March 19, 2013

BP Unfiltered

The New Shifters

by R.J. Anderson

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My piece on Monday touched on Tim Collins and the league's top rubber shifters last season. The new season hasn't started yet when it does there are already a number of pitchers slated to slide along the rubber. Here's an incomplete index of those pitchers.

Donnie Joseph (Source, hat tip to Patrick):

Eiland also altered Joseph’s balance over the rubber and eliminated the hitch. It was, pretty much, a complete overhaul -- similar to Eiland’s reconstruction a year earlier on another lefty reliever: Tim Collins.

Allen Webster (Source, hat tip to Marc Normandin):

"A lot of two-seamer guys, they're either in the middle of the rubber or on the first base side of the rubber. Webby was way on the right side, so you see him chasing right-handers a lot because he's so far away. So when you move him over it gives him an easier plane to throw his sinker," said Nieves. "Instead of sitting on the third-base side trying to throw a sinker, you place him in the middle and the sinker plays a little more on top of the plate and you can run balls into righties. He can sink it away from a lefty. He can actually front-door a lefty or back-door a righty at a different angle."

Ricky Romero (Source, hat tip to Drew Fairservice):

In addition to changing some mechanics in his throwing motion, Romero’s positioning on the mound will also shift. He had usually set up closer to first base before beginning his throwing sequence, but found that he had some difficulty to get in on right handed hitters.

Now, as part of the adjustments with Walker, Romero will move to the middle of the rubber.

Please feel free to add more in the comments.

R.J. Anderson is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @r_j_anderson
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