Jurrjens to the minors: How does a good pitcher go so bad?
Jair Jurrjens on a dark Monday in L.A. (AP photo)
I wonder if this would have happened in the days before pitch speed became a measurement available on ballpark scoreboards and TV broadcasts. I wonder if Jair Jurrjens would be headed for the minor leagues if those on the periphery didn’t keep harping about his velocity, or lack of same.
By any measure, Jurrjens has been awful over his four starts. He has lasted five innings in only one of them, and the reason he’s 0-2 and not 0-4 is that his team scored 10 runs for him in Start No. 2 and 14 in No. 3. His ERA is 9.37. Opponents are hitting .411 against him. On Monday in Los Angeles he faced 17 batters; 10 reached, five scored.
Jurrjens is pitching so badly that it can’t be called pitching at all. At issue is why he’s not pitching. Speculation continues to swirl that he’s hurt, although he and the Braves deny it. By sending him to Class AAA Gwinnett, as opposed to parking him on the disabled list, the Braves have sent a powerful indication that they don’t think there’s anything physically amiss.
Emotionally? Well, that’s another story. Speaking after Start No. 3 last week, Jurrjens sounded as confused as any demonstrably good pitcher I’ve ever heard, and I’ve heard a few. He sounded concerned about appearances, as opposed to results, and then he sounded concerned about being concerned.
What Jurrjens said then: “A lot of people get on me about how fast I’m throwing. I need to go back to pitching. But [velocity] is a hot topic every time I pitch. Everyone wants to see how fast I’m throwing, and that gets in your mind.”
Let the record show that Greg Maddux, who broke 90 mph on the radar gun only with a gale at his back, never gave a toss what anyone else thought. Back in 1994, Maddux handed me the absolute best description as to the folly of velocity:
You stand in the middle of the road and a car’s coming at you. Can you tell how fast it’s going? Can you tell if it’s going 55 or 60? You can’t. It’s the same standing in the middle of the diamond trying to hit a baseball. As a pitcher, you’re better off making 75 [mph] look like 85 instead of making 87 look like 90.
Even before I was given the privilege of watching Maddux and Tom Glavine work, I was of the opinion that velocity was wildly overrated. Who was the better closer: Kyle Farnsworth, bringer of the big heat but not much else, or Trevor Hoffman, whose best pitch was his change-up? If you can pitch, as opposed simply to throw, you can win big for a long time.
Some figure filberts, however, insisted all along that Jurrjens’ success wasn’t (stat-geek word here) sustainable. He didn’t strike out enough people, they said, didn’t miss enough bats. He “pitched to contact” — for the record, I hate that phrase — and sooner or later the contact would catch up to him.
Not sustainable? Jair Jurrjens had already won for five seasons. Go look it up: Even with his injuries, he’d never had a losing year in the majors. He was 50-33 on his 26th birthday. By way of comparison, the great Glavine was 53-52 the day he turned 26. (Glavine was another who “pitched to contact” — and he’ll wind up in Cooperstown having done so.)
With his smarts and his command, you could envision — well, I could — Jurrjens tracking a similarly artful career path. But now he has been demoted, and not just to the bullpen. From the All-Star game in Phoenix to Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, in 8 1/2 months: How stunning is that?
For the Braves, demotion surely was the right move. From his comments after Start No. 3, it was clear Jurrjens had lost focus, and losing focus is far more distressing that losing velocity. A good pitcher can fight through six innings on guts and guile, but Jurrjens was so confused — “I have it one inning; then I don’t have it” — he couldn’t even get through two clean ones. Nothing good was apt to happen by keeping him in the rotation, or in the big-league club’s bullpen.
I’m sure there are issues with his mechanics, as the argot has it. When a good pitcher goes bad, there invariably are. But I can’t help but believe the greater problem is that Jurrjens has stopped trusting himself and his stuff. He’s too worried about throwing hard, and he of all people should know that throwing hard doesn’t necessarily equate to getting people out. The hope here is that he remembers who he is. The hope here is this once-splendid pitcher remembers what it means to pitch.
By Mark Bradley
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
150 comments Add your comment
Heisenberg
April 24th, 2012
11:11 am
Sending him to Gwinnet would seem to indcate Braves want him to work it out and return to the big league rotation. Otherwise he would have been banished to Mississippi to ride out the last year of his contract without being able to skeep in his bed at home.
typical know it all
April 24th, 2012
11:11 am
Toe man? Really? now I have read everything! LOL
jason
April 24th, 2012
11:17 am
it is purely mechanics which lead to location everything was belt high last night!!!!!!!!!! How about Freddi NOT pitch hitting in the 4th for JJ???? What the heck was that about. It wass clear JJ did not have it. Pinch hit and get some runs. Instead we do not and do not and pull JJ 2 batters later in the bottome half?? Come on Frddi, gotta do better
59bulldawg
April 24th, 2012
11:30 am
I applaud the Braves for making the move. But I hope JJ gets it worked out and comes back up ASAP!
