Exploring the Arsenal usually runs before each game, providing you with a brief scouting report on the starting pitcher expected to oppose the Pirates. This is a bonus installment of the series, giving you an idea of what to expect from the newly acquired Wandy Rodriguez. 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. Click here for a general guide to pitch types and classifications. Graphs are courtesy of Brooks Baseball and The Hardball Times , unless otherwise specified. Statistics are courtesy of FanGraphs .
Wandy Rodriguez
| 2012 | |
|---|---|
| IP | 130.2 |
| K/PA | 16.0% |
| BB/PA | 5.7% |
| HR/9 | 0.90 |
| GB% | 50.7% |
| ERA | 3.79 |
| FIP | 3.78 |
Rodriguez throws his fastball in the 88-90 MPH range, maxing out around 91 MPH. He moves the four-seamer all around the zone, while mostly using the two-seamer on the outer half. He frequently goes to his spike curveball, which sits around 75-77 MPH and generally shows good downward break. Rodriguez also throws an 83-84 MPH circle change, which he uses to keep right-handed batters honest. He does not miss many bats with his secondary offerings, but his fastball is difficult to put in play despite the underwhelming velocity. Rodriguez generally gets a good number of his ground balls on the curve, and the change has also generated a lot of grounders in 2012. His strikeout rate is down pretty significantly in 2012, after consistently sitting well above average the past several years. His walk rate has also dropped dramatically this season.
