The Pitching
Mechanic
August 2007
Real-Time Illustrations and Analyses of
Proper and
Improper Pitching Mechanics
The Pitching Mechanic -
September 2007
8/20/2007
Quick Look:
Joba Chamberlain
A reader recently
asked me to look at Joba Chamberlain. In general, I like what I
see. Like Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain has a lot of Roger
Clemens in him.
As an aside, given the similarities of
both Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain to Roger Clemens, it looks
like the Yankees could be using Roger Clemens as their template
when recruiting pitchers. Given Clemens's durability and
success, I think this makes a lot of sense.
Let me explain exactly what I
mean.
Joba
Chamberlain
The thing to note
in the photo above of Joba Chamberlain is how relatively low his
Pitching Arm Side (aka PAS) elbow is, which is good. In the case
of a pitcher like Mark Prior, the PAS elbow would be much
higher.
Joba
Chamberlain
As the photo above
of Joba Chamberlain shows, his PAS elbow stays relatively low as
his PAS upper arm externally rotates, which is good. The photo
above of Joba Chamberlain suggests that he might have a problem
with rushing (IOW a timing problem). However, the photo below
appears to indicate that Joba Chamberlain's PAS forearm is
vertical at the moment his shoulders start to turn.
Joba
Chamberlain
Another thing to
note about the photo above of Joba Chamberlain is the similarity
to the photo below of Roger Clemens.
Roger Clemens
Notice how they both
show the ball to 3B at the high cocked position, have their PAS
elbows at the same height at this point, and point their Glove
Side (aka GS) toes pretty much directly at the target.
Joba Chamberlain
There are a couple of things
that make me a little nervous about Joba Chamberlain. You can see the first
in the photo above. Notice how you can see a little Inverted
L in his arm action. His PAS elbow is also up around the level of his
shoulders. However, Roger Clemens did both of these things at the same age,
so they aren't definitely bad.
Joba Chamberlain
The second thing that is of
some slight concern is that Joba Chamberlain seems to lock his GS knee as he
nears the release point. I am concerned that this can increase the level of
strain on the elbow and shoulder by reducing the ability of the GS knee to
absorb some of the shock of the stride.
Finally, I can't render a verdict on the likely
durability of Joba Chamberlain's PAS elbow because I haven't seen him pitch
and don't know which way his ball moves. If his ball predominantly tails,
then I think his elbow should hold up. If his ball predominantly cuts,
and/or he throws a lot of sliders, I am less confident that his PAS elbow
will hold up.
8/18/2007
Chris Carpenter
And The "Inverted L"
Because I think
the "Inverted L" is such a bad idea, let me discuss it
some more using Chris Carpenter's arm action as an example.
Chris
Carpenter - Frame 18
Chris Carpenter's
arm action starts out similarly to Greg Maddux's. Like Greg
Maddux, after breaking his hands Chris Carpenter drops his
Pitching Arm Side (aka PAS) hand to his PAS hip. However, what
Chris Carpenter does after this is very different, and IMO that
difference explains their different fates.
Chris Carpenter - Frame
19
Chris Carpenter - Frame
20
Chris Carpenter - Frame
21
In an effort to get
his PAS forearm up into the high cocked position, Chris Carpenter
picks up his PAS elbow. This is in contrast to Greg Maddux who
keeps his PAS elbow at roughly the same height as he gets his PAS
forearm up into the high cocked position.
Chris Carpenter - Frame
22
Chris Carpenter - Frame
23
Chris Carpenter - Frame
24
As a result, by Frame 24 Chris
Carpenter is in the "Inverted L" position with his PAS elbow at or
above the level of his shoulders and his PAS forearm hanging down vertically
beneath it. The problem is that in order to get his PAS forearm up into the
vertical high cocked position, he will have to very rapidly (and much later
than Greg Maddux) externally rotate his PAS upper arm. This late external
rotation will increase the level of stress on both his elbow and his
shoulder.
Chris Carpenter - Frame
25
Chris Carpenter - Frame
26
Chris Carpenter - Frame
27
Chris Carpenter - Frame
28
In Frame 28, Chris
Carpenter's PAS forearm has just passed through the horizontal.
Notice how high his PAS elbow is at this point. It's at, if not
slightly above, the level of his shoulders. This makes him
vulnerable to an impingement injury to his rotator cuff.
Chris Carpenter - Frame
29
Chris Carpenter - Frame
30
In Frame 30, Chris Carpenter
is in the high cocked position, and looks quite like Greg Maddux's (although
Chris Carpenter's PAS elbow is still much higher than Greg Maddux's is at
this point). However, Chris Carpenter reached this point very differently
than did Greg Maddux, and that difference explains why Chris Carpenter has
had so many more arm problems than has Greg Maddux.
