Less is More: The Art of Intelligent Pitching

Start Your Preseason Throwing Program

2011-01-16T13:12:00.000-08:00

It's now the middle of January 2011. Even though the majority of the midwest is still under a foot of snow and no where but Florida and southern Cali feel anything like baseball weather, it is time to put on your Nike HyperWarm and a stocking cap and start throwing. For most high school ball players, tryouts are at the end of February, this gives us a solid month to build the necessary arm strength to be in "mid-season form" by the first day of try outs.

Hopefully, the majority of you have already been throwing some. However, now is the time to dial in your focus and start charting your throws with a specific goal in mind. For example, this week should consist of three separate throwing sessions. The first should be a light toss and bullpen consisting of no more then 30 pitches - fastballs and change ups. If you have already been throwing for a few weeks, then the breaking ball can be added as well as a few extra total pitches. These bullpens can be thrown in doors (as most of you will need to do anyways) at your local high school or indoor facility.

The second sessions should simply be a light toss. Focus on release point and finish, and not going anything further than the distance from home to 2nd base (120 ft. if you're on a full size field). You should throw enough to get loose and warm, but should not be sore after the session is over.

The final session will be a longer, more strenuous, dedicated long toss program. We are going to have to head out doors for this one; as the goal is to reach your max throwing distance with a generous arch on the ball. We are still finishing to the target with focus on the hand path through the ball, but we aren't concerned as much about the flight of the ball. After reaching your max distance, you want to work your way back in throwing the ball on a line at close to max effort. Again, focus is still on finishing to the target, but now the ball will have a down angle out of the throwers hand and will have to short/long hop the throwing partner until the distance is shortened enough.

You should be sore after this session and will need atleast 2 days off before your next week's bullpen. Each new week, you will want to add an addition throwing day (bullpen or long toss) depending on arm strength until you are throwing 5 to 6 days a week. Gradually increasing arm strength along the way.

Good luck and post any questions.

Thanksgiving WishList 2010.

2010-11-25T15:14:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you out there in LIM Land. Having finished up what feels like ten days worth of food, I thought it was due time to fire up the 'ole blog and shed some light on some things that we as baseball players and, specifically, pitchers can be thankful for. Similar to last year's edition with updates and improvements as we head into the think of the off-season.

In no particular order, here is our Thanksgiving Top Ten.

10. Ground Ball Double Plays
With men on first and third and 1 out, there is nothing better than throwing a good harder sinker and getting out of the inning with a nice 6-4-3.

09. Catcher's Who Can Block Balls and Call Games
Mike Metheny (SF Giants) comes to mind. There is nothing better than having the confidence that your catcher has studied the hitters as much as you have and will block every single slider you throw in the dirt.

08. Pitcher's Toe
No this isn't some odd disease only pitchers can get. Instead, the perfectly dipped plastic mold on the back foot prevents the violent movements of a delivery from tearing your new Nike's apart at the seams.

07. Long Toss
Sometimes, there is nothing better than getting outside and jushttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7889015573646278483t airing it out. Designed to teach the body and the arm how to throw harder and longer, it is essential to every pitchers 'in-season' and 'off-season' throwing program.

06. Single Leg Romanian Dead Lifts with Single Leg Squat
This complex full body exercise is one of the single best moves a pitcher can execute to increase balance and body control. Performed by balancing on one leg and, with the opposite arm, bending at the waste and touching the foot on the ground with that arm. At the same time, lift the other leg up to parallel. Then, return to upright and lift the free leg into a leg lift position and perform a single leg squat.

05. Roy Halladay
A pitcher who pitches the way it was meant to be. Throwing strikes, getting ahead, and getting out. He's thrown more complete games than any other pitcher is recent history. Expects to go the distance every time and doesn't rely on anyone but his defense to get the job done.

04. Free Swinging Hitters.
Only Vlad and Pablo Sandovol have been successful at swing at everything. The majority of these types of "hackers" are great at getting themselves out with pitches not in the zone. Think about Sammy Sosa early in his career or Mark Reynolds and Carlos Pena now. Sure they may hit one out of a hundred 900 feet, but the rest of the time, they usually end up back in the dugout.

03. The Change-Up
Easily the most difficult pitch to hit. Ask any pro-hitter, especially the aforementioned free swingers. Anything that looks like a fastball until it reaches the hitting zone, but isn't, tends to be the toughest pitch for a hitter to hit.

02. Phiten Necklace/Sinker Sleeves/Lucky Shirt
In other words, superstition. Pitcher's are notorious for relying on other worldly rituals to give them the edge (in addition to all other necessary work) on the mound. Whether its keeping a nickle their grandpa gave em in their back pocket during the game or always putting the left spike on first, if you believe it works....then it does.

01. Pine Tar
Like my old high school used to say..."if you ain't cheatin, you ain't tryin." Used by big leaguers across the land (literally....tons of them). This little piece of sticky heaven placed under the cap, on the laces of the glove, on the belt buckle, behind the back of the hat keeps your fingers tacky and the feel of the ball secure in any and all conditions.

So there are just a few things to think about all this Thanksgiving Holiday. Feel free to post your comments and suggestions.

Until Next Time

Wilson Vs. Cain - The Real World Series Match Up

2010-10-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, the match up between Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum did not turn out to be the pitcher's duel that everyone had hoped. San Fran claimed the victory with a whopping score of 11-7. Game 2 is proving to be the type of game everyone was expecting It is the middle of the 7th now and the score is San Fran 1 - Texas 0.

I've been studying CJ Wilson pitch much of this season and I am increasingly impressed with his ability to locate all of his pitches in any count. Although he has been removed from the game with a blister on his pitching finger, he has proved his salt while battling the San Fran lineup. His only mistake being a fastball up in the zone, but not up enough, to Edgar Renteria.

I say many similarities between Wilson and Andy Petitte. Both lefties utilize a low 90s fastball and a good breaking ball that they use as a back door and front door breaking ball. By being able to locate his slider both inside and outside to right handed hitters, he prevents hitters from being able to sit on one pitcher or one location.

Similarly, Matt Cain has been able to remain scoreless through the entire playoff race by utilizing a devastating sinker/slider/change up combination that baffles hitters. I really enjoy how compact his hand break and arm swing is as he delivers the ball to the same release point on every single pitch. This make it next to impossible to for hitters to differentiate between what pitch is being thrown until it is in the hitting zone. The consistent downward action of all of his pitchers entices hitters to beat the ball into the ground, inducing double plays and routine groundballs.

The score is now 2-0 and Matt Cain is in control. Still, both pitchers are to be studied to try and emulate their deliveries and hopefully their success.

Pitching in the Playoffs

2010-10-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

I've been busy...can you tell? It's been over a month since my last post and I've been letting you down. So apologies for that.

In the meantime, there has been fantastic pitching performances going on left and right. There is nothing better than October baseball. Every team is running their best starters out each night. Almost not since the opening day of the season do you get to see so many quality starters going against one another. Roy Halladay, Tim Lincecum, Carl Pavano, CC Sabathia, Matt Garza...the list goes on and on.

What may not translate directly to the camera is how much pressure these guys are under. Playoff baseball has a different feel to it, because the games finally matter. Not to say that the day/night double header these guys are playing in June doesn't matter....but these games REALLY matter. As in, if you lose twice you're probably done. It takes a special kind of player to be able to understand the magnitude of the game, but still remain calm and controlled enough to repeat their deliveries and throw strike one.

For my money, the best to watch is Roy Halladay. He is masterful. Never mind he threw only the second no hitter in playoff hitter (with respects to all other pitchers mentioned), he is, day in and day out, the best pitcher in the game today. Nothing he throws goes the same direction and still he threw 42 strikes in his first 50 pitches...thats 84%. Attacking the hitter is an understatement.

As we get deeper into the playoffs, the games will mean more and more. Stay tuned to see who it is all on their game.

Big Leaguer Breakdown: CJ Wilson

2010-09-01T18:58:00.001-07:00

Before you even say it, I know this video is sideways. I apologize, but the video was the best clip I could find for the pitcher I wanted to profile. I realize there hasn't been a BLB in a long time, but its mainly because I've been so busy teaching pitching lessons and studying pitchers on TV during big league games. I have a new favorite left handed pitching in the MLB and his name is CJ Wilson of the Texas Rangers. His mechanics, especially his finish, are the best in the game; absolutely text book. He's been outstanding all year long and has only improved with the addition of veteran Cliff Lee to the rotation. As of September 1, he is an amazing 14-4 with a 2.88 ERA. He is one of the main reasons (besides Lee and Josh Hamilton) that the Rangers are making a charge for the playoffs. He is our Big Leaguer Breakdown.

