It should go without saying that any analysis of a Reynaldo López revival also includes the availability of high-90s velocity. Look up his best games by game score, and there's no real secret to his pitch mix: hard fastballs, and a lot of them.
| Date | GScr | FB Velo | FB% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9-5-19 | 89 | 95.1 | 63.3 |
| 5-20-18 | 84 | 96.7 | 70.1 |
| 4-28-19 | 77 | 95.2 | 65.7 |
| 9-28-19 | 76 | 95.7 | 61.9 |
| 7-24-19 | 75 | 96.6 | 55.7 |
The last game -- an eight-inning loss to the Miami Marlins -- looks a little bit different than the others, but it's only because there was a middle-inning dalliance with a slider-first. He resumed throwing his fastball afterward, averaging 96-97 over his final three innings.
Otherwise, the games in which his fastball sat below 96, it's partially because he lasted long enough for his velocity to tail off. Even then, in his complete-game, 11-strikeout victory over the Indians, his final fastball hit 97. The concept of a successful López includes above-average velocity when he needs it because he's seldom succeeded pitching backward.
Therefore, the mechanical changes that we discussed on Thursday take a bit of a back seat when he struggles in the manner he did that night, at least per the eyewitness reports of the untelevised game. In the 7-4 loss to the Reds, López gave up five runs on six hits (two homers) and a walk, striking out two. I can imagine that Arizona isn't the best place to regain a curveball, but more concerning are the velocity reports:
Carlos Rodón made his first official appearance behind López and similarly started underwhelming with the scoreboard gun, but he found 94 by the end of his two scoreless innings.
There's some solace to be found. López struggled with his velocity all last season, so Ethan Katz can't be accused of fixing something that wasn't broken. In fact, the attempt at restoring his curveball might go further than hoping he has 96 on a given day. I just can't buy a mechanical change compensating for 92-93. Lucas Giolito is the guy to point to with a shortened arm, but even he gained a couple ticks after ironing out his levers.
At least it's less of an immediate concern since Rodón is healthy at the moment. Rodón can't be counted on being available, but López's struggles are easier to take when he doesn't have the inside track to the fifth starter job.
I still think the success from that rotation spot rests on limiting each candidate's flaws, whether on a strict piggyback arrangement or something less formal, which is why it's nice to see Rodón not treating it as a zero-sum competition.
“I’m glad you asked that,” said Rodón of the López question. “Reynaldo and I play catch together. We are throw partners. We are like brothers. It’s a friendly competition. I’m always pulling for him, and I know he’s pulling for me. So that thing will take care of itself and whatever it is, it is.”
In the end, they might be able to help each other more than they cost each other.
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Don Cooper appeared on 670 The Score to the consternation of some White Sox fans who didn't find it necessary to hear from him anymore. To me, it's so unusual to hear from a non-player White Sox who lost his job because of higher ambitions for the position. Ozzie Guillen arranged his exit to Florida, and Robin Ventura and Rick Renteria quickly faded from public view, with Ventura only opening up a little just this winter. The Sox have swapped out hitting coaches and bullpen coaches, but none of them approach fixture status.
Cooper's ouster is still relatively fresh, and his plainspoken nature makes him a natural interview candidate for sports radio. Somehow, he only sounded marginally bitter.
"I spent more than half my life there," Cooper said on the Parkins & Spiegel Show on Thursday afternoon in his first public comments since his dismissal. "It's not fun when people you really look up to and admire and care for -- care for, that's the best way to put it -- don't care for you quite as much. It's not fun. That's my whole thing with the White Sox. Half my life with the team. That's my statement.
"I was happy and grateful for my opportunity, but it's sure no fun going through something when you really care for a lot of people that don't seem to care for you as much."
I suppose I expected worse, mostly because he's spent the last year on Twitter calling Peter Gammons a liberal traitor. This qualifies as "rolling with the punches" by that measure.
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Merch note: For those of you interested in getting a Sox Machine hoodie in the second batch, I'm planning to put in the order early next week. You can still order one through the Sox Machine store to reserve your size:
I'll be ordering a handful of extra hoodies just to have on hand, but a third batch probably won't be in the works until after the season when hoodie weather returns.
(Photo by Goodyear Ballpark by Christopher Rosenberger.)
