Driveline Mechanics: FanPosts

SB Nation Survey + Chance to donate $500 to a charity of this community's choice

2010-03-20T00:47:55Z

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Pitching Mechanics Retrospective

2010-02-04T18:56:59Z

Greetings, first of all, I'm new to the site and just wanted to say you guys are doing a great job. I recently watched the Ken Burns Baseball documentary and was wondering if you guys (or anyone) has attempted a pitching mechanics retrospective on pitchers who played during the film era. I know it is problematic in that you will know what happens in the end, but I think it would be interesting to see what you have to say about pitchers like Gibson or Koufax. Like if any of them were able to have long careers even with mechanical problems, or if a pitcher who looked like they had great mechanics but ended up having a career-ending/shortening injury.

Why the Blue Jays are a pitching mechanics train wreck.

2010-01-17T00:38:33Z

A Follow up to This Call-out on the abnormally high amount of defective mechanics in the Blue Jays organization and why I think that is so. I'll just bother with the ones currently in the system, relevance and all. For each pitcher there will be stills that shows their evident timing problem, and major mechanical flaw if there is one. All of these are interpreted on a basis of injury likelihood/prevention.

Dustin Mcgowan:

via cache.daylife.com

via farm2.static.flickr.com

(He also exhibits some hyperabduction)

Shaun Marcum:

via www.chrisoleary.com

Or I could just point everyone here, he does a great job explaining it all.

Kyle Drabek:

via img.fannation.com

via i180.photobucket.com

(might be the beginnings of an inverted L here)

Brandon Morrow:

via farm1.static.flickr.com

via a.espncdn.com

Scott Richmond:

via media.metronews.topscms.com

via i180.photobucket.com

Brad Mills:

via farm3.static.flickr.com

Robert Ray:

via cdn2.sbnation.com

via i180.photobucket.com

Marc Rzepczynski:

via farm3.static.flickr.com

via cache.daylife.com

(Shows ball to CF noticeably)

Chad Jenkins:

via stat001.ameba.jp

(all i could find, his shoulders have began to rotate before this was taken)

Obviously some are more of a concern than others, particularly the ones without a major flaw just need to be a little faster getting their arm up and their problem is fixed. But that's what worries me. The Blue Jays coaches didn't notice these problems before, and they are not likely to suddenly notice these flaws now or make any attempt at correcting them.

Brandon League's unusual arm action

2010-01-12T07:57:55Z

Many of you probably know about the 'Brandon squared' trade, with Toronto and Seattle trading their respective Brandon's (Morrow is the other one) for each other (and a pseudo-PTBNL who ends up being the A-ball Triple crown winner heading to Seattle).

via farm1.static.flickr.com

Clearly, the latter is not someone you would want your child prodigy to emulate, but moving on here. What I really want to bring up is how unique Brandon 'major' League's arm action is.

via farm4.static.flickr.com

via farm3.static.flickr.com

It starts out routine enough, his arm drops down while he strides laterally towards home plate, so far anyone would like what they see...

via farm4.static.flickr.com

This just says it all. We are talking about massive hyperabduction here, no one else's arm even gets close to this. Conventional knowledge would probably be calling him out for major shoulder problems ahead on this alone.

via farm3.static.flickr.com

Hyperabduction of this magnitude is not unique at this point of the delivery, but every other pitcher who does get their elbow up this high is always in the 'inverted W' or 'inverted V' position. These photos clearly demonstrate that League never gets into this position. Not surprisingly, the lack of an inverted W is what keeps his timing mostly decent, which is probably why his injury history consists of "bear mode arms" that killed his velocity in 2007 and not much else.

via farm4.static.flickr.com

The hyperabduction is still present, and there is a subtle timing problem, which worries me about his future shoulder health. As for his elbow, there is not much to worry about. His primary pitches are a 94-98 mph sinking fastball with ridiculous movement and a splitter/change hybrid that drops like a curveball, which consists of 95% of what he throws. Even with a sidearm release point, this screams hard pronation through the release, which should keep his UCL in good shape.

via cdn.bleacherreport.com

It would be really interesting to see how well he holds up. His high 90's sinker looks very easy and natural, and with talks about him potentially getting some starts with the Mariners in 2010, it's now or never. It's one of the oddest arm actions of a conventional pitcher I have ever seen, but it works for him, and it works very well.

via the.honoluluadvertiser.com

(More swan-arm madness)!

I conclude with a video of League striking out the heart of the Yankees in order. I put emphasis on the backdoor 98 MPH sinker that breaks a foot to catch Teixeira looking.

Summary: Aroldis Chapman's mechanics.

2010-01-08T06:38:11Z

Given the extreme hype over the ex-cuban defector and his 100 MPH fastball, it somewhat stuns me that very few have taken a look at his mechanics (AFAIK). I won't be able to go into every aspect of his delivery, so this will have to do.

via www.everyjoe.com

via bloggingaboutbaseball.files.wordpress.com

via a.espncdn.com

via espndeportes-assets.espn.go.com

via i2.cdn.turner.com

via proventures.files.wordpress.com

via www.sitv.com

via www.trabajadores.cu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3acJkwmRP0
(2-plane curveball oooooooh)

Here is what you can notice immediately:

-The 'squat' in his delivery.

-The long stride.

-Is relatively quick to the plate.

-He reverse rotates the torso significantly.

-He scap loads with the shoulders always below the parallel of the shoulders.

-He makes the 'inverted L'...

-But does not have a timing problem! (If he has one it's very subtle and almost unnoticeable)

-Has excellent hip-shoulder separation.

-No glove-side flyout.

-Does not lock the glove-side knee on release.

-Does not appear to pronate through the release.

-Has a 3/4 arm slot, overhand for his curveball.

I like how he is still able to get his arm into the vertical position in time to deliver the ball, which will significantly reduce the stress on his elbow and shoulder. The reverse rotation will likely set him up for the occasional oblique strain (think Roy Oswalt), but this would in fact be a good thing, because it would be a result of using the core muscles to powerfully rotate the upper body; in other words using the entire body to throw the ball. Combine it with the prototypical tall-lanky pitcher's body, it's no surprise he can throw this hard.

One thing that worries me is the repeatability of his delivery. The very nature of the extreme 'drop and drive' style mechanics require a near perfect balance point and footstrike on every pitch, otherwise controlling the ball will be almost impossible. We witnessed Tim Lincecum struggle in his first 2 starts of 2009 for this very reason, and Chapman clearly has this problem if anyone watches the WBC footage. In addition, because of the inclusion of the inverted L, Chapman will always walk a fine line when it comes to his timing, and he could easily gain a timing problem at a later point in his career. Still, i'd sooner take him over someone like Stephen Strasburg in that respect.

If someone could delve into how well he decelerates the arm and his followthrough, it would be appreciated.

The Blue Jays: A trainwreck of pitching mechanics.

