Minor League Discussion & Boxes 4-10-2008

[Guest]

More quotes:

 

MiLB.com[/url]"]The 23-year-old Cubs right-handed project allowed a one-out single in the second and single hits in the fifth, sixth and seventh. He struck out Juan Gonzalez swinging with his 80th pitch of the night to end the seventh and his night.

 

"I was throwing the sinker early and often in the count," said the former Notre Dame All-American wide receiver. "I had good command and worked in some of my other pitches as the game went on."

 

In 26 starts last season between Class A Advanced Daytona and Double-A Tennessee, Samardzija pitched into the seventh only three times and completed that frame just once.

 

"I have a little different approach this year," he said. "I don't mind letting the hitters hit the ball. You got to have confidence in the guys behind you."

[YearofDaCubs]

I really hope Samardj has a great year.

[Guest]

http://cubs.scout.com/2/745422.html

 

Sounds like Samardzija's new split might really help his K numbers:

 

“He threw the ball very well, worked ahead in the count and threw four pitches for strikes,” Tennessee pitching coach Dennis Lewallyn said of Samardzija (2-0).

 

“He threw his fastball on both sides of the plate. He ran a two- and four-seam fastball and had a better slider than we’ve seen from him in the past, and he’s come up with a split-finger fastball that I think really complements his repertoire.”

 

The split-finger is a fairly new addition to Samardzija’s arsenal.

 

“He actually told me last year toward the end that he had thrown one a little bit in college,” Lewallyn said. “It was just one of those things that we kept in the back of our minds that he might eventually integrate with his other pitches. It seems to be a pitch that’s really complementing his other pitches well. He doesn’t throw a lot of them. He doesn’t over-expose it, but it gives hitters one more thing to think about. It probably will be a pitch to help him get over the hump and take his game to the next level.”

 

Lewallyn said that Samardzija “touched 94 (mph)” Thursday and set 90 to 91 mph for most of the evening “with late life on his fastball.”