JudasIscariotTheBird wrote:Whoa. ...but why were the A's willing to ditch him?
Cubswin11 wrote:JudasIscariotTheBird wrote:Whoa. ...but why were the A's willing to ditch him?
They were under a 40-man crunch
There’s no debate that Cotton always had the stuff. He has one of the most devastating changeups in the league; Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez even compared it to his on the MLB Network.
“It’s a big-league out pitch,” former A’s pitcher and current NBC sports analyst Dallas Braden said recently. “He has the desire to really learn how to pitch with that pitch. There’s a big difference between throwing with a pitch and pitching with a pitch.” At his best, Cotton employs a mid-90s fastball. When he could locate that to go along with his changeup, he was dominant.
But there’s one issue: Everyone around Cotton saw the stuff but him.
“With Jharel, you look at the ability. You look at the arm strength and the ability to shape a pitch, and that’s a sure thing,” said Giants bullpen coach Matt Herges, Cotton’s pitching coach for the Dodgers in the minors, last year. “With Jharel, it was mainly maturing mentally. Maturing with his mindset.
“He’s got the raw stuff to be a superstar. He really does. He’s one of those people that needs people around him to believe in him. If he has that, he thrives in those environments. He’s a guy that can doubt easily. He can let doubt creep in. So, (you need) to pour into him. Not just telling him how great he is, but just pouring into him, (saying,) ‘You should be secure. Like, security should be your main strength because of what you have on the mound.’”
One scout during spring training last season recollected a brief conversation he had in passing with Cotton. Cotton was slated to start in Peoria against a Mariners lineup that featured some heavy hitters at the top of their order — namely Cruz and Robinson Canó.
(*Of note, this is paraphrased.)
“I’m facing those guys tomorrow,” Cotton told the scout.
“Motherfu#k*r,” the scout responded. “They have to face you.”
CubsWin wrote:I found this interesting from The Athletic back in May:There’s no debate that Cotton always had the stuff. He has one of the most devastating changeups in the league; Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez even compared it to his on the MLB Network.
“It’s a big-league out pitch,” former A’s pitcher and current NBC sports analyst Dallas Braden said recently. “He has the desire to really learn how to pitch with that pitch. There’s a big difference between throwing with a pitch and pitching with a pitch.” At his best, Cotton employs a mid-90s fastball. When he could locate that to go along with his changeup, he was dominant.
But there’s one issue: Everyone around Cotton saw the stuff but him.
“With Jharel, you look at the ability. You look at the arm strength and the ability to shape a pitch, and that’s a sure thing,” said Giants bullpen coach Matt Herges, Cotton’s pitching coach for the Dodgers in the minors, last year. “With Jharel, it was mainly maturing mentally. Maturing with his mindset.
“He’s got the raw stuff to be a superstar. He really does. He’s one of those people that needs people around him to believe in him. If he has that, he thrives in those environments. He’s a guy that can doubt easily. He can let doubt creep in. So, (you need) to pour into him. Not just telling him how great he is, but just pouring into him, (saying,) ‘You should be secure. Like, security should be your main strength because of what you have on the mound.’”
One scout during spring training last season recollected a brief conversation he had in passing with Cotton. Cotton was slated to start in Peoria against a Mariners lineup that featured some heavy hitters at the top of their order — namely Cruz and Robinson Canó.
(*Of note, this is paraphrased.)
“I’m facing those guys tomorrow,” Cotton told the scout.
“Motherfu#k*r,” the scout responded. “They have to face you.”
CubinNY wrote:CubsWin wrote:I found this interesting from The Athletic back in May:There’s no debate that Cotton always had the stuff. He has one of the most devastating changeups in the league; Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez even compared it to his on the MLB Network.
“It’s a big-league out pitch,” former A’s pitcher and current NBC sports analyst Dallas Braden said recently. “He has the desire to really learn how to pitch with that pitch. There’s a big difference between throwing with a pitch and pitching with a pitch.” At his best, Cotton employs a mid-90s fastball. When he could locate that to go along with his changeup, he was dominant.
But there’s one issue: Everyone around Cotton saw the stuff but him.
“With Jharel, you look at the ability. You look at the arm strength and the ability to shape a pitch, and that’s a sure thing,” said Giants bullpen coach Matt Herges, Cotton’s pitching coach for the Dodgers in the minors, last year. “With Jharel, it was mainly maturing mentally. Maturing with his mindset.
“He’s got the raw stuff to be a superstar. He really does. He’s one of those people that needs people around him to believe in him. If he has that, he thrives in those environments. He’s a guy that can doubt easily. He can let doubt creep in. So, (you need) to pour into him. Not just telling him how great he is, but just pouring into him, (saying,) ‘You should be secure. Like, security should be your main strength because of what you have on the mound.’”
One scout during spring training last season recollected a brief conversation he had in passing with Cotton. Cotton was slated to start in Peoria against a Mariners lineup that featured some heavy hitters at the top of their order — namely Cruz and Robinson Canó.
(*Of note, this is paraphrased.)
“I’m facing those guys tomorrow,” Cotton told the scout.
“Motherfu#k*r,” the scout responded. “They have to face you.”
Reminds me of the Billy Beane/Lenny Dykstra conversation reported in Moneyball.
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