I just took a look at O'Sully's 2010 Pitch F/X data from earlier this season as a preview for tonight, and here's what I found:
- Out of the pen, his fastball averaged 91 mph, up a tick from where he sat in 2009. It's unclear whether that will carry over as a starter. He still gets a lot of backspin on his fastball, causing it to "rise" slightly more than average, so look out for the flyballs if he can't hit his spots down in the zone.
- By the numbers, his curveball has tighter spin and better-defined 12 to 6 shape than it did last year, dropping almost a full three inches more than the 2009 version. While the extra break is encouraging, it, like his fastball velocity, might just stem from shorter outings out of the bullpen.
- Like last year, his changeup is far and away his best pitch, with nearly 14 mph separation from his fastball. His 2009 whiff rate with the change was a solid 15%. It's a good weapon against the left-leaning Yanks.
I like O'Sullivan a lot, and think he has more than a fighting chance against the stacked Yankee line-up, regardless of what the 4.76 Salt Lake ERA would indicate.
I can live with this.
If I remember correctly, O’sullivan was firing on all cylinders last year, in his first few starts… Until he took a nose-dive.
Lets hope for some O’yeah rather than O’shit tonight.
clover_black - July 20, 2010
I don't share you're optimism
He’s just a stopgap until either Kazmir figures something out or the Angels make some sort of move (which may not be until the offseason). He’s just not a very good pitcher.
Gorbachav5 - July 20, 2010
I'm certainly happy to be proven wrong...
Gorbachav5 - July 20, 2010
SOS is a great #5 starter
I’d rather have him than Kazmir. Ill take giving up 3-4 runs, instead of 12.
Gokyle45 - July 20, 2010
Good call!
RexTookMyStash - July 20, 2010
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