Check out this sideways video to study CJ Wilson's pitching mechanics.
You may have to turn your laptop sideways to view it, but the first thing to notice is how compact CJ's leg lift is. I will post pictures of these clips here so you can visualize with me. His hands and front knee are moving in perfect unison and pause at a very high point as his hands are near his shoulders and knee is near his hands. Notice, also, that he hasn't begun moving toward the plate yet. Instead, he is balanced over his back leg and ready to begin the decent of his knee and hands DOWN FIRST before they go to the plate.
In our next frame, we see CJ getting into an athletic position as his glove and front knee work inward and down toward the plate. Young pitchers need to be careful here to notice that he has not rotated his hips too far inward and has not closed his front shoulder off very far. His front hip and shoulder will both still work directly to the target from this position. Also important is the height CJ maintains on his back leg. There is a slight bend in the back leg as he begins to "get athletic,: but he doesn't lose much height has the hands and elbows begin to elevate.

In our next picture, we are focusing on the hips and front foot at the "foot strike" position. His upper half is blurry, but you should be able to tell in full speed that his elbows are up and beginning to rotate forward. What we see in the lower half are the angle of his hips loaded and still closed just before the front foot hits the ground. Keeping the hips closed longer will allow a pitcher to stay on line longer and become more directional when the hips do fire.
Our last clip is the most important. CJ Wilson's ability to explode toward his target and finish with great extension over the his front knee helps him truly attack hitters. He does not walk very many hitters and really prides himself on getting ahead of a hitter and burying him. His explosive but directional finish is what allows him to do this. Observe the final pick and note the position of his chest square to the target and the chin stays on target through release. As the ball is let go, we see his back foot explode upwards. This is key. Many pitchers just turn the hips and let the leg drag behind. This does nothing to help the finish of the pitch. By elevating the back leg (think Johan Santana style) you force the chest to extend at the waist forward. If the chest extends, then the release point gets closer to the plate. If the ball is released closer to the plate then, by default, the movement of the pitch will be closer to the plate and in the zone longer.

Use this video and pics to study CJ Wilson's picture perfect mechanics. Better yet, try to catch him on TV so you can gain a better video understanding of his delivery.

As always, ask any questions you might have and I've got you covered.

Strasburg's Injury Perspective

2010-08-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

Poor Nationals fans. Just when they thought they had a savior for their franchise. Not only did they lose a bonafide number 1 starter, they also lost the 5th most marketable face in Major League Baseball. The culprit is a villain that has claimed many pitchers over the course of baseball history; tommy john surgery. Put simply, the main ligament in a pitcher's arm wears down, frays, and eventually tears from the repeated stress of throwing a baseball. Usually the culprit is poor pitching mechanics, but in Stephen's case, that doesn't appear to be the the reason.

So, from a pitcher's perspective, what does this mean. For starters, it will be a long lonesome road of rehab. Strasburg will go back to the Nationals spring training complex in the off season and report to the training room every day at 7 or 8am. After he has the surgery, he will begin a slow and arduous rehab that starts with light movement drills and will eventually get to throwing. That of course will be handled at the most careful pace possible with a star athlete such as Strasburg. Typically, the rehab process has gotten perfected so much that sometimes pitchers can come back in as little as 10 months. I doubt they will rush things with Strasburg, but another side affect that seems to come along Tommy John Surgery as the pitcher is able to refine his delivery and even gain velocity. Now, I doubt Stephen will be able to eclipse 103mphs, but I guess you never know.

One thing is for certain however. The Nationals will continue to take care of Strasburg as if he is the savior of their team. Quite frankly, I don't blame them. Even a hurt Strasburg will generate media attention and keep the Nationals relevant as their other star, Bryce Harper comes along.

I'll talk more in depth about TJ surgery in another post, but in the meantime, here's to a speedy recovery and even more velocity this time next year.

Until Next Time!

Less Is More Pitching Thesis Statement

2010-08-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay between posts. It's been a hectic few weeks with tons of pitching lessons taking up plenty of time. As we head back into the fall baseball season, I wanted to take a moment to re-establish the Less Is More Pitching Thesis Statement.

From my years of personal experience pitching at the professional level, working with professional coaches and players, and studying the deliveries of numerous major league pitchers I have come to the following "over arching conclusion" about pitching:

"The better a pitcher can create positive muscle memory through dedicated drill work, bullpens and dry run repetitions, the more likely he will be able to replicate his delivery and get to a consistent release point with out having to utilize "maximum effort." Instead, he will be so familiar with his delivery that he will literally feel looser and smoother the LESS hard he tries allowing him to apply MORE velocity, movement, and depth to all of his pitches at the end of his delivery as it naturally explodes to the plate."

The bottom line is the better you know your delivery, the less hard you will have to try to repeat it. The less hard you try, the looser your muscles will be. Loose muscles are explosive muscles and explosive muscles = velocity.

The path to this goal is through repetition. A pitcher must learn to "try less" by forcing his muscles to be so used to the proper positions of the delivery that it will literally become second nature.

All of my pitching lessons are centered around this goal and utilize light shoulder exercises, proper warm up techniques, long toss, dry run drills, short spin drills, bullpen work and mental exercises to help pitchers all over to achieve this goal.

If you're interested, shoot me a line here or on my website to get connected!

Until next time!!

In Between Season Long Toss

2010-08-02T18:44:00.001-07:00

Now that many of the summer travel ball and legion seasons are coming to a close for most ball players, it is time to turn our sights on the off-season. It is a time that can truly make the difference between repeating the previous years performance or taking the next step toward achieving a ball player's dream of moving from high school to college or college to the pros. As an old sporting goods commercial used to say... " All men are created equal....some just work harder in the off season."

For the professional pitcher (i.e. any pitcher older than 12), this is the perfect time to start a dedicated long toss program. I think it is wise to take a month off to allow the arm to recover from the strain of a long spring and summer season. However, if the fall ball season starts in September or October, then we don't want to take any more than a week or two to ensure that no atrophy of the throwing muscles occur. With that in mind, we can take the extra time without actual games to get with a throwing partner and long toss atleast 3 times a week. The extended distances of the throwing and high intensity of the finish sets of a solid long toss program will allow the arm to build strength with less regard for "throwing strikes." This thought process may seem contrary to what we are trying to do (throw strikes). However, I believe that within the frame work of quality long toss (keeping head on the target, leading with the chin, not falling off to the side, the body must be trained to throw as hard as possible with out trying to throw strikes first. Then, once the velocity is increased, it must be "reigned" into the frame work of a pitching delivery.

So, take some time to get out there at least 3 times a week to begin the program. Try to increase the distance of your longest toss by about 10 feet, once a week. Be sure to mix in a solid weight lifting program and sprint/long distance cardio program. By increasing your overall physical strength in conjunction with the long toss, you can give your body the best chance to increase over all velocity, stamina, and ability repeat a delivery.

Again, this time period starting in mid August and carrying all the way into the winter is a great time to focus on building arm strength. You should try to dedicated atleast 2 solid months of long tossing 3 times a week to truly see any results. But truly, long toss should be a part of a year long throwing program. However, you wouldn't want to do it this often (3 times a week) within the season or pre-season.

If you have any questions about specific distances or actual throwing breakdowns, please comment and I will be happy to respond.

Until Next Time!

Thank You Letter to Matt Garza

2010-07-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

Dear Matt Garza,

Thank you for throwing the fifth no hitter in the 2010 Major League Baseball Season. Thank you also for making it the first no-hitter thrown in Tampa Bay history. Thank you thirdly for demonstrating one of the finest displays of dominance with a fastball in recent memory.

Your feat further solidifies my 2010 thesis that the balance of power has now begun to swing back in the hitters favor. You have proven yet again this really is the "year of the no-hitter." While the record is eight no-nos in season (1984), that was in the dead ball era. No, in the live, post-steroid era, you have achieved near perfection for the first time in your career.

There will no doubt be more no-hitters thrown by Tampa Bay pitchers. My bet is that David Price will have atleast one in a Rays uniform before its all said and done. However, someone needed to step up to the challenge for the Rays and you have done this. Your dominance had been brought into question after a few of your previous starts didn't go as well. Your own father acknowledge how you've been off your game, but you answered in the best fashion possible.

Most importantly, you utilized your fastball in 80% of your pitches to no-hit the Tigers. Literally, in 120 pitches, you threw 100 fastballs. I know you throw 95 mphs, and I am sure that helps some. But pitchers everywhere can learn from how you established your fastball in every count to every hitter. It requires a lot of confidence to throw that many fastballs, but it is necessary to make your other pitches more effective. In addition, there is no reason to veer away from the fastball if the hitters never prove they can hit it. Too often, I see pitchers switch up pitches just for the sake of it. If the hitters can't put a good swing on the fastball, you proved that you can keep throwing it. Thank you for proving once again that the philosophies of Less is More are sound and based in Big League success stories like your self.

May your efforts land you in the hall of fame some day.

