What the heck has happened to Barry Zito?

My thought on this has changed. I thought last year he had trouble living up to the hype and the contract and really thought he would be back to form this year. Wrongo. Somehow, the Oakland System fit him and made him what he was. I really can’t explain it. It rarely happens in baseball. If a guy is a very good player he might have an off year but will spring back. Maybe it was Barry Bonds who somehow screwed him up. All I know is Zito needs to get out of town and get with a decent club to get his form back.

Maybe the $100 million-plus contract got to him. The bar for Zito was set so high that he couldnt mentally meet those expectations. The Giants inflated his stuff and made him look like a HOF-type pitcher, which further affected his state of mind. When he got to the Bay, the pitching coach tweeked Zito signnature wind-up, which reduced some of his velocity. Most pitchers reach their prime at around their late 20s (Zito is 30) but it seems like his days in Oakland were a thing of the past.

Either he had used up his arm when he was with the A’s or he was previously on the ‘roids. He’s never had over powering stuff but he his fastball has slowed down.

He changed his arm slot & release point since receiving the Cy Young award in an attempt to keep ahead of the mlb hitters which, it appears, has made it easier for hitters to pick up the ball rather than harder.

Perhaps Yogi would tell him, “If it ain’t fixed don’t break it!”