15
2013
A Few Final Observations On Zack Wheeler
An article by 
Wheeler has firmly set his sights on a spot in the Mets starting rotation.
As Zack Wheeler heads to minor league camp and begins to focus on what he needs to do to ready himself for a potential major league debut later this season with the Mets, let’s consider some of what we did get to see and hear while he was in Mets camp.
Wheeler gave a concise self-assessment of his repertoire not too long ago during an interview with WFAN’s Mike Francesa:
“I like to come at you with a fastball, not afraid to come inside. I am aggressive, I got a sharp slider, good curveball that I can strike you out with, or get over early for a strike. Changeup is a work in progress.“
Most scouts, and those who have seen him, all agree that Wheeler’s number one issue is gaining a better command of his primary pitches while continuing to develop his secondary offerings, particularly his curveball and changeup.
There’s no questioning Wheeler’s confidence and determination and in that regard, he is like fellow teammate Matt Harvey. They both seem to share that bulldog mentality.
I thought I’d ask our MMO minor league guru, Mitch Petanick, to share some thoughts on Wheeler and provide us with some additional analysis.
Thoughts From Mitch
What can be said about Wheeler that hasn’t been said before? His fastball is dynamite. His two-seamer has wicked movement which moves in on the right-handed hitters hands, and away from left-handed hitters. Wheeler states that he likes to pitch inside, and if the two seam is used effectively on the inside half to righties, opposing hitters will be going through a ton of lumber. In the video shown below it gives a great view of Wheeler’s pitches from behind the plate, and you can really see the filthy movement on all of his pitches.
Wheeler’s curveball is also very sharp and considered a biting curveball. His changeup is still a work in progress, as he states in the quote, but the changeup is not an easy pitch to master. If he’s throwing a circle change, the grip on the ball is awkward for pitchers to get used to. The thumb, which is usually there as a guide, is now on the side of the ball, instead of under it. The pitcher basically makes the O.K. sign with their fingers, and then grip the ball with the middle and ring finger placed on the two seams of the baseball. It is then thrown like a fastball, and due to the grip, the baseball does not generate as much velocity as the fastball.
The Circle Changeup Grip
The batter perceives the pitch to be a fastball because the arm speed of the pitcher does not change, but the velocity of the ball drops by about 10 mph due to the grip. The pitcher releases the ball and lets the ball come out of the hand off the middle, ring, and pinky in a fashion that the ball rotates and creates a motion, from a right-handed pitcher like Wheeler is, that will move in and down on right-handed hitters. Grip a ball making an O.K. sign with your hand and throw it as hard as you can and you will see how hard the pitch is to control and master.
Wheeler’s changeup may still need some work, but it will be effective. Anytime you throw in the upper 90s, the speed drop off from throwing a changeup will be enough to confuse hitters and keep them off-balance, as long as he can throw it for strikes. Wheeler is all but ready to embark on what hopes to be a long and exciting career in a Mets uniform. The fans are patiently awaiting his arrival.
About the Author: Dan Valis
I am a staff writer for Mets Merized Online. I am a Mets team analyst with a focus on the minor league system, as well as the major league club. I am a lifelong New Yorker who was born and raised to be a Mets fan. The ups and downs of being a Mets fan is what makes following this team so much fun, but at times so frustrating. You can follow me on Twitter @BgAppleMetsTalk.
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Looking forward to hopefully seeing Wheeler eventually make the bigs. One good thing about being out in Las Vegas this year is it will be easier to follow their night games since they will often start at 10:00pm EST for me.
I never knew that about the circle change. Nice analysis and hoping Wheeler masters it and we see him soon.
great analysis on Wheeler Mitch. The circle change will be a huge weapon for him if he can get a grasp on that.
I really hope that Santana is still here, and healthy when Wheeler gets the call this season so he can help show him how to throw it. Santana has made a living with his circle change. Santana used to top out around 94 MPH, but even with a drop in velocity that pitch was still effective.
Wheeler throws in the mid-90′s consistently, and tops out around 96-97, so with that drastic drop in velocity, and if he is able to add a consistent circle change to go along with his wicked curveball, he will have the makings of a dynamite ace.
based on ST, Who?
Great post. I am glad we signed Marcum mostly because it allows us to keep Wheeler at Triple-A and still developing. Why waste a year of service time when we are not ready to compete. Nice analysis on the change.
LoL, I just clicked on the video to realize that there is 14 minutes worth of it. Opening seconds where you hear a guy say “Yea Oh yea” says it all. His stuff is filthy with a capital F.
Also nice choice of music at the 4:45 mark.
Loved the analysis and wondering if you heard anything new on Fulmer regarding the surgery? Did it go well? Thanks.
Great insight Mitch, thanks.
We all know he has great raw talent that is still a work in progress. We should therefore ignore the inflated figures we most likely will see in Nevada and look for scouting reports on improving that grip and of course working on his control.
FYI in that video, all 4 seams. His 2 seam isn’t 97mph. His 4seam has had 2 seam movement since 14yrs old.
Interesting, it would be the first time I ever heard of a four seam fastball having movement.
Thanks for the video and for reminding me why I miss the old Home Plate Camera during baseball games!
LOL
Love the coverage here on MMO with the Mets minor leagues and minor league prospects.
With that video, it made me wonder if MLB has experimented using modern 3D technology so the videos studied by the batters can add a semblance of depth to it. Know it might not be good for this purpose since 3D does not create the natural depth our vision produces and actually plays tricks on our eyes to achieve such illusion which could actually mess up a hitters mental preparation by misrepresenting the true nature of one’s velocity ad movement.
Know for some it creates eyestrain and headaches which for a ballplayer should be avoided at all cost.
Metsie, you’re in the business. Think it’s perfected enough for that possible use or could it actually throw off a batter’s timing being what he is viewing is not natural in dimension?
Not without glasses and even then the only good 3D is with VR goggles…
Even if 3D Tech was up to snuff the issue is they don’t have a good physics model to make it useful.
BTW they already use a form of 3D visuals to do the PitchFx stuff…
Not near the same as your talking about though…
What your talking about is more virtual reality and it can never really work because how you feel the ball hitting the bat and what you do then is as important as seeing the pitch and swinging in the right location…
Too much physics involved for it to ever really work….
Could be effective at developing a player’s eye at the plate though….