Quote:
Originally Posted by D. Bergin
I think a GM would be ecstatic to trade for the next Nolan Ryan. Kevin Gausman gets $21-23 Million a year based on one passable season out of 10.
Nolan would only have to go 5 or 6 innings a game. He'd be able to throw even harder, and snap that curveball even sharper then he already did.
Modern coaching would likely be able to shave the walk rate he was cursed with the 1st half of his career, down a bit in the process to.
Yeah, Maddux was better...but that's a pretty high bar.
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Actually, GM's ARE looking for pitchers like Nolan Ryan and want to do exactly what you said...teach them command.
Ryan may actually be the beginning of what the modern game is looking for. He is a pioneer of sorts in that way.
There are a lot of guys with his arsenal now and with command already engrained in them though.
However, Ryan would be a victim of limited innings too because that is more of a strategy being employed as opposed to the modern pitcher's ability/inability to pitch more innings.
The higher velocity a ball is coming greatly increases the chances are that it will not be hit. That is why GM's want guys who can throw hard. It doesn't mean that a strikeout is much different that a batted ball out...its just that pitchers who throw so hard are going to induce more strikeouts by virtue that it is harder to hit higher velocity pitches located in the same place as lower velocity pitches. So it produces more outs.'
Nolan Ryan had a modern arsenal of pitches with lesser command and guys 'back in the day' were striking out left and right vs him too...and those guys are supposedly 'contact' kings compared to now, yet they struck out just as much agains the type of velocity seen today, its just that not as many back then had it.
On the flip side, hitters do have to sell out more as well because of the number of flame throwers now, so they do sacrifice more strikeouts.