Driveline Mechanics: FanPosts

Analysis Request: Rich Harden

2009-01-04T09:01:07Z

I know you're a busy man with priorities, but I think it'd be quite interesting if you took a look at the enigma that is Rich Harden. I checked in the archives but didn't find anything, if I'm wrong I apologize and will delete this so as not to clutter up the site.

But honestly, it's hard to think of a pitcher with more dominant stuff than Rich Harden. It's about as nasty as it gets. As an A's fan, I sat around and waited for him to reach his potential. And while he showed that he was more than capable of pitching his best, it basically broke my heart every time I got those four starts and then it was taken away from me again. Why has he had so many arm problems?

I always enjoyed watching the guy pitch. I remember reading articles this year about how he elimited the slider and splitter from his arsenal, throwing ONLY a fastball and changeup. How many starters can be that good with only two pitches? Then he was traded to the Cubs, and the announcers never stopped talking about how nasty his cutter and splitter and slider were, because his fastball/changeup combo was just that nasty.

Anyways, I'm rambling now. Just wondering if you can do anything. Why is his stuff so good but his health so poor? Anythign you can do to help would be amazing. Thanks.

Request: King Felix Hernandez

2009-01-03T09:37:31Z

Hey guys. I just stumbled across this site and am finding it very interesting.

I would be very interested in seeing a mechanical breakdown of Seattle Mariners RHSP Felix Hernandez. I've heard mixed things about his mechanics, but haven't seen anything very detailed. SB Nation blog Lookout Landing does Pitch F/X, so I would definitely be hoping for something on whether or not he might be an injury risk, something similar to the Brandon Morrow piece you did in September.

Is King Felix an injury risk? My gut tells me yes, but I have no idea and would love some clarification.

Thank you in advance.

Also, is there any reading you would recommend for getting a foundation in pitching/hitting mechanics?

Request: Chad Bradford

2008-12-30T01:22:42Z

Hi Guys, great site, I love the pitching motion breakdowns.

Bradford may seem an odd choice due to the mediocrity, but as a former submariner (I basically imitated Todd Frohwirth) I would love to see an analysis of a classic sidearm/sub delivery, and Bradford gets lower than any active pitcher I can think of in the majors. Just thought it would be a nice change of pace to dissect one of the more unorthodox deliveries. To me, the crazy deliveries are one of the quirks that makes baseball so interesting. I wonder why the delivery never caught on as anything more than a relief role.

New Request(s)

2008-12-25T20:07:12Z

There's a lot of talk over who has the best rotation in the AL East, and a lot of this has to do with whose rotation stays the healthiest. So if you could do a series of: Chamberlain, Hughes, Wang, Burnett, Sabathia, Pettitte? (though I assume his are pretty good given that he's logged 2800 innings, so scratch that), Beckett, Matsuzaka, Buchholz, Kazmir, James, Price, and Sonnanstine; it would be much appreciated. Or if this has been already done and I am too stupid/lazy to find it a link would be greatly appreciated. Keep up the great work.

Analysis Request - Francisco Liriano

2008-12-24T03:23:31Z

Love the site and I was interested what you thought of Francisco Liriano. He's always been considered an injury risk and then an injury happened. Did he improve his mechanics last season after recovering from TJ? Or is he still a possible injury risk?

I did notice that his velocity on his fastball and slider were about 4mph less than 2006. But that probably isn't uncommon after having TJ surgery. I am looking forward to Liriano's season, but am a little nervous about him long-term.

Thanks,

Kirk

Request: Aaron Cook

2008-12-23T21:14:35Z

Repost of my request in the comments. I am interested to hear more about how you think his mechanics may have led to/contributed to his blood clotting problems, etc.

If possible I wouldn't mind seeing Neftali Feliz and Jhoulys Chacin. I don't want to get too greedy though - so maybe I'll post separate requests down the road.

Also - just want to say keep up the good work, really have enjoyed stumbling across the blog.

New Request: Jess Todd

2008-12-21T23:35:18Z

Jess Todd was a 2nd round pick in the 2007 draft, and pitched pretty well over three levels this year in the Cardinals system. A+, AA, and AAA. He also made the Futures Game. Looking at him, he doesn't quite look like a typical starting pitcher, but his success as a starter is tough to ignore. Can you take a look at him?

Thanks!

