US Sports Baseball: How to Assemble a Lock-Down Bullpen

 

How to Assemble a Lock-Down Bullpen

• By Brandon Ogle
 

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Former Major Leaguer Dennis Eckersley once described the bullpen when he stated, “When I first came up, the bullpen was pretty much where they put the guys who couldn’t start.” While that might of have been how Eckersley thought of the pen, the truth is this description is not always the case. Yes, sometimes guys are tossed in the pen due to trouble pitching deep into games, but other times player’s skillsets are just designed for 1 or 2 innings at a time. In this article, I’ll look at the different pieces needed in a pen.

Quality of Starting Pitching

When examining a team’s bullpen, you need to first look at the starting pitching. If the starting pitching is horrible, chances are it can turn a good bullpen into a poor one. This is because when the starters only throw three or four innings each game, the bullpen starts having to throw more and more innings. As a result, their effectiveness falls due to fatigue and more runs cross the plate. Conversely, if a team has a starting rotation that can consistently pitch deep into games, the bullpen isn’t used as frequently. If this is the case, then the manager also has more flexibility in choosing who to put out on the mound in late-inning scenarios. Though starting pitching isn’t always a determining factor in the performance of a bullpen, it can definitely affect it.

Closer

On any particular baseball team, the closer can be an integral part of the success of the club. With this importance also comes the possibility to be a scapegoat because your job is to pitch one inning. For this reason, some baseball experts think closers are overrated due to the fact that they’re just pitching one inning, it just happens to be the potential final half-inning of the ballgame. As a result, some people encourage the use of closer-by-committee, which implements a few pitchers as possibilities for 9th inning duties. 

In terms of the player you’re looking for to be a closer, he or she should be a pitcher with dominant swing-and-miss stuff. While pitchers that pitch to contact can be effective as a closer, it often isn’t recommended among coaches. You also want a player that has thick skin, someone that won’t let one bad outing affect future performances. 

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Set-Up Man

With the set-up man, the name practically gives it away. The player holding this position pitches the 8th inning and attempts to hold the lead before handing the ball off to the closer. In a way, you could think of the set-up man as being the closer in-waiting. If the closer were to have a couple slip-ups, future save opportunities could be passed to the set-up man.

For a set-up, I recommend looking for similar qualities as your closer. If you’re lucky enough to have two relievers with closer-type stuff, then the 8th and 9th should be lockdown innings on most occasions. However, for most teams, the set-up man might not have the elite swing-and-miss pitches as the closer, but nonetheless is a reliable arm in the latter innings.

Left-Handed Specialist

Pitchers that are considered left-handed specialists are those that throw left-handed and come in to primarily face left-handed hitters. If needed, they can come in to potentially pitch an entire inning, but that is not generally their primary role. Over the years, statistics have proven the point that left-handed hitters generally have more trouble with left-handed pitchers. Part of this is due to how the curveball breaks. The unique aspect with left-handed specialists is that they generally come in to face just one batter in a late inning to preserve the lead. This position leaves little room for error and requires a pitcher that is a model of consistency. Due to the diminished role, managers need pitchers they can trust to deliver in the few pitches they throw on the mound.

Long-Relief

Remember that quote from Dennis Eckersley in the introduction? Well, it actually comes into play with long-relievers. Pitchers in the long-relief role are usually ones that intend to be a starting pitcher, but either due to a lack of talent or crowded rotation are forced to pitch out of the pen. Their main times on the mound are when the starter has to leave early, like in the 3rd through 5th inning. Whether this early departure is the result of ineffectiveness, injury or ejection, the long reliever comes in to mop up some innings and prevent the other relievers from wasting pitches on a possibly already lost game.

For pitchers in the long-relief role, I recommend using this opportunity as a chance to prove something to your coach. By pitching effectively over a few innings as a long reliever, coaches might begin to reevaluate whether you should be a starter. Additionally, long relievers usually come in when the starter isn’t getting the job done, so a spot in the rotation might be on the verge of opening up.

Middle-Relief

Middle relievers offer a few similarities to long relievers. They’re often going to be entering the game in the middle innings, from the fifth to the seventh. These relievers are also capable of throwing multiple innings, so they might have some starting experience in the past. The primary difference between middle and long relievers is the fact that games are still going to be relatively close when they enter the game. While they could come in as early as the fifth, there is a chance this entrance is just the result of a pitcher throwing too many pitches, rather than a blowout being in the making. Coaches looking for middle relievers should look for guys that have starting stuff. At the same time, the manager should have confidence that this player can pitch with a lead and maintain that differential as well. 

Group Unity

A good bullpen can help win games. This bullpen construction becomes much easier when you have the right players personality-wise and the talent in terms of pitchers for each role. This idea of ‘group unity’ defines a bullpen where every player knows their own designated role. You don’t want set-up pitchers that are hoping for the closer to hiccup just so they can steal the 9th inning role. It is ideal to have pitchers in place that feed off the energy of their teammates and are excited each time they get a chance to get on the mound, no matter the situation.

