R. Hill Turning the Corner ?

[CUBZ99]

I know it is one outing but very positive news out of AZ courtesy of AZ Phil.

 

Prior to the game, Rich Hill threw a simulated game that featured his new delivery, and it looks like he may actually have found the cure for his version of Steve Blass Disease.

 

And the results this morning were that he was able to throw his fastball and curve over the plate pitch-after-pitch, just like he was doing in 2006 and into Spring Training 2007 and through most of last season. He was absolutely unhittable today.

 

The curves literally buckled the knees of the young AZL Cubs hitters, and (probably more importantly) he was able to throw his fastball for strikes And maybe most importantly, Hill looked relaxed and he even was able to crack a smile.

 

I'm not ready to write Hill off yet. If the Cubs can be patient and get him out of his funk and ready for the second half of the season, it would be the equivalent of trading for a 2 or 3 starter. :D

 

 

http://www.thecubreporter.com/2008/07/04/does-hill-turn-corner

[Jon]

Well, he hasn't given himself a chance to be hittable recently. And I'm sure at least some of his hits have come after he's let up to try and get pitches over the plate. But all I care about right now if his command. Let everything else come after.

 

We'll see what happens with this, but let's hope this is the start. Since he's showing something, there's no reason to give him time off.

 

More from the article:

He no longer tilts his shoulder and head back to the exent he had been doing (a la Fernando Valenzuela), which allows him to keep his eyes on the catcher's target. That might sound like a simple thing to fix, but we're talking body memory here, and that can be a stubborn force to work against.

..............

Kudos to AZL Cubs pitching coach Rick Tronerud and Cubs Minor League Pitching Coordinator Mark Riggins for getting Hill as far along as they have in just ten days. How much longer Hill will remain at Fitch Park is probably still TBD, but I would think getting him back to Iowa ASAP to build up his pitch count, face tougher hitters, and work with umpires who can call balls & strikes a little bit more consistently than is the case with the "rookie" umps who work in the AZL, would be a priority.

[Bruno7481]

Riggins is the best. He'd be my #1 choice if Rothschild should ever leave.

[Guest]

Yeah, I really was happy when Riggins came over.

 

Of note, AZ Phil has said Hill has looked horrid in all his sessions before his entry today. Hope that's a good sign.

[Keener98]

Please let this be the sign hes turned the corner, he could play a very very important part in our 2nd half.

[NCCubFan]

[Joe_Cub]

much awesomeness in that report

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I'm going to be cautiously optimistic until I see results in actual games.

 

I am holding out hope that he is moved back to Iowa quickly. It could serve two purposes: 1. He could return to the Cubs rotation or 2. He could become a valuable trading chip if he really has solved his control problems.

[abuck1220]

funny/sad that it took the big league staff hardly any time at all to presumably ruin 2 1/2 years of good rich hill and less than two weeks for the minor league staff to get him back on track (hopefully).

[imb]

this is literally the first positive hill news in like 4 months, so even if it ends up being a fluke, i'll take it

[nolanwood]

I'm being greedy, but what if Hill DID get it back together and we had the addition of him AND Harden/Burnett/Sabathia/etc for the 2nd half....

[UK1679666180]

Be patient. This is a good 1st step and hopefully the start of him locking in those mechanics and getting back to where he was last year.

 

The added pressure at Iowa as well as game conditions will be the next test as well as maintaining the mechanics and focus when fatigued. Also, it would be good to see him work out of some jams or a bad 1st inning and settle down.

[Sammy Sofa]

It's just a single step, but it's one that's got me smiling big. Keep it up, Rich!

[SouthSideRyan]

I (finally)dropped Rich Hill in fantasy a half hour before this topic was posted. You're all welcome

[treebird]

thanks ryan.

 

this is just a first step, but it's really hard to make the second step without this one. go rich. we need you.

[rawaction]

Even if he turns it around, how long does he have to show it before he comes back up? I'd imagine 3-4 starts in Arizona. Then probably a few more in Iowa. At best, you are looking at September for Hill. And even then he's behind Zambrano, Lilly, Dempster, Marquis, Marshall, Gallagher, and possibly whoever the Cubs trade for in the line to get ML starts.

[Dallas Green]

Even if he turns it around, how long does he have to show it before he comes back up? I'd imagine 3-4 starts in Arizona. Then probably a few more in Iowa. At best, you are looking at September for Hill. And even then he's behind Zambrano, Lilly, Dempster, Marquis, Marshall, Gallagher, and possibly whoever the Cubs trade for in the line to get ML starts.

 

 

Doubt that, if he shows another good start he will prob go to Iowa for 2 more, if they think he's back figure he is in the rotation with whatever pick-up they make. If he shows his control is back he blows past Marshall, Gallagher, and Marquis IMO. I'd be happy with...

 

Zambrano

Burnett

Dempster

Lilly

Hill

\:D/

[CubbieBum]

Even if he turns it around, how long does he have to show it before he comes back up? I'd imagine 3-4 starts in Arizona. Then probably a few more in Iowa. At best, you are looking at September for Hill. And even then he's behind Zambrano, Lilly, Dempster, Marquis, Marshall, Gallagher, and possibly whoever the Cubs trade for in the line to get ML starts.

 

Might want to pick up a math book. 4 starts in arizona and 3 more in iowa is 7 total. On a normal 5 day roation thats a wopping 35 days. That is early to mid August and thats your worst case scenario (if he has turned the corner). Best case is a week or two after all-star break. Pitch a game or two in Arizona then get the break to reevaluate and look over his starts then a couple starts in Iowa. If all went well he would be back a week or two after all-star break. However I'm going to count it as a fluke session and not count on him at all. That way if he does turnaround its a huge bonus rather than the alternative of getting my hopes up and then being disappointed.

[Flames24Rulz]

I don't think we should count on him making an impact for the rest of this year either, but this is some encouraging news.

 

I really like the fact that he seemed relaxed and managed to smile after the outing. The poor guy's been on pins and needles all year long. That's definitely part of his problem IMO.

[JimSorgi]

This is very exciting news.

[mlarner]

Great news, and like IMB said the first we have had in a while about Hill so very exciting. On top of Z's performance last night, even better. I have a question, can Riggins continue to stay/work with Hill if he moves up to Iowa and even to Chicago? I would have to think those delivery changes will take a little while to stick, and he will probably start to revert to his old habits several times along the way. He needs someone to be looking out for that specifically and to be there to help him correct as he goes. For whatever reason Hill seems to be responding to Riggins, so it would be nice if he could stay with him while the delivery changes settle in and become unconcious habit.

[mlarner]

Double post Edited July 5, 2008 by mlarner

[RedFlash]

I'm not expecting anything from Rich for the rest of the yr. Anything the Cubs get from him, will be gravy. But it's good to hear some decent news about Rich, for once.

[David]

I love, random commas.

[NCCubFan]

I have a question, can Riggins continue to stay/work with Hill if he moves up to Iowa and even to Chicago?

His role is minor league pitching coordinator, so he can travel throughout the system; he's not tied down to one team (much the same as Dave Keller with hitting). So he certainly could work with Hill at Iowa. He probably could in Chicago as well, but I don't know how common it is for minor league staff to work with players on the major league roster.