NORTH PORT, FLA. – The Twins held spring training for the first time in 1961, and a pitch thrown above the waist with close-to-maximum speed went with the catchy description "high fastball."
Sometime in the 1990s that pitch became a "four-seamer," which emphasizes the grip and allows a bit more variety in location.
And this is important why? Because if you started covering big-league baseball in the mid-1970s and are uncomfortable with the changes in terms (defense, not fielding … boo!), the use of "four-seamer" must be explained to clear your conscience.
Now that's over with, and here's the deal:
Any attempt to explain Miguel Sano's alarming decline as a 27-year-old in the virus-shortened season of 2020 must start with the four-seamer. We spent a lot of time fretting about the manner in which Sano chased breaking pitches out of the zone as a young hitter, but it was being late on a well-located fastball that created the chain reaction to 2020's batting average of .204.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was asked in a Zoom interview last month if getting Sano "on time" with more pitches was a task for both Miguel and instructors in the weeks ahead in Florida.
"Miguel's ability as a hitter is sometimes misrepresented," Baldelli said. "When he is getting to fastballs in the zone, he has the ability to lay off very tough pitches.
"When Miguel is getting to the fastball in the middle of the zone, or a little bit higher, he's a tough at-bat. Being on the fastball, getting to those pitches, that's important for him and our team."