Wakefield in a dome, I missed it again

[youtalkfunny]

Will somebody please bump this thread next time Wake is scheduled to pitch in a dome? I'm tired of saying, "I should have bet that."

[Moneyline]

Why do you suspect Wakefield will pitch worse in a dome? The only "dome" angle I know of is that groundball pitchers have it a bit tougher on a fast rug because it's more difficult for infielders to get to sharply hit balls. Wakefield is not a groundball pitcher, so this wouldn't apply to him... and besides, the new astro turf is a lot slower than the old type.

Back when I was seriously capping games, the main adjustment to make when Wakefield pitched was to alter the Red Sox's projected offensive production to account for Wakefield's "personal caddy" being substantially inferior at the plate to Jason Varitek. Also, Wakefield induces (or at least used to induce) a bit more popups than typical pitchers, so he would fare slightly better in parks that have a lot of foul territory. I never found that these angles alone were worth justifying a bet for or against him.

So anyway... why do you think it's important if he's pitching in a dome?

[Limpfold]

He don't expect him to pitch worse, he expect him to pitch better since his knuckler for some reason gets extra movement in a dome.

[Moneyline]

[ QUOTE ]
He don't expect him to pitch worse, he expect him to pitch better since his knuckler for some reason gets extra movement in a dome.

[/ QUOTE ]

Are there data to back this up, and is the sample size non-trivial. I don't mean to be rude, but in my experience angles in baseball that aren't backed up by data are almost 100% -EV. Unless the stats are extraordinarily skewed, I would guess Wakefield (and other knucklers) haven't pitched enough in domes for the data to be worthwhile.

[Spence]

Knuckle ballers tend to get more movement when there is wind etc, but also on that same breath, he may be able to control it better in a more controlled environment.

I'd love for somebody to research this, and get back to us. I'm busy programming a 'system' so I'm a bit busy.

[Limpfold]

I didn't watch the game, just read the postgame commentaries on ESPN where the following was said:

"Wakefield has always had success indoors at Minnesota, so much so that Twins manager Ron Gardenhire has often talked longingly about adding a knuckler to his staff."

"I love pitching inside, obviously," Wakefield said. "And I like pitching in here. ... I can't explain it. I really don't know, but it's one of those things where the ball moves a little bit more here."

"This Metrodome, I think, is his friend," Gardenhire said. "The ball does some pretty good things in here, moves around. We've seen his ball darting and diving before. Doesn't make it any easier to hit him."


However I found his career stats in the Metrodome before this game.

G GS W L CG IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP BAA

10 10 6 3 1 63.2 54 34 31 6 22 51 4.38 1.19 .224

Not particularly impressive but then again there could be other factors to weigh in before drawing to many conclusions about those stats.

[Your Mom]

Dome team should sign him

[Moneyline]

[ QUOTE ]
Not particularly impressive but then again there could be other factors to weigh in before drawing to many conclusions about those stats.

[/ QUOTE ]

Limpfold, you certainly deserve an "A" for effort for digging that up. I think you are drawing the right conclusion too. Given the sample size, any major league pitcher could have put up those stats.

[youtalkfunny]

[ QUOTE ]
Dome team should sign him

[/ QUOTE ]

When he was negotiating his most recent contract, the only teams he would consider signing with were Boston, and any team that played its home games indoors (Min, Tor, Tam, etc).

Sharpies have been onto the "Knuckler in a Dome" angle for years. There's some debate as to whether or not the oddsmakers have adjusted for this, and negated the advantage by shading the numbers.

Wake's other dome start this year, at Toronto:

7 IP, 4 H, 1 R.

[youtalkfunny]

[ QUOTE ]
Limpfold, you certainly deserve an "A" for effort for digging that up. I think you are drawing the right conclusion too. Given the sample size, any major league pitcher could have put up those stats.

[/ QUOTE ]

Can you also find his career numbers at the SkyDome? Trop? Any other indoor stadiums?