dittoz wrote:From the "points" perspective...
...
* As a pitcher, did you throw a first pitch strike?
* As a pitcher, did you hit your spots?
* As a pitcher, was your strike-ball ratio in line?
... Likewise, the girl who always hits her first strike and gets out front of the hitter early is more valuable than the one that has to go deep in the count everytime and takes away the pitch-calling flexibilty.
Pitchers who
always throw first-pitch strikes run the risk of getting hit hard unless they have exceptional 'stuff' or do it with a variety of pitches. First-pitch strikes aren't very valuable if they're also base hits. I agree it is important for pitchers to not fall behind in the count a lot - but I consider 1-0 a neutral count as long as the pitcher's overall strike-ball ratio is decent.
The other night, my son came into a tie game as the stopper in the last inning. He struck out the side against a pretty amazing team and they went to extra innings. An inning later, he gave up a 2-run walkoff and lost the game. This early in the season, it shattered his ERA and he is 0-1. However he hit his spots, threw a first-pitch strike to every batter and only threw 11 pitches across the 1-1/3 innings. His point rating was quite high since he was doing his job.
Pardon me for saying it, but the pitch count doesn't add up:
- Struck out the side - at least 9 pitches
- 1-1/3 innings - at least 1 pitch for the 4th out
- 2-run walkoff - at least 2 pitches
ERAs and other statistical averages are meaningless when they're based on a small sample, like at the start of a season. The good news is the ERA should come down quickly.
Thanks for explaining your school's point system. Best wishes for your kids' seasons.