Great Bullpens Top-to-Bottom

Throughout history, there have been a few bullpens that single-handedly help get teams through the regular season and postseason. One in particular is the 2015 Kansas City Royals, who have utilized their pen to help follow up their 2014 American League pennant. Here is what their bullpen is comprised of:

Closer: Greg Holland – The 5-foot-10 closer has been one of the most elite stoppers during his time. The ERA’s over his previous four seasons read 1.80, 2.96, 1.21 and 1.44. At the same time, he’s proven the ability to strike out over a batter per inning.

Set-Up Man: Wade Davis – The set-up man on this Royals squad is actually a former starter, but has been much more effective out of the pen. When given the opportunity, Davis has proven he has the ability to get a save. Were the Royals to trade away Holland, Davis could easily take over.

Left-Handed Specialist: Franklin Morales – The Royals only have one lefty in the pen and that man happens to be Morales. Even though he can pitch to more batters, the depth of the Royals’ pen allows them to mainly pitch Morales to lefties.

Long-Relief: Chris Young and Kris Medlen – The long relievers include two former starters. Young has been in and out of the rotation and Medlen is coming off an injury. Both pitchers have the ability to be starters, but at the time, can’t crack the starting rotation.

Middle-Relief: Luke Hochevar, Ryan Madson and Kelvin Herrera – The unique part about the Royals pen is that all of these middle relievers have the stuff to be elite set-up men. Their strikeout numbers and low ERA’s warrant this recognition. Right now, they all take turns in pitching in tight games, from the 6th inning on.

Piece-by-Piece

The way I look at assembling a bullpen involves getting numerous pitchers in place. Just having a shut-down closer doesn’t mean much if the rest of the pen is weak. This is because the closer will never get in there in a save situation if the other guys are blowing the lead earlier. So, in essence, you must look at every piece and the personnel available before defining roles. Taking it on a piece-by-piece approach will get the pen to shut-down status quicker than going after one top closer.

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US Sports Psyche: Adversarial Relationships

 

Bruce Wilson, PhD

How do we handle relationships, couples, friends, family, or work colleagues, that are oppositional or adversarial? Are there strategies that work better than others? Could people who do not think like me somehow be more beneficial to me than people who agree with me? These questions have stumped most of us and we all struggle with adversaries at times. However, struggle also connotes a possible growth opportunity that we may be missing.

“Prosperity tries the fortunate, adversity the great.” – Rose Kennedy

Adversarial Defined

The definition of adversarial is anything related to a person, place, or thing where there is disagreement, opposition or where problems are created that go against a desired result. We would be a total outlier in life if we did not experience someone in our day-to-day existence that fits into this description.

The usual responses to our adversaries include anger, avoidance, rudeness, loss of respect, frustration, resentment, and even disgust. These reactions do not usually portend a satisfactory solution. Things tend to go from bad to worse, leading to total avoidance or the end of the relationship.

“Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful.” – Zig Ziglar

Alternative Reactions

One alternative to becoming adversarial is to go parallel. “Parallel thinking” explores the subject, rather than the person, through an alternating approach of giving options and then listening to the others options. The subject rather than the person becomes the object of this exploration. We have already removed the personalisation component of the disagreement. Emotionally, we are already in a better place.

Another tact with the adversarial person is to try very hard to find something about their view that you can agree on. Finding any point of congruency can diffuse the situation to some degree. Even minimal agreement will entice the adversarial person you are dealing with to find something they can agree to about your view. This acceptance of each other’s viewpoint can lead the way to some mutual rather than exclusive styles of thinking. We can both have something of value to offer on this subject.

Eventually, you may even arrive at “white hat thinking”, which allows for even more progress with adversarial thinkers. The white hat represents information gathering. Think about the knowledge and insights that you've collected already – but also the information you're missing, and where you can go to get it. Now you are working in collaboration with one another rather than as competitors.

The opportunities for growth and development of your relationship with the adversarial have now improved to a level whereby you are both benefiting from your differences. Each of your viewpoints have been improved through exercising your diversity in a more productive way than it would have been through conflict.

“Diversity: the art of thinking independently together.” – Malcolm Forbes

Diversity Negates Adversity

Sometimes, mistakenly, we confuse independence with being adversarial. This idea most likely starts when the child becomes an adolescent or young adult. We individuate by being adversarial as a teenager to be our own person. Our identity is mistakenly linked to our perceived independence. Independence does not have to be adversarial. In fact, it may even hinder our independence due to the plethora of opportunities that we have missed to learn from others.

Our diversity as humans elevates our potential to contribute to each other in unique ways. What you offer me, I may not possess and vice versa. Our mutual contributions to one another, which are negotiated through our diversity, are much more valuable and irreplaceable than our perceived differences. Paradoxically, implementing our individual diversity through collaboration may ultimately enhance our unrealized potential to nullify many of our adversarial relationships.

Bio

Dr. Bruce Wilson is a psychologist with 25 years of experience. He enjoys sharing his ramblings with friends and colleagues. He is currently in private practice at Mind Health Care in Geelong, Australia. This article is solely his work.