2010-01-02T08:26:01Z

This list will make any long-time Blue Jays fan cry inside:

Dustin Mcgowan
Shaun Marcum
AJ Burnett
Kyle Drabek
Brandon Morrow
Scott Richmond
Brad Mills
Robert Ray
Josh Towers
Marc Rzepczynski
Chad Jenkins

Because all of these pitchers have very noticeable timing problems in their deliveries, and they all ended up with the Jays at some point in their career. Inverted W, Inverted L, or picking the ball up with their elbow, each of these pitchers has at least one. With Halladay gone, Ricky Romero is now the only pitchers left as a candidate for the Jays rotation without a timing problem, and even he makes me nervous. None of these pitcher's arms are close to 90 degrees at the point of footplant/shoulder rotation, and are all far more likely to sustain serious arm and shoulder injuries (and for some, are more likely to get injured again). It really makes you question what the Jays scouts are looking for in pitcher's mechanics, because this is more than just coincidence; nearly all of their high draft picks and many players from major trades are on this list.

Re: Analysis of Justin Duchscherer's pitching mechanics.

2010-01-01T04:21:15Z

I had already browsed through this site anonymously, enjoying the great analysis' that Kyle Boddy and others were pouring out, but upon reading the analysis of Justin Duchscherer I felt compelled to sign up.

Kyle, your opinion on what makes good pitching mechanics is very sound; I agree with most of what you say (I won't comment on your stance on hyperabduction), but I feel I must correct you on the Duke. You said that his arm action was perfect, with his pitching side arm being vertical at the point where the shoulders began to turn (IOW footplant), but this is not the case. A quick google image search brought up these two images, and it is clear that his arm is noticeably late.

via sportsdoinggood.files.wordpress.com

via cdn.bleacherreport.com

As you can clearly see in the first image, at the point of footplant Duchscherer's pitching arm is completely horizontal, which is far from the ideal position of vertical. In addition, the second image shows that Duke's arm is still not completely vertical, even though the shoulders have already started to rotate. I was able to notice this in the GIF that was present in your analysis as well; it seems as though you simply misinterpreted the exact point during which footplant/rotation occurs.

His timing does appear to be better in a few instances, but they are vastly outnumbered by the bad ones.

via www.hardballtimes.com

I don't know if this was already addressed in the time between the article and now, but numerous searches turned up nothing on this site. Don't change what you're doing man, it's really good, but everyone makes mistakes.

Complete Hitting

2009-11-29T07:57:09Z

http://www.youtube.com/user/ProGripBaseball#p/u/12/jooCrnW3cVQ

Complete Hitting:

Complete Hitting is the idea that as a hitter, you are able to accomplish everything that is asked of you at the plate. A complete hitter must be able to not only pull the inside pitch but let balls on the outer half get deep in the zone to drive to the opposite field. A complete hitter must have the ability to hit balls in every zone so there are no holes in the swing. A complete hitter must be able to hit both fastballs as well as off speed pitches by having a balanced approach at the plate. A complete hitter must be able to hit behind the runner and execute on a hit and run when the situation calls for it. A complete hitter must be able to bunt the ball successfully when called upon and know where the ball should be placed. A complete hitter must be able to drive in runners from scoring position and always know what their job is. Finally, a complete hitter has to understand the mental aspects of hitting and how to use the information the opposing pitcher provides to create a better opportunity for success. Remember, even hall of famers fail 7 out of 10 times they walk up to the plate. To become a complete hitter you must dedicate yourself to working on aspects of hitting each and every day. It doesn’t matter how good you are now or what level of baseball you are playing, you can always become a better hitter by putting time into the specifics. In baseball natural ability can only take you so far and there are so many things asked of us as hitters, it takes this kind of dedication to truly be good. Becoming a complete hitter is what every player should strive towards and aspire to be!

1. 9 zones 9 swings: When we break down the strike zone into sections, there are nine zones that pitchers work on throwing to and all of these are strikes. The zones are

Up In	Up Middle	Up Away
Middle In	Middle Middle	Middle Away
Low In	Low Middle	Low Away

Each one of these zones has a specific swing that is slightly different from the others. It is absolutely necessary to work on hitting to all nine zones in practice with Dry Swings, Tee Work and Soft toss to become a complete hitter. If you don’t work on hitting to these zones in practice, you WILL NOT be able to do it come game time.

a. The Inner Third: When making contact with pitches on the inner half the barrel is connecting with the ball out in front of the body angled towards the pull side. The knob of the bat must lead the hands toward the ball and stay in between the hitter’s body and the baseball thus giving us the phrase "hands inside the ball" which I’m sure many of you have heard. After contact the hands must also be extended through the baseball to the pull side, this will provide for the most amount of distance on the ball. When attacking a pitch low and in the swing is more drastically "down to" and "up through" the ball than a pitch up and in. The reason for swinging "down to" the ball and "up through" the ball is because of the angle of the pitch and what we are trying to accomplish as a hitter. We want to generate backspin on the ball so it will carry through the air, but we want to hit solid line drives as well. The pitcher on the mound is throwing on a downward angle towards home plate, so if we swing down to the baseball because our hands and bat are starting above the strike zone, then connect with the middle to bottom third of the baseball and swing up through it, the result is a line drive with backward rotation providing for a longer flight path and carry. On the pitch middle in we are still "down to" and "up through" the ball but not as drastically as the low pitch. On the pitch up in the strike zone the swing is more level but still "down to" and "up through" the baseball. On the high pitch the hitter must still concentrate on hitting the middle to bottom third of the ball as this provides for the best possible flight path.

b. The Middle Third: When attacking a pitch down the middle the hitter must let the ball get slightly deeper in the zone to drive it up the middle. Ideally we want contact with the ball to occur in the region even with our front side to slightly out in front of our body. The same principles of "down to" the ball and "up through" the ball apply here but after contact with the ball on pitches down the middle, the hands must extend through the baseball towards center field.

c. The Outer Third: When attacking a pitch on the outer third of the plate, a hitter must let the ball get deep in the zone in relation to the body and drive the ball off of their back leg to the opposite field. If a hitter makes contact with a ball on the outer third out in front of the body, the hitter loses power because of an inability to extend through the baseball to the opposite field. The end result of making contact with a pitch on the outer third in front of the body is called "rolling over" which causes either a weak fly ball or a slow ground ball to the pull side Again, the same principles of "down to" the ball and "up through" the ball are applied with pitches on the outer third.

So as you can see each zone has a slightly different variation of the swing. We must make contact with these pitches at those points to achieve the full potential of the swing. Making contact at these points enables a hitter to extend through the baseball properly getting the most distance and drive out of the swing. I discuss this further and show you exactly what I am talking about in my DVD called COMPLETE HITTING. COMPLETE HITTING is available for purchase on our website. There are also clips available on the website that illustrate the positions and points of the swing I have been explaining.