FILLER

Request: Jon Lester

2008-12-16T01:53:10Z

Hi, I would love it if you could do an analysis of 24 year old LHP Jon Lester, his mechanics and stuff. To my untrained eye, he seems to have an especially nice, easy delivery, and I recall reading scouts raving about his smooth and effortless mechanics and great arm action since he was a prospect. What say you? Are they really that good? Also, his mechanics are actually a little different this year than they have been in the past, as the pitching coach John Farrell had him eliminate putting his hands over his head in his windup, to simplify his delivery. It seemed to help him improve his command this year.
We all know about his illness and we know now he was pitching with diminished stuff for a while because of it. It may have affected his command as well. This year, his stuff was all the way back, probably better than ever. The velocity increased on all his pitches steadily throughout the year, because he added about 20 pounds to his frame. By the end of the year he was showing a 93-96 mph 4 seam fastball, as well as a sinking fastball (newly added pitch this year, actually a one-seamer), cutter, curveball, and occasional changeup. According to Fangraphs he throws his cutter at the second hardest velocity (88.4) of starters who throw that pitch more than 10% of the time.
I am curious to see what you think of his changeup, as he used it very little this year, but has been described as a good pitch in the past by scouts. I was wondering if you think if it could have the potential to be more with more consistency, or if it's a show-me pitch. It seemed like a pretty decent changeup to me, when it was on, but he just didn't seem to have much confidence in throwing it.
The Red Sox decided to take the calculated risk of having him increase his workload from his previous high by an additional 70 innings this year because they felt he was especially durable, citing his size and sound mechanics.

Do you think he has a good chance to enjoy a long and healthy career?

I am a newbie to this site, but I have found it very fascinating so far, and look forward to learning more about this essential but slightly mysterious facet of the game. Thanksalot!

Request: Jair Jurrjens

2008-12-15T23:06:45Z

Glad to see updates on the blog. There's not a lot of sites that analyze pitching mechanics, and this blog along with Chris O'Leary's sites are my two favorites.

I was wondering if you could do a write up on Jair Jurrjens. I found Baseball Intellect's analysis and I don't think it was very in depth or clear. They say he picks up the ball with the elbow, but I just don't see it. Their explanation of it is pretty poor, so I'll go by Chris O'Leary's explanation where he basically tears apart their explanation(under the heading "Should The Elbow Pick Up The Ball?"):

A better definition of the elbow picking up the ball is that the elbow stays above the level of the hand and the ball until just before the shoulders start to rotate as you see in the arm action of BJ Ryan (who has arm problems as a result of his arm action).

I don't really see it in Jurrjen's arm action so I was wondering what you thought. Probably would help to have a better video than their .gif as well.

Need Reading Suggestions

2008-12-15T22:02:20Z

Trying to learn more about sabermetrics...

I'm going to be at the in-laws for the next 10 days and could use a book to read to help pass the time. Obviously, I could pick up a James Handbook. I'm worried that starting with a Handbook, it would be like wanting to take guitar lessons and starting with a Jimi Hendrix solo.

Can anyone recommend a few good titles to help me get started, or should I just dive right in?

Thanks for your help.

Jake Peavy

2008-12-15T16:34:14Z

So I've been reading all of these Jake Peavy rumors for weeks now and it seems no SD fans are willing to acknowledge that Peavy may have a problem. As a Braves fan, I was wondering if you could take a look at his mechanics and see what you think the future holds for his elbow.

I found this by Chris O'Leary and was curious if you came to the same conclusions or not. If you can't find good video or have to much on your plate already, I understand. Thank you in advance, I appreciate it.

Request: Ervin Santana

2008-12-15T06:17:27Z

Being a Halos fan since a was a wee one Ive always had quite the interest in young power pitchers like Santana. I just discovered this site a few days ago and I immediately read everything in the archives, its addictive baseball talk. I approve of any place that increase the haze of baseball immersion.

His mechanics to my untrained eye seem fluid and not too bad, maybe on the good side, but I would like a more trained opinion on his potential to stay healthy.

Thanks =)

Analysis request: Ramon Ramirez (Reds)

2008-12-12T21:01:49Z

Nice post on why Bailey was not dominant, I'm a big reds fan. I'd like to see a post on Reds rookie Ramon Ramirez, who was considered maybe a bullpen filler prospect at the start of the year, but had an absolutely dominant second half at both AAA and as a reds starter.The announcers say he has an incredible change up, but pfx shows the average break is a lot smaller then the average changeup. Just a tip, for this if you do it, or any other prospect that you analize: MILB.TV archives are free over this winter.

Analysis Request: Homer Bailey

2008-12-10T16:55:41Z

Homer Bailey has been truely puzeling over the last two years. In 2006 the scouting reports claimed his fastball reached 98 MPH and he consistantly threw between 94-96 but at the big league level he is only throwing in the low 90s. I don't have the statistics on where his fastball actually sat in the minors, but there is no reason to believe that the reports that his fastball sat in the mid 90's was a lie. Also there are no statistics to back this up but I don't ever remember seeing his fastball go above 96, when it was claimed he could throw 97 to 98. I know a pitcher who throws in the mid 90s is a hard thrower, but a starting pitcher who can run it up to 97 or 98 when he is in trouble is in an elite class of pitchers.

