Pitching Mechanics Analysis
Justin Verlander

12/18/2007

Justin Verlander is one of my favorite young pitchers. Based on the quality of his pitching mechanics, and the nature of the movement of his pitches, I think he has a better than average chance of having a long, injury-free career. Let me explain why I say that using a number of frames from a clip of Justin Verlander.

3/3/2009 Update

While I am still a fan of his arm action and timing, I recently revisited the pitching mechanics of Justin Verlander and discussed a possible inefficiency in his lower body mechanics that may explain his velocity problems and that make increase his risk of shoulder problems.

Arm Action And Timing

A pitcher's arm action and timing are the primary determinants of the long-term health of their arm, so it's always the first thing I look at. Justin Verlander's arm action is excellent, as the clip below demonstrates.

Justin Verlander

Justin Verlander has a classic down, out, and up arm action that resembles the arm action of Roger Clemens. The two things to notice are that his Pitching Arm Side (aka PAS) elbow always stays below the level of his shoulder and that his PAS forearm is vertical before his shoulders start to rapidly rotate.

Justin Verlander

This may be a little easier to see the clip above, which focuses on Justin Verlander's arms and upper body. Notice how he swings his PAS hand out toward Second Base and then bends his PAS elbow while his PAS elbow is still well below the level of his shoulders.

Ball Movement

I believe that you can get a sense of how a pitcher's elbow will hold up by looking at what pitches they throw and which way their ball moves when they throw those pitches.
     If a pitcher primarily throws pronated pitches with tail or Pitching Arm Side run -- which includes 2-Seam Fastballs, Circle Change-Ups, and some 4-Seam Fastballs -- then I believe that their elbow will generally stay healthy. However, if a pitcher primarily throws supinated pitches that cut or have Glove Side run -- which includes Sliders, Cut Fastballs (aka Cutters), and Power Curveballs -- then in my experience they are much more likely to have elbow problems.

Justin Verlander's Tailing Fastball

If you look at the clip above of Justin Verlander throwing a fastball, you can see that his ball has significant Pitching Arm Side run or tail. After he releases the ball in Frame 6, his ball starts out looking like it is going to be caught near the umpire's right shoulder (the yellow dot). However, starting at Frame 11 or Frame 12 the ball starts to move to the right. As a result, a ball that looks like it's going to come in up and in ends up high and outside. Given that the plate is 17 inches wide, I'd estimate that the pitch moved 15 inches to the right of its initial location.

Overall Pitching Mechanics

Now that we've established that Justin Verlander's arm action, timing, and ball movement are good, lets look at some of the other details of his mechanics.

Justin Verlander

I'll do this using some individual frames from the clip above.

Justin Verlander - Frame 11

The first thing to pay attention to in Justin Verlander's mechanics is how he does not come to the Balance Point. Instead, as he reaches the top of his leg lift he is pushing off with his PAS foot back toward Second Base. This gets his hips moving sideways toward Home Plate. This increases his Linear Momentum, which will increase the rate at which his hips will rotate.

Justin Verlander - Frame 18

In Frame 18, you can clearly see that Justin Verlander is driving his hips sideways toward Home Plate as he comes out of his leg lift.

Justin Verlander - Frame 19

As Justin Verlander strides toward the plate, he keeps his hips closed as long as possible. In Frame 19, his hips are still closed and his Glove Side (aka GS) knee is still pointing toward Third Base.

Justin Verlander - Frame 20

Justin Verlander - Frame 21

Justin Verlander - Frame 22

After Justin Verlander breaks his hands, he drops his PAS hand to behind his PAS butt cheek, which helps to hide the ball from the batter.

Justin Verlander - Frame 23

Justin Verlander - Frame 24

Justin Verlander - Frame 25

As Frames 23 through 25 demonstrate, Justin Verlander then swings his PAS hand pretty much directly back toward Second Base. Also, rather than reverse-rotating his shoulders, Justin Verlander keeps his shoulders pretty much parallel to a line running from Home Plate and Second Base. I like this because it helps to improve his deception and also helps him to throw from a higher arm slot.

Justin Verlander - Frame 26

Justin Verlander - Frame 27

In Frame 26 and Frame 27, Justin Verlander is just starting to bend his PAS elbow in order to get his PAS into the vertical, high-cocked position. Notice how his PAS elbow has stayed below the level of his shoulders before and during this process. That will help to protect his shoulder.

Justin Verlander - Frame 28

In Frame 28, Justin Verlander's PAS elbow has continued to bend and his PAS upper arm is just starting to externally rotate. Notice that his elbow remains below the level of his shoulders.
     The only thing that bugs me slightly about this frame and the ones just before it is that it shows that Justin Verlander lands to a large degree on his heel. However, if you look at this frame closely, you can see that he is extending his toes so that they will land only a frame or so after his heel lands. This will probably keep him from experiencing too much jarring.

Justin Verlander - Frame 29

In Frame 28, Justin Verlander's shoulders are just starting to turn and his PAS forearm is nearly vertical. Notice that his PAS elbow remains below the level of his shoulders.

Justin Verlander - Frame 30

In Frame 30, Justin Verlander's have started to rapidly rotate. Notice that his timing is solid; his PAS forearm was vertical when this started. Notice that he is showing the ball to 3B or SS rather than to 2B or CF, as some people advise. This should help to protect his elbow by enabling him to powerfully pronate his forearm through the Release Point. Also, notice that his PAS elbows is still below the level of his shoulders instead of being in a position of Hyperabduction.

Justin Verlander - Frame 31

In Frame 31, Justin Verlander's shoulders have continued to rapidly rotate, his PAS upper arm has continued to externally rotate, and his PAS forearm has started to lay back or bounce. Notice how Justin Verlander's hips are rotating well ahead of his shoulders, which means that he throws with his entire body and not just with his arm.

Justin Verlander - Frame 32

In Frame 32, Justin Verlander's shoulders have continued their rapid rotation. By this point, his PAS forearm has laid back such that it is largely parallel with the ground.
     Justin Verlander is leading with his elbow in Frame 32. Some people think that this is unusual or even bad, but the truth is that it's perfectly normal and is a by-product of throwing the ball hard.

Justin Verlander - Frame 33

In Frame 33, Justin Verlander's shoulders have started to rapidly decelerate. This is causing his PAS elbow to rapidly extend 90 to 100 degrees.
     One thing that bugs me slightly about what I see in this frame is that Justin Verlander's GS knee is close to being locked. While I think it's important that pitcher firm up their front side, I don't think that it's necessary that they lock their GS knee. The problem with locking the GS knee is that it can lead to knee and hip problems and may even contribute to arm problems by reducing the ability of body to smoothly absorb the shock of the delivery.
     However, I'm not certain about this last point.

Justin Verlander - Frame 34

I like what I see in Frame 34, which represents a moment just after the Release Point.
     First, notice how Justin Verlander's PAS thumb is pointing at the ground, which means he pronated his forearm through the Release Point. This explains why his fastball his as much tail as it does. This should also help to protect his elbow.
     Second, notice how Justin Verlander's PAS knee is bent and his PAS foot is well off the rubber. By not leaving his PAS foot behind on the rubber, Justin Verlander increases the distance over which his hips rotate, which helps to make him more efficient.