2. Situational Hitting: Situational hitting is important to becoming a Complete Hitter and there are many situations in baseball where executing properly can be the difference in the ball game. Examples of situational hitting are Hit & Runs, Bunts, Hitting behind runners and driving a fly ball to the outfield with a man on third and less than two outs. Learning how to execute these techniques and what situations to use them in is important to you becoming the best hitter you can be.

a. Inside out Swing: The inside out swing is another great tool to have in your repertoire as a hitter. Major leaguers like Derek Jeter and Placido Polanco do this better than anyone in the game. The inside out swing is the ability to keep your hands drastically inside the ball and hit a pitch on the inner half to the opposite field. There are many situations where this is useful including hit and runs and when it is necessary to hit behind a runner to move them over. This is a very difficult swing to master and it takes lots of practice to get good, but learning this technique is important to becoming a complete hitter. Knowing how to do this properly will up your value as a player and make you more important to your team.

b. Hit & Run: The hit & run is something that most coaches love to use, but often can’t because their players aren’t able to accomplish the task. A hit and run puts pressure on the defense by having the runner on 1st base steal causing the middle infielder on the opposite side of the hitter to cover 2nd base leaving a hole so big you could drive a truck

through it. This hitter’s job is to hit the ball on the ground to the opposite field through the hole opened up by the middle infielder covering the bag. This enables the runner to go from 1st base to 3rd base successfully leaving a 1st and third situation for the next

hitter. The ideal counts to call a hit & run are 2-0, 2-1, 3-1 because these are traditionally fastball counts where the pitcher is looking to throw a strike. If executed properly the hit & run is an unbelievably valuable tool to have in your arsenal. On a hit & run there are two places the hitter can NEVER hit the ball, up the middle and in the air. If the ball is hit up the middle then the middle infielder can turn an easy double play because he was covering the bag and if the ball is hit in the air, the runner who stole is left hung out to dry and gets doubled up back at 1st. To execute with consistency players

must work on hitting the ball on the ground to the opposite field. During BP at every practice, every hitter should step to the plate with a plan and a portion of that plan should be hitting the ball on the ground to the opposite field. This will give you as a coach the flexibility to call on any player in a hit and run situation as well as give the players the confidence and ability to execute when it is asked of them during the game.

c. Hitting Behind Runners: Hitting behind runners is another important aspect of the game of baseball and essential to playing winning baseball. There are times that every hitter should be able to move a runner over without bunting by hitting behind the runner. This is something that should also be worked on in practice but generally the problem here lies with players not knowing or understanding when they should be doing this. Hitting behind a runner is not something a 3rd base coach will have in his repertoire of

signs so the hitter must know and understand when he should be looking to execute this. Another important aspect of this is a hitter’s pitch selection. In this situation the hitter should be looking to let a ball on the outer half of the plate get really deep in the zone. Many hitters don’t understand how to execute in these situations so coaching them in these finer points is necessary for them to become better baseball players and for your team to win more games.

d. Runner on 3rd with less that 2: Often times with a runner on third base and less than

two outs, hitters do not execute getting the run in. The easiest way to score that run from third is by hitting a fly ball to the outfield, having the runner from third tag up and trading the out for the run. Often times in these situations hitters are not only too anxious but have terrible pitch selection at the plate. If asked what they are looking for in these situations, most youth athletes will tell you a fastball. Even if that fastball is right down the pipe and you crush it, you may end up hitting it right at an infielder resulting in an out with that runner still sitting on 3rd. In these situations, ideally as a hitter we want to look for a

ball up in the zone that is easily driven to the outfield. This will give the team a better opportunity at scoring more runs, resulting in more wins. This will also result in each individual player on the team with higher RBI totals over the course of their careers and the confidence that given the opportunity they know how to drive in runs. Hitters should work on this situation at practice as part of their everyday routine during BP.

e. Bunting: Bunting is something that every hitter should be able to do but so many can’t. As a coach this drives me insane because it is so often overlooked but yet such an important aspect of the game. Bunting is not difficult but like anything else, it must be worked on to achieve consistency. Many hitters have terrible form when it comes to bunting and it is attention to detail that enables the execution. When bunting, the bat should always be angled upwards at a 45 angle. This will help the ball to have a downward trajectory and prevent it from popping up in the air. The arms should be extended but not locked with the top hand thumb and pointer fingers pinched together resting behind the bat to prevent injury and provide give. The bat should also be out in front of our bodies to give the ball a better chance at staying fair. When bunting the handle of the bat should control the direction. When bunting down the third base line the bat head should be angled outward to push the ball in that direction and the handle should be pulled inward towards the body. When bunting down the first base line the handle of the bat should be pushed outward angling the barrel towards first base.

E1. Sacrifice: Often times players forget what their job is in sac situations even though it is self explanatory. Your job is to SACRIFICE yourself so the runner can get into scoring position. This means that it doesn’t matter how early the bunt is shown, especially due to the fact that most of the time everyone in the park knows the bunt is on. The most important thing to do is EXECUTE and get the bunt down properly. Show early and make sure you get into a solid bunting position with a properly angled bat and in a quality bunting stance. This will allow the hitter to focus on the task at hand and the path of the ball. There is absolutely no excuse for not being able to get a bunt down and it can be the difference in the game. Work on it in practice and get good because the older a player gets, the less tolerant a coach becomes with the inability to execute in key situations.

E2. Push Bunt: The push bunt is a fantastic tool to have in your game and it can enable a slow runner to bunt for a base hit. The placement of a push bunt is key and good timing is important as well. The push bunt should be placed past the pitcher between the 1st and 2nd baseman in a territory referred to as no man’s

land because there is no player in range to make the play. The hitter should get into position to bunt when the pitcher gets to his load position and keep his arms in close to his body. As the ball is coming towards the plate you extend your arms into the ball and step towards first base pushing the ball into that hole we previously discussed. When properly executed, regardless of speed, anyone can beat this ball out to 1st.

E3. Squeeze: The squeeze bunt is one of the most important reasons that every player should know how to bunt. A squeeze play can be extremely effective if used in the right situations but often there is only one opportunity to execute so it must be done right. The hitter should be squaring to lay down the bunt as late as possible but still concentrating on form to provide the best opportunity at success. The squeeze should be practiced during BP every day and by practicing it, players will feel more comfortable executing during the game.

