Doyle sets career high.. strong start to May

[ramfandan]

Source : Goold in Post

Doyle sets career high
A difficult April at Class AA Springfield (Missouri) for the Cardinals’ most recent top draft pick has turned into a strong May for lefty Liam Doyle. In his start Saturday, Doyle set new career bests with eight strikeouts and five innings. He held Corpus Christi to two runs on five hits, and Doyle did not walk a batter. He had 14 swings and misses in the game.

The fifth overall pick this past July, Doyle allowed 14 runs and 18 hits over 11 2/3 innings in his first four starts for Springfield. Doyle asserted his velocity from the beginning of the season, but as the Cardinals had him expand the types of pitches he used and how he mixed them, that invited inconsistency, especially in the strike zone.

In May, the blend is starting to come together.

In two starts this month, Doyle has held opponents to three runs on seven hits through 9 1/3 innings. He’s walked only one batter and struck out 13.

With JJ Wetherholt reaching his 40th game in the majors Sunday, the rookie “graduated” this past week off the prospect lists as the Cardinals’ No. 1. Doyle is the consensus top prospect now.

[Cardinals1964]

I’m not sold on his jerky mechanics. Hopefully I’m wrong but I see a lot of arm trouble in the future.

[The__IcemaN]

His mechanics dont raise the alarms that Cooper hjerpe or Brandon Clarke's do. His mechanics are high effort and a little jerky, but his elbow gets to a decent spot. Im more worried about his shoulder than elbow.

[ramfandan]

One never knows with high velo pitchers. Case in point..
Mets Jacob DeGrom.. had Tommy John in minors..then after became generational pitcher for a couple years.. nobody touched him .
Then had 2nd Tommy John.. came back after that.
Can never predict how an elbow/shoulder tolerates the wear and tear especially for guys that have the upper echelon 100mph speeds.
You keep your fingers crossed they stay injury free.

[Jatalk]

Nice to see he is mixing in some other pitches. Imagine what he would be if he played for good coaches in college.

[ramfandan]

Nice to see he is mixing in some other pitches. Imagine what he would be if he played for good coaches in college.

Doyle had a very respected college pitching coach when at Tenn.. Frank Anderson 40 yrs in baseball ..with the last 8 at Tenn.
Anderson had 25 pitchers from Tenn. get selected in MLB drafts including 4 first rounders : Doyle , Marcus Phillips 2025, Chase Dollander 2023,
Garret Crochet in 2020

Anderson left Tenn. to become Dir. of Pitching Performance of the San Francisco Giants working with the staff of former Vols coach Tony Vitello, who was hired as manager of the Giants.

PS Cardinal draft pick Tenn. Pitcher Tanner Franklin also was there under Frank Anderson too.

[Cardinals1964]

His mechanics dont raise the alarms that Cooper hjerpe or Brandon Clarke's do. His mechanics are high effort and a little jerky, but his elbow gets to a decent spot. Im more worried about his shoulder than elbow.

I consider his shoulder part of his arm.

[Cardinals1964]

Nice to see he is mixing in some other pitches. Imagine what he would be if he played for good coaches in college.

Doyle had a very respected college pitching coach when at Tenn.. Frank Anderson 40 yrs in baseball ..with the last 8 at Tenn.
Anderson had 25 pitchers from Tenn. get selected in MLB drafts including 4 first rounders : Doyle , Marcus Phillips 2025, Chase Dollander 2023,
Garret Crochet in 2020

Anderson left Tenn. to become Dir. of Pitching Performance of the San Francisco Giants working with the staff of former Vols coach Tony Vitello, who was hired as manager of the Giants.

PS Cardinal draft pick Tenn. Pitcher Tanner Franklin also was there under Frank Anderson too.

Dang. You know some stuff. I’m impressed.

[rockondlouie]

Nice to see he is mixing in some other pitches. Imagine what he would be if he played for good coaches in college.

+1

I understand that's what they've been having him do knowing full well the fastball already plays in MLB.

But he'll need to refine those secondary pitches to get out major league hitters.

[ramfandan]

Nice to see he is mixing in some other pitches. Imagine what he would be if he played for good coaches in college.

+1

I understand that's what they've been having him do knowing full well the fastball already plays in MLB.

But he'll need to refine those secondary pitches to get out major league hitters.

Yes , and that is why Cardinals Dir. of Pitching Matt Pierpont is doing exactly that . They gave him aggressive assignment to Double A from the get-go explaining in one article they were hoping he would face tougher batters (than Peoria ) where he would realize early that without solid secondary pitches it won't go well. The Cardinals in doing so are attempting to fast-track him by challenging him . He has been responding positively improving very much from April to May . Hope it continues. His bread n butter will undoubtedly be his high velo fastball especially the ones in the high part of the strike zone but he needs secondary ones good enough to get some swing n miss too.

Thought I read in 15 innings he has 18 strikeouts.. more SO than innings is very positive for any pitcher.