Will
April 24th, 2012
11:31 am
How many pitchers have seen their velocity drop and then injured their arm trying to overthrow? Pitchers really do suffer career ending injuries caused by the stuff in their head.
reckingball
April 24th, 2012
11:49 am
Here we go again, more inaccurate comments, inconsistency offensively, or something like that, in the last 3 games. Come on man.
reckingball
April 24th, 2012
11:54 am
Most of the comments here, have been in the nature of encouragement, and hope that JJ can get his stuff together.
But I hope that JJ has not been reading any of the comments from a lot of the negative fans(as they like to refer to themselves as), and has let it get into his head. haha. Just kidding.
DawgDad
April 24th, 2012
11:55 am
Anyone old enough to remember Steve Blass?
JJ’s problems likely trace to the knee injury or arm/shoulder problems that have not yet manifested themselves as an “injury”. It’s a good move to send him down; listen, with his track record as soon as he starts getting people out consistently the Braves or some other team will come calling in a heartbeat.
ole Brave
April 24th, 2012
11:55 am
Give JJ a week are two with “the rocker” Leo..The Best Pitching coach Braves have ever had. Bet you $$$ you would see a differences.
reckingball
April 24th, 2012
11:57 am
Why hasn’t any other team or organization hired Leo, since he was laid-off from the Oreos.
IHEARTCARROLL
April 24th, 2012
11:58 am
@Marteen is a Ballplayer,
Your posts are courteous, relevant, and grammatically correct. What are you doing on this blog ?
Marteen is a Ballplayer
April 24th, 2012
12:03 pm
IHEARTCARROLL…just hoping that Mark Bradley gives me his job after he is too old to continue…like Willy Wonka did for Charlie
ole Brave
April 24th, 2012
12:09 pm
reckingball its seems you always being negative to fans that express opinions against players are team. What makes you the judge of fans opinions? If you don’t agree say so but don’t just group all fans that don’t agree with. We all know you can see no wrong with Braves.It would really be du,du if everyone agreed with you.
It would be good to read something you have to say about baseball.
ole Brave
April 24th, 2012
12:15 pm
I don’t know and you don’t know why Leo has not returned to baseball. That doesn’t mean he was not a great coach. He just may never wanted to return. Why don’t you call and ask him you so smart.
reckingball
April 24th, 2012
12:17 pm
I hope that JJ can get it together, it is important to the Braves organization.
Dr Redbird
April 24th, 2012
12:19 pm
Several valid points here. One, he’s still babying his knee and his mechanics are off. Two, he’s doubting himself because nothing’s working right now. I also add that as a sinkerball pitcher, your margin for error is thin; leave that thing up just a little and it’s gonna get creamed. It’s one reason Derek Lowe was so Jekyll-and-Hide, going from unhittable to very hittable. JJ is still a good pitcher, and not the first guy to go through this. He just needs some success and to start trusting his stuff, and his knee.
Alphare
April 24th, 2012
12:31 pm
The guy is hurt. Lots of time they don’t admit it, like Heyward last year, the young gun 3 years ago(forgot his name).
When a guy suddenly played differently, he is hurt and is trying to work around it. That’s a telling sign.
reckingball
April 24th, 2012
12:31 pm
ole Brave, just because I don’t cut the Braves down with every comment(like so many people do), doesn’t mean that I see anything that can’t be improved, with the Braves.
Leo, had some great pitchers to work with, that helped him get the reputation as a good coach, I was just asking why he has not been hired after leaving the Birds. No one seems to know.
Here is something about baseball for you, the Braves have a good ‘baseball’ team, and a very good chance of making the ‘baseball’ playoffs.
go braves
reckingball
April 24th, 2012
12:36 pm
ole Brave, I attempted to reply to your nasty comment, but MB’s blog machine ate, my entry.
It is not worth trying again.
go braves
Brave Hokie
April 24th, 2012
12:38 pm
Another scarred feable minded {soon to be ex-} Brave…
And to think of what Wren could have gotten for this SOS just a while back…?
Blackberry Cobbler
April 24th, 2012
12:46 pm
Ok, so JJ goes to AAA.