3. Mental preparation: Mental preparation plays a huge role in success and failure at the plate. There are a few different techniques that can be used to mentally prepare for at-bats and they are used in different situations. Mental preparation is important to incorporate into your game because it can be used in every at-bat to make you a more successful hitter.

a. Visualization: Visualization techniques are used by hitters at every level of professional baseball to make them better. When you are hitting off a tee, taking dry swings or hitting soft toss, visualizing a pitcher on the mound and seeing him in his wind up before executing your swing makes every swing you take more realistic. This gives you an opportunity to see success more often and translates into more game swings taken in practice. When using visualization it is important to make it as real as possible so don’t just see any pitcher on the mound, see a 6’1" 195 lb lefty with an 87 mph fastball, cutter and big curveball. By focusing at this higher level you will maximize the drill.

b. Analyzing a pitcher: Many baseball players are told by their coaches to watch the pitcher before the game begins and to watch the pitcher during the game but many of those coaches aren’t explaining to their players what to look for and how to use the information they are getting. Due to this lack of communication between coaches and their players, the players don’t realize how much this information can help them. At the professional level every hitter uses this information to increase their chance of success each time they step up to the plate. Before the game begins the players should be looking for a number of things from the pitcher. They should first be looking for a release point so they can find the arm slot better when they step up to the plate. They should be looking for what pitches that particular pitcher has in his arsenal, as well as which of those pitches he can consistently throw a strike with. They should also be watching the catcher set up and figure out where this particular pitcher likes to work. As the game progresses the pitcher will continue to give you more information. Many pitchers fall into specific rhythms in which they like to work. They use their set of pitches in a certain way and many pitchers go into the game with a plan for working certain types of hitters. Some pitchers have more complicated plans, while other pitchers will work righties one way and lefties another way. If you are able to get an idea of what the pitcher is trying to accomplish and what his plan is, it can make the difference in your at-bats, your teams at-bats and can potentially make the difference in the game. For instance, if you notice throughout the game that the pitcher is trying to lock the hitters up on the inside part of the plate in 2-2 counts with a fastball, when you get up to the plate in the 7th inning of a

one run ballgame with a runner on second base and happen to find yourself in a 2-2 count, you can look for the pitch on the inner half and drive it to left field for a game winning hit. The bottom line is that every pitcher provides us with a tremendous amount of information about what he is doing but it is our job as hitters to figure out what his game plan is and use it against him. Utilizing this technique can make the difference in a player, a game, a team and in a season. The more you learn about analyzing pitchers, the better player/coach you will be.

Http://ProGripBaseball.com

Complete Hitting

2009-11-28T15:18:18Z

Complete Hitting:

Complete Hitting is the idea that as a hitter, you are able to accomplish everything that is asked of you at the plate. A complete hitter must be able to not only pull the inside pitch but let balls on the outer half get deep in the zone to drive to the opposite field. A complete hitter must have the ability to hit balls in every zone so there are no holes in the swing. A complete hitter must be able to hit both fastballs as well as off speed pitches by having a balanced approach at the plate. A complete hitter must be able to hit behind the runner and execute on a hit and run when the situation calls for it. A complete hitter must be able to bunt the ball successfully when called upon and know where the ball should be placed. A complete hitter must be able to drive in runners from scoring position and always know what their job is. Finally, a complete hitter has to understand the mental aspects of hitting and how to use the information the opposing pitcher provides to create a better opportunity for success. Remember, even hall of famers fail 7 out of 10 times they walk up to the plate. To become a complete hitter you must dedicate yourself to working on aspects of hitting each and every day. It doesn't matter how good you are now or what level of baseball you are playing, you can always become a better hitter by putting time into the specifics. In baseball natural ability can only take you so far and there are so many things asked of us as hitters, it takes this kind of dedication to truly be good. Becoming a complete hitter is what every player should strive towards and aspire to be!

1. 9 zones 9 swings: When we break down the strike zone into sections, there are nine zones that pitchers work on throwing to and all of these are strikes. The zones are

Up In	Up Middle	Up Away
Middle In	Middle Middle	Middle Away
Low In	Low Middle	Low Away

Each one of these zones has a specific swing that is slightly different from the others. It is absolutely necessary to work on hitting to all nine zones in practice with Dry Swings, Tee Work and Soft toss to become a complete hitter. If you don't work on hitting to these zones in practice, you WILL NOT be able to do it come game time.

•a. The Inner Third: When making contact with pitches on the inner half the barrel is connecting with the ball out in front of the body angled towards the pull side. The knob of the bat must lead the hands toward the ball and stay in between the hitter's body and the baseball thus giving us the phrase "hands inside the ball" which I'm sure many of you have heard. After contact the hands must also be extended through the baseball to the pull side, this will provide for the most amount of distance on the ball. When attacking a pitch low and in the swing is more drastically "down to" and "up through" the ball than a pitch up and in. The reason for swinging "down to" the ball and "up through" the ball is because of the angle of the pitch and what we are trying to accomplish as a hitter. We want to generate backspin on the ball so it will carry through the air, but we want to hit solid line drives as well. The pitcher on the mound is throwing on a downward angle towards home plate, so if we swing down to the baseball because our hands and bat are starting above the strike zone, then connect with the middle to bottom third of the baseball and swing up through it, the result is a line drive with backward rotation providing for a longer flight path and carry. On the pitch middle in we are still "down to" and "up through" the ball but not as drastically as the low pitch. On the pitch up in the strike zone the swing is more level but still "down to" and "up through" the baseball. On the high pitch the hitter must still concentrate on hitting the middle to bottom third of the ball as this provides for the best possible flight path.

•b. The Middle Third: When attacking a pitch down the middle the hitter must let the ball get slightly deeper in the zone to drive it up the middle. Ideally we want contact with the ball to occur in the region even with our front side to slightly out in front of our body. The same principles of "down to" the ball and "up through" the ball apply here but after contact with the ball on pitches down the middle, the hands must extend through the baseball towards center field.

•c. The Outer Third: When attacking a pitch on the outer third of the plate, a hitter must let the ball get deep in the zone in relation to the body and drive the ball off of their back leg to the opposite field. If a hitter makes contact with a ball on the outer third out in front of the body, the hitter loses power because of an inability to extend through the baseball to the opposite field. The end result of making contact with a pitch on the outer third in front of the body is called "rolling over" which causes either a weak fly ball or a slow ground ball to the pull side Again, the same principles of "down to" the ball and "up through" the ball are applied with pitches on the outer third.

2. Situational Hitting: Situational hitting is important to becoming a Complete Hitter and there are many situations in baseball where executing properly can be the difference in the ball game. Examples of situational hitting are Hit & Runs, Bunts, Hitting behind runners and driving a fly ball to the outfield with a man on third and less than two outs. Learning how to execute these techniques and what situations to use them in is important to you becoming the best hitter you can be.

•a. Inside out Swing: The inside out swing is another great tool to have in your repertoire as a hitter. Major leaguers like Derek Jeter and Placido Polanco do this better than anyone in the game. The inside out swing is the ability to keep your hands drastically inside the ball and hit a pitch on the inner half to the opposite field. There are many situations where this is useful including hit and runs and when it is necessary to hit behind a runner to move them over. This is a very difficult swing to master and it takes lots of practice to get good, but learning this technique is important to becoming a complete hitter. Knowing how to do this properly will up your value as a player and make you more important to your team.