8/17/2007
Death To The
"Inverted L"
Yesterday I was
Googling around and stumbled across this
article about Greg Maddux. While I thought the article was
generally pretty good, the paragraph below drove me crazy...
What distinguishes him from other pitchers is his arm swing - the motion of his arm from the moment he separates the ball from his glove until he releases it.
Maddux takes the ball out of his glove with a bent elbow and his hands on top of the ball. Sports Illustrated described the action correctly as an "inverted L." He maintains this "L" position as the hand comes above the shoulder into a regular "L" position.
Whoever wrote this
has either never seen Greg Maddux pitch or is pushing their own
interpretation of proper pitching mechanics and is trying
(inaccurately) to use Greg Maddux to prove their point.
As I said just a few days ago, the
Inverted L is best illustrated by the arm actions of Chris
Carpenter, BJ Ryan, and Barry Zito.
Chris Carpenter
BJ Ryan
Barry Zito
Notice how their
Pitching Arm Side (aka PAS) elbow is up at the level of their
shoulders and their PAS forearm is hanging down vertically
beneath it. I think the fact that Chris Carpenter and BJ Ryan
make the Inverted L is related to their recent arm problems. The
fact that Barry Zito makes the Inverted L makes me nervous about
the health of both his elbow and shoulder.
As I said before, the problem with
making the Inverted L is that it increases the
distance, and thus the force, with which the PAS upper arm
externally rotates. This increases the stress on both the elbow
and the shoulder.
To see what Greg Maddux's arm action actually
looks like, let me show you a few frames from a clip of him
pitching and analyze his mechanics.
Greg Maddux -
Frame 746
After breaking his
hands at his waist, Greg Maddux drops his PAS hand to his PAS
hip. Roger Clemens and David Wells do something similar.
Greg Maddux -
Frame 747
Greg Maddux -
Frame 748
Greg Maddux -
Frame 749
Greg Maddux -
Frame 750
Greg Maddux then
swings his PAS arm back toward 2B and then starts to bend his
elbow and externally rotate his PAS upper arm.
Greg Maddux - Frame 751
Frame 751 makes it
absolutely clear that Greg Maddux does not make the
Inverted L. In this frame his PAS elbow is at its maximum height,
which is 6 inches or so below the level of shoulders. Also, in
Frame 751 Greg Maddux's PAS hand is almost at the level of his PAS
elbow. If Greg Maddux actually made the Inverted L, his PAS elbow
would be much higher, up at the level of his shoulders, and his
PAS hand would be much lower.
Greg Maddux - Frame 752
In Frame 752, Greg
Maddux's PAS forearm is beyond horizontal on its way up to the
high cocked position. Notice how his PAS elbow is still well
below the level of his shoulders.
Greg Maddux - Frame 753
In Frame 753, Greg
Maddux's PAS forearm is 45 degrees off of the vertical and his PAS
elbow is still well below the level of his shoulders. Also, notice
how little Greg Maddux reverse-rotates his shoulders. Instead of
pointing up the 3B line, his shoulders instead stay pointed at the
target during his entire arm swing. This aids his deception by
helping to hide the ball behind his body. The result is that Greg
Maddux is sneaky fast since the batter cannot see the ball until
the release point.
Greg Maddux - Frame 754
In Frame 754, Greg Maddux's
PAS forearm is vertical and in the high cocked position. His shoulders are
also starting to rotate by this frame. Notice that his PAS elbow is still
well below the level of his shoulders.
8/14/2007
Quick Look:
Phil Hughes
Evidently, my name
and work are being thrown around over at rotoworld.com
in the context of pitching mechanics in general and Phil Hughes
in particular. As a result, I thought I'd take a quick look at
Phil Hughes.
The bottom line is that I like (the
little) I see and have rated him fairly highly in my list of pitcher
picks and pans.
Hughes seems to combine solid arm
action (e.g. no Inverted
W) with a lot of tail (which suggests powerful pronation).
His arm action isn't quite as good as Dan Haren's or Greg
Maddux's, but it's pretty close. There is certainly a lot to
like about Phil Hughes.
Phil Hughes
Phil Hughes
Phil Hughes
Notice the sideways stride with the
GS foot in the photos above as well as the limited
reverse-rotation (and thus good deception). Also notice that the
PAS elbow stays below the level of the shoulders.
Phil Hughes
A comment was made
over at Rotoworld.com that Hughes' mechanics resembled those of
Roger Clemens. I mostly agree with that statement. Notice the
similarities between the photo above of Phil Hughes and the photos
below of Roger
Clemens.
Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
Notice the similar
heights of the PAS elbows (and the similar lack of Inverted W).
Notice the similar GS arm action. Notice the similar amounts of
hip/shoulder separation.
The only really obvious difference
between them is the angle of the GS foot at foot plant. Notice
that Clemens' GS foot points pretty much directly at the target
while Hughes' lands more closed. I don't think this is a huge
difference, but it is nonetheless a difference.
I have seen some video clips of Hughes
that suggest that his PAS elbows gets a little higher than
Clemens' does, but I'm not sure if that is still the case.
Phil Hughes
Phil Hughes
Phil Hughes
Phil Hughes
Through the rest of Phil
Hughes's delivery, the same basic elements hold up. His PAS elbow never gets
above (or really even to) the level of his shoulders and he achieves good
hip/shoulder separation.
8/9/2007
My Revised
Position On Freddy Garcia
I used to be a big fan of Freddy
Garcia.
I still like how early he gets his PAS arm up into the
high cocked position. I think this should help to protect his
Labrum.
However, his recent shoulder problems have
led me to re-examine his mechanics and what I have come to notice
is how high his PAS elbow gets.
Freddy
Garcia
Freddy
Garcia
What I
see in the the two photos above of Freddy Garcia
looks like borderline Hyperabduction.
Notice how his Pitching Arm Side (aka PAS) elbow is
at or above the level of his shoulders. I believe that this,
combined with his shortened off-season between the
2005 and 2006 seasons (due to the WS and WBC) could be
related to his recent shoulder problems.
8/8/2007
Why Barry Zito
Makes Me Nervous
A number of times
people have asked me for my opinion of Barry Zito. The bottom
line is that, while I admire his skill, several things that he
does make me nervous.
The first thing that makes me nervous
about Barry Zito is illustrated in the two photos below and is
what initially led me to write this piece.
Barry Zito
Barry Zito
As the two photos
above show, Barry Zito breaks his hands with his elbows. This
means that his Pitching Arm Side (aka PAS) elbow gets quite high.
Notice how his PAS elbow is up at the level of his shoulders and
his PAS forearm is hanging down vertically beneath it.
Chris Carpenter
BJ Ryan
As a result, Barry
Zito ends up in a position that resembles Chris Carpenter and BJ
Ryan, both of whom are on the DL due to elbow problems.
Barry Zito
In particular,
notice the similarity between the photo of BJ Ryan and the photo
above of Barry Zito.
My theory
is that this "Inverted L" position increases the
distance, and thus the force, with which the PAS upper arm
externally rotates. This increases the stress on both the elbow
and the shoulder.
Barry Zito
Barry Zito
Barry Zito
Barry Zito
Having said this, I
will admit that, as the four photos above shows, Barry Zito's PAS
elbow drops as his PAS upper arm externally rotates, which should
reduce the risk that he will be vulnerable to an impingement
injury of the rotator cuff. However, it still leaves him
vulnerable to other injuries of both the elbow and shoulder.
Barry Zito
Barry Zito
A final thing that bugs me
about Barry Zito is how he hooks or wraps his wrist. While pitchers like
Rick Sutcliffe have done this and survived, I don't like it because it
implies tension in the pitcher's wrist.
The bottom line is that I would be surprised if
Barry Zito's big, long-term deal with the Giants turns out to be a success.
While Barry Zito hasn't had serious problems to date, he may have
experienced a recent drop in his velocity (which is why he played around
with his mechanics in 2007 Spring Training) which may indicate an impending
shoulder problem. I certainly would have been more positive if the Giants
had given that same deal to Dan Haren, for example.
8/7/2007
Quick
Look: Jake Peavy
Jake Peavy
intrigues me. I love how his fastball moves; it tails more than
any other major league pitcher's. That means that he has to be
pronating like crazy through the release point, which should
help to protect his elbow. However, he does a couple of things
that, while not definitely problematic for his shoulder (and
possibly his elbow), are certainly a cause for concern.
Jake Peavy
Jake Peavy
The main thing
that concerns me about Jake Peavy is that he breaks his hands
with his elbows. As a result, and as you can see in the photos
above, his Pitching Arm Side (aka PAS) elbow gets quite high.
While it doesn't get as high as Mark Prior's or Anthony Reyes',
it is still quite high.
Jake Peavy
This can lead to the
same kind of timing problems that Chris Carpenter has. As you can
see in the photo above, at the moment that Jake Peavy's Glove Side
(aka GS) heel plants, his PAS forearm is not yet horizontal. As a
result, his PAS forearm is less likely to be vertical at the
moment his shoulders start to turn, which increases the load on
both the elbow and the shoulder.