How much longer do we wait on Uggla to start showing something. He’s off to the same crappy start as last year. And why does FG have him batting 4th?
When do we give up on this experiment and go get a hitter?
reckingball
April 24th, 2012
12:47 pm
ole Brave, you see this guy in front of me here –@12:38–, this is what I am talking about as negative. Does that sound like a fan to you?
reckingball
April 24th, 2012
12:51 pm
ole Brave, when I say something about negative, I’m really talking about comments such as this one made by this guy >> @12;38 <<.
Does this guy and/or girl sound like a 'fan' to you.
BTW, this blog keeps eating my stuff up, so if it makes it, I will say bye-bye.
Miss Pelled Teabag Signs
April 24th, 2012
12:53 pm
Time to develop an additional pitch – or else…
southern hope
April 24th, 2012
12:53 pm
Blackberry, didn’t Uggla hit a home run last night?
reckingball
April 24th, 2012
12:55 pm
Ole Brave,…Here is something else, Uggla hit the game winning RBI in a 10-8 win, and a 3-2, win this year.
Someone being negative and uninformed.
reckingball
April 24th, 2012
12:57 pm
well, one out 3 comments don’t get eaten up by the blog monster.
I’m .333.
Miss Pelled Teabag Signs
April 24th, 2012
12:57 pm
Ole Brave needs to get English grammar lessons… whew…
Marteen is a Ballplayer
April 24th, 2012
12:58 pm
Blackberry, Dan Uggla certainly is not off to a brilliant start, but he is doing far better than he did last year. He is hitting for his career average at .258. April is, and has always been, his worst hitting month throughout his career. Uggla’s position in the batting order is determined by two things…if Chipper is playing and the pitching match-up.
And while I will not blindly defend him as I expected more coming out of Spring Training, we have faced nearly every pitcher that owns him through his career over the first 17 games…he has still managed 3 HR’s and that is why you see him in the middle of the line-up…to clear the bases once the table has been set.
If it makes you feel better, you can go to the Angels website and complain about Pujols .243 average, 0 HR’s, and 4 RBI’s.
reckingball
April 24th, 2012
1:03 pm
Also, ole Brave, 1 final attempt, when I refer to negative ‘fans’ I am usually talking about comments like the one >> 12:38pm <<.
Now, does this person sound like a real Braves fan to you?
Sorry, but he and/or she doesn't sound like one to me, and I am going to say so.
go braves
reckingball
April 24th, 2012
1:06 pm
I give up, please fix your blog.
Hillbilly D
April 24th, 2012
1:09 pm
In my opinion, the radar gun is one of the worst things to ever happen to baseball. They don’t scout pitchers anymore, they scout throwers. Hitting is about timing and pitching is about upsetting that timing, as they say. You do that with location, movement and changing speeds. Even Nolan Ryan got hammered on the days that he couldn’t throw his curveball for strikes. Most all Major League hitters are fastball hitters and if that’s all you got and they can sit on it, they’re going to beat you like a rented mule.
It’s said that Greg Maddux once told Carlos Zambrano, that when he got in trouble and felt like he should muscle up on one, he should go the opposite way and take off as much as he was going to add. I’ve seen a lot of great pitchers through the years but Maddux knew as much about how to pitch as anyone I’ve seen.
So, it doesn’t matter how hard somebody throws or doesn’t throw, what matters is can they get people out.
reckingball
April 24th, 2012
1:13 pm
ole Brave, what Hillbilly D said, I agree with him, now that is baseball talk.
Whopper Dawg
April 24th, 2012
1:21 pm
I am glad the Braves went ahead and pulled the trigger. I wasn’t watching his velocity last night, I was watching Dodger batting practice.
Rob in Fayetteville
April 24th, 2012
1:40 pm
It’s interesting that Greg Maddux’ velocity is mentioned here. Early in his career, he threw harder, occasionally touching 93 on the radar gun. I have the video of the 1989 NLCS when Maddux was pitching for the Cubs, and his arm movement was different then, reaching back much farther than he did during his prime. Even NBC announcer Vin Scully described Maddux as a “fireballer.” When Maddux learned to tone down his delivery and pitch to location, he went from a very good pitcher to one of the best in history, with an 86-to-88 MPH fastball with incredible movement. I hope that JJ learns to stop worrying about all the peripherals and just focus on making great pitches. Look at 49-year-old Jamie Moyer. His fastball is what, 78 MPH? And he’s still getting guys out. Location, location, location. That, and what Hillbilly D mentioned about changing speeds. Hopefully that’s what JJ will work on.
duronimo
April 24th, 2012
1:52 pm
Mr. Durbin, Nice blog from a parent’s viewpoint. I wish your son the very best.
russ from rex
April 24th, 2012
1:56 pm
whole thing with jj was handled poorly. what would been wrong with getting team home and making the move. seems there is a disconnect between fredi and frank. outside of two fire sale deals that a 3 year could have made wren has done nothing..firesale was bourn and uggla
Home of the Braves
April 24th, 2012
2:17 pm
Cory Gearrin has been called up from Gwinnett.