•b. Hit & Run: The hit & run is something that most coaches love to use, but often can't because their players aren't able to accomplish the task. A hit and run puts pressure on the defense by having the runner on 1st base steal causing the middle infielder on the opposite side of the hitter to cover 2nd base leaving a hole so big you could drive a truck through it. This hitter's job is to hit the ball on the ground to the opposite field through the hole opened up by the middle infielder covering the bag. This enables the runner to go from 1st base to 3rd base successfully leaving a 1st and third situation for the next hitter. The ideal counts to call a hit & run are 2-0, 2-1, 3-1 because these are traditionally fastball counts where the pitcher is looking to throw a strike. If executed properly the hit & run is an unbelievably valuable tool to have in your arsenal. On a hit & run there are two places the hitter can NEVER hit the ball, up the middle and in the air. If the ball is hit up the middle then the middle infielder can turn an easy double play because he was covering the bag and if the ball is hit in the air, the runner who stole is left hung out to dry and gets doubled up back at 1st. To execute with consistency players must work on hitting the ball on the ground to the opposite field. During BP at every practice, every hitter should step to the plate with a plan and a portion of that plan should be hitting the ball on the ground to the opposite field. This will give you as a coach the flexibility to call on any player in a hit and run situation as well as give the players the confidence and ability to execute when it is asked of them during the game.

•c. Hitting Behind Runners: Hitting behind runners is another important aspect of the game of baseball and essential to playing winning baseball. There are times that every hitter should be able to move a runner over without bunting by hitting behind the runner. This is something that should also be worked on in practice but generally the problem here lies with players not knowing or understanding when they should be doing this. Hitting behind a runner is not something a 3rd base coach will have in his repertoire of signs so the hitter must know and understand when he should be looking to execute this. Another important aspect of this is a hitter's pitch selection. In this situation the hitter should be looking to let a ball on the outer half of the plate get really deep in the zone. Many hitters don't understand how to execute in these situations so coaching them in these finer points is necessary for them to become better baseball players and for your team to win more games.

•d. Runner on 3rd with less that 2: Often times with a runner on third base and less than two outs, hitters do not execute getting the run in. The easiest way to score that run from third is by hitting a fly ball to the outfield, having the runner from third tag up and trading the out for the run. Often times in these situations hitters are not only too anxious but have terrible pitch selection at the plate. If asked what they are looking for in these situations, most youth athletes will tell you a fastball. Even if that fastball is right down the pipe and you crush it, you may end up hitting it right at an infielder resulting in an out with that runner still sitting on 3rd. In these situations, ideally as a hitter we want to look for a ball up in the zone that is easily driven to the outfield. This will give the team a better opportunity at scoring more runs, resulting in more wins. This will also result in each individual player on the team with higher RBI totals over the course of their careers and the confidence that given the opportunity they know how to drive in runs. Hitters should work on this situation at practice as part of their everyday routine during BP.

•e. Bunting: Bunting is something that every hitter should be able to do but so many can't. As a coach this drives me insane because it is so often overlooked but yet such an important aspect of the game. Bunting is not difficult but like anything else, it must be worked on to achieve consistency. Many hitters have terrible form when it comes to bunting and it is attention to detail that enables the execution. When bunting, the bat should always be angled upwards at a 45 angle. This will help the ball to have a downward trajectory and prevent it from popping up in the air. The arms should be extended but not locked with the top hand thumb and pointer fingers pinched together resting behind the bat to prevent injury and provide give. The bat should also be out in front of our bodies to give the ball a better chance at staying fair. When bunting the handle of the bat should control the direction. When bunting down the third base line the bat head should be angled outward to push the ball in that direction and the handle should be pulled inward towards the body. When bunting down the first base line the handle of the bat should be pushed outward angling the barrel towards first base.

•1. Sacrifice: Often times players forget what their job is in sac situations even though it is self explanatory. Your job is to SACRIFICE yourself so the runner can get into scoring position. This means that it doesn't matter how early the bunt is shown, especially due to the fact that most of the time everyone in the park knows the bunt is on. The most important thing to do is EXECUTE and get the bunt down properly. Show early and make sure you get into a solid bunting position with a properly angled bat and in a quality bunting stance. This will allow the hitter to focus on the task at hand and the path of the ball. There is absolutely no excuse for not being able to get a bunt down and it can be the difference in the game. Work on it in practice and get good because the older a player gets, the less tolerant a coach becomes with the inability to execute in key situations.

•2. Push Bunt: The push bunt is a fantastic tool to have in your game and it can enable a slow runner to bunt for a base hit. The placement of a push bunt is key and good timing is important as well. The push bunt should be placed past the pitcher between the 1st and 2nd baseman in a territory referred to as no man's land because there is no player in range to make the play. The hitter should get into position to bunt when the pitcher gets to his load position and keep his arms in close to his body. As the ball is coming towards the plate you extend your arms into the ball and step towards first base pushing the ball into that hole we previously discussed. When properly executed, regardless of speed, anyone can beat this ball out to 1st.

•3. Squeeze: The squeeze bunt is one of the most important reasons that every player should know how to bunt. A squeeze play can be extremely effective if used in the right situations but often there is only one opportunity to execute so it must be done right. The hitter should be squaring to lay down the bunt as late as possible but still concentrating on form to provide the best opportunity at success. The squeeze should be practiced during BP every day and by practicing it, players will feel more comfortable executing during the game.

3. Mental preparation: Mental preparation plays a huge role in success and failure at the plate. There are a few different techniques that can be used to mentally prepare for at-bats and they are used in different situations. Mental preparation is important to incorporate into your game because it can be used in every at-bat to make you a more successful hitter.

a. Visualization: Visualization techniques are used by hitters at every level of professional baseball to make them better. When you are hitting off a tee, taking dry swings or hitting soft toss, visualizing a pitcher on the mound and seeing him in his wind up before executing your swing makes every swing you take more realistic. This gives you an opportunity to see success more often and translates into more game swings taken in practice. When using visualization it is important to make it as real as possible so don't just see any pitcher on the mound, see a 6'1" 195 lb lefty with an 87 mph fastball, cutter and big curveball. By focusing at this higher level you will maximize the drill.

b. Analyzing a pitcher: Many baseball players are told by their coaches to watch the pitcher before the game begins and to watch the pitcher during the game but many of those coaches aren't explaining to their players what to look for and how to use the information they are getting. Due to this lack of communication between coaches and their players, the players don't realize how much this information can help them. At the professional level every hitter uses this information to increase their chance of success each time they step up to the plate. Before the game begins the players should be looking for a number of things from the pitcher. They should first be looking for a release point so they can find the arm slot better when they step up to the plate. They should be looking for what pitches that particular pitcher has in his arsenal, as well as which of those pitches he can consistently throw a strike with. They should also be watching the catcher set up and figure out where this particular pitcher likes to work. As the game progresses the pitcher will continue to give you more information. Many pitchers fall into specific rhythms in which they like to work. They use their set of pitches in a certain way and many pitchers go into the game with a plan for working certain types of hitters. Some pitchers have more complicated plans, while other pitchers will work righties one way and lefties another way. If you are able to get an idea of what the pitcher is trying to accomplish and what his plan is, it can make the difference in your at-bats, your teams at-bats and can potentially make the difference in the game. For instance, if you notice throughout the game that the pitcher is trying to lock the hitters up on the inside part of the plate in 2-2 counts with a fastball, when you get up to the plate in the 7th inning of a one run ballgame with a runner on second base and happen to find yourself in a 2-2 count, you can look for the pitch on the inner half and drive it to left field for a game winning hit. The bottom line is that every pitcher provides us with a tremendous amount of information about what he is doing but it is our job as hitters to figure out what his game plan is and use it against him. Utilizing this technique can make the difference in a player, a game, a team and in a season. The more you learn about analyzing pitchers, the better player/coach you will be.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ProGripBaseball#p/u/12/jooCrnW3cVQ http://www.youtube.com/user/ProGripBaseball#p/u/8/8mdhjvJ9jE0

CCC's to success in Baseball: Commitment to becoming a Complete Player = Confidence in your abilities.

