BASEBALLPARK

While it goes without saying that the present site is required reading for all of baseball¡¯s most progressive front offices, it¡¯s also the case that no post at the site today will be read more hungrily or with such hunger as this one — which post is a very urgent scouting report on Skip Schumaker, who both (a) is a middle infielder for the Dodgers and (b) threw a scoreless inning for that same team on Monday night (box).

Fastball
Schumaker¡¯s fastball — in relief, at least — bears striking resemblance to an average major-league one, sitting at about 88-90 mph and with similar rise and arm-side run.

Irrefutable proof of same is contained within this animated GIF:

Curveball
If Monday¡¯s appearance is any indication, Schumaker throws his curveball precisely 4% of the time. So far as outcomes are concerned, the most likely and/or only one is a ground ball up the middle by Carlos Gonzalez.

To wit:

Changeup
Schumaker throws his changeup at a variety of speeds — either (a) with a view to disrupting the timing of his opponents or (b) because he only throws it six or eight times every two years.

Here¡¯s one at 83 mph for a called strike to Jonathan Herrera:

Whatever This Is
This pitch was classified by PITCHf/x as a knuckleball, even though it¡¯s probably a changeup. What this scouting report presupposes is: what if it isn¡¯t? (Although, note: it probably is. A changeup, I mean.)

Regard: