Forget This Pitch! Week 6 5/9-5/15

Chris Phillips   |  

May 16, 2022

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Every week we’ll be looking at some MLB pitches that get absolutely destroyed.

This weekly article will look at some poorly performing pitches that MLB batters take full advantage of. Not every selection is going to be a home run. It can be extra-base hits or hard-hit singles. Our criteria are that the pitch didn’t go as planned, with negative consequences.

We do our best to provide you with some information on the pitcher and the pitch. For example, how the pitch should have been executed and performed. Also, if possible, we’ll provide the spin rate of the pitch.

Does the pitcher have control issues, or is this a new pitch he’s working on, or did he just miss? We’ll also point out the location of the pitch, where the catcher wants it, and where it ends up.

Let’s get into it.

Sho Time!

Shohei Ohtani hit his first career grand slam on May 9th. In the bottom of the seventh inning facing Calvin Faucher, who is making his major league debut as he was officially called up a few hours prior to the game, Ohtani is sitting in the driver’s seat with a 3-1 count. Tampa Bay’s catcher calls for Faucher’s 19th pitch to be a little in and middle. Faucher actually hits his spot with this 88 mph slider. The other analytics like the horizontal and vertical break is in line with their norms (36.1” vertical and 6” horizontal). His slider normally has a spin rate of 2777 rpm. Subsequently, this slider comes out at 2742 rpm and is crushed. 

Professional Hitter

Whenever a player gets dubbed as a “professional hitter” they’re typically not fleet of foot. Well, Ty France fits that description perfectly. In a game that saw him finally break out of his extra-base slump, he gets a hit on this groundball. So, in the bottom of the second inning, with a runner on first base. Facing Aaron Nola in the bottom of the second inning in a 1-1 count. J.T. Realmuto calls for Nola’s 28th pitch to be low and away to France. 

Nola actually hits his spot with a 79 mph curveball, which is in line with its normal speed. France hits on top of the ball a grounder in the hole to shortstop Johan Camargo who can’t do anything with it. According to baseball savant, Nola actually snaps off a really good curveball (2570 rpm) than normal (2525 rpm). The vertical movement on the pitch, 54”, is in line with its normal rate of 56”. As is the horizontal movement, 15.6”, compared to 14.8”. France just does what professional hitters do in the MLB.

Breaking an Unwritten Rule?

Did Anthony Rendon break one of baseball’s sacred unwritten rules? Los Angeles Angels are up 10-0 on Tampa Bay in the bottom of the 8th inning. Also Tampa Bay is currently being no-hit. Tampa Bay basically concedes the game by bringing in their own two-way player Brett Phillips (to my knowledge no relation). Rendon is a right-handed hitter but in this at-bat, he decides to bat left-handed. To this point, he is 0-4 in the game. So is Rendon breaking an unwritten rule here?

Regardless, Phillips has thrown nine pitches at this point. The Angels have a runner on second and Rendon is in a 1-0 count. Tampa’s catcher calls for Phillips’ 10th pitch to be a little up and in to Rendon. Phillips badly misses his spot, south of the strike zone, with his 54 mph eephus pitch. Rendon says #ForgetThisPitch and cranks a two-run home run. Again, Rendon does this left-handed when he’s a righty!!!