Cardinals sign Matz - 4/44

Discuss all things Cardinals Baseball
Post Reply
User avatar
Jocephus
99% conan clips
Posts: 63662
Joined: April 18 06, 5:14 pm

Re: Cardinals sign Matz - 4/44

Post by Jocephus »

Steven Matz to Cardinals Puts Steve Cohen on Tilt
by Kevin Goldstein
November 29, 2021
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/steven-matz ... n-on-tilt/
He doesn’t have the kind of high-spin, bat-missing stuff that teams tend to look for in the modern game, but Matz keeps the ball on the ground at roughly a 50% rate and should benefit greatly from a Cardinals defense that represents a significant upgrade from what was behind him in Toronto. He leans primarily on his 93–96-mph sinker and throws a pair of breaking balls roughly a quarter of the time, preferring his curve over his slider, and for good reason, considering the quality of the pitch. Changeups are rare but shouldn’t be, as he’s added a few inches of drop on the pitch over the past few years, leading to an offering that performs quite well.

During those previously mentioned three full seasons, Matz averaged 30 starts and 155 innings per, so he’s been taking the bump every five days, but going deep into games is not something he brings to the table, as he got more than 18 outs just three times in 2021. He can throw a strike when he has to but needs to play around the edges in order to succeed with his arsenal, leading to deeper counts, more than 100 pitches per six innings, and the need for multiple relievers to finish the job.

phins
Sobbing quietly during Fox programming
Posts: 10247
Joined: June 9 06, 3:51 pm

Re: Cardinals sign Matz - 4/44

Post by phins »

Nothing really new in the article, but I thought the comment about the changeup was especially noteworthy, as the Cardinals seem to be moving in the direction of tinkering with a pitchers' pitch mix to get better results.

It wouldn't be surprising to see an uptick of the changeup for Matz next season in an attempt to squeeze another half win out of him. Sinker/Curve/Change mix rather than the Sinker/Curve/Slider mix of this past season.

User avatar
MinorLeagueGuy
The Angst is Real
Posts: 18262
Joined: September 8 10, 2:57 pm

Re: Cardinals sign Matz - 4/44

Post by MinorLeagueGuy »

phins wrote:
November 29 21, 9:30 am
Nothing really new in the article, but I thought the comment about the changeup was especially noteworthy, as the Cardinals seem to be moving in the direction of tinkering with a pitchers' pitch mix to get better results.

It wouldn't be surprising to see an uptick of the changeup for Matz next season in an attempt to squeeze another half win out of him. Sinker/Curve/Change mix rather than the Sinker/Curve/Slider mix of this past season.
This is a great clue. Happ mentioned this when he came over this summer. The biggest tell will be whether a player has the confidence to try it out. Example; a veteran might be more willing to do this towards the end of their career vs a young player not ready to give up on the sequence that has given them success(debatable) to this point. JA Happ vs Danny PonceDeLeon. Matz hasnt been in the league long, but he might more open to change(pun) being on a new team that has a HOF catcher.

User avatar
CardsofSTL
All Hail the GDT Master
Posts: 47817
Joined: April 26 11, 6:06 am
Location: Columbus, OH

Re: Cardinals sign Matz - 4/44

Post by CardsofSTL »


User avatar
sighyoung
Mayor of GRB
Posts: 37619
Joined: April 17 06, 7:42 pm
Location: Louisville

Re: Cardinals sign Matz - 4/44

Post by sighyoung »

CardsofSTL wrote:
November 29 21, 11:41 am
So Matz is going to be a Marlin?

User avatar
CardsofSTL
All Hail the GDT Master
Posts: 47817
Joined: April 26 11, 6:06 am
Location: Columbus, OH

Re: Cardinals sign Matz - 4/44

Post by CardsofSTL »

sighyoung wrote:
November 29 21, 12:16 pm
CardsofSTL wrote:
November 29 21, 11:41 am
So Matz is going to be a Marlin?
Eventually everyone is a Marlin.

User avatar
MinorLeagueGuy
The Angst is Real
Posts: 18262
Joined: September 8 10, 2:57 pm

Re: Cardinals sign Matz - 4/44

Post by MinorLeagueGuy »

CardsofSTL wrote:
November 29 21, 12:22 pm
sighyoung wrote:
November 29 21, 12:16 pm
CardsofSTL wrote:
November 29 21, 11:41 am
So Matz is going to be a Marlin?
Eventually everyone is a Marlin.
Shrodingers Matz; he's both a Marlin and not a Marlin.

User avatar
obucard
Perennial All-Star
Posts: 8055
Joined: April 18 06, 11:04 pm
Location: Central AR

Re: Cardinals sign Matz - 4/44

Post by obucard »

As the last of the Matts leaves, the first of the Matz arrives.

User avatar
MrCrowesGarden
'Burb Boy
Posts: 23631
Joined: July 9 06, 11:33 am
Location: Out of the Loop

Re: Cardinals sign Matz - 4/44

Post by MrCrowesGarden »

This sucks!

User avatar
Popeye_Card
GRB's most intelligent & humble poster
Posts: 29877
Joined: April 17 06, 11:25 am

Re: Cardinals sign Matz - 4/44

Post by Popeye_Card »

I started with outside hope that the Cardinals would extend themselves for Scherzer, while I braced myself for the likely outcome of signing Story and a mid-tier SP. Sounds like I need to start bracing myself for Matz being the crown jewel of a terrible offseason.

Post Reply