Welcome Back Pitch to Contact Strategy

[nighthawk]

Cards pitchers have recorded the fewest strikeouts - 268 - and have induced the highest percentage of ground balls - 47.1%. That's in an era of strikeout pitchers. Which strategy can endure the rigors of a 162-game season best - high Ks or pitch to contact?

[OldRed]

Cards pitchers have recorded the fewest strikeouts - 268 - and have induced the highest percentage of ground balls - 47.1%. That's in an era of strikeout pitchers. Which strategy can endure the rigors of a 162-game season best - high Ks or pitch to contact?

As long as the grounders are to Winn and JJ pitch to contact works. Also, it induces double plays which K's don't.

[BrockFloodMaris]

Cards pitchers have recorded the fewest strikeouts - 268 - and have induced the highest percentage of ground balls - 47.1%. That's in an era of strikeout pitchers. Which strategy can endure the rigors of a 162-game season best - high Ks or pitch to contact?

The Cards stated strategy is high Ks. We have not changed/reverted back to “pitch to contact”. We are just winning games while not executing that high K strategy.

[OldRed]

Cards pitchers have recorded the fewest strikeouts - 268 - and have induced the highest percentage of ground balls - 47.1%. That's in an era of strikeout pitchers. Which strategy can endure the rigors of a 162-game season best - high Ks or pitch to contact?

The Cards stated strategy is high Ks. We have not changed/reverted back to “pitch to contact”. We are just winning games while not executing that high K strategy.

I believe you are referring to the bull pen. Starting lineup is not set up for high K's.

[BrockFloodMaris]

Cards pitchers have recorded the fewest strikeouts - 268 - and have induced the highest percentage of ground balls - 47.1%. That's in an era of strikeout pitchers. Which strategy can endure the rigors of a 162-game season best - high Ks or pitch to contact?

The Cards stated strategy is high Ks. We have not changed/reverted back to “pitch to contact”. We are just winning games while not executing that high K strategy.

I believe you are referring to the bull pen. Starting lineup is not set up for high K's.

Most of the 2026 pitching additions have been in the pen. But May was signed as a high K starter. The trades and drafts for pitching have been primarily for high K starters. So, the high K strategy is organization-wide. Not just the pen.

[OldRed]

Cards pitchers have recorded the fewest strikeouts - 268 - and have induced the highest percentage of ground balls - 47.1%. That's in an era of strikeout pitchers. Which strategy can endure the rigors of a 162-game season best - high Ks or pitch to contact?

The Cards stated strategy is high Ks. We have not changed/reverted back to “pitch to contact”. We are just winning games while not executing that high K strategy.

I believe you are referring to the bull pen. Starting lineup is not set up for high K's.

Most of the 2026 pitching additions have been in the pen. But May was signed as a high K starter. The trades and drafts for pitching have been primarily for high K starters. So, the high K strategy is organization-wide. Not just the pen.

You are wrong, sorry you don't understand the current starters. They are mainly ground ball pitchers and always have been.

[nighthawk]

Cards pitchers have recorded the fewest strikeouts - 268 - and have induced the highest percentage of ground balls - 47.1%. That's in an era of strikeout pitchers. Which strategy can endure the rigors of a 162-game season best - high Ks or pitch to contact?

The Cards stated strategy is high Ks. We have not changed/reverted back to “pitch to contact”. We are just winning games while not executing that high K strategy.

I believe you are referring to the bull pen. Starting lineup is not set up for high K's.

Most of the 2026 pitching additions have been in the pen. But May was signed as a high K starter. The trades and drafts for pitching have been primarily for high K starters. So, the high K strategy is organization-wide. Not just the pen.

At the moment, the Cards are recording the lowest strikeouts per nine innings for the franchise since 2011 -- 7.03. Last year, they recorded 7.60. The year before it was 8.15. Their all time high was in 2020 -- 8.83 and it extended a six consecutive year run of averaging 8 or more strikeouts per nine innings.

[CorneliusWolfe]

Cards pitchers have recorded the fewest strikeouts - 268 - and have induced the highest percentage of ground balls - 47.1%. That's in an era of strikeout pitchers. Which strategy can endure the rigors of a 162-game season best - high Ks or pitch to contact?

