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Detroit — It has to be such a comfort for Tigers’ pitchers to have a couple of strike-stealers working on their behalf behind the plate.
“It’s huge,” Casey Mize said.
Back-up catcher Jake Rogers is no slouch. He’s 7-2 on ABS challenges, getting seven pitches that were called balls overturned to strikes. But starting catcher Dillon Dingler has fast become a master at the craft.
Not only does he have a remarkable 73% overturn rate (27-10), he leads all catchers in called strikes gained above expected, a stat researched by TruMedia that takes into account both framing and successful challenges.
Entering play Thursday, Dingler had 102.98 called strikes gained above expected. Second on that list is the Yankees’ Austin Wells at 83.30.
“He’s amazing,” manager AJ Hinch said. “Those are marginal calls, too, so there’s some guts to it and there’s also some recognition. I think Ding is gaining confidence as he has more success.”
You can’t have more guts than he showed Wednesday, asking for a challenge on a call to the first Angels batter of the game.
Mize dotted the outside edge to leadoff hitter Zach Neto, a 2-2 sinker, 95.7 mph, that home-plate umpire Brennan Miller called a ball. Dingler didn’t hesitate, tapping the top of his helmet to request the challenge.
“I agreed with that one,” Mize said. “I was going to challenge if he didn’t.”
Sure enough, the call was reversed and instead of having to make a 3-2 pitch to the pesty Neto, Mize got into his day with a punch-out.
“It’s one of those things, know the zone,” Dingler said. “What I’ve learned over the season is if your first gut reaction is to challenge it, you should challenge it.”
In the third inning, with two outs, Dingler stole another strike on a 2-2 pitch at the bottom of the zone against Mike Trout.
“On that one, I was like, ‘Noooo,’” Mize said. “But he was right. Ding is great. He knows the zone. And it’s an important piece of the game to know the zone so you can get outs like that. Those are really big plays.”
The Tigers got three pitches overturned for strikeouts on the night. Reliever Drew Anderson correctly changed a 2-2 pitch to punch Neto in the sixth inning.
“They are game-changers,” Hinch said. “Whether it’s a strike three or it flips a count, they’re big. As we learn more about the ABS system, you see how it impacts the game. It’s not anti-umpire. It’s just meant to get the calls right and put the power in the players’ hands to flip a count if they have confidence in the strike zone.
“You want to be right. But you also want to do it at the right time and with confidence.”
More: Tigers' Gleyber Torres, Kerry Carpenter to start rehab games
Dingler said the only way he would challenge a call as early as he did on Neto on Wednesday was to get the punch-out or block a walk.
“I’d rather save them for later,” he said. “Or for big situations. I’m not going to burn one usually with nobody on and on the first or second pitch of an at-bat. The risk-reward for those are kind of stupid, in my opinion. Save them for when I’m sure about it or the situation calls for it.”
Dingler’s ability to frame pitches, his plus-4 runs saved framing ranks in the top 95 percentile in the game, works on two levels. He steals strikes but sometimes he can also cast doubt in the hitter. He frames a pitch outside the zone so cleanly that the hitter doesn’t challenge.
“Overall, what you want to do is try to get the umpire to call as many strikes as possible,” Dingler said. “That’s the goal.”
Nobody does it better.
▶ Series: Three games at Rate Field, Chicago
▶ First pitch: Friday— 7:40 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday — 2:10 p.m.
▶ TV/radio: All three games on Detroit Sports Net/97.1, 107.9 FM
Scouting report
▶ Probables: Friday — RHP Troy Melton (1-0, 1.59) vs. RHP Erick Fedde (0-5, 5.47); Saturday— LHP Framber Valdez (2-3, 4.28) vs. LHP Anthony Kay (4-1, 3.96); Sunday — RHP Keider Montero (2-3, 4.09) vs. RHP Sean Burke (2-3, 3.90).
▶ Melton, Tigers: He wasn’t on time for the season but the timing of his return was perfect. Out since early spring with elbow inflammation, Melton made his season debut in Baltimore on Sunday, taking the mound in the second game of a doubleheader after the Tigers endured another walk-off loss in the first game. And all he did was locked down the Orioles for 5.2 innings on two hits and helped the club snap an eight-game losing streak. True to the perfectionist he is, he didn’t love his performance — three walks, too many three-ball counts. But he shut down the Orioles’ left-handed hitters (2 for 13) with firm (96-to-98 mph) four-seamers and sliders.
▶ Fedde, White Sox: He’s been driving the struggle bus lately. He was bashed for eight runs and 10 hits in 3.1 innings by the Giants last time out. The outing before that, the Cubs chased him in the fourth (four runs, six hits, four walks). He’s having trouble defending himself against right-handed hitters, to say the least, (.300/.355/.630, .985 OPS, 10 homers). Righties are slugging .800 off his sinker and .852 off his cutter.
[email protected]
@cmccosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Tigers' Dillon Dingler using ABS as another layer of defense
Continue reading...
