Exploring the Arsenal will run prior to each game, providing you with a brief scouting report on the starting pitcher expected to oppose the Pirates. The chart below shows the horizontal and vertical movement of every pitch thrown by that particular pitcher in 2012. This chart is from the catcher’s point of view. For a general guide to pitch types for a right-handed pitcher, please check out this image created by Sons of Sam Horn. Graphs are courtesy of Brooks Baseball and The Hardball Times , unless otherwise specified.
| Pitch Types | ||
|---|---|---|
| FA: Four-Seam Fastball | FT: Two-Seam Fastball | FC: Cutter |
| CU: Curveball | SL: Slider | CH: Changeup |
| FS: Splitter | SI: Sinker |
Friday, 7:05 PM – Barry Zito
Zito’s velocity dipped pretty significantly last season, with his four-seam fastball dropping into the mid 80’s. The velocity has not recovered in 2012. He mostly sits around 83-85 MPH these days, occasionally reaching back and touching 86 or so. His two-seamer shows more horizontal break than the four-seamer, but it only flashes marginally more sinking action. Zito is famous for his big, slow 71-73 MPH curveball. The pitch still looks as pretty as ever, but it has been fairly hittable in recent years. He also throws a 74-77 MPH changeup and a 77-78 MPH slider. Overall, he does not miss many bats, as the changeup is his only offering with a whiff rate near league average. Zito has only struck 52 batters while walking 45 in 93.2 innings this year. He has been very fortunate to post a 3.84 ERA, and is unlikely to sustain that success moving forward.
