Dallas Escobedo

[Softball scholar]

It's a bullet spin ball that is high. She was a thrower, not a pitcher.

This is one of the more ridiculous posts I've seen on the site. C'mon, you're saying Dallas Escobedo is not a pitcher? She might not have had text book mechanics, but I bet every NCAA coach would have wanted Escobedo THROWING for their team.

 

[CoachFP]

When Dallas first got to ASU, she was mostly a thrower....

I have been watching her pitch since she was about 14, all through HS and travel ball, and she relied on her speed and power to get hitters out. She was usually successful at those levels. Once she got to ASU, she needed to learn how to pitch. A buddy of mine who watched her during fall ball in her freshman year noticed her work on movemnet pitches, but also noticed that when she got in trouble, she reverted back to "I'm going to throw it as hard as I can". This mostly worked against a fall ball schedule and part of the non-conference schedule ASU played, but it wasn't going to work against PAC 12 hitters.

Lots of credit to Chuck D'Arcy for teaching her to be a pitcher and not just a thrower.

Oh so she was a thrower, therefore I was right at one point. But her stats are not as good as her freshman year. So when she became a pitcher things weren't as good. I watched her pitch several times this year and she is still a thrower. A thrower can win and a thrower can strike people out. It does not make her a great pitcher because she can throw 67 mph. 2.32 ERA is good not great. Ask FSU.

 

[drc9805]

I'm still saying it's a high heat fastball with no attempt at all to put 6-12 spin on it. Her body and release just don't allow for it IMO. But, heck yes...I would take her pitching for me any day of the week!

 

[JJsqueeze]

I'm still saying it's a high heat fastball with no attempt at all to put 6-12 spin on it. Her body and release just don't allow for it IMO. But, heck yes...I would take her pitching for me any day of the week!

That is hugely disrespectful to the hitters she faced and struck out with it and the coaches ability to prep their teams. What was it 16 Ks against Arizona? So Candrea did not do a good enough job of teaching a group of great hitters to be able to recognize and lay off of a high fastball? Forget the high ones, just watch the arc on her lower pitches because she also threw it for a lot of strikes in the zone on lower riseballs. the results speak for themselves IMO. If you are a known riseball pitcher and throw 16Ks against Arizona, then you are throwing a riseball. It is not like she was that overpowering. She throws fast but it is not like she is throwing 72 consistently, she cruises in the high 60s and that is not enough to strike out those hitters especially since she did not have a drop or a really good offspeed to mix it up. She threw 2 pitches 90% of the time and still killed them.

 

[alabama_lowlife]

If she were any good she'd have been drafted 1st overall.....wait

 

[Softball scholar]

I just pulled this video from model pitchers. Note there's a lot of video of Dallas's riseball. You can see from the mechanics, she's getting under the ball and getting huge backspin. Also looks 6-12 to me. See how she makes the Florida hitter look silly. That ball jumps up. If you see video, I think that answers the question that she throws a riseball.

I think Dallas had a great career. But maybe not as good as I thought it would have been when she was freshman. But still impressive. Maybe some of the hitters learned how to her a little better since that dominant peformance her freshman year.

[/QUOTE]

 

[JJsqueeze]

anyone care to guess how quickly this becomes a does a riseball rise thread?

 

[drc9805]

JJ...you could easily go there but I prefer not to. Although, I will say a lot of girls who get credit for a riseball have no jumping action or actual rise...it's just thrown on a low to high plane. I don't agree with your comments about being able to lay off of it if it was just a high fastball. I would bet money Dallas could throw her rise and then a high fastball right after it and the results would pretty much always be the same but that's just me.

I probably just don't have a trained enough eye to see that she is putting back-spin on the ball and need slow-motion video. I'm not disagreeing at all that she is a phenomenal pitcher either way.

Edited to add: when I say high fastball I'm talking at least eye level so it's going on an upward angle of some degree no matter what.

 

[CoachFP]

That is hugely disrespectful to the hitters she faced and struck out with it and the coaches ability to prep their teams. What was it 16 Ks against Arizona? So Candrea did not do a good enough job of teaching a group of great hitters to be able to recognize and lay off of a high fastball? Forget the high ones, just watch the arc on her lower pitches because she also threw it for a lot of strikes in the zone on lower riseballs. the results speak for themselves IMO. If you are a known riseball pitcher and throw 16Ks against Arizona, then you are throwing a riseball. It is not like she was that overpowering. She throws fast but it is not like she is throwing 72 consistently, she cruises in the high 60s and that is not enough to strike out those hitters especially since she did not have a drop or a really good offspeed to mix it up. She threw 2 pitches 90% of the time and still killed them.

If anyone thinks a coach can teach players to lay off of a riseball or high pitch they are giving them too much credit. Even the great Mike Candrea, who by the way isn't as great as he used to be. When you get above 65 mph and have a quirky motion like Escobedo you will have players not familiar with her, swing at the high heat. She will get her strikeouts just with the speed and motion. Don't give her credit for being a top of the line pitcher although she is very good and her record speaks for itself.

 

[sluggers]

I would bet money Dallas could throw her rise and then a high fastball right after it and the results would pretty much always be the same but that's just me.

Who wants to hold the money for us? Baby needs a new pair of shoes...

I have caught a good riseball before, and it ain't no fastball. If a guy thinks it is, then there is money to be made...