There have been a number of reasons given as to why Bailey is strugling. The Reds pitching coach Dick Pole made the claim that he wasn't keeping his weight behind him or something to that effect. Acording to Doug Dirt of Redsminorleagues the Reds have been tinkering with his mechanics, and he has also made the claim that the organization did not allow him to throw his 4 seem fastball last season. Plus he has had a plethera of minor leg injuries. Many of his MLB starts in 2007 occured after he hurt his groin in a start against Philley. He also had a minor knee injury in 2008.

I am completely blind when I'm watching a pitchers mechanics. Unless it is some crazy Ben Webber type motion I normally can't tell good mechanics from bad mechanics. So my question is, A was there a significant change in Bailey's mechanics between 2006 and 2007, and B was there a good reason to change his mechanics, was he heading towards an injury with his old mechanics (if in fact there really was a major change)?

Analysis request: Kyle Gibson

2008-12-08T07:57:13Z

I know you're pretty high on Gibson's mechanics, but I'd be interested in seeing a detailed post about it. I've seen Gibson pitch a few times here at Mizzou and really like what I saw just in terms of his stuff, but I'm curious to see what you have to say about his mechanics.

I don't have any video of him, but I'm pretty sure there's some out there. I haven't seen an in-depth scouting report of Gibson since Saber Scouting did one last March, and I'm curious to see where you think Gibson stands heading into his senior year here in Columbia.

Baseball-Fever Post

2008-12-03T01:09:15Z

Kyle,

Someone posted the following at Baseball Fever. What is your response to this? Thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kylebee If you're going to use anecdotal evidence, why is it that I can do everything you can do, but I don't use Marshall's techniques?

This is a clear misrepresentation of the truth.

From DrivelineMechanics.com, mister Boddy's website, in the section named Training:

1. "The exercises we perform are Dr. Marshall's ballistic training methods, which are detailed very thoroughly at his site."

2. "Our first offseason workout consisted of simply getting acquainted with the training tools that we use: A pair of 10 lb. wrist weights A 2 lb. iron ball"

3. "I do not use iron balls over 2 pounds for physiological reasons; my research and discussions with various experts in biomechanics and exercise science have led me to believe that anything heavier is simply not beneficial and can indeed be detrimental."

I could go on with more quotes but it basically comes down to this. What this man says is not the truth.

1. He does not do everything that Hargrave can do. He uses 10lb wrist weights while Hargrave stated he uses 25 lb. Hargrave uses a 12lb lead ball while Mr. Boddy only uses a 2lb ball. This is not enough weight to create a physiological adjustment.

2. He states he does not use Marshall's techniques. Yet he clearly states that he does the wrist weight exercises straight from Dr. Mike Marshall. He also states on his website that he "gets his arm up to driveline height", does iron ball exercises, and uses the "drop step" in order to "stick the pitching arm shoulder" into the target and drive his arm in a straight line. He also says he throws the Maxline fastball and Maxline Pronation Curveball, two pitches that come Dr. Mike Marshall.

So Mr. Boddy, which is it?

Analysis Request

2008-11-19T06:28:00Z

Hey Kyle,

I really enjoy the work you do on the site! I was wondering if I could see breakdowns on any or all of the following guys:

Felix Hernandez, Ubaldo Jimenez, Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez.

I'm sure you are busy so any of those would be awesome, thanks!

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Background

2008-11-14T18:31:46Z

Just curious kyle, what sort of background do you have in baseball? Were you a player in anything but men's league? I see you are a student of the game, but aren't we all! Did you play in college or Pro? You and i would disagree on many of the topics you give help on mechanically. I played in college, but didn't make it pro, so i feel like i have a pretty good background.

Analysis request: Junichi Tazawa

2008-11-01T03:04:41Z

It looks like one of the biggest names out of Japan this year is going to be Junichi Tazawa, a 22-year old that is trying to bypass Japanese pro ball to jump straight to the U.S. as a free agent. He has very projectable stuff: good fastball with excellent location, and has an assortment of workable breaking pitches.

However, I've got some concerns about his mechanics, and thought I'd take the opportunity to make my first post at Driveline Mechanics. Long time listener, first time caller ... as they say.

So, I'd love to read some expert analysis of Tazawa's mechanics. Thank you. In case the vid doesn't embed below. Here is the the url ...

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=sxRKY_Xg5tQ

Is it bad...

2008-10-20T04:44:34Z

If I decide to change my mechanics?

I've been throwing in the 3/4 arm slot for a while with mild sucess but I've been throwing at a higher arm slot lately and my pitching motion is more fluid and my velocity has jumped a little but are there any repercussion of me doing that? Then is it better to work out of the stretch or wind up I've been mainly pitching out of the wind up (my wind up is kinda like Tim Lincecum's) and if I switch to the stretch will I be horribly messed up? Then I have a FB/CU/SLU/CUT pitch mix people say a slurve is just a bad slider so should I drop it? Thoughts anybody? (I origanlly posted this on LL and the redirected me to here.)