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US Sports Psyche: The Next Essential Skill

 

• Author Nan Russell

"Remember, the feeling you get from a good run is far better than the feeling you get from sitting around wishing you were running." Those words from Olympic swimmer and author Sarah Connor capture the essence of a skill those wanting to thrive in the new world of work need.

We live in a world with constant interruptions, interesting internet rabbit holes to explore, and mobile apps to try. There's more information than we can possibility absorb, consider, and read; more activities than we can ever do in a lifetime. Thriving in today's world requires us to self-manage, or we can drown in a sea of busyness, with our time used up and our results minimal.

There is plenty to keep us busy - we know that. But, people who are winning at working know how to self-manage that busyness from the inside-out around their needs, desires, challenges, talents, and aspirations. They understand the choices they make determine the results they get.

Self-managing people display common sense, but also uncommonly practiced behaviors that enable them to be winning at working. Here are 10 examples:

1. They know what they want and work towards achieving it, using the power of incremental progress.

2. They embrace learning, personal growth, and well-being. They compete with themselves, working to improve who they are, what they can do, achieve, or contribute.

3. They're worthy of trust; they're dependable, reliable, and consistently good to their word. If they say they'll do it, they do it, or tell you ahead that they can't.

4. They set boundaries for themselves, making time for what matters to them while understanding that life's ebbs and flows can change their priorities.

5. They operate from the inside out with self-managing essentials such as self-trust, enhanced awareness, self-direction, and reflective choices.

6. They invest time in fixing the problem, training the new person, figuring out new or better ways, and "stopping the bleeding" before moving forward.

7. They do what needs to be done, whether they like the task or not.

8. They're self-motivated and engaged, with what others might call "drive" or "passion." They want to make a difference with their work and life.

9. They're contributors to the common good, not myopically self-focused, with a "big" team mentality; they help and assist others, build strong relationships, and share their knowledge and talents willingly.

10. They use, enjoy, and invest their time thoughtfully. They have a make-it-happen mindset and are highly productive.

Self-managing people who are winning at working do, while others talk of doing. They plan their day, while others let their day plan them. They motivate themselves, while others wait for someone or something to motivate them. They know the results they get are not about the time they have, but the choices they make in how they use it.

If you want to be winning at working and thrive in today's crazy, busy world, the next essential skill you need to learn is the art of self-management.

(c) 2015 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.

Nan Russell is an award-winning author of four books. Her latest is Trust, Inc.: How to Create a Business Culture that Will Ignite Passion, Engagement, and Innovation (2014). More about her and her work at www.nanrussell.com.

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US Sports Baseball: Catchers can influence pitchers...for bad or good

 

Catchers can influence pitchers...for bad or good

• By Drew Johnson
 

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“Who's their catcher?” This is the first question many Major League pitchers ask when they are being traded. The pitcher-catcher relationship is critical to the success of a ball team, which means it’s vital to train your youth catchers the art of working with their pitchers. 

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Catchers are constantly thinking about the best way to get a batter out. Just like with pitchers, it is always an advantage if a catcher knows the scouting report on the batter or at least pays attention during each at-bat.

Noticing whether a player tends to hit for the fences or pull the ball to left field can make all the difference in a catcher’s performance at calling pitches.

In addition to having strong balance, agility, glove work, toughness, hand and foot speed, and strategic thinking, catchers need to have incredible interpersonal skills. When your catcher can properly communicate with your pitcher, your team can improve its success. 

Tell the Pitcher What He Needs to Hear

Your catcher needs to know his pitcher. Without an understanding of the personality of the pitcher, the catcher will have a hard time knowing what to say. Many pitchers need their catchers to be soft and caring, while others want someone direct.

“He pitches better when he’s mad, so I try to make him that way,” Jorge Posada said about Orlando Hernandez, according to an ESPN article. Certainly, kids shouldn’t be mad on the field, but a little bee in the bonnet can cultivate that competitive spirit.

No matter a pitcher’s preference, they all need to know the truth.

A catcher shouldn’t tell a pitcher he is doing great when it’s clear he’s had much better days. Telling the pitcher the truth is essential, but most pitchers prefer when a catcher does so kindly. Rather than just saying “You need to work the inside of the plate,” catchers must tell the pitcher the way they execute better. Pitchers can often clearly see the areas where they are not effective, but they need to know what they should do to become better. Some kids have this down “naturally,” and others can gain this skill from an understanding parent who doesn’t coddle but suggests guidelines.

Treat Practice Like a Game

Rather than simply placing the glove in the strike zone and merely going through the motions during practice, a catcher can treat practice like the real game. Working all corners of the plate, as well as up and down, will have your pitcher familiar with the way you set up during a game.

Visiting the Pitcher

Paying a visit to the pitcher typically results in an effective partnership. Taking trips to the mound to talk to the pitcher and calm him down can help build his confidence. Effective catchers can make pitchers smile in tough situations, and this can relax them.

Communication Is Key, Too

Certainly, the pitcher-catcher relationship is critical to a team’s success. This makes it vital for coaches to train catcher in this art of social interaction. Certain catchers are simply on the same page as their pitchers, and these relationships often result in a low ERA. Ultimately, overall improved relationships on your team boost morale and improve performance.

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