota Twins Friday night. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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And the Rangers resume playing today. I'll be at the game tonight, and Ben will supposedly be monitoring the game day threads.

Derek Holland is back in the rotation and pitching Sunday, with the Twins' lefty-heavy lineup apparently a contributing factor in the decision to go with Holland rather than Tommy Hunter, who was originally scheduled to start on Sunday, or Dustin Nippert.

Of course, the Twins have a 766 OPS against lefties this season, vs. a 765 OPS against righties...

Also of note from those notes is that Matt Harrison threw a bullpen session, but is supposedly going to have multiple rehab starts before returning, and that David Murphy is still hurting. Harrison's situation may have played into the decision to put Holland back in the rotation, as his target return date was August 1, but if he's going to have multiple rehab starts before he comes back, he's probably looking at mid-August instead. Which means, rather than one or maybe two starts from Harrison's stand-in, the Rangers are looking at four or five starts, which could have been the tipping point in going with Holland rather than Nippert.

I'd have a little more confidence in the organization's decision-making on this if I didn't keep remembering that these are the same folks who felt the team would be better off with Kris Benson in the rotation than with Scott Feldman.

Orlando Hernandez will not be joining the Ranger bullpen. He's been informed the Rangers aren't planning on adding him to the active roster prior to his opt-out date on Monday, and thus he'll be exercising his opt-out option and will be looking to join another organization.

Anthony Andro has a Q&A up with Ron Washington, who is fired up about the second half.

T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers have talked to the Blue Jays about Roy Halladay, and the cost is expected to be Justin Smoak and at least two good young pitchers. I'm guessing we are talking about something like Smoak, Perez, and Beavan for Halladay, which is probably more than the Rangers are willing to give up.

And T.R. Sullivan has some bloggy notes up.

Sean Gallagher to San Diego in the Scott Hairston trade

Adam J. Morris — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:00:28 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

San Diego Padres' Scott Hairston celebrates being traded out of San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

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So, as suspected, Sean Gallagher is the PTBNL going to San Diego in the Scott Hairston trade. This makes this roughly the equivalent of the Rangers giving up Matt Harrison, Tommy Hunter, and Michael Schlacht...raise your hand if you think that would have been a good deal for the Rangers.

There was some praise for Billy Beane on getting Hairston, but he seems like a nice but somewhat fungible bat, a guy you can plug in as a role player on a good team, but also someone who, at age 29, isn't getting any better and is just getting more expensive. And with a team that can't find regular playing time for Travis Buck and Aaron Cunningham, you kind of have to wonder what the point is.

Dan Szymborski goes so far as to suggest that the A's may need to move on without Beane:

Still, you get the sense that the front office the last 18 months or so has been reduced to making decisions merely on the tactical level, a la Dan O'Dowd. A lot of the moves the A's have made have been positive in a completely isolated sense, such as the Holliday trade, but don't seem to fit into a long-term strategic framework. As I suggest in the title, maybe it's time the A's move another direction in regards to team management. I think Beane's been a great GM for the team overall, but after an extremely long stint, one has to wonder if the A's wouldn't be better off if they had someone making personnel decisions that had a few more big ideas that they're just itching to implement. Creative energy can become stagnant, no matter how talented the individual in question is.

Beane has been so good, so long, that there seems to be a willingness in some quarters to give him a pass on deals like this. If Beane is letting Gallagher et al go, then they must not be very good (never mind that Gallagher was, along with Matt Murton, one of the key pieces to the Rich Harden trade last season). And Hairston...well, he's got value, he gets on base, he's not TOO expensive, clearly the Padres must have screwed up.

But for a team that isn't going anywhere this season, you have to wonder what the point of dealing three decent (if low-ceiling) pitching prospects for someone like Hairston is.

Brett Perryman on Derek Holland going to the pen

Adam J. Morris — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:44:25 -0000

More photos » by Lori Shepler - AP

5 months ago: Texas Rangers pitcher Dustin Nippert works against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday, July 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Lori Shepler)

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Our man z doesn't like Derek Holland moving back to the pen to make room for Dustin Nippert.

His issue, in essence, is that Nippert isn't very good and Holland is being shuttled between pen and rotation yet again.

As I mentioned this morning, I don't know that this is the way I'd handle it, but I don't really have a huge problem with it. The Rangers needed a spot starter, and Nippert was to the point where he was going to need to be activated. This gives them the opportunity to get a look at him for a few games and decide whether to keep him around or cut bait. And if Matt Harrison is back on August 1, he replaces Nippert if Nippert isn't going well.

Again, I don't know that I necessarily agree with this move, but I don't know that I necessarily disagree with it, either.