I’d say a young energetic team that plays great defense like this can endure. Looks like the commitment to the swing and miss philosophy is more taking shape in the minors. I’m liking the nightly defensive show we’re seeing, so I hope it’s sustainable.

It will be nice to get an influx of strikeout pitchers and end up with a nice balance. Room for both.

[BrockFloodMaris]

Cards pitchers have recorded the fewest strikeouts - 268 - and have induced the highest percentage of ground balls - 47.1%. That's in an era of strikeout pitchers. Which strategy can endure the rigors of a 162-game season best - high Ks or pitch to contact?

The Cards stated strategy is high Ks. We have not changed/reverted back to “pitch to contact”. We are just winning games while not executing that high K strategy.

I believe you are referring to the bull pen. Starting lineup is not set up for high K's.

Most of the 2026 pitching additions have been in the pen. But May was signed as a high K starter. The trades and drafts for pitching have been primarily for high K starters. So, the high K strategy is organization-wide. Not just the pen.

You are wrong, sorry you don't understand the current starters. They are mainly ground ball pitchers and always have been.

Sorry Red, but Lib, McG, Leahy and Pallante were all here when Bloom got here. May is the only fresh face in the 2026 rotation, and he was signed as a high K starter.

[icon]

Cards pitchers have recorded the fewest strikeouts - 268 - and have induced the highest percentage of ground balls - 47.1%. That's in an era of strikeout pitchers. Which strategy can endure the rigors of a 162-game season best - high Ks or pitch to contact?

The Cards stated strategy is high Ks. We have not changed/reverted back to “pitch to contact”. We are just winning games while not executing that high K strategy.

I believe you are referring to the bull pen. Starting lineup is not set up for high K's.

Most of the 2026 pitching additions have been in the pen. But May was signed as a high K starter. The trades and drafts for pitching have been primarily for high K starters. So, the high K strategy is organization-wide. Not just the pen.

You are wrong, sorry you don't understand the current starters. They are mainly ground ball pitchers and always have been.

Sorry Red, but Lib, McG, Leahy and Pallante were all here when Bloom got here. May is the only fresh face in the 2026 rotation, and he was signed as a high K starter.

Yeah, it takes time to implement a strategy. To call this a strategy is disingenuous. It's not a strategy. It's called pitching with what you have until the strategy can be fully implemented.

[BrockFloodMaris]

Cards pitchers have recorded the fewest strikeouts - 268 - and have induced the highest percentage of ground balls - 47.1%. That's in an era of strikeout pitchers. Which strategy can endure the rigors of a 162-game season best - high Ks or pitch to contact?

The Cards stated strategy is high Ks. We have not changed/reverted back to “pitch to contact”. We are just winning games while not executing that high K strategy.

I believe you are referring to the bull pen. Starting lineup is not set up for high K's.

Most of the 2026 pitching additions have been in the pen. But May was signed as a high K starter. The trades and drafts for pitching have been primarily for high K starters. So, the high K strategy is organization-wide. Not just the pen.

At the moment, the Cards are recording the lowest strikeouts per nine innings for the franchise since 2011 -- 7.03. Last year, they recorded 7.60. The year before it was 8.15. Their all time high was in 2020 -- 8.83 and it extended a six consecutive year run of averaging 8 or more strikeouts per nine innings.

Yes, you are correct. However, most of the pitchers that Bloom has acquired have almost all been of the high K profile (May, Stanek, Soriano, Cjintje, Tanner, Doyle, Fajardo). The pitchers that were already here are largely of the pitch to contact profile. It will take time for the MLB roster to turn into Bloom’s high K vision.

[rockondlouie]

per nine innings.

Yes, you are correct. However, most of the pitchers that Bloom has acquired have almost all been of the high K profile (May, Stanek, Soriano, Cjintje, Tanner, Doyle, Fajardo). The pitchers that were already here are largely of the pitch to contact profile. It will take time for the MLB roster to turn into Bloom’s high K vision.
[/quote]

^^^THIS^^^

While the current crop of Redbirds starters are indeed (mostly) "pitch to contact", sans the rare high KO outing like McG's 9 KO's last night, C. Bloom has sought to rectify this by acquiring and consulting on drafting high octane pitchers who can bring the staff closer to the power pitching staff they need to become.