The control vs. command distinction
New numbers show us which pitchers are best at hitting their spots
Ben Jedlovec
Baseball Info Solutions
ESPN Insider
Over the past few seasons Roy Halladay has established himself as arguably the most dominant pitcher in baseball. While he strikes out more than his share of batters, the Philadelphia Phillies ace has never led the league or struck out more than one batter per inning, which fellow two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum does every year. He also allows more hits than many other elite pitchers. Instead, Halladay's success is largely based on his unparalleled ability to locate his pitches and avoid walks.
Commentators often refer to a pitcher's command of the strike zone or his control of certain pitches, using the terms "command" and "control" nearly interchangeably. However, astute coaches and scouts love to point out the subtle distinction between the two, and their importance when evaluating a pitcher.
A pitcher with control can throw strikes. He'll usually get the ball over the plate, doesn't often fall behind a hitter, and will rarely hand out free passes to first. In that manner, he remains in control of the at-bat. Hitters often get defensive against control pitchers, expanding their strike zone and chasing pitches they might lay off when facing pitchers with less control.
Command more specifically describes a pitcher's ability to hit the catcher's target seemingly at will. If the catcher sets up on the outside corner at the knees, a pitcher with good command will deliver the ball right on target and the catcher will hardly have to move. If a pitcher has command, he's less likely to fall behind a hitter and issue walks, but he's also rarely going to leave a pitch over the middle of the plate.
Previously, it's been difficult to distinguish control from command through data alone. Fortunately, Baseball Info Solutions began tracking this information in 2010. When the video scouts at Baseball Info Solutions chart each pitch, they also mark the catcher's target location before the pitch. This information enables us to break down a pitcher's performance at a level never before analyzed.
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Not surprisingly, Halladay is among the best command artists in the game. He missed the catcher's target by an average of 58.2 pixels in the BIS charting screen, compared to the league average of 71.0. Only finesse pitcher Livan Hernandez hit the catcher's mitt more consistently last season.
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Firmly in command
These are the best command pitchers from 2010 (minimum 162 innings pitched)
<TABLE><THEAD><TR><TH>Pitcher</TH><TH>Average miss (pixels)</TH><TH>Walks per 9 innings</TH></TR></THEAD><TBODY><TR class=last><TD>Livan Hernandez</TD><TD>56.5</TD><TD>2.7</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Roy Halladay</TD><TD>58.2</TD><TD>1.1</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Shaun Marcum</TD><TD>58.2</TD><TD>2.0</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Derek Lowe</TD><TD>58.3</TD><TD>2.8</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Kyle Kendrick</TD><TD>58.9</TD><TD>2.4</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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As you might expect, pitchers with excellent command walk fewer batters than your average pitcher. Command (as measured by the average difference between the plotted catcher target location and pitch location) correlated with walk rate in a way that suggested a significant but not absolute relationship.
Ted Lilly proves to be an exception. While pitchers like Jonathan Sanchez, Ubaldo Jimenez and Clayton Kershaw demonstrate poor command and walk more than their share of hitters, Lilly rates right up there among the worst command pitchers in baseball while still rarely walking hitters. Lilly certainly benefited by enticing hitters to chase pitches out of the strike zone.
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All over the map
These are the worst command pitchers from 2010 (minimum 162 innings pitched)
<TABLE><THEAD><TR><TH>Pitcher</TH><TH>Average miss (pixels)</TH><TH>Walks per 9 innings</TH></TR></THEAD><TBODY><TR class=last><TD>Jonathan Sanchez</TD><TD>83.4</TD><TD>4.5</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Barry Zito</TD><TD>83.2</TD><TD>3.8</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Ubaldo Jimenez</TD><TD>82.5</TD><TD>3.7</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Ted Lilly</TD><TD>82.1</TD><TD>2.0</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Clayton Kershaw</TD><TD>81.1</TD><TD>3.6</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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Other notable command pitchers include the ageless wonder Jamie Moyer (who missed the target by an average of 51.8 pixels pitching in relief for Philadelphia), Mike Leake (57.4), and Mariano Rivera (60.9). Their poor-command counterparts from 2010 include knuckleballers Tim Wakefield (91.4) and R.A. Dickey (80.0), and Neftali Feliz (88.5) and Tyler Clippard (88.3).