Jake Peavy
Jake Peavy
Jake Peavy
The photos above
show that Jake Peavy's PAS elbow is right at the borderline.
Notice how, since he is leaning forward, his PAS elbow is actually
just below the level of his shoulders. As a result, I think he is
more vulnerable to Labrum and elbow problems than to an
impingement injury.
Jake Peavy
As the photo above
shows, Jake Peavy's PAS elbow does drop by the time his PAS
forearm is vertical and passing through the high cocked position,
which is good.
Jake Peavy
The photo above
shows one more thing to be concerned about. Notice how he locks
his GS knee. I think this can increase the stress on the arm. I
prefer that, while pitchers stiffen up their GS leg, they never
lock it. Instead, I want them to always maintain some flex in
their GS knee so that it can help to absorb some of the shock of
the delivery. This can also help to protect the knee joint from
experiencing repeated hyperextensions.
8/1/2007
What Do Pro
Pitching Coaches Really Know?
I have said
multiple times that the level of knowledge about pitching
mechanics at the major and
minor league levels is uneven at best. The problem is that in many cases it's obvious that
many major and minor league pitching coaches have never looked
at slow motion -- much less frame by frame or high-speed -- film or video of their
pitchers.
Otherwise, they wouldn't say what they
do.
As an example of this, I give you the
quote below of a minor league pitching coaching talking about
Anthony Reyes. There are a number of problems with this
statement.
It's kind of a
misconception, two-seam
versus four-seam. It's not how you
hold
the ball; it's your arm positioning...
Actually, the degree of sink of
the ball is impacted by how you hold the ball. A 4-seamer
doesn't sink as much as a 2-seamer does because (paradoxically)
the greater number of seams interacting with the airstream
actually generate more lift. As a result, it isn't that a
2-seamer sinks. Rather, it's that a 4-seamer doesn't sink as
much as you would expect it to (which can make it look like it's
rising).
...If you lead with your
elbow I don't care if you grip two seams, four seams, or
eight seams, your ball's not gonna sink...
Every major
league pitcher leads with their elbow, as you
can clearly see by watching slow motion video or high speed
film.
Billy Wagner
As their shoulders start to
rotate, their PAS forearm lays back or "bounces" as
their PAS upper arm externally rotates. This makes it look like
they are leading with their elbow.
The degree that one's ball sinks has
nothing to do with whether you lead with your elbow or not.
Instead, it is more of a function of arm slot. That's why most
sinkerballers throw from a high sidearm or three quarter arm
slot.
He needs to get his
elbow up on top, get his fingers over the ball, and throw in a
downward plane. When Reyes does that, sometimes his
four-seamer sinks.
He did throw some two-seam last year,
and he's been working with it some this year. I don't think he
trusts it yet. I don't think he'll throw it when he's in a jam
or when he's having trouble locating. But it's not how you
hold the ball. He's just got to get his elbow up and get his
fingers on top consistently.
This seems to be implying that
Anthony Reyes needs to raise his arm slot. I don't have a problem with that
advice. However, it isn't clear that he understands where a pitcher's arm
slot comes from, that is isn't just a question of getting the elbow up. As a result, he may not understand just how significant of
an effort it is to change a pitcher's arm slot.
Jeff Suppan
You can't just
change the angle of the elbow at the release point, since you have
no control over that. Instead, you have to change the tilt of the
pitcher's shoulders and how their entire upper body works. That is
a non-trivial task.
He has a tendency to throw pies.
You ever throw a pie at somebody's face -- with your forearm
up above your elbow? You push the thing. When you're throwing
pies, it's pretty hard to throw a sinker.
This is a ridiculous statement
and makes it clear that he has never seen slow motion tape of Anthony Reyes.
Instead, he has only watched him with his eyes, which are simply too slow
for the job. Maybe that's why he has missed Anthony Reyes' gigantic Inverted
W.
Anthony Reyes
As the photo above makes
clear, Anthony Reyes throws from a high sidearm arm slot, with his shoulders
only slightly tilted and his PAS forearm only slightly above the horizontal.
His forearm is certainly not up above his elbow.
Again, I agree that it
would be worth experimenting with Anthony Reyes' arm action and arm slot to
see if you could improve the movement of his ball (and reduce his injury
risk), but you have to understand what is going on and why. There's no way in the world that you're going to
troubleshoot and fix a pitcher's problems if you don't understand what his
arm does when he throws the ball.
The Pitching Mechanic -
July 2007
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