Perkins Velocity

[jorgenswest]

Perkins velocity is way down from last year. He averaged 93.7 last year. Today he wasn't hitting 90. Anyone have split data on his velocity last year? I wonder if April was lower or if there was a drop after first injury.

 

If Perkins stays around 90 he will become an expensive LOOGY and the Twins will be hoping on some very young arms.

[Willihammer]

Last April Perk was throwing his (2nd) hardest, according to Brooks Baseball

http://i.imgur.com/qjutxEi.jpg

[Parker Hageman]

Last  year at this point Perkins was sitting 91-92. In the 1st half last year, he averaged 93.4. 

 

http://twinsdaily.com/articles.html/_/minnesota-twins-news/spring-training-2015/glen-perkins-looking-to-move-on-r3507

 

He said this week that he is working on throwing two-seamers that fades back over the plate to righties. It's thrown at a lower velocity. The other game he reached 94. I'm guessing we won't see 97 again but he was also very good for the first half of the year he was hitting 93 consistently. That's where I would expect him when the regular season starts. 

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/fgraphs/8041_P_FA_20151002.png

[DocBauer]

I know my memory may be graying, but I thought that, much like Nathan, Perkins kind of ramped up his velocity late in camp and the early part of the season.

[Old Twins Cap]

Perkins.  The Twins got a lot of him, but remember, he was a failed starter.  He got tagged when he started games.  Heavily. 

 

It was always counter-intuitive to me that Perkins became an Ace reliever.

 

I'm open to him being an All-Star, but reality is:  he has overachieved, and at some point, he is going to crash and burn.  Straight fastball, slider that moves on a linear plane, marginal command.

 

The Twins BP and all their young guns, they better be up for this.  Because the rest of the team looks decent.

[spinowner]

 

...slider that moves on a linear plane...

You're going to have to explain to me what you mean by this. This is a contradiction in geometric terminology.

[jorgenswest]

Parker and Willihammer - Thanks

 

Hopefully one month from now he is centered around 93.

[Thrylos]

I'd love to hear what the official Twins excuses happen to be about Perkins' fastball (2-seamer, 3-seamer, 4-seamer, whatever.)

 

BUT.

 

His 80,81,79 Slider sucks more than his "fast"ball.

 

Ryan is putting too many eggs in Perkins' basket, and he will probably get an omelet out of it.

 

(Perkins has been part of the Twins' problem the last 6 years, but they will not realize it...)

[bluechipper]

 

Perkins.  The Twins got a lot of him, but remember, he was a failed starter.  He got tagged when he started games.  Heavily. 

 

It was always counter-intuitive to me that Perkins became an Ace reliever.

 

I'm open to him being an All-Star, but reality is:  he has overachieved, and at some point, he is going to crash and burn.  Straight fastball, slider that moves on a linear plane, marginal command.

 

The Twins BP and all their young guns, they better be up for this.  Because the rest of the team looks decent.

I Disagree with most of that. Marginal command? 

 

As for the failed starter...Wade Davis. This is fairly common.

[Parker Hageman]

Ryan is putting too many eggs in Perkins' basket, and he will probably get an omelet out of it.

 

 

How is this statement even remotely close to being true? He went out and acquired Kevin Jepsen. He converted arguably the best starter on the staff into a reliever. They have 3+ guys in the high minors working with triple digit heat. 

 

[bluechipper]

 

 

 

(Perkins has been part of the Twins' problem the last 6 years, but they will not realize it...)

Maybe the 2nd halves of the last two years, but great the three years before that. I'm confused by the extreme negativity here.

[Otto von Ballpark]

I know my memory may be graying, but I thought that, much like Nathan, Perkins kind of ramped up his velocity late in camp and the early part of the season.

Of course, in 2011 the velocity didn't ramp up for Nathan (although he was coming off of TJS).

[wickedslider]

 

I know my memory may be graying, but I thought that, much like Nathan, Perkins kind of ramped up his velocity late in camp and the early part of the season.

I seem to recall the same thing. I think I've seen similar articles commenting on Perkin's velocity needing to ramp up from spring training to regular season and that he's been able to do just that.

[DiscGolfer]

Can you repeat the stuff about the things...

 

All star closer over the last 3 years is a problem spot for the Twins???

 

Granted he has faltered in the second half and hopefully his offseason work will fix that but, huh?

[h2oface]

No runs given up today, but 3 hits in one inning. Those are Nolasco numbers of the last couple years. I hope it is just "working on things". I really do, because at the present velocity, we all saw what happens at the end of last year. When a change is needed, I hope they don't stall and delay.

 

[ewen21]

 

I'd love to hear what the official Twins excuses happen to be about Perkins' fastball (2-seamer, 3-seamer, 4-seamer, whatever.)

 

BUT.

 

His 80,81,79 Slider sucks more than his "fast"ball.

 

Ryan is putting too many eggs in Perkins' basket, and he will probably get an omelet out of it.

 

(Perkins has been part of the Twins' problem the last 6 years, but they will not realize it...)

The Twins signed him to that extension and acted as if they really had something.  Some people were saying he was an "elite closer" and that is a term that just makes me shake my head.  THere have been so few of those, imo.  They are so streaky year to year.  Yet the Twins wouldn't consider a deal even though having a "closer" on a last place team is completely useless.  Worse still, Perkins never closed an important game in his life.  He had some nice short runs as a closer, but when the dust cleared, he's been awol during the second half the last couple of seasons.

