THE BOOK--Playing The Percentages In Baseball

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The new Kerry Wood

Harry:

New organization, new league, new approach. With all of the velocity, but fewer strikes, Wood’s fastball has been put to good use in 2009. With a new love for the cutter and a discarded slider, Wood has taken a three-pitch approach to attacking opponents. Now that he’s throwing cutters when he used to throw sliders, the breaking pitch has become a specialized weapon. The curveball gives hitters a different look than the slider, but it’s still a power pitch thrown almost as hard.