Very ironic that this comes up on 3 major boards nearly simultaniously.
I think it mis-named, but a tremendous pitching strategy..I consider it to be the most intellectually mature approach to pitching, one that in one hand seems to fore go stats but trusts the integrity of the team. I think without 2 specific pitches in their degrees of variety the thought train wouldn't exist. Those pitches being the 2 seammer with the sinker and cutter varients and the change (Preferrably sinking or dropping).
I think the hallmark is setting up pitches with early strikes that display late movement, attacking the batter in the zone in locations that make solid bat strike impossible or unless your name is Vlad or Albert impossible. I don't believe that this strategy precludes strike outs, I believe that looking at the lesson of Maddux (Who had over 3000 k's), it doesn't necessitate a particular tunnel vision approach (PG, he was known in the Brave years for his very low pitch counts and extremely short complete games, another hallmark of PTC and yes with that, avg'd double digit k's per outing)..the idea is still to get outs, yes you aim for less over all pitches, quicker innings and a much more involved defense..but dude...if you can get a k get a k.
One thing I've also seen common to this thread on the 3 boards, an almost sneering derision at the kids who want to work this way..like they aren't "power pitchers" or have sub-par heat..well I know my kid has been very successful with it at the high school level (And he was very sought after at the D-1 level) and his subsequent endevors in college and TPM's kid was drafted into the pros as a solid sinker baller.
Look at the pro's, I see this approach working fine and dandy with the creme of the league..Halliday, Peevy, Carmona, Zambrano (Well Carlos has sort of lost focus). I see several different types of pitching, there is the mystify them types like Dice-K and Wakefield (Both ends of that spectrum) blow them away fellows in which Tim Lincecum and Beckett lead the way and the "pitch to contact" crowd led by those I mentioned. All got them into the bigs with success, each has proponents and detractors, I don't think it debatable that the strategies work.
For Steve who coaches at the High School level, I would think it (Pitching to contact) a most sensable way to approach his team pitching philosophy because he isn't likely to have more than one certified smoke thrower (Upper 80's to 90) in say a 5 year stretch and throwing junk constantly has a whole grab bag of unhappy side effects (Walks, hbp's high pitch counts..etc). So with that thought I'd just have to tip my cap and encourage the pursuit of that philosophy as imo solid and thinking in the best interests of his pitchers and fielders.
The body of this is copied from a response I made on this topic on LTP..looks like one of 2 areas where Steven and I don't see eye to eye
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