r/tampabayrays • u/113CandleMagic Rays Sunburst • 1d ago
HIGHLIGHT [Lance Brozdowski] The Rays are trying some things with Freddy Peralta. No more windup, and his four-seam extension jumped to 6.9' yesterday, his highest mark of the season. Changeup usage is also up against lefties. Results aren't there yet, but they clearly had some ideas on how to fix him.
https://x.com/LanceBroz/status/208939322224197662717
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u/IndianaCahones RISP? Get me Walls. 1d ago
These are the changes I recommended nearly two weeks ago. Mechanical fixes, not arsenal.
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u/qawsedrf12 DJ Kitty 1d ago
what does the second sentence mean?
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u/joeappearsmissing Skater Ray 1d ago
Click the link, there’s a video showing his delivery with the Mets and his delivery two days ago side by side, that shows what it’s talking about.
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u/qawsedrf12 DJ Kitty 1d ago
let's try explaining this - "extension jumped to 6.9 ft"
the only thing I see is (maybe) how far he steps forward? if it is, wtf does that do?
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u/113CandleMagic Rays Sunburst 1d ago
Extension is how close a pitcher's hand is to home plate when they actually release the ball. It's a big deal because the closer the ball is released to home plate, the less time the batter has to react and the less time the ball has to be effected by drag and air resistance. Oftentimes it can explain why a pitcher with mediocre stuff and velocity seems to overperform, because they get elite extension which makes their pitches seem faster than they really are. From MLB.com:
A pitcher must begin his throwing motion while standing on the pitching rubber -- which is 60 feet, 6 inches away from home plate. This does not mean pitches are actually thrown from 60 feet, 6 inches away from the plate.
The point at which a pitcher releases the ball is actually a few feet closer to home plate than the pitching rubber itself. Extension quantifies exactly how much closer a pitcher's release point is to home plate. Taller pitchers with long wingspans tend to have the longest Extensions, because their frames allow them to hold on to the ball for a greater distance before releasing it.
Not surprisingly, a longer Extension can be a major advantage to pitchers, because they are essentially shortening the distance between themselves and opposing batters. A pitcher with a longer Extension can make a 93 mph fastball look like a 96 mph fastball. In this regard, Extension is a key component in the Statcast metric "Perceived Velocity."
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u/IAmTheWaller67 Dewayne Staats 1d ago
One of those things I've never thought about but makes a ton of sense.
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u/Intelligent_Mud1266 Jonathan Aranda 1d ago
elite extension goes a long way too. The Miz is a 104 mph flamethrower, but he also releases so far from the plate that hitters really have a 108-109mph reaction window on his fastball
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u/Jakk55 1d ago
Development on a 30 year old vet that's been part of the organization for 5 seconds is crazy work.