One benefit of my subscription to the cable package that gives me most every game at home is that I get to check out pitchers I wouldn't normally get to see.
#1 on the list?
King Felix. I caught his start against offensive powerhouse Texas on Tuesday night. His line?
5 IP, 6H, 4ER, 2HR, 1BB, 9K. He took the loss.
Observation 1:
His stuff, particularly his breaking stuff, is filthy. 9Ks in 5 innings. Yowza.
Observation 2:
He was falling off to the left of the mound on every pitch. Awkwardly. The pitching coach should try to get this fixed. Maybe it's been part of his mechanics all along, in which case maybe you let it go, but it really does look awkward. My guess is that this could lead (if it isn't already) to three things:
1) Bad positioning for fielding comebackers. So he won't be winning many gold gloves. No big deal.
2) Leaving his fastball up, and tailing right. At least that's what was happening Tuesday. This could be a problem.
3) Injuries. Again, a possible problem.
Observation 3:
He is petulant. He stomped around arrogantly after every retired batter, even after most strikes thrown. That doesn't bother me that much though. More worrisome is that he sulked whenever things didn't go well. I mean, really sulked. Chalk this up to his age, I suppose, but it is something he's gotta get rid of, in my opinion.
And I wonder how much these personality "flaws" could be solved by a good mentor. The obvious choice is a grizzled catcher, a la Crash Davis. And there's the rub. I love Johjima as much as anyone, but does anyone really think Jo's gonna get through to Big Baby Felix? I hope I'm not just making horrible assumptions based on race, but I see a barrier in the way they interacted. Felix looked really pissed any time Johjima came to talk to him. I can't imagine anything is really getting through. Could it be that the kid's just cocky, and will learn? Maybe. Could it be that he's a fierce competitor, and his youth makes me misconstrue this as sulking? Maybe. But it would be a concern for me if I were the pitching coach.
Observation 4:
He wears baggy bellbottoms. Awful. Get this man a real uniform... please. Cause currently his dress makes him look like a bi-polar cocky/sulky, sweatpants-clad manchild. Not that this matters at all if he develops into the best pitcher in baseball... but coupled with the attitude he had on display, it hurt my appreciation of him. Am I turning into a fogey?
#1 on the list?
King Felix. I caught his start against offensive powerhouse Texas on Tuesday night. His line?
5 IP, 6H, 4ER, 2HR, 1BB, 9K. He took the loss.
Observation 1:
His stuff, particularly his breaking stuff, is filthy. 9Ks in 5 innings. Yowza.
Observation 2:
He was falling off to the left of the mound on every pitch. Awkwardly. The pitching coach should try to get this fixed. Maybe it's been part of his mechanics all along, in which case maybe you let it go, but it really does look awkward. My guess is that this could lead (if it isn't already) to three things:
1) Bad positioning for fielding comebackers. So he won't be winning many gold gloves. No big deal.
2) Leaving his fastball up, and tailing right. At least that's what was happening Tuesday. This could be a problem.
3) Injuries. Again, a possible problem.
Observation 3:
He is petulant. He stomped around arrogantly after every retired batter, even after most strikes thrown. That doesn't bother me that much though. More worrisome is that he sulked whenever things didn't go well. I mean, really sulked. Chalk this up to his age, I suppose, but it is something he's gotta get rid of, in my opinion.
And I wonder how much these personality "flaws" could be solved by a good mentor. The obvious choice is a grizzled catcher, a la Crash Davis. And there's the rub. I love Johjima as much as anyone, but does anyone really think Jo's gonna get through to Big Baby Felix? I hope I'm not just making horrible assumptions based on race, but I see a barrier in the way they interacted. Felix looked really pissed any time Johjima came to talk to him. I can't imagine anything is really getting through. Could it be that the kid's just cocky, and will learn? Maybe. Could it be that he's a fierce competitor, and his youth makes me misconstrue this as sulking? Maybe. But it would be a concern for me if I were the pitching coach.
Observation 4:
He wears baggy bellbottoms. Awful. Get this man a real uniform... please. Cause currently his dress makes him look like a bi-polar cocky/sulky, sweatpants-clad manchild. Not that this matters at all if he develops into the best pitcher in baseball... but coupled with the attitude he had on display, it hurt my appreciation of him. Am I turning into a fogey?
posted by Alex at
1:05 PM
1 Comments:
I watched his first start. He pitched fine. The impression I had was that his fastball moved a lot. That's what will make him a killer.
For the rest... he's 20. He needs a Crash Davis, but not necessarily as a catcher. He just needs someone to slap him around. But who's gonna get in his face? Raul Ibanez?!? That paragon of seriousness, Richie Sexson? Or perhaps Jamie Moyer, whose skill set is the polar opposite of Felix's? Asking Moyer to tutor the kid would be like asking a falafel vendor to run Microsoft. Can someone please give Felix a real mentor?
(Although, if Seattle decides not to take on a leader, they can always trade Felix to Boston to work with Varitek... you know, for his own good...)
By
Jeff, at 10:26 AM
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