R.A. Dickey’s Got a New Knuckleball

8 Comments + Add Comment

• Clayton Collier February 25, 2011 at 10:26 am

  I am not sure if I like this because he had a 2.80 ERA last year. If it is not broken why fix it?
  • Donal February 25, 2011 at 10:46 am

    Because you don’t succeed by standing pat.
  • SFloridaMetsFan February 25, 2011 at 11:39 am

    He added the pitch to the other 2-3 versions of knuckleballs he throws. He didnt replace it. King Dickey also has stated he doesnt plan on using it a whole lot. Its just another look for hitters to look at to keep them even more off balance.
  • METS62FAN February 26, 2011 at 12:06 pm

    Rest assured, he’ll lead the entire staff in Ws,ERA,WHIP,IP,Ks & SHOULDA been the openner as Best suited to match zeroes with anyone!

    It never ceses to amaze me how many skeptics he has when the facts of his success is so clearly understood. Knuckleballs are a unique movement pitch they historically have remained truly the least easiest pitch to catch or hit, even bad ones. the last regular SP to feature one in the NL was Tom Candiotti who last pitched in the Sr circuit in 1999 long before any of the most feared hitters on this circuit made their debuts. Pujols, Fielder, Uthley, Howard, Ramirez, Uggla are ALL NL ONLY in experience whereby they’ve not faced the sole other active “butterfly” pitcher or “snowflake” pitcher(each is unique) Wakefield. Whenever a current MLB hitter is preparing to face a ‘new’ experience as a SP yet faced, they’re primary accomodation/aclimation tool is VIDEO(to learn the movement of the oponent’s primary weapons/pitches) as knucklebaslls by definition rarely follow a specific flight path with each establishing it’s own trajectory of impromptu movements)the overall value of video prep is most likely negligable making each AB a unique experience and the entire ab as uncomfortable as possible for these behemouths of the current game.

    While 36 is certainly approaching Old Timers’ day assignments for contemporary regular SP it’s barely adolescence for a true knuckler as most of the Greats(whom RA tutored under) pitched well into their late 40s. I’m unabashedly & unashamedly Dickey’s #1 fan since the day he signed on to all the catcalls of WHY?/WHO?.
• Matt February 25, 2011 at 10:29 am

  Considering that Dickey was a failure at the major league level before finding success last season…it makes me uneasy that he is trying to mess with the ingredients which made him successful in 2010. F-Mart looking poor trying to hit against this new pitch isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement.
  • Donal February 25, 2011 at 10:47 am

    He succeeded by adding a knuckleball to his arsenal. Which he is doing again this year.
• any February 25, 2011 at 10:43 am

  he is adding another pitch to the arsenal to use in select situations. He isn’t changing what he normally does, so I don’t think you have to worry about this.

  it will, however, give the batters one more thing to worry about and keep them off balance. Which is a good thing!

  a few more pitchers on the Mets (like Pelf and parnell) could stand to learn a nasty change like this!
  • SFloridaMetsFan February 25, 2011 at 11:40 am

    Lol darn you. I just said that to exact thing to Clayton and missed you alreadt posted it.