Thanks again,

Forrest Cory
Founder, Less Is More Pitching

If You're Gonna Give 'Em Up, Make Sure They're Solo Jobs.

2010-07-20T18:51:00.001-07:00

The enigmatic title "If You're Gonnna Give 'Em Up, Make Sure They're Solo Jobs" is a piece of advice that every pitcher should subscribe to. It refers to a pitching philosophy that revolves around keeping runners off base. In practice, it means that every pitcher is going to give up home runs, but the best ones can minimize damage and not give up as many long balls with runners on base.

I am reminded of this adage as I am watching the Orioles vs. Rays tonight on MASN. Matt Garza is on the mound for the Rays and has given up 4 home runs through 5 innings. He is also only losing 4-2. The Orioles pitcher has given up 2 home runs as well. It is not hard to imagine that this score could be much worse for both teams had those home runs not been solo shots. So, in practice, a pitcher must learn when to attack hitters and when to be careful. Of course, a pitcher must always "attack." However, early in the game and early an inning, the worst thing a pitcher can do is walk a batter. Walks and poorly placed pitches that lead to base hits are obvious things to avoid. However, this is never more true than early in those situations. With less than two outs, walking batters create more problems for the pitcher; especially if the next batter hits one out of the park.

With that in mind, if there are runners on and the game is getting into the last three or four innings, a pitcher must be careful to execute every pitch as perfectly as possible to prevent a late inning scoring onslaught. In fact, when facing a tough hitter with runners on, a good pitcher will "not give in" to a hitter by giving him a good pitch to hit. He will non-intentionally intentionally walk the batter to get a weaker hitter. He will make perfect pitches down and or just below the knees on the edges of the plate. These pitches will be so tough to hit that there is very little chance for a hitter to do damage with them. Keep in mind that this is an advanced technique that requires a very high command of ones pitches and of the strike zone. However, if executed correctly, a good pitcher can avoid giving up a mult-run hit or home run to a good hitter by making the hitter either swing at the pitcher's best pitches or be patient enough to take the walk.

The score of the game will dictate whether this strategy is a viable option. Obviously, if the score is within one run, a solo bomb is as devastating as any other home run. You would want at least a 2 run lead to begin considering putting more runners on base to get to weaker hitters.

Regardless of the situation and score however, if you are going to give up homeruns, it will always be better that they are solo shots. The less runs that score the better your ERA and your teams chance to win will be.

Until Next Time!

Rest In Peace George Steinbrenner

2010-07-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

A legend of the professional baseball world passed away on Tuesday. George Steinbrenner, aka "The Boss" bought the Yankees in 1973 and ruled with an iron fist for three decades. In the time since he acquired the Bronx Bommers, he returned a struggling franchise to its former greatness. The Yankees generated more revenue, won more World Series', and produced more All-Stars than any other franchise during his tenure.

George suffered a massive heart attack before passing at the age of 80. Less is More Pitching would like to extend its sincere condolences to the entire Steinbrenner family and Yankee nation. This truly isn't just a loss for his family and team. The game of baseball will not be the same without Steinbrenner. He will certainly never be replaced.

Until Next Time.

Pitching in the Heat of Summer

2010-07-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

I've noticed recently that many of the Less More pitching clients have been struggling mightly through our hour long pitching lessons. After only 20 minutes of warm up and long toss, they are panting, sweating, and even dizzy. The weather is brutal, no doubt. In Virginia in July, the temp routinely tops 100 degrees with even more oppressive humidity. The kind of weather that has you sweating the second you step out doors. What's worse; there's been no rain in almost 2 weeks and the ground is dry and scorched. As tough as the weather is, I always tell my clients that baseball is played in this weather every single day. Heck, when I played in Mobile in 2008, the rain would come around 5pm, raining out batting practice, only to have the field turned into a sauna for game time after the sun came back out. Try gripping a baseball when your arm and the air itself is sweating!

So I am here to shed some light on a few secrets I've picked over the course of my career to help you battle the heat on the mound...

1. Hydrate! Too many times I see my pitchers dying of thirst even though they've brought a bottle of Gatorade with them for the lesson. The problem is, by the time you are thirsty, it is too late to get fluids. A pitcher must drink water 30 minutes and an hour before hand to make sure the body is properly hydrated before the physical activity begins. That way, when you start to sweat, drinking will help maintain your hydration.

2. Work Out in the Heat. Most people agree that pitchers should run both long distance and sprints in between their pitching outings. Those workouts should be done at least some of the time in the same conditions of a mid-day game. Sure it makes the work outs harder, but that is basically the idea we are shooting. A pitcher must acclimate his body to breathing oxygen in humid air and exerting himself physically when the sun is at its hottest.

3. Get Proper Rest. The advantages of sleep are compounded when a pitcher is working out and pitching in the heat. Sleep allows the body to recover from all of the physical work of the previous day. If the body doesn't get a MINIMUM of 6 hours, it will be unable to function at its highest potential the next day.

4. Use Antiperspirant. No, I am not suggesting that you stink when you sweat. (Although that may be true). When your arm begins to sweat in the middle of a game, it can make gripping the baseball difficult. To combat this, spray deodorant/antiperspirant on your entire throwing arm. This will not completely eliminate the sweat, but it will minimize the liquid during your outing.

5. Use Pin Tar. Under the hat, on the laces of the glove, on your belt hook - if you ain't cheatin' you ain't tryin. Learn what the sticky stuff feels like and get used to how much you need to create some tackiness on those finger tips. This age old secret is only a problem if you get caught. (I do not normally condone this line of thinking - pine tar is the ONLY exception). You can rest assured that almost every big league pitcher utilizes pine tar in one form or another.

6. Feel the Spirits of Ammonia. This ancient Indian remedy has been used to help invigorate and revitalize. There may be more myth to it than actual medical value, but all I can tell you is that rubbing your neck with an icy towel dipped in this stuff (mixed with a lot of water) does wonders for keeping you sharp in the summer heat. Keep in mind that Spirits of Ammonia is not the same as actual Ammonia. Make sure you know the difference before attempting to use this remedy. One of my former coaches used to keep a cooler full of water, ice and spirits of ammonia in the dugout for many of our summer tournaments.

7. Keep a change of shirt and socks. For particularly sweaty days, its a good idea to have a second dri-fit under shirt and dri-fit game socks to change into if you happen to sweat through your first pair. Sometimes a fresh shirt is all it takes to get you back in the zone.

So be sure to get comfortable with all of these changes before you implement them in the championship game of your tournament this summer. However, once you get used to using them, you'll never play a game without them.

Post some comments with other ideas!

Until Next Time!

Is Strasburg an All-Star?

2010-07-06T18:44:00.000-07:00

So as we near closer to the July 13th mid-summer classic, the ballots have been cast for the American and National League All-Stars. Many names called are the ones that everyone expects. Jeter, Pujols, Ramierez, Sabathia and others. Other names may be confusing such as Omar Infante or perhaps Chris Young. However, the biggest question may well be whether or not Stephen Strasburg should be an All-Star. His numbers would suggest the easy answer is yes. To date, he is 2-2 with a 2.45. Even more impressive, he has recorded 53 punch outs in just over 36 innings and only walked 10. His star appeal and fan following would also indicate that he would be an easy choice. Strasburg is one of the most googled names in Major League Baseball. Tickets to Nationals park are still selling out for his starts. If he were to pitch in the All-star game, he would undoubtedly increase the popularity of an already famous event.

However.... I do not believe Steven Strasburg should be an All-Star. It isn't because I don't think he is good enough. Clearly, thus far, he has proven so as mentioned above. However, there are many unwritten rules and unsaid guidelines that govern how rookies are treated and how priority and tenure plays in a big league clubhouse. Granted, I've never been in a Major League clubhouse for more than a spring training game, I have played with enough current big leaguers to know that young ball players are expected to earn their place in the League. Of course, all players want to win at all costs. However, it is still a career and a job and Stephen's place on an All-Star roster will take the place of many other guys would have, at the very the least, pitched the whole season instead of a couple starts. Guys like Carl Pavano and Joel Pinero whom have been around the league for a few years and are beginning to have years that are worthy of all-star recognition.

Also, the All-star game is no longer just an exhibition game. Instead, it is played for home field advantage in the World Series. Allowing a rookie with little experience to make the All-star game because he would bring more fans to the stadium is irresponsible. I don't really think the All-star game is hurting for fans to begin with. So if it counts for something more than bragging rights now (which it does), then I say TV ratings shouldn't factor into the selection process.

Finally, young ball players just need to pay their dues somewhere. I agree the Strasburg is good enough to be an All-Star. I agree he's one of the most electric pitchers in the game today. However, he only spent 2 months in the minors and he is already touted as the next coming of Nolan Ryan. If his character is how it is described (a true gamer), than an all-star skip this year will only make him hungrier for the second half and the pennant run.

