"His cut-ride four-seam is delivered from a pretty extreme over-the-top angle, creating a different look for hitters. Only three other lefties in MLB release the ball higher than Thielbar's 56 degrees; interestingly enough, the Dodgers had three pitchers at that same angle ( Clayton Kershaw, Blake Snell, and Jack Dreyer) with one higher ( Alex Vesia, 58 degrees). This wouldn't be terribly interesting on its own, but it takes on a different hue when we compare it to the recent addition of Hoby Milner."
"No southpaw in the game threw from a lower angle last season than Milner's -6 degrees, with Atlanta's Chris Sale coming in next-lowest at 8 degrees. That means the Cubs will have the greatest variation between two lefties' arm angles of any team in baseball next season. If you're not going to target big velo, you have to find an advantage somewhere."
"The concept of leveraging arm angles was popularized by the Rays years ago, and we've seen a lot more attention paid to the nuances of these different release points of late. Tyler Zombro and Tread Athletics have done a very good job of working with pitchers to maximize their repertoires based on angle and pronation/supination tendencies, so I'm willing to bet the team is hoping to better utilize that knowledge moving forward."
The Cubs re-signed veteran lefty Caleb Thielbar to a presumed modest one-year deal despite his pending 39th birthday, relying on consistent pitchability rather than velocity. Thielbar's cut-ride four-seam releases from an extreme over-the-top angle (56 degrees), a release point matched by very few lefties. Hoby Milner's -6 degree release represents the lowest southpaw angle last season, producing the largest arm-angle split between two lefties on any MLB team. The team appears to be emphasizing arm-angle variation as a strategic advantage while still seeking at least one additional high-leverage bullpen arm.
Read at Cubsinsider
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