[rockondlouie]

Nice to see he is mixing in some other pitches. Imagine what he would be if he played for good coaches in college.

+1

I understand that's what they've been having him do knowing full well the fastball already plays in MLB.

But he'll need to refine those secondary pitches to get out major league hitters.

Yes , and that is why Cardinals Dir. of Pitching Matt Pierpont is doing exactly that . They gave him aggressive assignment to Double A from the get-go explaining in one article they were hoping he would face tougher batters (than Peoria ) where he would realize early that without solid secondary pitches it won't go well. The Cardinals in doing so are attempting to fast-track him by challenging him . He has been responding positively improving very much from April to May . Hope it continues. His bread n butter will undoubtedly be his high velo fastball especially the ones in the high part of the strike zone but he needs secondary ones good enough to get some swing n miss too.

Thought I read in 15 innings he has 18 strikeouts.. more SO than innings is very positive for any pitcher.

What a GREAT hire by C. Bloom!

This approach will turn him from being just a "thrower" into being a complete pitcher with tools in his toolbox he'll need that second/third time thru an order.

[82birds]

Nice to see he is mixing in some other pitches.

and improving on them !

[Jatalk]

Nice to see he is mixing in some other pitches. Imagine what he would be if he played for good coaches in college.

Doyle had a very respected college pitching coach when at Tenn.. Frank Anderson 40 yrs in baseball ..with the last 8 at Tenn.
Anderson had 25 pitchers from Tenn. get selected in MLB drafts including 4 first rounders : Doyle , Marcus Phillips 2025, Chase Dollander 2023,
Garret Crochet in 2020

Anderson left Tenn. to become Dir. of Pitching Performance of the San Francisco Giants working with the staff of former Vols coach Tony Vitello, who was hired as manager of the Giants.

PS Cardinal draft pick Tenn. Pitcher Tanner Franklin also was there under Frank Anderson too.

So can we conclude Doyle didn’t have the talent to develop other pitches?

[2ninr]

Nice to see he is mixing in some other pitches. Imagine what he would be if he played for good coaches in college.

+1

I understand that's what they've been having him do knowing full well the fastball already plays in MLB.

But he'll need to refine those secondary pitches to get out major league hitters.

Yes , and that is why Cardinals Dir. of Pitching Matt Pierpont is doing exactly that . They gave him aggressive assignment to Double A from the get-go explaining in one article they were hoping he would face tougher batters (than Peoria ) where he would realize early that without solid secondary pitches it won't go well. The Cardinals in doing so are attempting to fast-track him by challenging him . He has been responding positively improving very much from April to May . Hope it continues. His bread n butter will undoubtedly be his high velo fastball especially the ones in the high part of the strike zone but he needs secondary ones good enough to get some swing n miss too.

Thought I read in 15 innings he has 18 strikeouts.. more SO than innings is very positive for any pitcher.

Thank you for sharing that. Hadn't come across that information. Lots of guys criticizing them for starting him in aa. It makes perfect sense now.

[Swuhgen]

I’m not sold on his jerky mechanics. Hopefully I’m wrong but I see a lot of arm trouble in the future.

Every pitcher ends up with arm trouble.
You just hope you can get 5 good years out of him somehow

[ramfandan]

Nice to see he is mixing in some other pitches. Imagine what he would be if he played for good coaches in college.

Doyle had a very respected college pitching coach when at Tenn.. Frank Anderson 40 yrs in baseball ..with the last 8 at Tenn.
Anderson had 25 pitchers from Tenn. get selected in MLB drafts including 4 first rounders : Doyle , Marcus Phillips 2025, Chase Dollander 2023,
Garret Crochet in 2020

Anderson left Tenn. to become Dir. of Pitching Performance of the San Francisco Giants working with the staff of former Vols coach Tony Vitello, who was hired as manager of the Giants.

PS Cardinal draft pick Tenn. Pitcher Tanner Franklin also was there under Frank Anderson too.

So can we conclude Doyle didn’t have the talent to develop other pitches?

Here is part of Doyle's scouting report at Tenn.

During his time at Tennessee, he threw his fastball more than 62% of the time, something likely to tick down in pro ball. Doyle’s fastball is a double-plus pitch that generated high swinging-strike rates in the SEC. It sits 95-97 mph and touches 100 with plus vertical ride from a low release height. His secondary pitch usage is divided equally between an above-average, mid-to-high-80s splitter, an average cutter, an average sweeper and a low-80s curveball. The splitter is clearly Doyle’s best bat-missing secondary, and development of a dependable breaking ball will be a point of emphasis.

So not having the 'talent' to develop them would not seem the conclusion IMO. Doyle's best pitch was the fastball which he used 62% of the time as mentioned. It was so good that at Div. 1 level he led the entire nation in strikeouts per 9 innings. He had 158 strikeouts for 15.4 SO per 9 innings. While he threw the other pitches about 1/3 of the time , he certainly would rely on what he throws best .. the heater
As the scouting profile indicated , his 62% will come down some for MLB



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