Let me know if you agree...

Until Next Time!!

We Can All Learn A Lot From Zambrano

2010-06-29T12:09:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, Carlos Zambrano may have been the best pitcher in baseball. His mid 90's fastball and devastating breaking ball worked extremely well with a 'Take No Prisoners' competitive edge that had many batters feeling uncomfortable just to step in the box. Unfortunately, much has changed since those days. In an earlier post this year, I posed the question "How Will Zambrano react to being sent to the bullpen?" He is known for temper flare ups and not always being a team player. So, there was reason to be concerned about a perceived demotion to the bullpen. Apparently, these concerns were validated after Zambrano's most recent dugout spat with teammate Derek Lee. Of course, no one truly knows what was said and in what context it was perceived, but DLee is one of the classiest ball players in the game today, and I find it tough to believe he was out of line. Either way, the Cubs could scarcely afford any more distractions during an already disappointing season - especially with cross-town rivals, the White Sox on an 11 game win streak. The fallout of the incident has landed Carlos on an indefinite suspension and none of his teammates seem to miss him yet. Alfanso Soriano referenced this when saying simply that the team was not inspired by the tirade (as Zambrano tried to spin it) but that they would rather not have him.

So, what can an aspiring pitcher take from this whole mess? For starters, it must be understood that it is a very thin line that a pitcher walks from being the meanest mother on the whole baseball field and not taking any crap from anyone and still respecting the game to completely showing no self control, respect for the game, or discipline. In fact, I'd say respect for the game is the ultimate issue. By allowing your emotions to get the best of you, your actions tell the other team and everyone that you are not mentally tough enough to handle the tests of a baseball game and season. Now, this is by no means and easy task, but it is a task that players have handled with grace for years. Personally, I feel it requires far more mental fortitude and "strength" to swallow ones pride and handle both your terrible defeats with the same demeanor as your greatest victories. It shouldn't matter if you throw a no-hitter or give up 9 earned in the first, a the true gamer keeps his emotions and on an even level. Because, if you allow yourself to ride that emotional rollercoaster, it will impossible to replicate any kind of success. It appears that Zambrano had been struggling with this for many years, but he had been able to keep at bay for the most part. Unfortunately, I fear this may be one of the last (if not THE last) straw for him. The Cubbies do not appear to be interested in his antics now that his performance has suffered.

So, going forward, the "Intelligent Pitcher" must be willing to walk that line. The one between extreme focus and intensity break down. The line between firery determination and emotional breakdown. It is no easy task, but the true gamers achieve this as they dominate the competition.

Let me hear your thoughts.

Until Next Time!

The Power Position

2010-06-21T19:21:00.000-07:00

There are probably over a thousand ways to teach pitching mechanics. There are probably even more ways to pitch effectively that aren't considered "proper mechanics." However, we here at Less Is More believe that there are few key components of the delivery that most pitchers most hone to be able to repeat their motion and repeat their release point. Balance throughout the delivery, utilizing the hip turn for velocity and finally, getting into the "power position" with the elbows and scapula "loaded" before those hips turn. So instead of words today, here are a few pictures of big leaguers in the Power Position.

Here is CC Sabathia with elbows up.

Notice how the front foot has not yet hit the ground.

The hips are just about to turn, forcing the upper half to release.

Even though he has a long stride, the weight is still on the back leg - allowing those hips to fire.

Front side is on target and loaded.

Although is low arm is unconventional, Ubaldo Jimenez gets both his elbows up faster than anyone.

Just before the front foot hits the ground again, look where his power is - his back leg.

The throwing arm elbow is behind his back - prepared to reach full power position.

Front shoulder is closed and on target.

Weight is back, power is still in hips.

Verlander throws 100mphs by getting those elbows up.

This pic has him just before front foot hits, with weight still back.

The throwing arm is coming up and the shoulder blades are "loaded" as the hips are preparing to turn.

The hall of famer, Nolan Ryan gets into the power position better than any one.

The power is in the hips - notice they are still closed.

Elbows are perfectly up - still bent.

Front shoulder and hip are both are on target with weight on back leg.

These are just a few examples of what the power position can look like. Ideally, Nolan Ryan's pic shows the true PP. The elbows up and parallel to the shoulder. The weight is still on the back leg and both the front shoulder and hip have not rotated off target.

Now, get to work developing your own Power Position.

Until Next Time!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown Ted Lilly

2010-06-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

As the major league seasons plows through June, the talking heads at ESPN are beginning to realize what I have been saying for at least a month. This year in baseball, is the "year of the pitcher." Of course, yours truly has blogged already twice about the fact that the balance of power is swing back towards the pitchers. Case in point, yesterday, the Chicago White Sox played the Chicago Cubs. Gavin Floyd was on the mound for since the Sox and Ted Lilly took the ball for the Cubs. What resulted was nothing short of masterful on both sides. Gavin and Ted both took no-nos into the 7th inning, where Floyd ultimately surrendered a few hits and the only run of the game. Lilly on the other hand, kept the White Sox hitless into the 9th when Juan Pierre finally ended the no-hit bid. It had been 8 starts since Lilly's last win, and despite a roller coaster ninth for the Cubs' bullpen, the game ended with a win for the Cubbies. I had a chance to study Lilly during the game last night and felt it was reason enough for Lilly to be this week's Big Leaguer Breakdown.

Here is a clip from youtube user cleveworld of Lilly warming up in Spring Training.

Ted Lilly makes his living interchanging an assortment of off speed pitches to complement a mid 80's fastball. While not over-powering, Lilly is also successful by utilizing some deception in his delivery. It is difficult to see, but at the 22 second mark, we see how Lilly rotates his an entire body and front leg around, showing his jersey number to the hitter. By doing so, Lilly does an excellent job of hiding the ball until he rotates back forward. He also keep the ball in his glove behind his back shoulder as you can see in the video. At the 23 second mark, you can see the hand break as his shoulders tilt back and the hand drops behind his back leg. The ball is still hidden at this point. Personally, I don't like how far he has collapsed on his back leg here, but moving forward, we see the tell-tale elbows elevating and hips rotate at the same time. Lilly could have used his inward to turn to try and develop more velocity, but it is my feeling that is merely for deception. I feel this way because you see very little "explosion" upon release of the ball. Going further in the video, we see how upright Lilly is as he finishes his pitch. There is very little upper half tilt forward at release either. By staying upright, the tends to flatten some of his pitches, but also helps to increase some of the balls lateral (side to side) movement. On a the next pitch in the sequence, we do see Lilly do a better job of finishing over his front foot and locating down in the zone. It is important to notice how controlled Ted is as the ball is released. Undoubtedly, this is a product of his control getting to the foot strike.

Repeating this delivery is made possible by how deliberate Ted Lilly is with his front foot and front leg when it is planted. Instead of being out of control, he lightly lets the foot plant and works down over the mid-line of the body. This is important to aide in the repeating of the body.

So we see a unique aspect of the pitching delivery in Lilly. His inward body rotation allows him to keep the ball hidden. It also allows him as well to put unique spin on his pitches as he rotates toward the midline and finish down.

Keep studying and post and questions.

Until Next Time!

Stephen Strasburg is the Real Deal

2010-06-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

It's is the top of the 8th in Washington and Strasburg has just punched out the side to end his much anticipated Major League debut versus the Pittsburg Pirates for the Nationals. The score is 4-2 and after 14 total strikeouts, Strasburg's start was nothing short of legendary. He set a Nationals franchise record for K's in a debut after going 7 innings, giving up only four total hits, 2 earned runs, and the 14 K's mentioned previously. His stuff was "as advertised." The gun on MASN has his fastball at 93 - 103 MPHs. (The gun was probably juiced a few ticks, but still no doubt he was hitting triple digits) His curveball was a knee buckling 82 MPH and the slider and change-up were equally devastating. More than once, as Pirates hitters were gearing up for another heater, Strasburg would drop in that hammer and buckle the knees of those Big League hitters. Most of those strike-outs were wild swings and misses on super heaters and exploding breaking stuff.

So it almost doesn't even need to be said that Strasburg is good. Truly, the only question that remains is 'Will Strasburg be the perennial All-Star that everyone expects him to be?' While I'm not fortune teller, I do consider myself an expert on the subject of pitching. Without attempting to tell the future, I think the answer to that question is a resounding yes. The main reason for my confidence in the phenom is found in his delivery. Very few guys are able to replicate such incredible velocity with such poise and apparent ease. Who knows, he could blow out his arm tomorrow, but I'm not betting on it. When compared to other 100 mph fireballers, Stephen has the smoothest, most fluid delivery of all of them. Other pitchers in this category are guys like Ubaldo Jimenez, Justin Verlander, Joel Zamaya, and perhaps old-schooler, Nolan Ryan. Of those, only Nolan Ryan rivaled Strasburg's apparent lack of "effort." All of the others appear to be trying to throw that hard. On the contrary, he is smooth loose and the only thing that is violent is the ball exploding into the catcher's glove. These facts tell me that Strasburg has mastered the art of staying loose and under control and allow the lower half to do the work for you. The ultimate thesis behind the Less Is More philosophy.

