The report found that there is a direct correlation between a pitcher throwing strikes and ERA.
| 2013 ERA Qualifiers Grouped by Control | |||
| Control | Strike Zone % | ERA | |
| Grade A | 47.6% | 3.27 | |
| Grade B | 44.8% | 3.52 | |
| Grade C | 43.4% | 3.70 | |
| Grade D | 40.8% | 3.91 | |
It seems like basic common sense that has been lost in batter hitting squares and defense shift charts plotted by statistical data. If pitchers throw more strikes, they allow fewer runs. The report stated that the 21 starters who threw the most pitches in the strike zone (Grade A Control Pitchers) allowed more than half a run less per nine innings than the 20 starters who threw the fewest pitches in the zone (Grade D). The best pitchers in the game throw the most strikes.
Throwing more strikes also means that a pitcher is more efficient. Pitching coaches will preach that it is important to get ahead of the count early in an at-bat. A batter that is down in the count is more defensive at the plate. Pitchers tend to forget that the best hitters in the game only get a hit 30 percent of the time. Pitchers who tend to nibble on the corners throw more pitchers (which leads to higher pitch counts and less innings pitched). All teams have gone mental on pitch counts in order to protect pitchers from injury. A batter that is ahead in the count is better able to judge where the next pitch is coming in the zone - - - as to increase the chances for contact.
Throwing strikes does not mean grooving batting practice pitches down the heart of the plate. Major league pitching is still an art form. A pitcher with a 100 mph fastball can throw the pitch by the hitter. A pitcher with an 88 mph fastball can get the pitch past the hitter if it has movement through spin.
It is easier for a pitcher to set up a hitter if he can hit his catcher's spots consistently. The strike zone has shrunk to belt to knees, but that should not stop a pitcher from throwing a letter high pitch in order to set up a slider later in the count.
There are three ways for a pitch to be called a strike. The batter must swing and miss; hit a foul ball; or not swing at a pitch in the strike zone. For the set up pitch, the pitcher must "freeze" the hitter who is guessing what type of pitch is coming next. Good hitters always say that they always prepare that the next pitch will be a fastball, so they can adjust if it off-speed (since it is extremely difficult to do the opposite). Hitting is series of split second decisions of eye to hand coordination. A pitcher who can mask the type of pitch longer (by hiding the ball or by pitching motion) can have an advantage.
Good quality pitchers really have no fear of throwing strikes. Basic math is on their side. Sabermetric managers want hitters to be more selective, take pitches and work a count to improve OBP via walks. But a pitcher with command knows that a hitter will swing probably only half the time. And if he gets a hit only 30 percent of his swings, then there really is only a 16.5 percent effective contact rate at play.
A pitcher who does not have command has efficiency issues. It takes 4 balls for a batter to get a walk versus 3 strikes to get a batter out. The rules provide a pitcher with a 25 percent advantage at the start of an at-bat.
In a 2008 post at Baseball ThinkTank, the idea of pitcher efficiency was further researched to conclude that the real purpose of a pitcher is to get outs (not necessarily strike outs) in the most efficient manner. It is called Pitching Toward Outs.
There is a stereotype given to strikeout pitchers that says they use more pitches (which they do) and somehow aren’t as efficient as pitchers who pitch to contact. But, have you ever wondered which pitchers achieve their positive outcome (an out in play or a strikeout) in the most efficient manner? Example: A pitcher who struck out every batter he faced on three pitches and induced outs in play on the first pitch would be considered extremely efficient.The formula was devised to measure pitcher towards outs efficiency:
PTO% = (SO*3)+SH+SF+(AB-SO-H)/Total Pitches
The formula takes the number of pitches that go directly into getting strikeouts (three strikes) and inducing outs in play (one pitch each) and divides that by the total number of pitches. The end result is the percentage of pitches used directly towards outs. The three strikes needed to get a strikeout are figured in, which allows strikeout pitchers to get a fair shake in this test of efficiency. The remaining pitches not used towards out are “wasted pitches” or negative outcomes (walks or hits). Therefore, a pitcher who goes to a 3-2 count on every batter before getting an outcome would not be looked at as being very efficient under this line of thinking.
A quality pitcher should not have the mindset of "wasting" pitches especially when pitch counts are the new norm. A quality pitcher is one who throws 75 percent of his first pitches for strikes. With an 0-2 count, a pitcher can use a "trick" pitch to get a batter out because the batter is trying to protect the zone from a called strike three. The most effective pitch in that sequence would be the off-speed change which looks at release as a fastball which disrupts a batters eye to hand coordination and swing speed. A three-pitch at bat is much more efficient than a 7 pitch full count for a pitcher.
If a pitcher "saves" just one pitch per out batter per inning for five innings to qualify for a win, that would yield 15 extra pitches against the pitch count, which at the major league level is another full inning of work. A starter who can pitch 6 full innings is more valuable than one who can only manage a pitch count through 5. The latter would add an additional 33 innings to the team's bullpen staff.
And the key to a successful pitcher is the ability to throw strikes early and often.
