Pitching Mechanics: Jeff Niemann

by Kyle Boddy on Feb 25, 2009 10:52 AM PST in Pitching Mechanics Comment 4 comments

Jeff Niemann

#34 / Pitcher / Tampa Bay Rays

Height: 6-9

Weight: 280

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Feb 28, 1983

Ah yes, the long-awaited post that I promised three weeks ago.

Here's the clip in question:

Trip Somers (NoNameOnCard) of TexasLeaguers.com said:

-Very late pick up and forearm turnover.
-Gets his elbow up extremely late.
-Arm drag (or flying open)
-Slow and deliberate motion

I agree with all of his points. Here's my point-by-point analysis:

Tempo: Incomplete. This GIF is too short to determine frames from maximal leg lift to footplant.

Arm Action: As Trip said, he has very late timing as his shoulders turn and has a "late forearm turnover," which is Dr. Marshall's phrase that indicates the arm is violently laying back in external rotation during the "arm cocking" phase (per ASMI). It's no surprise that Niemann has had arthroscopic elbow surgery.

Ball Release: Pretty good. Niemann has his glove arm up and does not inhibit torso rotation as he releases the ball.

Followthrough: Also, quite good. The glove arm finishes at the shoulder, there is no evidence of recoil / active braking of the pitching arm, and he rotates his torso.

Niemann's arm action is troublesome, and when you combine it with the overuse that Rice pitchers go through, it's no wonder that he's battled injuries throughout his career. I'd expect more of the same, sadly - I predict that he'll require Tommy John surgery if he continues to pitch professionally without making changes to his arm action.

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Comments

Rice pitchers

I know everyone (and their dog) likes to hate on Rice pitchers, but Coach Graham has drastically reduced his overuse patterns over the last few years. So while Niemann was certainly there during the time period where Graham was arguably letting his starters throw too many pitches, recent history (per Boyd’s World) doesn’t support the proposition that Rice pitchers take too much abuse any more.

by mymrbig on Feb 27, 2009 9:21 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Those mechanics just look incredibly ugly.

On the other hand, it seems like he is headed to the bullpen where he’s less likely to burn out quickly.

Space.

It's a problem we face.

So we never go anywhere.

We just stay in one place.

by hazel on Feb 28, 2009 7:18 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Interesting post. Thank you.

As a Mariners fan, I’d be interested to see some analysis of the top college and high school arms that have a chance at going #2 (especially White, Matzek, and Oliver). Is there a chance we can get some analysis on these arms as the college season gets underway?

by lailaihei on Mar 1, 2009 4:12 PM PST reply actions 0 recs