So going forward, I look forward to seeing what becomes of Mr. Strasburg. It is my prediction that he will be an All-Star by next year. Plus, if Bryce Harper turns out to be the offensive stud that everyone say he is, then the Nationals could be led by two no. 1 draft picks all the way to the 2015 World Series. A bold prediction, but I'll stand by it as long as those two are healthy.

I look forward to five days from now to see Strasburg start again. Look for a Big Leaguer Breakdown on him fairly soon.

Until Next Time

Image By Geoff Burke, U.S. Presswire

MLB Power Swing Part 2

2010-05-31T18:36:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post. Actually, this is more accurately a follow up to my previous "MLB power swing" post. This past Saturday, Roy Halladay threw the 20th perfect game in MLB history. What made this even more unique was the fact that Dallas Braden threw a perfect game just 3 short weeks ago on Mother's Day. This feat hasn't happened in professional baseball since the late 1800s. Going a step further, Ubaldo Jimenez threw a no-hitter earlier this year as well. So if you're scoring at home, that's 3 separate games where the opposing hitters have failed to get even one hit. I'm not sure of the statistics on this particular situation, but I'd venture to say this doesn't happen very often.

So, I reiterate my initial thesis. I believe the balance of power is shifting back to, at least, even. Where it was recently a hitter's game, the pitchers are beginning to really reclaim some of their territory. I don't expect to see a 50 homer season and especially not more than one. Perhaps we haven't seen the last no-hitter this year either. I will check back in toward the end of the year to see just how these stats have played out. I am projecting that starting pitching innings pitched, complete games, shutouts, and strike outs will all be up this year.

Stay tuned for more info!!

Until Next Time!!

Pitching to the Ball Park

2010-05-24T16:50:00.000-07:00

Much to do is made about the ball park in which a pitcher is pitching. Fenway in Boston is known for being a great place for lefties to pull the ball and righties to hit high towering balls over the monster. Yankee stadium, new or old, is notoriously easy to hit balls out of the yard. The left field line is only 314 ft. There are middle schoolers who can clear that distance. In Houston, the left field fence is so far forward that the left fielder has to adjust where he normally stands to adjust for how the ball will come off. The question becomes, though, does a pitcher need to adjust how he pitches based on the field in which he is playing. The quick answer is "no." That is to say, a pitcher should not alter the pitches he throws or how aggressive he is based on the stadium. Sure, the possibility exists that hitter could hit a less than towering drive and it might slip out of the park. However, that kind of happening cannot always be controlled. By altering what pitch you throw because of the park, a pitcher is more likely to loose his rhythm and his ability to put away a hitter once he is ahead. As I've said many times, a pitcher must always lean toward pitching to his strengths. If you have a "plus" fastball, then you want to stay with that pitch even if the hitter is a power guy.

That being said, making "adjustments' that play into your pitching strategy are always a plus. For example, focusing on locating pitches down in the zone is a strategy that is good for any pitcher to adopt. It also would serve the purpose of keeping balls in the yard more frequently. Pitching on both sides of the plate and changing speeds with all of your pitches are also great philosophies of pitching that also will help keep the hitter from squaring up pitches.

As we get more advanced, certain situations and hitters in the lineup can dictate pitches are thrown and when based on the pitcher. This requires a pitcher to be able to throw multiple pitches for strikes in any count. The situation could be when a number 3 hitter is at the dish with 2 outs. You don't necessarily want to challenge this guy inside early in the count. As a generally, staying away here to get ahead and get to a two strike count is a good idea. Similarly, if you have runners on first and third, with one out, using your ground ball pitch to get the double play is another way to pitch well in any park, not just a hitters park.

So let that be your guideline. If the philosophy matches up with overall good pitching strategies, then it is good to use to keep hitters in the park. Keep the ball down, change speeds, and attack the hitters!

Until Next Time!!

Never EVER Walk the Lead Off Hitter.

2010-05-19T18:47:00.000-07:00

The Baseball Gods are a very strict bunch. They have very defined guidelines that decide what constitutes quality baseball. They are also relentless. If a player crosses one of these guidelines, the vengeance is usually swift and severe. Case and Point. Last night, Chris Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals was pitching a gem against the Washington Nationals. It was the 8th inning and the Nationals managed to scratch out a run to tie the game at 2 - 2. The momentum was swinging back to the Nationals as they took the field to start the 9th inning. Tyler Clippard took the mound for the Nationals to face the lead off hitter...

One of the most important rules held by the Baseball Gods is NEVER WALK THE LEAD OFF HITTER...especially when your team has just come back to tie or take the lead late in the game.
What did Tyler do? He walked the lead off hitter. Now, the Cardinals tried to bail him out. First, Felipe Lopez attempted to bunt him over to second. Instead, he popped the bunt up for the first out of the inning. Then, the runner at first was picked off by Tyler. (A another offense to the Baseball God's, but not as severe). So, the situation now looks pretty darn good for Clifford. He has two outs, nobody on base, and Ryan Ludwick is at the plate with a 1-1 count when the runner was picked off. All Tyler has to do is get this last out. But the Baseball God's wouldn't allow it. The very next pitch after pick-off, Clippard hangs a slider and Ludwick deposits it roughly 20 rows back over the left field wall. Cardinals win 3-2. Carpenter gets the win and Franklin gets a save. (This has nothing to do with my point except both Carpenter and Franklin are on my fantasy team...holler).

I'm not saying the Baseball Gods made him throw a bad slider. I am not even saying the Baseball Gods exist. What I am saying is that more often than not, walking the lead off hitter will come back to haunt a pitcher. Usually, it is the lead off hitter that scores. I believe the percentage is around 70% of the time. Granted, the example here has nothing to do with that. But isn't it interesting that some how things went foul for Tyler after walking the lead off hitter. If you're team has worked hard to gain the lead or tie the game, the best thing you can do is attack the hitter and prevent giving back that run. Late in the game, it becomes even more pertinent to hang a zero up after a great come back.

This story goes well with my over all philosophy on pitching. Always be on the offensive. Attack the hitter. Don't allow the hitter to ever be comfortable in the box. Throw strikes early and often and control the game!

Until Next Time!!

Image Source: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.thearchnemesis.com/images/Baseball%2520Gods.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.thearchnemesis.com/Baseball%2520Gods.html&usg=__O_mrdefMJlGnEnqQNE-5wDuWzmQ=&h=321&w=455&sz=45&hl=en&start=1&sig2=uzyOw_NIkboS8CeC-BmqCA&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=L2_Vd5up1Bq0qM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=128&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbaseball%2Bgods%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DWTG%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=l5n0S9OtI460tgPNvcmHBQ

Major League Power Swing

2010-05-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

I know this blog's title might sound like it is about hitters. It is actually about the balance of power between pitchers and hitters. It is safe to say that from the mid 90's to the mid/late 2000's, there was NO balance. What is now referred to as the "Steroid Era," was undboutedly the most prolific decade for hitters ever seen. Just from the broken records alone one can see how hitters flourished. The formerly unbreakable single season home record was shattered three different times in the span of a couple years (Sosa, McGuire, and Bonds). The second most hallowed record in all of baseball (behind perhaps Dimaggio's hit 52 game hit streak) was broken a few short years later with Bonds surpassing Hank Aaron for the ultimate home run record. All the while, these records were considered tarnish by the terrible, steroid-induced asterisk.

However, Major League Baseball finally got its act together and implemented a much stricter drug testing policy and the over-arching the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program was adopted in 2006. Since then, the balance of power has begun to shift. It is my opinion that MLB has actually achieved what it set out to do. That is, they have shifted the power back closer to even between pitchers and hitters. It is my opinion, of course, that this is a positive change. As a self-proclaimed baseball purist, I think a 3-2 pitcher's duel is baseball at its best. I agree that home runs are wonderful and a lot of fun to watch, but when baseball scores began to look as though they were achieved with 50 yard bombs to the end zone, I think everyone knew something was wrong. Thankfully, that aforementioned changed did occur, and the steroid era appears to be over. Case and point, from '95 to '07, the average number of homeruns hit by the league leaders was well above 50. In fact, 15 times in that span, a home run leader broke the 50 home run mark. Of course, there was a handful of years where the number crested 60 with others in the 50 range and culminating with Bonds' 73. However, in 2008 and 2009, the leaders hit only 37, 38, 48, and 47 respectively. Now I realize that two years is hardly a trend, but it is my belief that 2010 will show similarly lower numbers. Of course, this is good news for baseball purists near and far. For, if those numbers did not decrease, there would be little reason to believe steroids had anything to do with the power surge.

