Michael Dixon
Reason 4: We haven’t even hit the dog days
Granted, April is generally favorable to the hitters. It often takes a few outings for pitchers to sharpen their stuff. But it’s also a little chillier around the league than it will be in June, July, and August. Also, while pitchers may not be completely sharp, they’re all fresh. In the summer months, that’s not the case.
What happens when the weather gets warmer?
First of all, the ball carries better. Naturally, that’s important when we’re talking about home runs.
But the warm weather also has adverse effects on pitchers, who get tired. Tired pitchers tend to leave their pitches up. Pitches left up go a long way. Thames hasn’t even begun to enjoy the benefits of that. He’s yet to see a pitcher being stretched out for a few extra innings as a way to save the rest of the bullpen.
So, if you think that Thames’ pace is simply a hot start and not really sustainable, that’s fine. But you have to remember that several external circumstances indicate the best may be yet to come.