2009-11-28T10:09:54Z

COMMITMENT to becoming a COMPLETE PLAYER = CONFIDENCE in your abilities!

This concept is something I developed and preach to my players. This idea can be incorporated into any program and will drive your players towards achieving their goals. If they COMMIT themselves to becoming COMPLETE Baseball players, in turn they will develop the CONFIDENCE that is necessary to succeed on the field.

Commitment to Excellence:

In life no matter what you are trying to accomplish, it is important to commit yourself to achieving that goal. In Baseball the road to success is no different. You must WANT to be the best and you must be WILLING to do everything in your power to achieve that. You must understand that there is always someone working harder than you and there is always someone better than you are. Often, players with good physical tools get passed by in high school, college and professional sports because someone who wasn’t as good worked harder. What a shame it must be to have such good athleticism and talent but because you didn’t work hard enough you lost your spot. At the same time what a great feeling it is when you know because of your hard work that you earned your spot. There are only two things you can control in this game:

1. How professional your approach to the game is.

2. How hard you work to achieve your goal.

1. To approach the game in a professional manner encompasses many different things. You must respect the game, your coach and your teammates. You must be willing to do whatever is asked to help your team succeed. You must hustle on as well as off the field and commit yourself to learning all of the intricacies to the game of baseball. You must pick up your teammates when they need it and respect and guide them towards success and victory. You must crave knowledge in the game and never act above the game. All of these things are vital to becoming the best player you can be.

2. How hard you work for something plays a pivotal role in whether you succeed or fail. The harder you work, the more of an opportunity you are giving yourself to achieve your goal. If you put in a little time, you will see a little success. The more time you put in, the better you will get and the more successful you will be. Putting in time every day is the only way to be the best. This is true for everything in life. The great philosopher Aristotle said “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit”. No matter how hard you work there is no guarantee you will be in the Major Leagues, but if you don’t work as hard as you can, you will never know how far you could have made it.

Complete Player:

A complete player is someone who can do everything that is asked of them when they step on the field. A complete player is always working hard and looking to get better. A complete player has worked hard to get their knowledge and knows they can handle any situation on the field because they have prepared. This player has worked extensively to understand the finer points of the game such as situational fielding, hitting and running and takes pride in the fact they have this knowledge. This player will always succeed on the field because of this knowledge they have. This player does not rely on ability alone, but understands how difficult the game of baseball is and that it is necessary to work hard and prepare in order to truly succeed. This is the kind of player every coach wants on their team and every team is happy to have. Becoming this player takes Time, Energy, Perspiration, Preparation and Perseverance. Finally, to become this player one must have DESIRE AND DETERMINATION.

Confidence:

Confidence on the field is necessary to becoming the absolute best player you can be. The only way to get this confidence is through seeing success in the game. Not just success physically, but success mentally. This kind of success is only achieved through “DEDICATION TO PREPERATION” both physically and mentally. Knowing that you played two steps to your right because someone is a pull hitter and you were able to get to a ball you never would have gotten too without making that move. Knowing that you were looking for a 2-2 inside fastball because the pitcher did it to three other guys, and because you paid attention to that information you were able to drive in the game winning run. Knowing that you worked hard to get faster and stronger for next season and you did.

This will lead to knowing that every time you step on the field, you have prepared physically by working hard on the field, working hard on the fundamentals and working hard in the weight room. This will lead to knowing that in any given situation you know what to do with the ball and you WANT the ball. This will lead to knowing that every time you step on the field, you will succeed because you are prepared to do so. This will lead to a strut and confidence that will be so visible in you, that everyone on the field KNOWS that YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!

The Eight Essential Pieces to a Smooth Swing

2009-11-28T10:07:41Z

8 Essential Pieces to a Smooth Swing

The GRIP: Picking up a bat is the first physical action that takes place before walking up to the plate. Holding the bat is your only actual physical connection to swinging the bat and hitting the ball. If you are not holding the bat properly, you are not allowing yourself to be the best hitter you can be. To hold the bat properly, lay the bat down in your fingers and then pick it up. For most of you, your "door knocking" or "baby knuckles" will be aligned. People with longer fingers will have knuckles slightly off center which is fine as long as the bat is in your fingers. Holding the bat in the fingers provides for more bat speed and extension through the baseball resulting in more power and fluidity in the swing. When holding the bat ANY other way, doing these things properly becomes a physical IMPOSSIBILITY. If this is something you struggle with or have been told to do but it’s uncomfortable, I encourage you to check out ProGrip. ProGrip will re-teach your hands the muscle memory necessary to hold the bat properly.

The STANCE: There are many different options when choosing a stance at the plate. Not only are there many different places for the hands, but there are a few options for the feet as well. Many young baseball players try to emulate MLB players and their different stances and I encourage them to STOP!! Getting repeatability and consistency in the swing is extremely important. There are certain positions that every successful hitter gets too including the Load/Launch position and the PoC. The more indirect movement it takes to get to these positions, the more difficult it is to remain consistent. Those unique MLB players are able to remain consistent due to thousands of practice swings and their own unique abilities. As a hitter you want to find YOUR comfort zone not theirs. If you choose a unique stance please do it with the understanding that you will need to work twice as hard as everyone else to remain consistent. I encourage players to keep their stances as simple and comfortable as possible. The feet should be roughly shoulder width apart and in a comfortable athletic position. I tell my players to stand like they would if they were leading off a base with their weight distributed evenly to both sides and on the balls of their feet or a 60-40 distribution from back to front. An open or a closed stance is ok but both have their disadvantages. I like the feet to be in a straight line facing the pitcher because at the Load/Launch position they are straight, so it is much easier to start that way. Remember every hitter gets to the same Load/Launch position and the more movement it takes you to get into this position, the more difficult it will be to keep your swing consistent. I like the hands positioned not too far away from the body but not to close either, finding a happy medium between the two. Many young hitters put their back elbows up and that’s fine but they should consider a few things first. When the back elbow is up, the first thing a hitter must do before swinging the bat is DROP IT!!! So why have it up in the first place?? Most hitters have a tendency when dropping their back elbow to drop their back shoulder as well and this is the number one cause of pop-ups among young players. When the hitters back elbow and shoulder drop, it causes the bat to drop as well resulting in a loopy uppercut swing. We want a quality bat path to the baseball and this means driving the bat head "Down to the ball". The reason some Major Leaguers are able to keep their back elbow up and succeed is due to repetition and a quality bat path. They still swing "DOWN to the ball and UP through the ball" Remember swinging a bat is a complex movement so we want to simplify every chance we get and if you start with your elbows down, now all you have to do is drop the bat head on the ball!