So, heres to the conclusion of the steroid age, and the dawning of a new age of balance. I look forward to the next few 20 game winners. Perhaps now, there will be more than just one or two in each league. 2009 had none and 2008 only had Webb and Lee, Mussina, Halladay and Beckett. I suspect these numbers will increase as well over the years.

Stay tuned and let's see if I'm right.

Until Next time!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Dallas Braden

2010-05-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day from Less Is More and what a day it was. Dallas Braden's grandmother got one of the most unique and rare gifts ever given on a Mother's Day, a perfect game. Only the 19th such accomplishment in MLB history! The lefty faced the minimum, walked none, and his teammates made no errors on his way to beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-0. What made the feat even more incredible is that the Rays only swung and missed at 5 pitches that Braden threw; the fewest in a no-hitter since 2007. Dallas improved to 4-2 on the season by punching out six hitters and of course, walking none. His perfect game did as much to establish himself as a bonafide star as it did to quelsh some of the negative attention that had been simmering since his lashing out verbally at Alex Rodriquez after AROD trotted over the pitcher's mound after getting out in a game earlier in the season. Side Note...I think it shows a lot about Braden's fire and determination on the mound that he felt the need to "defend his territory" after Rodriquez essentially disrespected his mound by jogging across it. I like it and I think every pitcher can learn from it. Either way, Braden was awesome today and he is this week's Big Leaguer Breakdown.

Check out this video of Dallas Braden from my favorite youtuber, laflippin.

You can see right off the bat that Braden comes set with the glove far away from his body and his feet wide on the mound. I have always been a fan of looking imposing on the mound and applying this stance is a great way to do so. As he starts his delivery, we see him utilize a very long side step (instead of a drop step back). As a general rule, I prefer a drop step to stepping to the side because it makes finishing toward the target more difficult. However, Dallas uses the side step to create some misdirection and deception in his delivery. He repeats this very well and it does a lot to disrupt a hitter trying to track the ball.

At the :23 mark, we see Braden's foot almost disappear behind his back side. This position tells us that his leg lift well above average in height. As long as the pitcher's body (legs and core) are strong enough, a high leg lift that is controlled can help a pitcher generate more momentum in his delivery while staying taller longer. What how Dallas accomplishes this from the :23 mark to the :32 mark. We can see a lot about his delivery in this segment. From the leg lift, we see the glove and front leg work in perfect unison down and out toward the target. All the while, his back leg does not collapse much at all. While all this is happening, Braden does close off his front shoulder some, showing his back to the right handed hitter. You can't see this in the video here, but if you watch him pitching from behind, you can see what I mean. At the :32 mark, we see how Braden's elbows have elevated to a perfect power position just before the front foot hits the ground. Notice also how the back foot has begun to rotate, which indicates that the hips have turned as well. With the hips firing, but the elbows are still closed, the pitcher can really generate some power in delivery.

The :33 mark shows an absolutely picture perfect chin position, glove turn and front leg bend. This tells us a lot about how consistent Braden is with his delivery. At 36 seconds, we can see his body is almost entirely parallel to the ground at the ball comes out of his hand.

Overall, there's not much negative about Braden's delivery and this tells us quite a bit about how he was able to throw a perfect game. If I'm being picky, there isn't a ton of tempo through his delivery. He seems to be moving a touch slower than the average pitcher, but then again, that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

So, it goes without saying, Dallas Braden has a good idea about how to deliver the baseball. We here at Less Is More tip our caps to you Dallas. Congrats on your fantastic game!

Image source: yahoo sports - http://sports.yahoo.com/

The Curse of the Knucleball

2010-05-04T17:31:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I feel the need to rant a bit about some of the things I see going on in a certain aspect of the game of the baseball. Today is one of those days. I'm not really that upset mind you, just a tad bit frustrated about the over use of the knuckleball by littler leaguers in the Williamsburg area. It's not that I think the knuckleball is necessarily a bad pitch. The problem I have is the fact that many very talented young pitchers are wasting time working on an aspect of pitching that has very little chance of helping them in their future careers. Quick, name more than two knuckleballers who have pitched in the Bigs in the last twenty years. Tim Wakefield is one...the most obvious choice. How about another... waitng ... waiting... Tom Candiotti anyone. Most of my pitching clients have probably never even heard of him and past that, I can't even name another.

The point is there is a less than 1% chance that a youngster will end up throwing a knuckleball later in life. Now, it wasn't that long ago that I was a little leaguer. I can remember how much fun it was to try and make the ball dance as I played catch with some of teammates. As best as I can tell, that is the main appeal of the pitch. The problem with this is that it requires a pitcher to completely change his delivery to throw the pitch correctly. For anyone who knows my philosophy on pitching, it goes without saying that I am completely against changing ones delivery, arm slot, or arm speed to throw a pitch. It is this philosophy that explains why Big League knuckleballers only throw fastballs and knuckleballs. To make matters worse, the coaches of these kids are neither encouraging or discouraging this practice.

I think it is time that we take a position on the over use of a pitch that really has no benefits in the future games of these kids. I guess I tend to be a baseball purist. I would much rather see I young pitcher continue to develop useful pitches (fastball, change-up, breaking ball) at the expense of some early success with a trick pitch. I just put more value in the development of the pitcher than a few little league strike outs due to a knuckleball.

I'd love to hear any contrasting opinions from players and coaches out there. Feel free to post and I will respond.

Until Next Time!

Zambrano to the Pen?

2010-04-27T18:35:00.000-07:00

In relatively recent events, Chicago Cubs manager announced that normally unhittable ace, Carlos Zambrano will be delegated to set-up man duties to help out the Cubbies struggling bullpen. He also mentioned that the return to Ted Lilly to the rotation made this move even more necessary. I'm not sure if I buy it, but alas, I'm not a big league manager. I realize Zambrano has struggled in his first few starts, but he still has the "stuff" of an ace and, as long as he is healthy, will likely bounce back from the early season mishaps.

Regardless, this has nothing to do with LessIsMorePitching or my philosophy. What this does have to do with is the mind set of a pitcher like Zambrano who has to make a change. As a pitcher, you may be asked to make changes to your delivery, your role on the team, or your pitching style. Speaking from experience, late in my professional career, the Diamondbacks asked me to start throwing side arm, after throwing overhand for my entire career. Although this marked the possible end of my career, it has, for others, launched their careers into the next level. For Zambrano, it could go either way. He could become the most dominant set-up man in the league. For you, it could also take one of two courses. No matter what, it starts with your mind set. And this is the point of this blog post. Your coach may not always think the same way you do about different aspects of pitching. However, you are obligated to some degree to try the suggestions your coaches make. If you hate them, hopefully, your coach will take the time to work out an agreeable solution. If this is not the case though, and you are left with an adjustment or change that you are not comfortable with, then it becomes your job to make that adjustment with the optimism and determination of your entire being. Because if you don't, you will be leaving part of your ability off the field. As competitive as baseball is, you cannot afford to only have half your heart on the field.
So far, Zambrano seems to have made the change without causing too much of a fuss. This is called "professionalism" in the biz. Every player could use a dose of this type of approach. Big Leaguers aren't always the best example of how to carry yourself on the field. I, for one, hope my initial reactions are not betrayed later on.

Stay tuned as always.

Until Next Time.

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Doug Fister

2010-04-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the lack of posts this week. No real excuses here, I've just been a bit busy. Regardless, it is already Sunday which means its time for another segment of Big Leaguer Breakdown. This week, we look at a lesser known pitcher for the Seattle Mariners. His name is Doug Fister and just this past Saturday he threw 8 innings, giving up 2 runs and striking out four...the day after I added him to my fantasy team. (I take my fantasy baseball very seriously). Fister is a second year rookie this season after spending four seasons in the minors at various levels and making his big league debut last year and totaling 61 innings and a 4.13 ERA. He is 6'8" and uses his size to his advantage; throwing the ball on a great down hill plane and mixing his fastball with plus slider and change up. He is young and wet behind the ears but he is still this week's BLB.

Check out this great slow motion video by youtube user BrianDLarsen1988 to study his mechanics.

Hopefully, the first thing you notice about Doug is how long and lean he is standing on the mound. Fister clearly has the build that scouts look for as they project young college and high school talent. The first 4o seconds of the video shows Doug utilizing and over the head glove movement out of the wind up. Study his hands as the come back over his head and rest right around chest height. At the same time, as the hands come down, the knee raises to meet the glove at chest height. This requires very solid core strength and balance in the lower half as the knee raises past parallel. It is also great, however, for generating momentum as the leg works down and toward the plate.

