Web pick of the week: 60ft 6in

Some of my web picks are websites or articles that I’ve had bookmarked for a while, but this week’s is a site that I only came across for the first time on Wednesday: 60ft 6in. 

I’ve always been fascinated by the ‘game within the game’ that is the battle between the pitcher and hitter.  Appreciating the craft of pitching for the first time is an important landmark in your journey from baseball newcomer to devoted fan. Watching the hurler using both sides of the plate, sometimes ‘wasting a pitch’ in the hope of getting the hitter to chase one outside the zone, sometimes ‘pitching backwards’ by starting a hitter with off-speed pitches when there are runners in scoring position: I find it all both thrilling and fascinating. 

Consequently I’m always on the lookout for good sources of information about pitchers.  Knowing more about the starters and relievers involved in a game gives you a better chance of following what they are trying to do up there on the mound (beyond the obvious: getting guys out).  What pitches do they throw?  Do they have any tendencies on how they use those pitches? Is there anything unique about their deliveries? 

While there are lots of sites that offer all the stats you could ever hope for, and great they are too, I’ve never had much luck finding reliable websites offering ‘scouting reports’ of pitchers.  That was until a discussion on The Book blog offered up a link to 60ft 6in.  For example, here’s the scouting report on White Sox starter Jake Peavy:

“Peavy is known for his excellent slider nowadays, and he throws many of them. He’ll vary the pitch anywhere in the 80-89 MPH range, varying the tilt as well. His fastball is hard and gets good tailing action, boring in on RHs. Peavy was known for his excellent changeup in the minor leagues, and was a fastball/changeup pitcher when he first arrived in San Diego. Now, he only mixes those in to get a timing advantage on hitters, but it’s still a great pitch with excellent sink. Peavy’s fourth pitch is a curveball, and again it’s a pitch he’ll vary the speed on. 8/5/09 CSJ

*fastball(89-95), slider(80-88), changeup(81-86), curve(70-79)”

That’s exactly the sort of info I’ve been looking for.  My only minor quibble is that the site isn’t quite up-to-date right now, but that’s explained by the fact that its author, Sven Jenkins, has spent the offseason travelling.  It already looks like being a site I’m going to visit on a regular basis for nuggets of information and it will be even better when it’s updated so that offseason movers are accounted for and listed under their new teams. 

If you know of any other good ‘scouting report’ sites, please pass on a recommendation or two in the comments section below.