My Concerns About Anthony Reyes

7/25/2006

I know that a lot of people are extremely high on Anthony Reyes. However, I believe that I see a flaw in his mechanics that may very well make him the Cardinals' Mark Prior (and that's not a good thing). By that I mean a pitcher who shows tons of promise but ends up with continual injury problems.
     The problem that I have with Reyes' mechanics is that, as you can see in the photos below, he takes his elbows both above and behind his shoulders.

While some people call this making an "Upside Down W", and think it's a good thing, I think it is a bad thing because it excessively stresses the muscles of the rotator cuff.

As the photo above shows, Mark Prior of the Cubs does something similar. I believe that this is related to Prior's recent shoulder problems.