At the 46 second mark, notice how the front foot is tucked back in toward the body. This small adjustment gets the foot in better position to stay along the mid line path toward the plate. Many young pitchers will allow the foot to stay loose and swing around the mound on its way forward. Unfortunately, this generally causes a multitude of other problems and should be avoided in the saw way that Doug has eliminated this issue.

However, if we watch the video from :46 to :53, we see Fister get all the way to foot-strike without ever getting into what I call the "athletic position." Instead, his back is arched back behind his heels and his front foot is landing closed. We see his glove side clear violently as he attempts to get over that front leg and finish downhill. What saves Doug here is the fact that he is so long and lanky that he is able to get his throwing arm up and through release as the front knee bends. Doug is also utilizes a very powerful hip turn and drive with the back leg which forces the upper half forward and down to release point.

So, at the :56 mark, we see the release point. The first thing we should notice is how far off the mid-line his head falls because of his improper body posture at foot-strike. However, as mentioned before, he is very athletic in his core and is able to get some extension on release. It is the opinion of this blogger that Doug could utilize even more extension if he were to stay athletic longer through the delivery.

Regardless, we see the video conclude with Fister's chest parallel to the ground and full elevation of the back leg. Two key signs that he is utilizing much of his lower half to throw the baseball. It remains to be seen if Doug will blossom into a perrenial all-star but he definitely has size and velocity (he throws 94) on his side. I'd say he is a risky permanent addition to a fantasy roster but with huge upside.

Let me know how your season are going in the real world and I'll answer any fantasy questions as well.

Until Next Time!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Matt Cain

2010-04-18T17:30:00.001-07:00

Another Sunday means its time for another Big Leaguer Breakdown. This week's victim is another from YouTube user laflippin's fantastic slow motion posts. This time around, we look at a guy whose 2009 was nothing short of an amazing breakout campaign. Having never posted an ERA lower than 3.65 in his previous 5 full seasons (which is pretty good anyways), Matt Cain completed the '09 season with a minuscule 2.89 ERA and 14-8 record on a mediocre San Fransisco team. Enjoy this week's analysis of another major leaguer's delivery.

Click here for the YouTube video of Matt Cain delivering the baseball.

The video begins with Matt out of his wind-up with the ball in his glove and throwing hand by his side. When a pitcher does this, it is important to have the ball held between the pinky and thumb so that it does not rest deep in the glove. The reasoning here is that you don't want the baseball to be difficult to grab and get the seams you need for the pitch you want. I don't know if Cain does this, but I know from experience that it is important to set the ball shallow in the glove and make sure the seams are set either in a two-seam or four-seam pattern. This is important because most pitch grips can be achieved from those two starting points.

As Cain drops back and starts his delivery, we can see how balanced he is with his feet slightly wider than shoulder width as he begins his drop step. Study closely around the :30 mark. We see Cain utilize a very short drop step to maintain this type of balance when the leg begins to lift. Most young pitchers love to step way back and off to the side. I much prefer a drop step similar to Cain's from a balance stand point.

The next position to check out is the :45 mark. We see one of my favorite positions with the leg lift at its highest point. Notice how Matt has purposefully rotated his torso toward 2nd base to hide the ball from the hitter. His hands are tucked around his belt in a good starting position. This low hand slot may be low for some pitcher's taste but it helps with the hand break which is about to follow. However, at the :46 mark, he raises his hands to begin that hand break and separates his hands with what I will call the "down hill" hand break. In other words, the front shoulder and arm is angled upwards toward the sky and the throwing arm is bent in a down angle in relation to the front arm. This is one method of generating whip action in the arm as it comes through, but it is very important to get the back elbow up and through as Matt does at the :51 second mark.

From there, the hips fire through and the elbows follow. Watch how the front elbow rotates forward and down without yanking the body off the midline. The throwing arm follows through with level shoulders and a high three quarters release point. At the :54 second mark, the finish is excellent over a slightly bent front knee. Young pitchers could learn a lot from Cain's ability to go straight toward the target and get extension over that front side.

As always, continue studying the mechanics of the guys who know how to do it.

Keep the questions coming and I'll keep you up to date.

Until Next Time!!

Arm Soreness Vs. Pain

2010-04-15T17:13:00.000-07:00

Pain is part of being a pitcher. For better or worse, a pitcher's ability to withstand a fair amount of pain, mostly in his throwing arm, will determine at least some of his ability to progress through the ranks of high school, college and professional baseball. Literally, a pitcher must have a high tolerance for pain to succeed.

Everyone knows that throwing the baseball as much as a pitcher does in one of his starts is very hard on the arm. The over-hand motion is tough on the elbow, shoulder and all related tendons, ligaments and muscles. With every pitch, those muscles create tiny tears and "bleed." The tendons and ligaments are stretched from the bone and manipulated in ways that are not exactly how nature intended. All of these motions create varying degrees of discomfort and pain. To be successful, a pitcher must be able to differentiate between soreness, which can be "thrown through" and pain which indicates injury, which should halt any further throwing.

Soreness is the type of pain that generally results from the over use of the throwing arm and typically resides in the muscles of the arm. For example, after a long outing, the pitcher will find some soreness in the triceps, forearm, behind the elbow and in the back muscles. This type of pain is usually a dull, aching feeling that throbs after the pitch is released. Usually, this pain will subside after a few days of cardio and some light icing. Many times, even throwing itself can help facilitate blood flow to the sore areas and alleviate the pain. Even if the pain persists, it will usually subside with continued throwing (even with some pain) or the cessation of throwing to allow the muscles to heal. A pitcher with this type of pain is usually experiencing tendinitis. Many times, an increase in ibuprofen intake and the aforementioned icing and throwing will help this pain subside in one to six weeks.

On the contrary, the pain from an actual injury will be very acute and sharp. The pain will "shoot" through the injured location during the release of the pitch itself instead of after the pitch has been released. The epicenter of this pain is almost IN the joints. That is to say, the inside of the elbow and inside of the shoulder capsule will create the pain. This indicates an injury, not of the muscles, but of the ligaments, tendons and nerves. The tendons could possibly be torn, the nerve could be pitched, or any other part of the arm including the bone could be compromised. Instead of the inflammation associated with the dull pain of tendinitis, the actual structure of the arm will be altered. Examples of this injury would be the torn labrum (found in the shoulder) or the torn UCL (the tommy john ligament). The elbow could experience bone chips or bone spurs and the shoulder's rotator cuff itself could be torn. Recovery from these types of injuries almost always requires extensive physical therapy, rehab, and surgery. The time to full recovery can range anywhere from 6 weeks to a full year (for Tommy John labrum surgery).

As a pitcher, you must be able to take care of your arm when the pain is only soreness from throwing. This means doing your shoulder and elbow maintenance exercises and ensure that your delivery is as close to flawless as possible to prevent causing any unnecessary wear and tear.

This post isn't meant to scare you, but it is meant to keep you informed so that you can best take care of your body.

Until Next Time!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Jake Peavy

2010-04-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

It's been a few days since the last post, but it's been a busy week with a wedding and road trip to take care. With that behind me and being that it is Sunday, we find ourselves ready for our next installment of Big Leaguer Breakdown. This week, we will look at one of the Chicago White Sox's best starting pitchers. After 7 seasons with the Padres (including the footage of this video), Jake Peavy was traded, mid-season, to the White Sox while on the DL with an ankle injury. Despite the set back, he was still 9-6 with a 3.45 ERA. His career numbers are even better with a W-L of 95-68 with a 3.27.

Check out this youtube post of Peavy warming up with the Padres by elcarquis.

We can tell immediately that Peavy is not at max effort during his pre-game bullpen. Many pitchers utilize this approach with the thought that they do not want to waste any of their best stuff in the 'pen. However, we see that his mechanics are very repeatable with some key points along the way. Much of Peavy's success is attributable to a mid 90's fastball, but it is also a direct result of the deception created in his motion.

By freezing the video at the :09 mark, we have seen Peavy go over the head with his hands, settle back down and then relift them to shoulder height with the knee lift. This is quite a bit of movement, but it is very beneficial from a timing and arm action standpoint. By going over the head, as the thought process goes, a pitcher can promote both deception (the hitter would have trouble following the ball in the glove) and a fluid arm swing as the motion of the arms facilitates a looser arm on the hand break. As we watch the video, we see Peavy utilize this movement to get compact on the leg lift. From here, we watch the hand break and notice one of the key features of Jake's delivery. At the :10 mark, the hands have separated, but not directly at the target. Instead, Peavy's body rotates in toward the third base side. Thus, the throwing arm will come behind the body toward the first base side. This movement is difficult for a hitter to follow as he will see a lot of the pitchers body and the arm slot will have some rotation to it as it comes to the front and ultimately, toward the hitter.

