New York Mets’ R.A Dickey shows command on his knuckleball - MLB News
Improvements shown by R.A Dickey in controlling the knuckleball in an intra-squad match should spell a sigh of relief for the New York Mets, a side undone last season by its inability to produce quality pitches.
The fact Dickey is one of the only players possessing the art of the knuckleball in MLB; he can lift the whole team together with his stunning show in the season.
Mets’ manager Terry Collins believing that the only thing that let Dickey down last season in the Spring camp was his inability to dictate the knuckleball the way he wanted. This obviously reveals the confidence that the management is going to put in him
this season.
It will be no wonder, provided he shows the consistency in upcoming games, he gets a major role in the regular season for the Mets.
Conceding two hits, two walks in two innings without any score and drawing three strike-outs, Dickey can see his confidence lifted for the forthcoming matches. Terry Collins said, “I want to make sure he gets out of this camp with a good feel for it.”
“When he first started out, you could tell it had been a while since he’d been out there,” Collins said. “Later on, his command was very, very good.”
While manager was pleased, Dickey critiqued himself deeper saying though he could generate terrific movements, he had yet to work on his consistency. “I had a lot of good movement, so that was nice to see,” he said. “But I felt a little rusty.”
Even during the play, he displayed his frustration when he threw a few wayward balls at the beginning, which went so wide that even some went without registering on the radar gun at Digital Domain Park.
Along with Dickey, Johan Santana, an ace for the Mets who is coming to the side after recovering from a torn anterior capsule, the club can afford to hope big from their pitchers.
Santana had a gruelling time at the bullpen session, throwing 40 pitches in a run up to a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Showing consistency following a long injury proves the kind of player Dickey is and the level of impact he can wreak on the ultimate
results with the power of his arm.
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