ChrisOLeary.com > Projects > Baseball > Pitching > The Pitching Mechanic > March 2008

The Pitching Mechanic
March 2008

Real-Time Illustrations and Analyses of
Proper and Improper Pitching Mechanics

 

The Pitching Mechanic - April 2008

 

3/31/2008

What's The Deal With Rich Harden?

Over the past few weeks I've gotten a number of questions about what I think the deal is with Rich Harden; why he has experienced so many shoulder problems over the past few years.

Rich Harden

Rich Harden

The short answer is I'm not sure.
     If you go through the clips above frame by frame, you will find no evidence of arm action, timing, or other obvious problems. Rich Harden does fly open with his glove slightly, which could make him slightly less efficient, but that's unlikely to be a huge deal.
     All of this makes me wonder about Harden's conditioning program. A lack of conditioning could increase his risk of experiencing injuries.
     But that's all I've got.

 

3/30/2008

Concerns About Pitch FX Accuracy

So I'm watching the game tonight on ESPN and am also watching it via MLB.com's Gameday feature and the Pitch FX system. So far, I'm underwhelmed by the Pitch FX system and the data it produces. For one thing, it frequently disagrees (by 10MPH) with the stadium gun. It'll classify an 80 MPH change-up as a 91 MPH fastball when it got the preceding 91 MPH fastball right. As a result, I'm reluctant to take very seriously any analyses (e.g. pitch ratios or movement) that depend on this data.

P.S. The accuracy of the Pitch FX system improved over time when it came to fastballs, possibly due to a change in operators, but I'm not at all impressed with how the system classifies breaking pitches. I saw multiple sliders misclassified as splitters. Obviously, that will skew any pitch ratio data (and even make you think a pitcher throws a pitch he doesn't).
     Also, I think the system OVER-estimates horizontal break and UNDER-estimates vertical break. I saw a couple of pretty much flat fastballs classified as having 15 and 16 inches of tail.
     Again, I would not trust any analyses that were based on Pitch FX data.

 

3/29/2008

Pitcher Analysis - Aaron Crow

I just completed an analysis of Mizzou pitcher Aaron Crow's pitching mechanics. This is in response to a glowing review of his mechanics that I recently came across and that I strongly disagree with.

 

3/24/2008

Pitching Mechanics 101

Lately, I have been getting a lot of questions about pitching mechanics and how I teach them. As a result, I have just completed an essay entitled Pitching Mechanics 101 that explains my view of proper pitching mechanics how I teach them.

 

3/17/2008

Tim Lincecum and the Inverted L

One of my readers, who is a Physical Therapist (PT), has been getting on me for not talking more about Tim Lincecum's Inverted L. As the photos below demonstrate, Tim Lincecum has always had some Inverted L in his arm action.

Tim Lincecum's Inverted L

Tim Lincecum's Inverted L

Tim Lincecum's Inverted L

Tim Lincecum's Inverted L

Tim Lincecum's Inverted L

Tim Lincecum's Inverted L

Tim Lincecum's Inverted L

Tim Lincecum's Inverted L

Tim Lincecum's Inverted L

Tim Lincecum's Inverted L

In my defense, I did express concern about some Inverted L in my analysis of Tim Lincecum's pitching mechanics. The reason I haven't made a bigger deal out of it, and still think highly of Tim Lincecum, is that it doesn't seem to affect him as much as it does some others.
     As I have said elsewhere, the Inverted L isn't injurious in and of itself; you won't necessarily destroy your shoulder by coming to the Inverted L position. Instead, the Inverted L is dangerous because it can destroy a pitcher's timing and make their arm extremely late. I point this phenomenon out in my analysis of the pitching mechanics of BJ Ryan. BJ Ryan's timing is absolutely destroyed by his Inverted L.
     This may help to explain what is going on with Barry Zito. He has a significant Inverted L but, to date, hasn't had any shoulder problems. Of course, his recent velocity problems suggest that some process may be slowly destroying his shoulder.
     So the bottom line is that Tim Lincecum is at a higher risk of shoulder problems due to his Inverted L. However, that risk may not necessarily bear itself out because of Lincecum's decent timing.

 

3/10/2008

Why Doesn't Ian Snell Just Marry His Slider?

I was just reading Bill James' new book and in it he says that Ian Snell threw his slider 47% of the time in 2007. As you may know, I don't like the slider. In fact, I think it may be the most dangerous pitch in baseball due to the high-speed supination. The cutter is next on the list for the same reason. I think falling in love with his slider destroyed Kerry Wood's elbow and may have done the same thing for Francisco Liriano's elbow. I'm going to have to see how Ian Snell's elbow holds up.

 

3/10/2008

A Beef With Bill James Regarding Nolan Ryan

Speaking of Bill James' new book, in it he says something that bugs me. He talks about how hard Nolan Ryan threw his fastball. As I have pointed out elsewhere on this site, what was unique about Nolan Ryan's fastball was not how hard he threw it. Rather, what was unique about Nolan Ryan's fastball was how hard he threw it and how much it moved.

Nolan Ryan's Tailing Fastball

 

3/9/2008

SI.com: Baseball's Top 20 Young Pitchers for 2008

A couple days ago SI.com put together a photo essay entitled Baseball's Top 20 Young Pitchers. I thought my readers would be interested if I went through these photos and commented upon them.

 

The Pitching Mechanic - February 2008

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