Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
March 27, 2002
Click here to read a

Click here to read a good interview with the Cubs hitting coach, Jeff Petland. He seems to have grasped one of the truths of the game that should be obvious but often isn't:


Q. Everybody thinks a team wins with pitching, but the offense has to do more than it did last season, doesn't it?

A. We have to beat teams that aren't doing well, and that's where offense kicks in. You can't pitch a great game every day. When you run up against teams not doing well, we've got to dominate them better. We lost too many games last year against the struggling teams. We had to grind out too many of the 162. It's a lot easier to win 7-2 than 3-2. (Empahsis mine)


He answers this question just right. He doesn't say to the reporter, "Offense if 50% of the game. People who think you can win with just pitching are idiots!" But he does get across the point that run differential is important.

I also like this bit about Corey Patterson:


Q. What's a realistic expectation for Corey Patterson?

A. Moving closer to the plate has helped him. It's not always seen in production, but his pitch selection has been a lot better since he's done that. He is tracking the ball better and laying off pitches he hadn't in the past. It keeps him from diving out over the plate. Any time your head is moving around, you lose perspective of where the ball is. You create your own holes. Jim Hendry made the perfect comment to Corey: "See the two guys next to you in the outfield [Alou and Sosa]? Let them do the hitting, and you just do whatever you can.''


It's good technical analysis, not the good attitude junk you often get from coaches. Now when I watch Patterson this year, I can watch for how close to the plate he's standing, and see how his eyes track the ball. Thank, Jeff!


Posted by David Pinto at 10:06 PM | Baseball