LOAD/LAUNCH POSITION: Although hitters have many different stances, they ALL get to the almost the EXACT same position before swinging a bat. We call this the load or launch position. Many hitters start with their hands in another spot and move them to this position while other hitters choose to start here. I like a little movement straight back to get to this position because I believe not only does it loosen the hands and arms to allow for more quickness but the cocking action provides for a little more power as well. If you were going to punch a block of wood in front of you, would you punch it with your arm in a still position or would you cock it back slightly??? I encourage my hitters to bring their hands straight back a few inches from where they start. The length of this movement depends solely on the hitter and what they are comfortable with. Movement is necessary to generate a rhythm but remember the more movement there is the more difficult it is to keep it consistent!

4. BAT PATH: Your bat path too and through the baseball begins after you launch your hands towards the ball and continues until the end of the swing. Many young hitters have an extremely poor bat path to the baseball. After our hands are in the launch position when we are ready to swing the bat, we want to take the barrel of the bat to the ball in the most direct way possible. Instead of bringing the bat directly to the ball, many of you drop the bat head and sweep the bat into the ball providing for an extremely long swing. We want to be "Short to it and Long through it" not the other way around. I encourage you to take a look at your swing in slow motion or consult with a professional hitting coach to ask if you are experiencing this problem. Many hitters don’t know they have a long swing and it certainly hurts their chances at success. You will also hear many people discuss whether to swing level, swing down or now people are saying to swing up to the ball. This is all nonsense. The bat is in a starting position above your head and your hands are starting above the strike zone, therefore you MUST swing down to the ball. The trick is to not chop down on it. Also, after the Point of Contact (PoC) you must swing up through the ball to finish over your shoulder. "Down to it and Up through it" is the phrase I like my students to remember because this helps them understand that you must swing down to the baseball connecting with the middle to lower third of the ball to hit line drives and extend up through the baseball to get carry and distance on the ball. If a hitter only thinks about chopping down, they will end up hitting tons of ground balls and if a hitter thinks about swinging up they will end up with a ridiculous amount of pop-ups which is the easiest out in baseball. Being a line drive hitter and a difficult out is what you WANT to be. This will provide you with more success at the plate and a higher batting average.

POINT of CONTACT (PoC): Looking closely you will find at the major league level that PoC is the second point in the swing where ALL HITTERS are almost exactly the same. When making contact with the ball we want our swing to be at a certain point and our body to be in a certain position. At the PoC we want our lower half turned into the baseball with our back knee in between our feet driven into the ground. This is a result of using our lower half and core properly. We want a locked out front leg and our weight over the center of our bodies. Our bat should be making contact with the middle to bottom third of the ball and our hands should be "palm up palm down" on the bat. Our back elbow should be flexed allowing for extension after the PoC and our eyes should be on the ball. I encourage all hitters to videotape themselves swinging and take a look at their position at PoC. Getting to a quality position at PoC is extremely important and something every hitter should work on.

EXTENSION: This part of the swing is extremely important in getting distance with all of that solid contact you are making. Think about this, if you swung as hard as you could and then stopped your swing at the PoC the ball wouldn’t go too far would it. Extension is the key to getting distance and power into the ball. After making contact I tell my students to think about not hitting one ball but hitting three balls to the field that the pitch dictates so they continue to follow through. At PoC as I previously explained, the back elbow is slightly flexed and now you must push through or extend through the baseball. Extension is often seen as the "snap" through the ball right after PoC. Having proper extension turns those week gapers into stand up doubles and those balls off the wall into homeruns. Many young hitters have poor extension and don’t even allow them to extend through the ball because they were already extended at PoC. Again I encourage you to check out your swing on slow motion to see if you extend through the ball properly. If not, there are a number of drills used to fix this so consult with a local hitting instructor or send us an email.

FINISH: The finish is the last part of the swing after extending through the baseball. Some hitters prefer finishing one-handed while others choose to keep both on. As long as both hands are on the bat through extension it is ok to release one afterwards, BUT ONLY if they stay on through extension. You don’t want to become a one handed hitter or get in the habit of releasing too early. As far as the rest of the body is concerned it is ideal to have your back shoelaces, back knee, beltbuckle, chest and outside ear facing towards the pitcher while remaining balanced and continuing to focus on the PoC. That 5 point check will force you to be fully rotated through the ball without over rotating.

8. BALANCE: In my opinion balance is the most important facet of the swing. If you do not remain balanced through the swing, you cannot be a successful hitter. So many players worry about generating more linear power by transferring weight to the front side and stepping into the ball. These players fail to understand two things: 1. When you try to transfer so much weight all the time and step into the ball, you throw your balance off and more often than not will be too far out in front to succesfully hit off speed pitches as well as pitches on the outer half. 2. The pitcher is providing more than enough power to produce consistent and solid line drives. If you ask most coaches what they are looking for in hitters, they will tell you consistent line drives and solid contact. They don't want guys that try to hit the ball out of the yard and swing out of their shoes because that provides for more strikeouts and pop-ups, resulting in more outs. To become a succesfull line drive hitter you need to work on a fundamentally sound swing and balance at the plate enabling you to hit all pitches in all counts. The greatest advice I ever got from a coach was "stay within yourself and don’t try to do too much." This philospohy will help you in all situations from putting to much pressure on yourself and trying to force an outcome on the game.

What is a pitchers whole job in life? To disrupt timing and throw off the balance of a hitter. Having said that, if you can remain balanced as a hitter throughout the swing, you are able to react and hit ALL pitches efficiently. The greatest hitters in the Major Leagues are guys that can hit for average and for power and you may be wondering how they accomplish both. The answer is that they have a quality approach at the plate which enables them to look to accomplish different tasks in different situations. Great hitters analyze pitchers and have an understanding of what the pitchers game plan is. They look to put themselves in quality hitters situations. At times they look for certain pitches and certain zones as well as certain pitches IN certain zones. When they are in a quality hitters count they look to drive the ball. When they walk up to the plate in a situation with men on base and they need runs, these hitters look to work themselves into those quality hitters counts so they can look for a ball in the zone to drive. The best two examples of this in Major League Baseball are Joe Mauer and Albert Pujols. Watch them hit and watch their aprroaches at the plate and you will see greatness in action. It's one thing to know what to do, but it's another thing to be able to execute and they execute better than anyone in baseball!! Absolutely amazing!!

I encourage everyone reading this article to go to a batting cage and take swings at 100% max effort and then to slow it down and concentrate on the fundamentals of the swing. You'll be amazed at the solid contact your making and the result of solid contact is line drives and hard hit balls.

