Updated 5/23 Kershaw will start Sunday in LA, since the Dodgers would rather have him debut at home than in Wrigley, according to mlb.com.
It sure looks like it, according to MLB.com (ht rotoworld.com)
Kershaw faced three Carolina Mudcats, struck out two, then was yanked by manager John Shoemaker, completely healthy. By starting Thursday night, Kershaw is on schedule to start again Tuesday, which happens to be the next time the Dodgers need a fifth starter in Chicago.
Skipping ahead to Tuesday, we actually get to see PFX on the rookie thanks to his pre-season appearance in Dodger Stadium.
On March 30th, Kershaw threw four innings, retiring the first 10 batters before giving up Boston's first hit of the night. His six strike-outs are hint of things to come. The victims were Coco Crisp, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, and two minor leaguers. Unfortunately, the system did not get all his pitches. But there is enough, 37 out of 67, to spot three pitches. First and foremost, he throws hard. Very hard, touching 98 a couple times.
| cfx | # | mph | pfx_x | pfx_z | deg | rpm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CH | 4 | 88.3 | 4.2 | 9.8 | 155.9 | 1354.2 |
| CU | 10 | 77.2 | -4.6 | -6.2 | 143.9 | 838.2 |
| FA | 23 | 96.8 | 2.1 | 11.9 | 170.4 | 1656.4 |
That's an 88 mph circle change-up, according to Baseball Prospectus.
| cfx | # | B% | CS% | SS% | F% | X% | HR% | Sw% | Whiff% | B:CS | ISZ% | corner% | SwOOZ% | TaISZ% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CH | 4 | 50.0 | 25.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 25.0 | 0.0 | 25.00 | 0.00 | 2.0 | 25.00 | 0.00 | 33.33 | 100.00 |
| CU | 10 | 40.0 | 40.0 | 0.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 | 20.00 | 0.00 | 1.0 | 40.00 | 30.00 | 0.00 | 28.57 |
| FA | 23 | 21.7 | 21.7 | 8.7 | 26.1 | 21.7 | 0.0 | 56.52 | 15.38 | 1.0 | 69.57 | 8.70 | 28.57 | 27.78 |
2 comments:
Interesting that the whiff % is 0 on his curve and changeup. Might just be a case of hitters not knowing what he threw and just didn't bother with those pitches.
If he does indeed start this week, I can't think of a more anticipated pitch f/x debut.
Combined, there were just 14 of those pitches in the data, and just three swings, but it does seem like folks were just looking fastball and letting everything else fly on by.
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