Fitts in yesterdays game

Welcome to STLtoday.com's forum for fans of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Moderators: STLtoday Forum Moderators, Cards Talk Moderators

Banner29
Forum User
Posts: 4071
Joined: 28 Apr 2018 12:49 pm

Re: Fitts in yesterdays game

Post by Banner29 »

Strummer Jones wrote: 26 Feb 2026 13:21 pm
WaltsSuccessor wrote: 26 Feb 2026 11:26 am Carlos Martinez could touch 98 too when he wanted to as well.
I personally saw Carlos hit 100 as a starter at Busch. It was a game against the Giants. Martinez went nine innings, and was hitting 100MPH in the seventh inning.

I remember several details about that game. Matt Carpenter got thrown out at third base BY A MILE trying to stretch a double into a triple on a well hit (but not that well hit) of a ball. Made even dumber because Gyorko was hitting behind him and having a pretty decent season. Jedd then came up and hit a single that probably could've scored Carpenter.

Carlos gave up one run over nine innings. Then Rosenthal came in and put up a zero, then Siegrist came in and shut them down in the next inning, but came back out for a second inning...allowed some traffic on the bases, and then Matheny brought in Broxton who cleared the traffic in the worst way possible.

But yeah, Martinez was DEALING that game. Probably the best pitched game I've ever seen in person. Maybe outside of a Matt Morris complete game that was...like...two hours long against the Reds.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxe ... 5200.shtml

Such a shame he was unstable in the head
Talkin' Baseball
Forum User
Posts: 2958
Joined: 11 Feb 2018 12:39 pm

Re: Fitts in yesterdays game

Post by Talkin' Baseball »

Banner29 wrote: 26 Feb 2026 21:49 pm
Strummer Jones wrote: 26 Feb 2026 13:21 pm
WaltsSuccessor wrote: 26 Feb 2026 11:26 am Carlos Martinez could touch 98 too when he wanted to as well.
I personally saw Carlos hit 100 as a starter at Busch. It was a game against the Giants. Martinez went nine innings, and was hitting 100MPH in the seventh inning.

I remember several details about that game. Matt Carpenter got thrown out at third base BY A MILE trying to stretch a double into a triple on a well hit (but not that well hit) of a ball. Made even dumber because Gyorko was hitting behind him and having a pretty decent season. Jedd then came up and hit a single that probably could've scored Carpenter.

Carlos gave up one run over nine innings. Then Rosenthal came in and put up a zero, then Siegrist came in and shut them down in the next inning, but came back out for a second inning...allowed some traffic on the bases, and then Matheny brought in Broxton who cleared the traffic in the worst way possible.

But yeah, Martinez was DEALING that game. Probably the best pitched game I've ever seen in person. Maybe outside of a Matt Morris complete game that was...like...two hours long against the Reds.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxe ... 5200.shtml

Such a shame he was unstable in the head
Yeah, flamed out too soon. Even today, he's just the same age as Ryne Stanek.
renostl
Forum User
Posts: 3766
Joined: 23 May 2024 12:40 pm

Re: Fitts in yesterdays game

Post by renostl »

Talkin' Baseball wrote: 26 Feb 2026 22:06 pm
Banner29 wrote: 26 Feb 2026 21:49 pm
Strummer Jones wrote: 26 Feb 2026 13:21 pm
WaltsSuccessor wrote: 26 Feb 2026 11:26 am Carlos Martinez could touch 98 too when he wanted to as well.
I personally saw Carlos hit 100 as a starter at Busch. It was a game against the Giants. Martinez went nine innings, and was hitting 100MPH in the seventh inning.

I remember several details about that game. Matt Carpenter got thrown out at third base BY A MILE trying to stretch a double into a triple on a well hit (but not that well hit) of a ball. Made even dumber because Gyorko was hitting behind him and having a pretty decent season. Jedd then came up and hit a single that probably could've scored Carpenter.

Carlos gave up one run over nine innings. Then Rosenthal came in and put up a zero, then Siegrist came in and shut them down in the next inning, but came back out for a second inning...allowed some traffic on the bases, and then Matheny brought in Broxton who cleared the traffic in the worst way possible.