Mechanics Request: Jorge De la Rosa

2009-11-16T14:31:22Z

Hey Kyle. Just wanted you to take a look at Jorge De la Rosa for fantasy purposes. Looking at some quick video from MLB.com (http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=6890163) I can't tell if he's stepping too closed with his front foot or actively decelerating his pitching arm. But those are the first two things that stood out to me. Sorry for the mediocre video.

Thoughts?

Thanks a lot

Question on converting AVI's to GIFS

2009-11-12T04:18:00Z

There is a video of Aaron Crow in the AFL on Youtube and I was trying to get it so Kyle can analysis it. Kyle requests that it is a GIF and I understand why. I found that the site Vixy.net will convert Youtube videos to avi's. Now does anyone know of a good and cheep ($10 or less) program for the conversion. It would need to be able to cut the AVI to only the desired length. Thanks for your help.

content request: ross ohlendorf

2009-10-18T01:36:54Z

admittedly, this has a fantasy connection. he's a free agent in my league, i've got only a small amount of cash to spend on a SP, and i'm looking to make about a 4 year commitment to a young guy who has room to grow. i've looked into ohlendorf a little bit, and honestly, except for him being intellectually brilliant, he seems completely average. FB is good, not great, as are each of his breaking pitches and his changeup. his mechanics look, well, boring, to be honest.

from a statistical standpoint, i'm pretty sure that he's a sound investment. i've already got some guys that have flashed the potential to be great (shaun marcum, wandy rodriguez, edwin jackson, justin masterson, and clayton richard), so a very solid back end guy is all i'm looking for, but i'd like there to be potential for this guy to grow into more.

i think ohlendorf is that, but i want to get some other opinions.

Pitching Instruction

2009-09-23T15:02:45Z

I have read your blog on occasion and viewed your analysis regarding different pitching instruction. I am looking to find my son's a pitching coach and have been recommended to Jack Kucek (?), the inventor of the strikeout stripzz. Do you have any info on him or even know anything about him? Trying to find a philosophy to use with my boys has been driving me nuts. I need to make a decision and stick with it, but want to be sure that I make the best decision possible. Any help would be appreciated.

Mechanics Request: Brad Kilby

2009-09-22T15:15:55Z

While watching last night's A's/Rangers game, I watched in amazement at the bizarritude of Brad Kilby's mechanics. I'm at work, so I don't have any motion picture evidence to offer up right now.

Suffice to say that my reaction to his pitching motion vacillated between, "surely that's a joke" and "surely that's a product of blunt force trauma to the brain." But I am no expert, so I thought I would ask for the advice of the experts.

More Sources on Baseball Injuries

2009-09-20T05:09:39Z

I decided to troll through SBNation team blogs and while I was at the Crawford Boxes website (Houston Astros) I found a source on injuries by an Astros team doctor.

http://www.throwinginjuries.com/index.htm

While there I also found another link to a personal website http://www.drlintner.com/

Both sources seem to be updated by Dr. David Lintner who was/is the Head team physician for the Houston Astros, Houston Dynamo (soccer), team physician Houston Texans and Head team physician for Lee College.

I haven't seen either of these sites before and so I thought I'd share them with the driveline community. At worst, its a source to compare Kyle Boddy's work with that of major league doctors. Anyway, hope this is useful to everyone.

EDIT: My favorite read so far was on SICK Scapula Syndrome http://www.throwinginjuries.com/sick.htm

Lanky vs. Stocky

2009-09-19T08:27:56Z

Some are saying that short pitchers are the new "Moneyball" market inefficiency. But obviously short pitchers have different builds. A short pitcher can be lanky or stocky, which is going to have an effect on throwing motion and fluidity.

The Seattle Mariners acquired LHP Mauricio Robles from the Detroit Tigers in the Jarrod Washburn deal. The stuff is that of a top starting pitching prospect, but he's 5'10 and stocky. As a lefty his fastball sits in the low 90s and can reach the mid/upper 90s when he reaches back.

There are examples of short starting pitchers maintaining velocity over the course of time, but guys like Pedro Martinez and Timmy Lincecum aren't exactly the same shape as Robles. They're short, but they have some length. I'm having a hard time finding any short, stocky guys who throw hard as starters.

Wandy Rodriguez was the closest thing I could think of, but he doesn't throw especially hard. But most of the other examples of short pitchers, especially lefties, are the soft tossers like Randy Wolf or Jamie Moyer or whoever else.

Getting to the point, I'm wondering if there is any evidence out there that suggests that "lanky" pitchers are able to maintain velocity over multiple innings, outings, seasons better than a "stocky" pitcher. Obvious, a pitcher's specific mechanics should be studied, but let's try to generalize.

John Jaha was a Moneyball player, but he still had a good career before Billy Beane recognized his real value. Can short, stocky pitchers be a market inefficiency if there were hardly any guys making it before the attention was shifted over to them? Does that make sense?

Basically what I'm asking is this: Is there any reason to believe that a guy like Robles can maintain his fastball velocity over the course 5-10 seasons as a starter despite his build?

Request_Roy Halladay

2009-09-15T20:37:09Z

At age 32, surrounded by trade rumors a few months ago. Roy Halladay has been one of the best pitcher in baseball. He has 149 wins, maybe he will have the time for 300? Always thought about his exaggerated hip-close at the top of his leg kick. I've spend hours surfing web and looking at videos of his mechanics, full speed and slowed down. Anyone care to give it a shot at analyzing his mechanics? Especially with him heading into the market. I would like to know whether or not he can stay healthy, if he hasn't prove that he could already.

Request - Madison Bumgarner

2009-09-09T11:02:26Z

Bumgarner surprisingly made his debut for the Giants against the Padres. He ended the night with a respectable line. 5.1 IP 5H 2ER 1BB 4Ks 2HR 76 Pitches 10GB/2FB. I was hoping to get opinions on his delivery.

http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=6548729

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM5Jx8lEU8M&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZWXg3px9P0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwh-1qybEtg&feature=related

A lot has been made of his drop in velocity during the tail end of the season. According to Brooks Baseball his 4-Seam fastball topped out at 90-91 and averaged 88 for the night.

(http://www.brooksbaseball.net/pfx/index.php?month=9&day=8&year=2009&game=gid_2009_09_08_sdnmlb_sfnmlb_1%2F&pitchSel=518516.xml&prevGame=gid_2009_09_08_sdnmlb_sfnmlb_1%2F&prevDate=98)

When asked about it, he was unsure as to what might be causing the problem:

“I don’t know,” he said. “It feels the same coming out, it’s just not reading on the radar gun. I guess I may be getting a little tired. I don’t feel it, but I guess that’s what’s happening. Hard to say.”

I'm a neophyte when it comes to this kind of thing and have read concerns for how he "throws across his body" which is a cause for future concern health-wise. Should Giants fans be concerned for his health?

Thanks in advance!