More Junk -- for Howard That's the "Breaks"
Getty Images
Ryan Howard's kryptonite could be breaking balls.
After the Yankees used a bunch of junk to neutralize Ryan Howard, could the Phillies' slugger face even more of those dreaded breaking balls this season?
Howard saw more breaking balls in 2009 than any other hitter and it is a trend that is not likely to change this season, according to SI.com’s Tom Verducci.
SI.com broke down the numbers and it isn’t even a close race for what Major Leaguer sees the most breaking balls. Howard faced more than 1,100 breaking balls last season, almost 200 more than the next closest hitter, Dan Uggla of the Marlins, according to Stats Inc.
Howard might be seeing so many breaking balls because managers fear facing him with a right-handed pitcher. So managers bring out a lefty to jam him with breakers. Howard faced a left-handed pitcher in almost 36 percent of his trips to the plate, nearly twice the average rate.
But that doesn't mean a righty is ineffective against Howard's left-handed power. The six most effective pitchers against Howard (a mix of righties and lefties who once or currently pitch in the NL East) threw breaking balls to Howard about 50 percent of the time. The least effective pitchers -- only 23 percent of the time.
So, the breaker could be the ultimate key.
Howard is also the leader in highest percentage of breaking balls seen at nearly 40 percent. It’s no wonder the big man could become frustrated at times as he is 57-percent more likely to see a breaking ball than the average batter.
The good news for Howard (and Phillies faithful) is that the lefty power hitter started to get better at making contact with breaking balls. In 2009, Howard put 27 percent of breaking pitches in play and fouled off 31 percent of them when he swung. The other 42 percent? Well, those ended up in the catcher’s mitt.
Using the Yankees scouting report from last year’s World Series should be an advantage for all teams who face Howard, according to SI.
Managers likely won't forget about the lefty-lefty match-up to instead focus only on using a pitcher with good breaking stuff. But, the ultimate weapon could be a lefty with good breaking stuff.
Howard’s poor performance in the 2009 World Series could be attributed to the Yankees use of the breaking ball. Howard struck out 13 times, ten of them on breaking balls.
And, the Yankees rarely let Howard even face a right-handed pitcher. He only faced a righty seven times out of 25 plate appearances in the Fall Classic.
Putting a lefty throwing breaking stuff up against Howard greatly decreases the chances of him hitting the long ball as well. Of his 45 home runs in 2009, just three of them came off a southpaw throwing a breaking ball. Even worse is that Howard faced more than 1,100 breaking balls and hit only 17 of them out of the park.
Even if managers and pitchers keep up the hefty onslaught of breaking stuff Howard has a track record of picking his spots. He has hit 45-plus homers for four-straight seasons.
Howard already made moves to combat the likely onslaught of breaking balls coming his way this year by arriving at Spring Training even stronger and trimmer.
Posted Wednesday, Mar 3, 2010 - 6:18 PM EST
Top Stories
