IRVINE, Calif. – Dan Haren sits back in his office chair and opens a program on his computer. On the screen is an image of a hitter. Next to him are hot zones and cold zones accompanied by dropdown menus and situational stats. Haren toggles through them quickly. He is in his element.
He’s looking for an area of the strike zone where a Diamondbacks pitcher can throw a fastball to a particular hitter. He’s having no luck.
“This is ridiculous,” he said, asking that the names of the hitter and pitcher not be revealed. “Most hitters are not like this.