Why does a slow pitcher like Jamie Moyer do so well against the hitters?

Question

He pitches slow and slower...why is that a hard ball to hit?

Answer 1

He has good stuff. Movement of a ball is more important than heat. His pitches fool hitters. He's a junkball pitcher. That's not a knock, a pitcher that doesn't throw heat throws "junk". He's a good pitcher.

Answer 2

The most important thing is location... It has been said by a few people above me, but that is the most important thing for a pitcher. It does not hurt him that all of the hitters he is going against have seen pitchers throwing in the 90s... Their timing can be slightly off at first, but these are MLB Hitters!!! They can adjust better than anyone, thats why they are there... but just like you said, he throws slow, and slower... So when your expecting the slow pitch, he mixes in the really slow one, and hits a perfect spot that makes it nearly impossible to hit.

Another thing that helps him, is the fact that he has been in the league so long, and has such great control. Umpires start to feel comfortable with Moyer, and before long the strike zone gets a couple of extra inches on the outside, making it even harder for the hitters...

I cannot stress enough about location... I wish I could get my High School kids to realize that! Rather than trying to blow everyone away, they need to learn to pitch and now just throw... If that makes sense...

Answer 3

I enjoyed watching Moyer pitch for the Orioles. That was over 10 years ago , & many thought he was through then.

The answer which has been described is simple. Jamie Moyer knows how to PITCH, not just throw. He draws the ground balls which can become a double play instead of a 3 run homer.

And his talent & skill w locating his pitches is made even more successful because he is a student of the game & pays attention to weaknesses exhibited by hitters so he can exploit them..

Jamie is a great guy in person, & clearly enjoys the game.

Answer 4

Well first of all he is a very experienced pitcher!! He has great off speed stuff. Can throw a fastball when needed? Ball still has to move and rotate the right way?? Most hitter guess fastball or curve?
With Moyer they have to guess about 4 different pitches and on top of that the speed?? Just check out a few softball games ??

Answer 5

Jamie Moyer has made a long and productive career in spite of the fact one has to wait a few seconds for his pitches to reach the plate is due to the fact that he knows how to work the strike zone. He puts the pitch where the hitter can't get the sweet part of the bat on it. When they do hit it, either it goes straight up or straight down for a ground out.

Answer 6

Because a lot of hitters are either a) looking for a fastball, or b) cannot turn a slow pitch into a hard hit ball, because the distance a ball travels is determined by the speed it is moving as it is going to the plate and the speed of the bat as the batter is swinging it. Therefore a change up is a lot more difficult to hit well than a fastball. Plus he adds breaks to a lot of his pitches which make them in turn even more difficult to hit.

Answer 7

Speed is not necessary to be a good pitcher. Proper location of pitches and mixing up those locations and speed is much more key to being a good pitcher.

Hitting is timing. Any MLB hitter who knows where a pitch will be and how fast it will be can hit the ball solidly. Good pitchers keep the hitters guessing and off-balance.

Moyer is one who does that well. Greg Maddux is a future Hall-of-Famer because he was a master at it.

Answer 8

Because it fools them.

Any batter can adapt to a fastball of any speed. But movement is what makes a pitch more difficult to hit. Jamie Moyer's pitchers are slower than most, but he move the ball around and each of his pitches has movement. That's called pitching instead of throwing, and that's difficult to hit.

Answer 9

Santana. Moyer is nice, yet he's not any journey for the dominance of Johan. The Mets bullpen blew 8 saves for Santana final season, which ability he could have long previous 24-7. additionally, Santana'a era and ok's are lots greater effectual than Moyer.

Answer 10

A 100mph fastball is not necessary for a pitcher to become successful. Greg Maddux is a perfect example. There is placement, mixing up of the pitches, varying speed all keep the hitters guessing.