But yeah, Martinez was DEALING that game. Probably the best pitched game I've ever seen in person. Maybe outside of a Matt Morris complete game that was...like...two hours long against the Reds.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxe ... 5200.shtml

Such a shame he was unstable in the head
Yeah, flamed out too soon. Even today, he's just the same age as Ryne Stanek.
He made twice as much as Ryne
might have left 5-7x that on the table
ScotchMIrish
Forum User
Posts: 2007
Joined: 08 Sep 2024 21:25 pm

Re: Fitts in yesterdays game

Post by ScotchMIrish »

renostl wrote: 26 Feb 2026 21:40 pm
ScotchMIrish wrote: 26 Feb 2026 20:33 pm If the arm holds up he could be a key player in 2026. The circumstances of his removal from the game sounded very bad at the time but apparently he has healed up and is ready. 75 innings last year - they will need to be careful with him.
Fitts has a career 1.294 WHIP
Gray had a 2025 1.234 WHIP

Who does better in 2026
Probably Gray but if Fitts can stay healthy he is the future and this is a rebuild.
Talkin' Baseball
Forum User
Posts: 2958
Joined: 11 Feb 2018 12:39 pm

Re: Fitts in yesterdays game

Post by Talkin' Baseball »

renostl wrote: 26 Feb 2026 21:40 pm
ScotchMIrish wrote: 26 Feb 2026 20:33 pm If the arm holds up he could be a key player in 2026. The circumstances of his removal from the game sounded very bad at the time but apparently he has healed up and is ready. 75 innings last year - they will need to be careful with him.
Fitts has a career 1.294 WHIP
Gray had a 2025 1.234 WHIP

Who does better in 2026
Better in what way? WHIP? Probably Fitts. St Louis is a better place to pitch than Fenway and there are more behemoth lineups in the AL. Gray will pitch more innings, K more hitters, and win more playoff games. Which is "better"?
Bully4you
Forum User
Posts: 2757
Joined: 23 Nov 2022 12:50 pm

Re: Fitts in yesterdays game

Post by Bully4you »

ggnoobs wrote: 26 Feb 2026 10:55 am On the strikeout the gun read 98 on the fastball. Love to see the velocity. When was the last time we had a starting pitcher throw 98+? I think Lance Lynn maybe hit that a few times 10+ years ago. 98 in Spring is maybe 100 in the regular season?

Video: https://www.mlb.com/amp/news/richard-fi ... -2026.html

Now, you still have to locate and have good offspeed. It's just nice to see the velo from a starter.
I watched him and had to admit he's got a lot of talent.
Love it.
I'm a converted prospects guy now!!
mattmitchl44
Forum User
Posts: 3234
Joined: 23 May 2024 15:33 pm

Re: Fitts in yesterdays game

Post by mattmitchl44 »

The thing that really blew up Fitts' 2025 season was giving up a whopping 2.20 HR/9.

Moving from Fenway to Busch may help that, and if he can get that down to about ML average (1.18 HR/9) it would to a long way to making him a valuable pitcher going forward.
ecleme22
Forum User
Posts: 4854
Joined: 23 May 2024 21:17 pm

Re: Fitts in yesterdays game

Post by ecleme22 »

mattmitchl44 wrote: 27 Feb 2026 08:51 am The thing that really blew up Fitts' 2025 season was giving up a whopping 2.20 HR/9.

Moving from Fenway to Busch may help that, and if he can get that down to about ML average (1.18 HR/9) it would to a long way to making him a valuable pitcher going forward.
So you're saying it's not absolutely out of the question for Fitts, Dobbins and May to be an upgrade over Gray, Miko and Pallante?

Crazy so many CTers didn't see this.
Swuhgen
Forum User
Posts: 2415
Joined: 21 Aug 2019 09:33 am

Re: Fitts in yesterdays game

Post by Swuhgen »

ggnoobs wrote: 26 Feb 2026 10:55 am On the strikeout the gun read 98 on the fastball. Love to see the velocity. When was the last time we had a starting pitcher throw 98+? I think Lance Lynn maybe hit that a few times 10+ years ago. 98 in Spring is maybe 100 in the regular season?

Video: https://www.mlb.com/amp/news/richard-fi ... -2026.html

Now, you still have to locate and have good offspeed. It's just nice to see the velo from a starter.
Love the fastball.
He has no effective secondary pitch.
WaltsSuccessor
Forum User
Posts: 436
Joined: 23 May 2024 13:50 pm

Re: Fitts in yesterdays game

Post by WaltsSuccessor »

Strummer Jones wrote: 26 Feb 2026 13:21 pm
WaltsSuccessor wrote: 26 Feb 2026 11:26 am Carlos Martinez could touch 98 too when he wanted to as well.
I personally saw Carlos hit 100 as a starter at Busch. It was a game against the Giants. Martinez went nine innings, and was hitting 100MPH in the seventh inning.

I remember several details about that game. Matt Carpenter got thrown out at third base BY A MILE trying to stretch a double into a triple on a well hit (but not that well hit) of a ball. Made even dumber because Gyorko was hitting behind him and having a pretty decent season. Jedd then came up and hit a single that probably could've scored Carpenter.