“It’s huge,” Casey Mize said.
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Back-up catcher Jake Rogers is no slouch. He’s 7-2 on ABS challenges, getting seven pitches that were called balls overturned to strikes. But starting catcher Dillon Dingler has fast become a master at the craft.
Not only does he have a remarkable 73% overturn rate (27-10), he leads all catchers in called strikes gained above expected, a stat researched by TruMedia that takes into account both framing and successful challenges.
Entering play Thursday, Dingler had 102.98 called strikes gained above expected. Second on that list is the Yankees’ Austin Wells at 83.30.
“He’s amazing,” manager AJ Hinch said. “Those are marginal calls, too, so there’s some guts to it and there’s also some recognition. I think Ding is gaining confidence as he has more success.”
You can’t have more guts than he showed Wednesday, asking for a challenge on a call to the first Angels batter of the game.
Mize dotted the outside edge to leadoff hitter Zach Neto, a 2-2 sinker, 95.7 mph, that home-plate umpire Brennan Miller called a ball. Dingler didn’t hesitate, tapping the top of his helmet to request the challenge.
“I agreed with that one,” Mize said. “I was going to challenge if he didn’t.”
Sure enough, the call was reversed and instead of having to make a 3-2 pitch to the pesty Neto, Mize got into his day with a punch-out.
“It’s one of those things, know the zone,” Dingler said. “What I’ve learned over the season is if your first gut reaction is to challenge it, you should challenge it.”
In the third inning, with two outs, Dingler stole another strike on a 2-2 pitch at the bottom of the zone against Mike Trout.
“On that one, I was like, ‘Noooo,’” Mize said. “But he was right. Ding is great. He knows the zone. And it’s an important piece of the game to know the zone so you can get outs like that. Those are really big plays.”
The Tigers got three pitches overturned for strikeouts on the night. Reliever Drew Anderson correctly changed a 2-2 pitch to punch Neto in the sixth inning.
“They are game-changers,” Hinch said. “Whether it’s a strike three or it flips a count, they’re big. As we learn more about the ABS system, you see how it impacts the game. It’s not anti-umpire. It’s just meant to get the calls right and put the power in the players’ hands to flip a count if they have confidence in the strike zone.
“You want to be right. But you also want to do it at the right time and with confidence.”
More: Tigers' Gleyber Torres, Kerry Carpenter to start rehab games
Dingler said the only way he would challenge a call as early as he did on Neto on Wednesday was to get the punch-out or block a walk.
“I’d rather save them for later,” he said. “Or for big situations. I’m not going to burn one usually with nobody on and on the first or second pitch of an at-bat. The risk-reward for those are kind of stupid, in my opinion. Save them for when I’m sure about it or the situation calls for it.”
Dingler’s ability to frame pitches, his plus-4 runs saved framing ranks in the top 95 percentile in the game, works on two levels. He steals strikes but sometimes he can also cast doubt in the hitter. He frames a pitch outside the zone so cleanly that the hitter doesn’t challenge.
“Overall, what you want to do is try to get the umpire to call as many strikes as possible,” Dingler said. “That’s the goal.”
Nobody does it better.
On deck: Chicago White Sox
▶ Series: Three games at Rate Field, Chicago
▶ First pitch: Friday— 7:40 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday — 2:10 p.m.
▶ TV/radio: All three games on Detroit Sports Net/97.1, 107.9 FM
Scouting report
▶ Probables: Friday — RHP Troy Melton (1-0, 1.59) vs. RHP Erick Fedde (0-5, 5.47); Saturday— LHP Framber Valdez (2-3, 4.28) vs. LHP Anthony Kay (4-1, 3.96); Sunday — RHP Keider Montero (2-3, 4.09) vs. RHP Sean Burke (2-3, 3.90).
▶ Melton, Tigers: He wasn’t on time for the season but the timing of his return was perfect. Out since early spring with elbow inflammation, Melton made his season debut in Baltimore on Sunday, taking the mound in the second game of a doubleheader after the Tigers endured another walk-off loss in the first game. And all he did was locked down the Orioles for 5.2 innings on two hits and helped the club snap an eight-game losing streak. True to the perfectionist he is, he didn’t love his performance — three walks, too many three-ball counts. But he shut down the Orioles’ left-handed hitters (2 for 13) with firm (96-to-98 mph) four-seamers and sliders.
▶ Fedde, White Sox: He’s been driving the struggle bus lately. He was bashed for eight runs and 10 hits in 3.1 innings by the Giants last time out. The outing before that, the Cubs chased him in the fourth (four runs, six hits, four walks). He’s having trouble defending himself against right-handed hitters, to say the least, (.300/.355/.630, .985 OPS, 10 homers). Righties are slugging .800 off his sinker and .852 off his cutter.
[email protected]
@cmccosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Tigers' Dillon Dingler using ABS as another layer of defense
Continue reading...
