New seams for the hardball folks

[Matt Cotcher]

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[Donald Boyles]

With the new ball.. The pitchers that know how to pitch with this will have no problems transferring over... Most of them are use to the lower seasms.. Collegeiate Summer Ball and for the new players during the Select Season..

 

[streettopeschel]

15% more would be huge (if true). that turns a 350-ft can-of-corn into a 400 ft homerun.

i need Slim to weigh in on this after he's done moving in the fences at DFF.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

Yea, Slim needs to be heard on this.

 

[Lastcall8]

15% would be huge fore sure. Idk if I buy 50 extra feet though.

Audie def wanted the fence brought in. Hard to get huge elite hitters when your at a huge park like ours. At least that's what he said.

 

[Chitownhorn]

if itnid is true that there is an extra 15% distance it will be interesting to see how the pitchers adjust with the lower seams. Theretically with less movement on the ball it could open up the offiese some.

 

[Johnstark23]

if itnid is true that there is an extra 15% distance it will be interesting to see how the pitchers adjust with the lower seams. Theretically with less movement on the ball it could open up the offiese some.

This is a misconception, this shouldn't mean less movement, it should add movement. The lower seams means less drag which means more rpms, the more rpms the more snap on a slider, riding action on a four seam fastball, and sink on a 2 seam fastball. This is actually a win win situation.

 

[Chitownhorn]

This is a misconception, this shouldn't mean less movement, it should add movement. The lower seams means less drag which means more rpms, the more rpms the more snap on a slider, riding action on a four seam fastball, and sink on a 2 seam fastball. This is actually a win win situation.

Very interesting, thanks for the info. I understand the concept but will the lower seams reduce the amount of leverage the pitcher has when he is puling down on the ball? I played a lot of baseball but never pitched and for that matter never spent a lot of time with the pitchers so I'm just curious.

 

[Lastcall8]

When I pitched in high school the seems were high as hell. Then I went to college and not so high as. My curveball was much more crisp and a harder break to it. Now that obviously is because I was taller stronger and understood it more. However I did like the lower seems.

There is an artice somewhere to lazy to look it up. But the pro pitchers said they like the smaller seems compared to college.

 

[armadillo slim]

This is a misconception, this shouldn't mean less movement, it should add movement. The lower seams means less drag which means more rpms, the more rpms the more snap on a slider, riding action on a four seam fastball, and sink on a 2 seam fastball. This is actually a win win situation.

yay.      well, this should at least give us warning track power now.  

still think the fences should be brought in fifteen feet or so (or the bats adjusted), but this is a great first step in restoring the game to compensate for those atrocious bats.  i'm still completely pissed at the NCAA for mismanaging this so badly, but this is definitely a step in the right direction.  what's new?  i stay pissed at the ncaa anyway.

it will certainly add to the homerun total, but without pulling in the fences, i'm not sure how much.  where its going to make a bigger difference IMO is in the batting averages because its going to force outfielders to play back at their normal depth so it will expand the area for base hits and line drives to drop.  this will directly impact run scoring.  homeruns will go up, but more importantly, averages will go up.

pitchers will adjust and some of them may find an advantage to the new ball, but overall two things are going to change.  ERA's are going to go up and batting averages are going to go up. as a result, scoring will increase.  it will actually be sort of cool to map the effects because it will be just this one change impacting all of this.

it will be interesting to see how much.  i'm a little dubious at the 15% claim but until we seem what the effect really is we won't know.  i'm betting more like 8-10%. that's still going to add 30 feet to a well batted ball.   any increase is a good thing though.

i'm happy about this obviously.  i still think the bats need adjustment or the fences need adjustment.  one or the other.  and the guy who thought the bats were a good idea needs to be tarred and feathered and sent on his way.

 

[JimR]

F@#K hitters.

Signed,

A pitcher

 

[doc longhorn]

When I pitched in high school the seems were high as hell. Then I went to college and not so high as. My curveball was much more crisp and a harder break to it. Now that obviously is because I was taller stronger and understood it more. However I did like the lower seems.

There is an artice somewhere to lazy to look it up. But the pro pitchers said they like the smaller seems compared to college.

LOL - I'm not buying that they like lower seams.  If that is the case, why rough up the ball?  Of course, today, they just use a little pine tar anyway.

 

[doc longhorn]

F@#K hitters.

Signed,

A pitcher

Ah,ha,ha - winner.

 

[Johnstark23]

LOL - I'm not buying that they like lower seams. If that is the case, why rough up the ball? Of course, today, they just use a little pine tar anyway.

Hmm, I loved the lower seams. In high school we used the Diamond Pro D1 baseball that has the highest raised seams of any ball on the market. In college we used a Rawlings NCAA ball with much lower seams, and I was able to increase movement without question. And for the record you don't scuff the baseball for grip, you scuff it to cause a disturbance in the air arounD the baseball thus makin it move even more. You do use pine tar for grip usually on a brisk night when you can't feel your fingers or when your sweating your balls off so you don't kill somebody cause the pelota slips out of your hand.

Slim, I agree with you 15% seems excessive, and I think the actual number will be 8 to 10%.

 

[JimR]

I'd want to hold the new baseball. If the seams were too high, I'd get a blister. If they were too flat to the ball, I could not spin breaking pitches as well. I do not have a one size fits all answer like some do.

 

[Lastcall8]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/ncaa-to-switch-to-flat-seamed-balls-in-2015/

Here is a good link about the new ball and what some pitchers think.

Sorry I don't know how to make it short on my mobile

 

[armadillo slim]

F@#K hitters.

Signed,

A pitcher

i knew that was coming.  seriously.  i knew that was coming.  you pitchers are just like all those pussy quarterbacks.  

"don't hit us!  don't hit us!  we can't take it.  we'll melt!!!!"

 

[armadillo slim]

Hmm, I loved the lower seams. In high school we used the Diamond Pro D1 baseball that has the highest raised seams of any ball on the market. In college we used a Rawlings NCAA ball with much lower seams, and I was able to increase movement without question. And for the record you don't scuff the baseball for grip, you scuff it to cause a disturbance in the air arounD the baseball thus makin it move even more. You do use pine tar for grip usually on a brisk night when you can't feel your fingers or when your sweating your balls off so you don't kill somebody cause the pelota slips out of your hand.

Slim, I agree with you 15% seems excessive, and I think the actual number will be 8 to 10%.

"you do use pine tar for grip usually on a brisk night when you can't feel your fingers or when your sweating your balls off so you don't kill somebody cause the pelota slips out of your hand."

hah.  you know don drysdale used to have the ball "slip" out of his hand a lot.  

 oops.  it slipped.  sorry, mickey.   

Jim's comment reminded me of something Don Drysdale would have said and this is as good a time as any to remember Drysdale. Drysdale would have loved Disch Falk Field, the dumbed down bats and the dead ball.

"I hate all hitters. I start a game mad and I stay that way until it's over."don drysdale

"The pitcher has to find out if the hitter is timid, and if he is timid, he has to remind the hitter he's timid."  don drysdale

"My own little rule was two for one. If one of my teammates got knocked down, then I knocked down two on the other team."

"Batting against Don Drysdale is the same as making a date with a dentist." - Dick Groat

"Don Drysdale would consider an intentional walk a waste of three pitches. If he wants to put you on base, he can hit you with one pitch." - Mike Shannon

"I hated to bat against (Don) Drysdale. After he hit you he'd come around, look at the bruise on your arm and say, 'Do you want me to sign it?'" - Mickey Mantle

"The trick against (Don) Drysdale is to hit him before he hits you." - Orlando Cepeda

L

 

[streettopeschel]

so will a 30-foot bunt now roll 34.5 feet ?