Ziggy's Stardust

Sprowl

mikey lowell of the sandbox
Dope
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Jun 27, 2006
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Brad Ziegler's PitchFX dots show traces of Unhittium-2013. He throws a slow fastball (86 mph), a slower changeup (78), and a slowest frisbee slider (76).



Like Uehara, he gets it done with location -- always low, usually outside, and never in the wheelhouse. These are too close to take, but too marginal to hit. The slider ended up way outside, but generated a swinging strike.



Also like Uehara, he gets lots of spin on the ball, averaging 2000 rpm on his fastball. Nine inches of vertical drop coupled with 9" of horizontal run isn't something a batter sees everyday.



What do you think of our new Spider from Mars?
 

jcaz

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Jun 8, 2009
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While he doesn't seem to pitch inside too often, he did appear to be jamming good.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Dec 22, 2002
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The way he is pitching, you can bring him in the 8th. It'd take him 20 pitches to finish the 2 innings.
 

ledsox

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Nov 14, 2005
398
Heard his post game radio interview yesterday. Seemed intelligent and self aware. Certainly not a lad insane.
As mostly a radio listener I did not realize the fb was in the Koji range. Whatever works. I will have to watch that man.
Looks like a great pickup by DD.
 

Al Zarilla

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Dec 8, 2005
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As mostly a radio listener I did not realize the fb was in the Koji range. Whatever works. I will have to watch that man.
Looks like a great pickup by DD.
Thing is, his funky delivery (sidearm or whatever arm angle he employs) is a great part of his effectiveness. It's like another Javier Lopez pitching effectively for years without anything approaching 90 mph on his pitches.
 

ledsox

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Nov 14, 2005
398
Thing is, his funky delivery (sidearm or whatever arm angle he employs) is a great part of his effectiveness. It's like another Javier Lopez pitching effectively for years without anything approaching 90 mph on his pitches.
Right, in the interview he said he was told he had to learn the sidearm delivery back in 2007. I think it was the A's that forced the issue.
 

Srabbits

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Jul 25, 2016
315
He's a starman waiting in the bullpen. He told Taz not to blow it because he knows its all worthwhile.
 

ledsox

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Nov 14, 2005
398
OK, I'd never heard he was told that.
Well maybe he was't forced to the sidearm but he certainly was asked to change. Funny, Wright was told to switch to the knuckleball by the Indians while in the minors. I think that was more a do it or get released situation for Steven.

From Ziggy's wiki page...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Ziegler
Before the start of the 2007 season, Ziegler was approached by Ron Romanick, the minor league pitching coordinator for the Athletics, about converting to asidearm/submarine style of pitching. He agreed to the change and spent the 2007 season in both Midland and Sacramento as a relief pitcher, improving the more he became accustomed to the change.
 

Sprowl

mikey lowell of the sandbox
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Jun 27, 2006
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Ziggy had a breathtakingly unhittable and efficient inning against the Diamondbacks, coming in with nobody out and the bases loaded. He struck out the side on ten pitches. He alternated sinkers tailing back to catch the outside corner, with frisbee sliders that first made the batter bail at a pitch that ended up on the low inside corner, and then flail at a pitch that ended up more than a foot outside the strike zone.