MATT CAPPS

9/3/83; '02 7th; Douglasville, GA (HS)
R/R; 6-2, 220

Level	W-L-Sv	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	K	BB/9	K/9	WHIP	OAVG	ERA
2002 R	1-0-1	7	0	13.0	13	0	6	8	4.2	5.5	1.46	.271	0.69
2003 A+	0-0-0	1	1	5.0	3	0	4	5	7.2	9.0	1.40	.167	5.40
2003 R	5-1-0	10	10	62.2	40	1	9	54	1.3	7.8	0.78	.178	1.87
2004 A	2-3-0	12	8	42.0	82	8	16	27	3.4	5.8	2.33	.400	10.07
2004 A-	3-5-0	11	11	65.0	84	7	4	33	0.6	4.6	1.35	.312	4.85
2005 NL	0-0-0	4	0	4.0	5	0	0	3	0.0	6.8	1.25	.333	4.50
2005 AA	0-2-7	17	0	20.0	21	2	1	26	0.5	11.7	1.10	.250	2.70
2005 A	3-4-14	35	0	53.2	47	0	5	39	0.8	6.5	0.97	.239	2.52
2006 NL	9-1-1	85	0	80.2	81	12	12	56	1.3	6.3	1.15	.266	3.79
2007 NL	4-7-21	76	0	79.0	64	5	16	64	1.8	7.3	1.01	.220	2.28
2008 NL	2-3-21	49	0	53.2	47	5	5	39	0.8	6.5	0.97	.234	3.02
2008 AAA	0-0-0	1	0	1.2	0	0	3	1	16.2	5.4	1.80	.000	0.00
2008 AA	0-0-0	3	0	3.0	0	0	1	5	3.0	15.0	0.33	.000	0.00
2008 R	0-0-0	2	2	2.0	2	0	0	2	0.0	9.0	1.00	.222	0.00
2009 NL	4-8-27	57	0	54.1	73	10	17	46	2.8	7.6	1.66	.324	5.80

Capps was the biggest surprise in the organization in 2005, then became established in the major league bullpen in 2006 and went on to become the closer in 2007. His career had taken a sharp downturn in 2004, but a move to the bullpen started him on an upward trajectory that took him from low A to the majors in one year. In 2006, he recorded the second most appearances ever by a rookie.

Capps pitched and caught in HS, but was drafted strictly as a pitcher. He reportedly was capable of throwing in the mid-90s when he was drafted, but he threw more around 91-93 after being drafted. He was regarded at the time as having good command of four pitches, with his changeup as his best pitch. Capps didn't get in much work in 2002, but had an outstanding season for Bradenton in 2003 and was chosen as the league's 15th best prospect. The Pirates started him at Hickory in 2004 and he was badly overmatched. He allowed almost exactly two hits per IP and got bombed in nearly every outing. When the NY-P season started he was sent down to Williamsport. He showed some improvement, but still pitched poorly overall, getting hit hard and posting a low K rate. The Pirates found that he would throw 93-94 early in a game, but that his velocity would consistently drop to the mid-80s after a few innings. The only good sign was that he walked very few hitters.

Capps started 2005 in the Hickory bullpen and initially the results weren't a lot better. After a while, however, he began improving and missing a lot more bats. He eventually won the closer's job and earned a promotion to Altoona. The Pirates may have rushed him in part due to the need to evaluate him for roster-decision purposes, as he would have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft after the season. He shared the closing duties at Altoona and continued to pitch well, with an amazing K:BB ratio. The Pirates added him to the 40-man roster and he made his major league debut in September.

The move to the bullpen helped Capps increase his velocity; he began throwing fastballs almost exclusively and often hit 93-96. As the numbers throughout his career show, his control is extraordinary. In fact, of his 28 walks in 2006-07, 15 were intentional. A talk with Capps was even credited with helping Mike Gonzalez rein in his own control problems. The downside is that, without a great breaking ball, being around the plate all the time made Capps vulnerable occasionally to the longball—he allowed twelve in 2006 and his opponent's slugging average was high. Of course, it helped enormously that there was never anybody on base on a walk. He had no significant platoon split in 2006.

Capps won the team's confidence quickly in 2006. To Jim Tracy's credit, he began using Capps in close games at an earlier stage than Lloyd McClendon would have done. Capps had an especially good stretch at mid-season, posting a 2.30 ERA in both June and July. He seemed to tire after that, as opposing hitters batted .294 against him in August and he walked four (!!) with only five strikeouts in eleven September innings. His velocity did not drop, though, so it's also possible that hitters started going after his fastball more aggressively and he needed to make some adjustments, such as changing speeds better.

Capps had an even stronger season in 2007, moving from the main setup role to closer at the beginning of June due to Salomon Torres' struggles. Capps had only two blown saves while he was closer, although he blew one lead while he was in the setup role. He made significant progress in several areas, cutting his HRs allowed to five, and cutting his opponents' BA and SLG dramatically. He had much more of a platoon split, as LH batters hit 281/357/386 against him while RH batters managed only a measly 181/202/271. He also became much more of a flyball pitcher, with 0.56 air out to ground out ratio.

The 2008 season brought some changes. Capps' velocity at the beginning of the year was down a lot, mostly around 88-90. He compensated by adding a changeup and throwing more breaking balls. Although his K rate dropped a little, he continued to be effective until a stretch, starting in mid-June, in which he blew four of five save opportunities. He ended up on the DL for seven weeks due to bursitis and a slight misalignment of his shoulder. According to the Pirates, they were fortunate to catch the problem early, as it could have led to a labrum tear. Instead, Capps needed only rest and rehab. He also lost weight during his absence. After returning, he allowed no walks in a dozen outings, and no hits in nine of them. In nine September outings, he threw 75% of his pitches for strikes. His velocity was still down, but on a few occasions he cranked it up to the mid-90s. It's possible the weight gain and/or the shoulder problem contributed to the lost velocity. Capps remained a strong flyball pitcher, with a GO/AO ratio of 0.59 in 2008. He had a reverse platoon split in 2008, which probably just shows that one-year splits don't mean much.

Unfortunately, Capps' 2009 season turned into a disaster, as the numbers show very clearly.  He pitched well in April, but things started coming unraveled in May and he never bounced back.  He had some disturbing blowups, including a blown four-run lead against the Phillies just before the All-Star game.  Lots of theories developed about the cause, but the obvious problem was that his pinpoint command deserted him.  His walk rate remained much better than average, but it was roughly double his career average and he pitched behind in the count far more often than before.  His velocity was not down; in fact, according to FanGraphs, his average fastball velocity of 93.6 was the highest of his career.  (PitchFx gives his average as 93.5, just a hair below 2007 which PitchFx puts at 93.8.)  Capps threw his slider nearly twice as often as previously in 2009 and has said he'll go back to relying more heavily on his fastball in the future.  It won't be with the Pirates, though.  They non-tendered him in a stunning move that appeared to stem from their unhappiness over not being able to reach agreement with him prior to the deadline for offering arbitration.  It was a remarkably foolish move that cost the team their most talented reliever, albeit one who has some doubts attached now, over at most a small amount of salary.


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