COOPER
April 24th, 2012
2:19 pm
JJ started pitching poorly when he started walking 4 or 5 every start. I pitched until I was 21 and was told by more than one coach that I had the best control of any pitcher they had ever coached, my problem was speed because I just wasn’t tall enough and I had short arms. I never had a 500 season or losing season. As a pitcher you have to experiment with where you stand on the mound , even just a few inches can make a difference where the ball ends up. You also have to make such you don’t advertise what type pitch you are throwing. The next thing that has to be perfected by you is your arm slot. I was about 3 quarters , just between straight over head and side arm. Every mound is different and you can’t waste pitches before the game starts , you only have a few warm up pitches to decide where on the ribber to stand .
If I had been able to throw harder and had been given a chance at the professional level , the one pitch that I didn’t have down pat was a great change up. I would have never made it without a GREAT change up.
When I watch JJ pitch he thinks too much. His delivery should be natural . It is also important to get ahead in the count but not a must if you can control your pitches. I will watch great pitches go 3 balls 2 strikes and then throw 4 or 5 straight strikes with different pitches before getting the batter out.
This is a critical time in JJ’s professional career and I wish him the best.
One last thing that may have hurt him is if he ever stepped on the first base line when heading to the mound or returning to the dugout. The baseball Gods are not very forgiving.
Leo Fullabaloney
April 24th, 2012
2:40 pm
No…he’s just fine, the Braves are just fine….this is a World Series caliber team.
COOPER
April 24th, 2012
2:42 pm
I didn’t mean for it to sound like every pitcher doesn’t need to be able to THINK. Maddox and Glavine were thinking pitchers . They had their control down so good that they could concentrate on out thinking the batter. Smoltz was a power pitch and was not very good at out thinking the batters. Jurrjens is in between but you can never be a thinking pitcher until you can control where the ball is going. On the professional level you it can never be okay to walk 4 or 5 batters in less than 6 innings.
journalist jimmy smith
April 24th, 2012
2:43 pm
maybe jair needs some meebo to get his pitches dancing like this blog dances all over the place. being a famous journalist makes no difference when everything is jumping around like this. not even a good set of toes could fix this.
COOPER
April 24th, 2012
2:51 pm
I would start Hudson throwing no more than 5 inning for 3 to 5 starts and let Medlen start if Hudson needed to miss a start every once in a while. It is important to get Hudson back in the starting rotation but it is just as important to get Medlen there too. The Braves don’t need to forget how dominate Medlen was before he got hurt.
P B Orr
April 24th, 2012
2:59 pm
The simple answer, Mark – is laziness – look at his upper body – no strength at all. No pop, no break, no nothing. Batting practice. Either he was roiding and had to quit, or he’s just too morose to bother with strength training. And now he has no trade value.
glorydays
April 24th, 2012
3:21 pm
I’m impressed!! Didn’t think there was anyway they would send down Jurrjens. I guess he has just really been THAT bad. Good for them. Now we see what JJ is made of to see how he handles it. May he should talk to Halladay.
Clusters Sonny
April 24th, 2012
3:58 pm
We’z luvs us some Jire Jugens but man he has some werk to do. I should go give him advice the Clusters Sonny way.
Bob Horner's Blonde Mullet
April 24th, 2012
4:20 pm
amazing to see how fast people turn on one of our best pitchers. Jar Jar knows how to pitch, as is evidenced by his career numbers. He’s one of our best pitcher, if not the best when he’s on. How can anyone say “good luck in your next career?” What morons
glorydays
April 24th, 2012
5:56 pm
This also sends a needed message to all that Braves will be patient; but, they also need results. This makes the studs in the minors feel like they do have a shot at coming up
glorydays
April 24th, 2012
5:58 pm
Also, JJ has ALREADY provide a positive ROI, just be patient with him and allow him time to get his head on straight. He’ll be back up when he does.
Gritsfed
April 25th, 2012
2:28 am
I know he had that terrific 12-3 run last year but I think something changed in him when he was on the mound on that horrific day in 2010 versus the Rockies, the Braves had a 10-2 lead and lost it.