Chacin

看板Blue_Jays作者wfol (~Roger Federer~)時間21年前 (2004/09/21 10:12)推噓1(1推 0噓 0→)

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http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/040823pulse.html Late-Blooming Chacin Worth The Wait Prospect Pulse By John Manuel August 23, 2004 Usually, a player in his fifth year of Double-A doesn't register as a prospect. Now that Blue Jays lefthander Gustavo Chacin finally has graduated to Triple-A Syracuse, perhaps it's time to rethink his prospect status. Chacin makes his first Triple-A start tonight at home against Rochester, having earned his promotion with a 34-innings scoreless streak at Double-A New Hampsh ire. Chacin hasn't given up a run since July 25, he won his last six starts and last 11 decisions dating back to June 5, and he was 15-2, 2.96 for the season. But does that performance make him a prospect? Lots of pitchers post gaudy win- loss numbers in the minors without ever making a ripple in the major leagues. And Chacin doesn't blow hitters away, with just 103 strikeouts and 46 walks in 1 36 2/3 innings. Additionally, Chacin has given up 15 home runs on the year. Working in Chacin's favor, though, are his age and his stinginess against right handed hitters, thanks to improved stuff and consistency. Chacin turns 24 in December,and he first reached Double-A at age 19 with two starts for Tennessee in 2000. So while he seems like a Double-A lifer, Chacin isn't past his prime. Besides his scoreless streak, his most impressive numbers come in the hits department. Chacin has allowed 108 on the year and just 75 in 106 1/3 innings against righthanded hitters. They've hit just .195 against him, though when they do connect, it's with power (.349 slugging). Chacin always has been a fastball-changeup lefthander with a fringy curveball at best. The curve remains a below-average pitch for him, indicated by the success lefthanded hitters (.270, .484 slugging) have against him. However, he's added a cut fastball this season that has helped him turn the corner in his career. "The cut fastball is the pitch of this decade," said a scout with an American League club. "If you scout the majors, a lot of guys are throwing that pitch a lot. Watch Al Leiter--it's all cutters. That's how (Expos righthander) T.J. Tucker stays in the majors--he throws nothing but cutters. It's a very trendy pitch." And Chacin needed to buck his own trend. He had dropped out of being a regular starter the last two years and was being used more in relief. Additionally,he'd given up more hits (591) than he had innings pitched (563) coming into the year , with a .270 opponents average. The cutter has made him a different pitcher, one who profiles as a third or fourth starter in the big leagues, according to the scout. "He's throwing the cutter in the 84-87 (mph) range--pretty firm--and he's changing speeds on it and getting some tilt on it," New Hampshire pitching coach Rick Adair said. "Really, that's the difference with him in his stuff. He's commanding his fastball and changeup better,and he's come up with a cutter that's a putaway pitch. He struggled early against lefthanded hitters, but he's starting to learn to attack them with the cutter, really get some tilt on it and do some damage. "The curve is still a fringe pitch for him, but it's a fourth pitch now, not a third pitch. And he's matured. He's still intense but he's more even-keeled." The additional maturity has helped Chacin off the field; his grasp of English has improved, and he's become more integrated with the rest of the clubhouse. Chacin has matured physically as well--he's probably 10-15 pounds heavier than his listed 190 pounds and is 6 feet tall--and the velocity on his two-seam fastball has improved. It's an average pitch in terms of velocity in the 87-92 mph range, sitting at 89-90, according to Adair. That in turn has made his changeup that much more effective. "He's had a super year in Double-A,and where he'd been inconsistent in the past , he's putting it all together now," Blue Jays farm director Dick Scott said. "He's shown a good feel for the cutter, and he's been locating his pitches better. He's also learning how to get outs when he doesn't have his A-game." During his 34-innings scoreless streak, Chacin brought his A-game. And that finally got him out of Double-A. -- ~ stfo ~ -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 210.64.161.51 ※ 編輯: wfol 來自: 210.64.161.51 (09/21 10:29)