quote:Originally posted by TPM:quote:Originally posted by Gingerbread Man:
On averge, in general, the CB is predominantly the best offspeed pitch in professiopnal baseball and overall is second only to the fastball.
Help me here, you said that the CB is the best off speed.
Now you changed it to the breaking ball as the second best pitch used in professionalbaseball. But refer back to HS lingo?
IMO there is a visual difference between a slider and a CB, you may just not have seen it yet, on the HS level.
You just don't get it do you. I said, and perhaps more importantly meant- the "breaking ball" is the best offspeed pitch in professional baseball based off of both frequency and results.
Now if you really want to get into the whole nuts and bolts of slider versus curve we can debate that, but that was never my intention because I used the context of "CB" at the HS level to generally take into account all types of breaking pitches. Somehow you don't get that.
Now, as to the specific differences of a slider versus a curve- It all depends on who you ask. Some define the difference between the two by the break motion. Some define the differences by the speed of the two in relation to their fastball. Some define it as both speed and angle of break in relation to the fastball. Some define the differences as how tight or loose the break is.
The truth of it is that the only real differences are when you have a pitcher who throws a true CB with a long sweeping motion downwards versus another who throws a breaking ball- the "slider" with a motion that tends to be short and moving more to the side in it's quick sharp break due to the more velocity over the Cb pitch.
But, as one can readily see, it is all relative as to what standard you are measuring it by. Some analysts look entirely off of velocity and not the angle of break. We have all heard some of the endless debates by ESPN announcers on if a pitcher is throwing a CB or a slider. Of course it is no debate when you have a pitcher who throws both with one having a more sweeping downward break (CB) while his other has a smaller tighter break and more velocity.
We both know though (or should)that as for the angle of break, be it 12-6 or 2-8, neither one defines the difference between a CB or slider without more added information. This should give us a clue. But, at the same time, the amount of break- be it 4 inches or 12, doesn't define the difference either between the two pitches without other added information.
We could literally go on forever debating on what a slider and CB is or isn't, but it is a mute point. But, I do think you should know that I am not an idiot and I really do know the diffewrence between the two pitches as long as we are speaking in relative terms and conditions.