Pitching Mechanics Analysis
Josh Kinney

4/13/2009

Let's look at the pitching mechanics of Josh Kinney using some high definition video that I shot just a couple of weeks ago at Spring Training.

Josh Kinney

To start off with, I like how Josh Kinney loads his hips in Frame 28. He does this by reverse-rotating his hips but not his shoulders, which is good. However, from that point on Josh Kinney does a number of things that concern me.
     First, in Frame 43 you can see that Josh Kinney starts to open his hips right out of his leg lift. This isn't a huge deal, but it does suggest that he may be less efficient, and more arm-y, than he could be.
     Second, and more importantly, in Frame 55 you can see that Josh Kinney leads with his elbows out of his arm swing. As a result, in Frame 62 he ends up in a pretty classic Inverted W position, with his elbows both above and behind his shoulders (like Mark Prior). While the Inverted W isn't automatically bad, and is only bad if it creates a timing problem, in Frame 66 and Frame 67 you can see that Josh Kinney's shoulders rotate quite a bit before his Pitching Arm Side (PAS) forearm is vertical. This increases the load on both the elbow and shoulder and, along with the fact that he throws a slider, explains why Josh Kinney recently needed Tommy John Surgery. It also suggests that Josh Kinney is due for shoulder problems in a few years.