Carlos Rodriguez is Observing Things Early: The Heat of MLB Kitchens Is Not Withstanding on Everything in the Sink
In scouting jargon, there are a few standard expressions that stick to certain players very well. The
one that remained with Carlos Rodriguez was “kitchen sink.” By big-league standards, Rodriguez
doesn’t throw hard or have a one pitch that he can use to dominate opposition hitters. Taking a
comprehensive strategy, he throws six different pitches to righties and lefties—five if you exclude the
little use he gives the changeup and slider to righties.
After three major league starts, Rodriguez’s kitchen sink appears to need some improvement. Having
faced 57 hitters, he has a 7.30 ERA, 19 hits (three of which are home runs), and just nine strikeouts.
That may be due in part to Rodriguez’s long-term inadequacies in his game as well as hard luck. For
the most part, though, Rodriguez is being taught a harsh lesson by the league: the effective kitchen-
sink strategy in MLB is a complicated one. Pitch mixing equally is insufficient.
Pitchers frequently choose the kitchen-sink method because they are unable to execute a more
simplified strategy reliably or tightly enough. Consider Rodriguez’s four-seam fastball, for example.
Although it isn’t a fast pitch, Rodriguez’s low-three-quarter slot gives it a flat vertical approach angle
(VAA), which is a good feature for that kind of pitch.
The four-seamer’s efficacy has two issues, or disadvantages. First of all, he hits the ball hard at the top of the zone to obtain that flat VAA rather than having a particularly nice ride on the pitch (even taking arm slot into consideration). Because it can only get strikes and outs for him when he can place it at the upper border of the zone, it reduces the pitch’s usefulness. Fly balls are more likely to be produced as a result, and hard-hit fly balls often result in home runs. He has already allowed two home runs and several other hits on the heater.
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