New numbers show us which pitchers are best at hitting their spots
Ben Jedlovec
Baseball Info Solutions
ESPN Insider
Over the past few seasons Roy Halladay has established himself as arguably the most dominant pitcher in baseball. While he strikes out more than his share of batters, the Philadelphia Phillies ace has never led the league or struck out more than one batter per inning, which fellow two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum does every year. He also allows more hits than many other elite pitchers. Instead, Halladay's success is largely based on his unparalleled ability to locate his pitches and avoid walks.
Commentators often refer to a pitcher's command of the strike zone or his control of certain pitches, using the terms "command" and "control" nearly interchangeably. However, astute coaches and scouts love to point out the subtle distinction between the two, and their importance when evaluating a pitcher.
A pitcher with control can throw strikes. He'll usually get the ball over the plate, doesn't often fall behind a hitter, and will rarely hand out free passes to first. In that manner, he remains in control of the at-bat. Hitters often get defensive against control pitchers, expanding their strike zone and chasing pitches they might lay off when facing pitchers with less control.
Command more specifically describes a pitcher's ability to hit the catcher's target seemingly at will. If the catcher sets up on the outside corner at the knees, a pitcher with good command will deliver the ball right on target and the catcher will hardly have to move. If a pitcher has command, he's less likely to fall behind a hitter and issue walks, but he's also rarely going to leave a pitch over the middle of the plate.
Previously, it's been difficult to distinguish control from command through data alone. Fortunately, Baseball Info Solutions began tracking this information in 2010. When the video scouts at Baseball Info Solutions chart each pitch, they also mark the catcher's target location before the pitch. This information enables us to break down a pitcher's performance at a level never before analyzed.
<OFFER>
Not surprisingly, Halladay is among the best command artists in the game. He missed the catcher's target by an average of 58.2 pixels in the BIS charting screen, compared to the league average of 71.0. Only finesse pitcher Livan Hernandez hit the catcher's mitt more consistently last season.
<!-- begin inline 1 -->
Firmly in command
These are the best command pitchers from 2010 (minimum 162 innings pitched)
<TABLE><THEAD><TR><TH>Pitcher</TH><TH>Average miss (pixels)</TH><TH>Walks per 9 innings</TH></TR></THEAD><TBODY><TR class=last><TD>Livan Hernandez</TD><TD>56.5</TD><TD>2.7</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Roy Halladay</TD><TD>58.2</TD><TD>1.1</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Shaun Marcum</TD><TD>58.2</TD><TD>2.0</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Derek Lowe</TD><TD>58.3</TD><TD>2.8</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Kyle Kendrick</TD><TD>58.9</TD><TD>2.4</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- end inline 1 -->
As you might expect, pitchers with excellent command walk fewer batters than your average pitcher. Command (as measured by the average difference between the plotted catcher target location and pitch location) correlated with walk rate in a way that suggested a significant but not absolute relationship.
Ted Lilly proves to be an exception. While pitchers like Jonathan Sanchez, Ubaldo Jimenez and Clayton Kershaw demonstrate poor command and walk more than their share of hitters, Lilly rates right up there among the worst command pitchers in baseball while still rarely walking hitters. Lilly certainly benefited by enticing hitters to chase pitches out of the strike zone.
<!-- begin inline 2 -->
All over the map
These are the worst command pitchers from 2010 (minimum 162 innings pitched)
<TABLE><THEAD><TR><TH>Pitcher</TH><TH>Average miss (pixels)</TH><TH>Walks per 9 innings</TH></TR></THEAD><TBODY><TR class=last><TD>Jonathan Sanchez</TD><TD>83.4</TD><TD>4.5</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Barry Zito</TD><TD>83.2</TD><TD>3.8</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Ubaldo Jimenez</TD><TD>82.5</TD><TD>3.7</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Ted Lilly</TD><TD>82.1</TD><TD>2.0</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Clayton Kershaw</TD><TD>81.1</TD><TD>3.6</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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Other notable command pitchers include the ageless wonder Jamie Moyer (who missed the target by an average of 51.8 pixels pitching in relief for Philadelphia), Mike Leake (57.4), and Mariano Rivera (60.9). Their poor-command counterparts from 2010 include knuckleballers Tim Wakefield (91.4) and R.A. Dickey (80.0), and Neftali Feliz (88.5) and Tyler Clippard (88.3).
