There are few things more frustrating and uncertain in the game than when a young pitcher – whether or not he appears to be talented – is suddenly going to “get it”. Witness the case of Cubs starter Rich Hill. Hill had a 9.13 ERA in 2005 and picked up where he left off (in fact, incredibly, he was even worse) in 2006; entering his start on August 1, his career record stood at 0-6, 9.32. Since then: 6-2, 2.23. And it’s been a complete turnaround in every aspect of his pitching line:
| IP | ERA | H/9 | HR/9 | BB/9 | K/9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46.1 | 9.32 | 10.49 | 1.75 | 6.80 | 6.41 |
| 64.2 | 2.23 | 6.12 | 0.84 | 2.37 | 8.49 |
Everyone who saw that coming at that precise moment, raise your hands. Time will tell if he keeps this up.
I can only answer for what happened to me. I played lots of tennis with an anemic serve. I would even go out at 5 AM with a bucket of balls in Bronx Park and serve for an hour. I could finally get in in with a pathetic sort of arc. Maybe a few months later playing my buddy Mike (where he went to school-Queens College-coutr 4, burned in my memory 30 years later!!!) when suddenly the serve started popping. I mean an easy motion, a rapid pace, all of what I wanted. After thre lousy years of tennis with a lot of practice, wthin another month or so, my serve became my big weapon.
Now I am not a good athelete, so these guys develop along a different arc than I do, and of course other pros then adjust. So my guess is if you have any talent at all, first you practice a lot, build a lot of muscle memory, and the brain finally has the pathways. That or prayer I guess…..
Another guy on my list of fantasy baseball pitchers you could have snatched up late in the season. Plus he qualifies at RP, so you can sneak in an extra starter if you’re willing to throw saves – which I think is a good strategy in head-to-head leagues.