 

 

 

 

[Twodogs]

 

You're going to have to explain to me what you mean by this. This is a contradiction in geometric terminology.

 

 

I just taking a guess here, but I am guessing that he means that pitch is flat, has no up and down movement to it.

[Twodogs]

Yeah he has tailed off dramatically towards the end of the last two years, but there really isn't any argument that he has been a pretty solid pitcher over the last few years.  Don't know where all of  the naysayers are getting at?

[ewen21]

 

Yeah he has tailed off dramatically towards the end of the last two years, but there really isn't any argument that he has been a pretty solid pitcher over the last few years.  Don't know where all of  the naysayers are getting at?

How can he be "solid" given his terrible second half performances? 

[Twodogs]

So if a guy hits .300 for the year he'd be considered a solid hitter right??  Does it matter if he hits .350 in the first half and .250 in the second??  Or would he be a better hitter if he hit .250 in the first half and then hit .350 in the second half??  Both hitters are still .300 hitters right?

 

So he hasn't been a great pitcher, but the numbers he has put up are solid, he is decent, about a strikeout per inning, around a 3.00 era, probably around a 1.10 whip all since about 2011.  Yeah he has a lot of saves, but anyone who pitches the 9th inning is going to get saves in this day and age.  But his numbers overall are solid, so he is a solid pitcher.  Now do those numbers hold up after his recent injuries, IDK, but we will have to see.  Up until now, he has been solid.  Maybe he falls into the overuse category in which case the bullpen should have a few more options this year with May and Jepson for a whole season.

[Rezzy]

Lots of pessimism going around here lately. Maybe the Star Tribune commenters have caught on to Twins Daily.

 

The best roster this team has seen in years and people are freaking out about our All-Star closer.

 

I just don't get it.

[DJSim22]

I could think of so many problems before Perkins.  These comments are just bizarre.

[ewen21]

 

So if a guy hits .300 for the year he'd be considered a solid hitter right??  Does it matter if he hits .350 in the first half and .250 in the second??  Or would he be a better hitter if he hit .250 in the first half and then hit .350 in the second half??  Both hitters are still .300 hitters right?

 

So he hasn't been a great pitcher, but the numbers he has put up are solid, he is decent, about a strikeout per inning, around a 3.00 era, probably around a 1.10 whip all since about 2011.  Yeah he has a lot of saves, but anyone who pitches the 9th inning is going to get saves in this day and age.  But his numbers overall are solid, so he is a solid pitcher.  Now do those numbers hold up after his recent injuries, IDK, but we will have to see.  Up until now, he has been solid.  Maybe he falls into the overuse category in which case the bullpen should have a few more options this year with May and Jepson for a whole season.

The question here isn't whether or not he has been "solid" over the last few years.  The question is....what can we expect from him now?

 

I honestly don't know after he collapsed for the second straight season.  He getting into his mid-30s and his career trajectory is likely on the downward arc. 

 

This was the problem I had signing him to that extension.  By the time the team got good he'd be toast

[Halsey Hall]

Perkins I predict will get the 7th inning before half the season is over. May the 8th and Jepsen close. Perk has lost his magic. I just hope he doesn't blow to many games before they make a change.

[Twodogs]

 

The question here isn't whether or not he has been "solid" over the last few years.  The question is....what can we expect from him now?

 

I honestly don't know after he collapsed for the second straight season.  He getting into his mid-30s and his career trajectory is likely on the downward arc. 

 

This was the problem I had signing him to that extension.  By the time the team got good he'd be toast

I totally agree that he may not be the same pitcher he has been.  I sure hope that he is, and I'm going to assume that he will be until he isn't.  I think that maybe with Jepson and May full time this year, he can get an extra day off every so often and I am hoping that allows him to be more effective late in the season.  That's what I am hoping for.

[drivlikejehu]

 

Lots of pessimism going around here lately. Maybe the Star Tribune commenters have caught on to Twins Daily.

The best roster this team has seen in years and people are freaking out about our All-Star closer.

I just don't get it.

 

The Twins bullpen, including Perkins, is a potential problem for the club. That's just reality... discussing it isn't "freaking out."

[ScrapTheNickname]

 

Maybe the 2nd halves of the last two years, but great the three years before that. I'm confused by the extreme negativity here.

Two second half fadeouts is pretty telling though. Something to be leery of going down the stretch.

[ScrapTheNickname]

 

Lots of pessimism going around here lately. Maybe the Star Tribune commenters have caught on to Twins Daily.

The best roster this team has seen in years and people are freaking out about our All-Star closer.

I just don't get it.

Please - no comparisons to Star Trib commenters and those at Twins Daily! Let it not be so.

[jorgenswest]

I appreciate the data from Parker and Willihammer. I think we can wait and take a look at the end of April. The 2016 data can be compared to how he began other seasons. Velocity numbers don't need a large sample to give a reliable picture of change. If there is a significant difference in a month it can be attributed to underlying injury or decline.

[DaveW]

Perkins will be fine, he might not be "all star" level Perkins, for whatever that means, but I would be willing to wager a healthy margin that he is at the very least a top 50% closer in the majors next year. For what we are paying him (not much) that makes him a real nice asset. (And I think he can certainly be an allstar elite closer again if he can stay healthy)