Carlos gave up one run over nine innings. Then Rosenthal came in and put up a zero, then Siegrist came in and shut them down in the next inning, but came back out for a second inning...allowed some traffic on the bases, and then Matheny brought in Broxton who cleared the traffic in the worst way possible.

But yeah, Martinez was DEALING that game. Probably the best pitched game I've ever seen in person. Maybe outside of a Matt Morris complete game that was...like...two hours long against the Reds.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxe ... 5200.shtml
Classic Matt Carpenter. Never seen a player think he was so much faster than he actually was and run into more outs than MC.
sikeston bulldog2
Forum User
Posts: 15436
Joined: 11 Aug 2023 16:20 pm

Re: Fitts in yesterdays game

Post by sikeston bulldog2 »

I heard he was throwing fitts. What was his Fitt count I wonder.
mattmitchl44
Forum User
Posts: 3234
Joined: 23 May 2024 15:33 pm

Re: Fitts in yesterdays game

Post by mattmitchl44 »

ecleme22 wrote: 27 Feb 2026 09:28 am
mattmitchl44 wrote: 27 Feb 2026 08:51 am The thing that really blew up Fitts' 2025 season was giving up a whopping 2.20 HR/9.

Moving from Fenway to Busch may help that, and if he can get that down to about ML average (1.18 HR/9) it would to a long way to making him a valuable pitcher going forward.
So you're saying it's not absolutely out of the question for Fitts, Dobbins and May to be an upgrade over Gray, Miko and Pallante?

Crazy so many CTers didn't see this.
From a quality perspective, given how low a bar Mikolas and Pallante set, they might be 50-50 to be better. Don't know if they can pitch as many innings.
rbirules
Forum User
Posts: 712
Joined: 23 May 2024 12:58 pm

Re: Fitts in yesterdays game

Post by rbirules »

mattmitchl44 wrote: 27 Feb 2026 08:51 am The thing that really blew up Fitts' 2025 season was giving up a whopping 2.20 HR/9.

Moving from Fenway to Busch may help that, and if he can get that down to about ML average (1.18 HR/9) it would to a long way to making him a valuable pitcher going forward.
Yeah, he had a 4.27 xFIP (which normalizes HR/FB% to league average), compared to his 5.80 FIP and 5.00 ERA. HR rate takes a lot longer to stabilize than other skills (strike out rate, walk rate), so hopefully that xFIP is more predictive going forward. Most projections on fangraphs project an ERA and FIP in the mid-4s (in line with his "career" xFIP of 4.66, in 65.2 IP).
ecleme22
Forum User
Posts: 4854
Joined: 23 May 2024 21:17 pm

Re: Fitts in yesterdays game

Post by ecleme22 »

mattmitchl44 wrote: 27 Feb 2026 09:43 am
ecleme22 wrote: 27 Feb 2026 09:28 am
mattmitchl44 wrote: 27 Feb 2026 08:51 am The thing that really blew up Fitts' 2025 season was giving up a whopping 2.20 HR/9.

Moving from Fenway to Busch may help that, and if he can get that down to about ML average (1.18 HR/9) it would to a long way to making him a valuable pitcher going forward.
So you're saying it's not absolutely out of the question for Fitts, Dobbins and May to be an upgrade over Gray, Miko and Pallante?

Crazy so many CTers didn't see this.
From a quality perspective, given how low a bar Mikolas and Pallante set, they might be 50-50 to be better. Don't know if they can pitch as many innings.
Overall, they will be better. McGreevy full season, no Fedde. Pallante still a spot start option…
Ronnie Dobbs
Forum User
Posts: 1731
Joined: 23 May 2024 13:17 pm

Re: Fitts in yesterdays game

Post by Ronnie Dobbs »

It's Big Boy Season, folks!!

Image
11WSChamps
Forum User
Posts: 4578
Joined: 23 May 2024 13:35 pm

Re: Fitts in yesterdays game

Post by 11WSChamps »

ecleme22 wrote: 27 Feb 2026 09:28 am
mattmitchl44 wrote: 27 Feb 2026 08:51 am The thing that really blew up Fitts' 2025 season was giving up a whopping 2.20 HR/9.

Moving from Fenway to Busch may help that, and if he can get that down to about ML average (1.18 HR/9) it would to a long way to making him a valuable pitcher going forward.
So you're saying it's not absolutely out of the question for Fitts, Dobbins and May to be an upgrade over Gray, Miko and Pallante?

Crazy so many CTers didn't see this.

Anything is possible.

It's still a lot of innings to replace and if Leahy is to be in the rotation that's your best multi inning reliever no longer in the bullpen to help cover.

Glad to see the dead weight gone but the rotation is going to be a revolving door.
Post Reply