Posted by tecwrg on 3/31/2011 2:58:00 PM (view original):
Posted by isack24 on 3/31/2011 2:50:00 PM (view original):
My Cuban player is actually not from Cuba. Why? Because he's fake. He's not even a "he." None of this is real. But the game labels it as a knuckeball, so whether that affects anything other than the label isn't the issue.
What if he had asked this question: I want to know if anyone has seen a pitcher with a "pitch [that] is just a pitch" that happens to be labeled a knuckeball and a "pitch [that] is just a pitch" that happens to be labeled a fastball?
Would you have been less of an *** about it?
First, I'll disagree that I've been "an *** about it". I pointed out a flaw in the premise behind his question, which made his question irrelevant. If there are "*****" in this thread, they've got a different ID from mine.
Second, if the question was rephrased as you have written it above, I would have responded in the same way. Pitch names are cosmetic, the question is irrelevant.
This makes sense, different pitches stress a defense differently. Still not convinced.
We might say that a ground ball pitcher who features the sinker might need a better infield defense behind him. This makes the pitch type seem relevant. But having an effective infield defense is always important. Is the pitch type relevant because it results in more chances for the infield defense to prove themselves ineffective? I don't know what my opinion is on this.
So, when we say that the knuckballer requires a more agile catcher, does this make the pitch type relevant, or catcher defense?
I realize that this has moved beyond the initial discussion -- for instance, a pitcher's ground ball tendency is measurable in HBD -- but, you know, whatever.