ChrisOLeary.com > Projects > Baseball > Pitching > The Pitching Mechanic > August 2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chris Carpenter - Frame 19

Chris Carpenter

Chris Carpenter - Frame 20

Chris Carpenter

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

Chris Carpenter - Frame 22

Chris Carpenter

Chris Carpenter - Frame 23

Chris Carpenter

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

Chris Carpenter - Frame 25

Chris Carpenter

Chris Carpenter - Frame 26

Chris Carpenter

Chris Carpenter - Frame 27

Chris Carpenter

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

Chris Carpenter - Frame 29

Chris Carpenter

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

Chris Carpenter

BJ Ryan

BJ Ryan

Barry Zito

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

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

Greg Maddux - Frame 747

Greg Maddux

Greg Maddux - Frame 748

Greg Maddux

Greg Maddux - Frame 749

Greg Maddux

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chris Carpenter

BJ Ryan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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