The Pitching Mechanic
December 2008

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

The Pitching Mechanic - January 2009

12/26/2008

Pitching Mechanics Analysis - Ben Sheets

A bunch of people have been asking me what I think of Ben Sheets as he is maybe the most prominent remaining free agent pitchers. As a result, I just completed an analysis of the pitching mechanics of Ben Sheets. While I certainly have seen worse pitching mechanics, I'm still not a fan of what I see.

Ben Sheets

12/21/2008

Dan Haren - Some Great High Speed Video

For the past few months I've started to suspect that Dan Haren might have slight timing problem based on some video I've seen of him. However, that video hasn't been good enough to base a verdict on it.
     Today a reader sent me a link to a YouTube video of Dan Haren's pitching mechanics that is much clearer than any I've seen and that suggests that Dan Haren's timing is indeed a bit borderline. If you watch his PAS elbow, you will see that it starts to rotate when his PAS forearm is about 45 degrees short of the vertical (around 1.55). This will increase the load on his elbow and shoulder, but how much is a bit hard to say.
     The issue is that you can see that same thing in some videos of Greg Maddux, and he obviously held up OK. However, Dan Haren does throw harder than Greg Maddux, and I think that's a significant difference.

12/21/2008

Ian Kennedy - A Quick Look

Given that his name has come up a few times in connection with my Cardinals, I did a quick analysis of the pitching mechanics of Ian Kennedy.

12/18/2008

Imitation Redux

It turns out that the same guy has written a piece about Jake Peavy that is remarkably similar to my analysis of the pitching mechanics of Jake Peavy. He talks about rushing just as I do and even throws in a line about concerns about the slider as I do.

Peavy’s arm action and delivery (the two big parts of a pitchers mechanics) are absolutely awful and remind me of Mark Prior’s “winged” arm action when he breaks his hands. After Peavy’s hands break, he leads the backward movement of his throwing arm with his elbow and not his hand. Why is this important? Because when a pitcher leads with the elbow, his arm does not get into the high cocked position ready to throw until it is too late, after his front foot lands. Then, the pitcher needs to “rush” his motion to help deliver the ball. This type of arm motion eventually leads to elbow AND shoulder injuries...The fact that he throws a slider almost every other pitch is cause for concern on the elbow, too.

E-mail me if you also see the similarity in the two pieces, if you think I'm just being crazy or paranoid (or both), or if you are a lawyer and can tell me how to handle situations like these (ideally for free).

12/17/2008

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery, Right?

So today I was Googling around to see what other people were saying about the signing of AJ Burnett by the Yankees. While I pleased to see that my own analysis of the pitching mechanics of AJ Burnett was at the top of the list, I saw that this article came up fourth on the results.
     Not only does the writer start off by focusing on a largely irrelevant aspect of AJ Burnett's pitching mechanics -- the hook in his wrist -- the stuff that he gets right is taken pretty much thought by thought, if not word for word, from my web site.

Burnett’s mechanics reveal he cocks his wrist on his backswing and has his forearm down about the time when his front foot lands. This arm action is the worst mechanics a pitcher can possibly have. He, along with Jake Peavy, both have the “winged” arm action - a tremendous precursor to major elbow and shoulder problems. What happens is when hands are broken and the throwing hand begin to drop, a pitcher such as Burnett begins his backward rotation with the elbow instead of continuing to lead with the hand in a down, back and up motion. What then happens is that the throwing elbow gets higher than the shoulder at the point of front foot landing, leading to a timing problem. The arm then has to violently come forward very quickly to throw the ball. 
     This puts a big strain on the elbow AND the shoulder.
     And while Burnett has had his history of elbow problems, his mechanics over the years have not changed. Burnett is destined for more elbow problems.
     Other pitchers who have the same type of mechanics as Burnett include Chris Carpenter, Joel Zumaya, Shaun Marcum, BJ Ryan and Kerry Wood. What do all these guys have in common with Burnett?
     Tommy John surgery.
      Plus, Mark Prior has very similar mechanics (only worse than Burnett’s) and he has had shoulder issues practically his entire career.

Now, it's of course perfectly acceptable to use my ideas, cite me as the source, and then build upon those ideas as Kyle Boddy does in his always interesting blog over at Driveline Mechanics. However, it's something else to appropriate my ideas, reword them a bit, and then try to pass them off as one's own.
     I guess this means that I've finally made it and should be flattered.
     Right?

12/13/2008

Yankees Go 1 for 2

This week the New York Yankees signed two pitchers, AJ Burnett and CC Sabathia, to long-term contracts. While I analyze their pitching mechanics in detail elsewhere, let me render a quick verdict on each deal.
     First, let's look at AJ Burnett and his 5-year deal. Put simply, I don't think there's any way the Yankees will get their money's worse out of this deal.
     Can you say Carl Pavano?
     I am not a fan of AJ Burnett's pitching mechanics, and in particular his arm action. The issue is that, as you can see in the photos below, AJ Burnett has an Inverted V or Inverted W in his arm action. This creates a timing problem and increases the load on AJ Burnett's elbow and shoulder.

AJ Burnett

AJ Burnett

While I think the Yankees struck out on the deal with AJ Burnett, I do think the deal with CC Sabathia makes sense (but I think the 7-year term is a couple of years too long). While CC's weight is a bit of a concern, the evidence suggests that big bodied pitchers are actually more durable than strong beans.
     Can you say David Wells.
     Also, CC Sabathia's pitching mechanics are solid. His arm action looks decent; while he scap loads, he does so with his elbows below his shoulders, which is good. CC Sabathia's timing also looks OK. His pitching arm side forearm looks like it's mostly vertical at the moment his shoulders start rotating.

CC Sabathia

CC Sabathia

CC Sabathia

However, I will say that I am slightly concerned with what I see in the photo above. Notice how CC Sabathia is showing the ball to Center Field. I am concerned that this can make a pitcher vulnerable to elbow problems (and possibly shoulder problems).

12/13/2008

Pitching Mechanics 101 DVD Coming Soon

I am in the process of putting together a Pitching Mechanics 101 DVD.

The Pitching Mechanic - November 2008