Lets get this out of the way. Madison had 14 snot rockets according to http://bumgarnersnotrockets.com.
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| GIF is courtesy of @maltman2010 |
Upward and onward!!
As Giants fans we have come to take for granted the art of an ace, and these types of starts from Bumgarner are now expected, as was every start from Mad Bum, Cain, Vogelsong, and Zito in 2012 (feel like I forgot someone).
Grant Brisbee over at McCovey Chronicles nailed it when he discussed the Freddie Freeman AB in the 5th Inning:
In that at-bat, Bumgarner made Freeman look uncomfortable. Freeman's a good hitter. He's still learning, but he's a good hitter. But Bumgarner had him thinking, "Dammit, what now?" They'll have more match-ups over the next 10 years, and Freeman will have at-bats where he has the count-advantage, and he'll make it work. But for tonight, Bumgarner kept calling paper when Freeman was throwing out rock. And Freeman looked uncomfortable.
Now if you kinda follow baseball, which I'd assume if you're on the crappy blog, you follow baseball and the Giants, you know Freeman. In 2013, Freeman is having and very solid year at the plate. His .368 wOBA and 135 wRC+ rank 3rd amoung qualified 1B.
| Type | Count | Selection | Velocity | Vertical | Horizontal | Spin Angle | Spin Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SL | 49 | 45.4% | 87.0 | 2.38 | -0.34 | 190 | 517 |
| FF | 24 | 22.2% | 92.1 | 7.97 | 5.25 | 147 | 1,915 |
| FT | 13 | 12.0% | 91.7 | 7.18 | 7.54 | 134 | 2,082 |
| CH | 11 | 10.2% | 83.7 | 2.65 | 8.78 | 107 | 1,677 |
| CU | 11 | 10.2% | 76.6 | -5.51 | -5.21 | 316 | 1,252 |
Now below you can see why. It's like an LSD acid trip of colors. He throws all five pitches in his arsenal at any given time and he's all over the map with location to keep opponents "uncomfortable" as Grant Brisbee put it.
Yes Cain has the ability to do this, but he does it differently.
| Type | Count | Selection | Strike | Swing | Whiff | Foul | In Play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SL | 49 | 45.4% | 71.4% | 55.1% | 20.4% | 14.3% | 20.4% |
| FF | 24 | 22.2% | 79.2% | 54.2% | 16.7% | 33.3% | 4.2% |
| FT | 13 | 12.0% | 53.8% | 30.8% | 7.7% | 15.4% | 7.7% |
| CH | 11 | 10.2% | 45.5% | 36.4% | 18.2% | 18.2% | 0.0% |
| CU | 11 | 10.2% | 27.3% | 18.2% | 18.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
That chart from TexasLeaguers.com is Bumgarner from June 1st. The average Whiff rate (according to Fangraphs is approximately 8.5%. Bumgarner has destroyed that average obviously, but even more important, look at his percentage of Strikes with his Slider and Four Seamer.
See, he is doing what the Giants rotation (Cain appears heading back to Cainary) has failed to do thus far in 2013, and that is getting ahead in counts....Specifically 1st pitch strikes.
Added GIF of Bumgarner getting Uggla looking only because Uggla strikes me as dirty, and for some reason, I'd like to GIF him into submission.