Two more clicks through this video (still at the :10 mark) and we see exactly what we are looking for. The arms come up and through to release point. Here, we can see Peavy's low three quarters arm slot that allows him to create very effective downward movement. As I've said many times, the upper half rotation is very effective for creating movement on the ball, but it is only helpful if the delivery can be repeated. Peavy is able to do that and we see him here, with his head on target, chest square and ready to finish, executing the pitch with proper finish mechanics.

The rest of the video is much of the same. The other thing to take note of if the straight front leg that Peavy has on all of his pitches after he release the baseball. Many sinkerballers like Peavy and Derek Low feature the straight front leg because it forces them to short arm the baseball, but also promotes even more movement on the fastball. I don't teach this to my pitchers, but some guys can execute it with great effectiveness.

Keep studying these big leaguers and look for what works and what doesn't.

Until Next Time!!

The Key to Long Toss

2010-04-06T17:20:00.000-07:00

Just a short piece today. I have been doing quite a bit of long toss recently with my young clients. Everyone seems to know that long toss will help you throw the ball further and harder. However, what they fail to realize that if they do not pay attention to their mechanics when long tossing, they run the risk of creating poor pitching mechanics as well as, possibly injuring their arm.

The key to the distance throwing that is long toss is the ensure the elbows and arms work linerally (in a straight line) to the target. The only thing that should change is the angle of release. When we throw off the mound, we trajectory should be from high to low, ending at the knees of the hitter. On the contrary, when throwing long, the ball should have about a 30 degrees angle of release upward (toward the sky, in a way). The easiest way to throw the ball upwards is to throw around the body in a circular motion. This is completely contrary to what we are trying to accomplish on the mound. Instead, the pitcher must force his elbows upward (with a slight tilt of the front shoulder up) and as the hips turn, the front elbow works (not around) and the back elbow works up and through the release point. The other key is to keep the fingers and hand on top of the baseball, even though the ball is being released higher than normal.

Once the ball is released, the chest and torso should finish forward and down after release. Like pitching off the mound, the front knee must bend slightly allowing the arm to get extended as the arm whips through to follow through.

Work on these techniques next time you throw and be sure to post any questions.

Until Next Time!!

The Art of the Opening Day Start

2010-04-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

Greetings and Happy Easter to everyone out there is Less Is More land. With the risen Lord appropriately honored and glorified today, it is only fitting we celebrate with the first day of the regular Major League baseball season. The big game being, of course, Yankees vs. Red Sox and, more importantly in some ways, CC Sabathia vs. Josh Beckett.

So, what does it mean to get the ball on opening day of the season? As a veteran of multiple high school and college open days (I was a reliever in pro ball), I speak from experience when I say it is both an honor and a responsibility to take the ball on day 1. Much can be said for getting that first win of the season out of the way and much of that responsibility falls on that starting pitcher's ability to throw strikes, get ahead, and give your team a chance to win. In some ways, this is the pitcher's job every time he goes out, but some things may be slightly different depending on where you are during you season. In this case, since it is the first game, the general rule of thinking is that the hitters will still be slightly off on their timing and the pitcher should have the advantage. This information should give the pitcher the confidence needed to immediately be in attack mode. There should be no nibbling on the corners and throwing excessive amounts of off-speed pitches. Instead, start with and ride your fastball. Move in and out, up and down, and when you get ahead in the count, then worry about changing speeds. Utilize the hitter's lack of live pitching in spring training to your advantage. Of course, you can't throw every pitch down broadway. It is still essential to locate down and out of the middle of the zone. It is still essential to locate those off-speed pitches where you want to. Suffice it say that the margin for error is slightly larger.

From a pitcher's preparation point of view, there should be no gap in the arm strength category. Generally, you are not going to be expected to go 9 innings. You will, however, be expected to go five to six STRONG innings. Hopefully, you've spent the preseason getting ready physically and mentally. Undoubtedly, you've prepared by throwing to hitters and getting the feel of the catcher and hitter in the box.

For the day of the game, try to make it a bigger deal than it needs to be. As always, the mound is still 60 ft. 6 inches from home and the bases are still at 90ft. Trust your stuff as you toe the rubber with a cool confidence that you know you will out match the opposing hitters. The worst thing you can do is make the game bigger than it is. Remain composed, avoid walks at all costs, and allow your defense to make the plays they are supposed to. By accomplishing these three things, you should find yourself ahead after six and able to turn it over to a fully capable bullpen to take it to the 9th.

Good luck this year to those in pro ball, and for those whose seasons are already under way (high school and college) keep getting sharper every time out.

Until Next Time!!

Which Side of the Mound to Pitch From?

2010-03-30T18:12:00.000-07:00

So, there are many things about pitching that are extremely complicated. Something as simple as 'what side of the mound to pitch from' can be analyzed and generate multiple approaches and theories. I am here to set the record straight. The concept is relatively simple. The hand that you throw with should determine what side of the mound you throw from. So obviously, a left handed pitcher will throw from the first base side of the rubber and a right hander from the third base side. Why is this? To create an angle that will make it difficult for the hitter to pick up the baseball out of the pitcher's hand. For a righty, throwing from right side to a right handed hitter, the ball will appear to come from behind the batter. Contrasty, if the righty is throwing to a lefty, the ball will appear to be coming across the plate instead of straight toward the hitter. This change in geometry can really give hitters a tough time squaring up the baseball. This, obviously, translates even further into change-ups and breaking balls.

Of course, as with everything is the game of baseball, this theory is only true 90% of the time. There are certain scenarios where it will benefit for a pitcher to throw from the other side of the mound. For example, a pitcher who steps across his body when he pitches could benefit from throwing from the other side of the mound. By doing this, a "cross-stepper" will end up in the middle of the mound and it will allow him to locate his pitches in the zone with more consistently.

Secondly, sinker ball pitchers also benefit from throwing from the opposite side of the mound. By doing this, the sinker (which moves downward and arm side) has more of the plate to move in and still within the strike zone. Effectively, a pitcher can start with his throwing arm in the of the rubber (by standing on the glove side of the rubber) and, with good mechanics, work his sinker to both side of the plate with more effortless adjustments.

Aside from these two scenarios, the rule of thumb is to throw from your the arm side half of the rubber. The adjustment is very easy to make and will return immediate dividends. Good luck applying this in your next outing and let me know how it goes.

Until Next Time!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Heath Bell

2010-03-28T16:32:00.000-07:00

In much the same way that Brian Wilson established himself as a premier closer with a fantastic 2009, Heath Bell dug himself out of relative Major League obscurity to post an amazing 42 saves for a mediocre San Diego team. His stop and go delivery of a mid-90's fastball and sharp breaking ball allowed Heath to post a 2.71 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP. We've got another great video from youtube user laflippin to look at this week's Big Leaguer Breakdown: Heath Bell.

Peruse this video of Heath Bell warming up to see how he delivers the baseball.

The first thing to do is watch this video all the way through. It is important to notice the short and choppy nature of Heath's delivery. Notice how he lifts his leg low, hitches forward on his hand break, and elevates his entire body through a back foot lift. Then, he jerks down with the glove and the hand fires through with the hip turn. There are many pros and cons to this approach. First, the hesitation in the delivery makes it very difficult for a hitter to pick up the rhythm and timing of the baseball. Usually, a hitter will "load" and stride as the pitcher begins his leg lift down toward the target. This is very difficult to do with a delivery like Heath's because that slide forward has a sort of "hiccup" that changes that timing. However, the hitch can also make the timing of the pitcher's body difficult to repeat unless it is executed perfectly every time. Years of repetition are likely required to ensure the hand break and foot strike are timed perfectly with the elbow and chest and finish.

With this in mind, we'll look at a few keep points in this video. First, the 0:40 mark shows the hitch to which I am referring. By coming up off the heal of the back foot, the front foot is forced downward sooner than the average delivery. This, of course, shortens the stride and forces Bell to throw over a relatively stiff front leg. We do, however, see at this point in the delivery that the requisite "elbows up" position is achieved even without getting very "athletic."

From here, if we just click through the delivery just a few ticks (still the 0:40 mark) we see Heath has turned and released the baseball. His head is well on target but the chest and front leg are very stiff and flat. Generally, we like to see a slight bend in the front knee and some torso flexibility that would all the pitcher to get extended to his target. Bell, however, does not get very far forward over that front leg as he releases the ball, thus preventing himself from getting extension on release.

As with most big leaguers, Heath does a great job of repeating his delivery extremely well. There are some key factors that I, personally, do not love. However, per usual, he has done a great job being effective with his unique attributes.

Take some time and keep studying those deliveries.

Until Next Time!!!

Controlling the Running Game Part II

2010-03-23T17:16:00.000-07:00

So far, we spoken specifically about what the pitcher, individually, can do to prevent runners from stealing bases. Approaches such as changing looks, timing, and pick offs are all part of the defenses at the pitcher's disposal to catch would-be base stealers.

In this installment, we will look at a couple scenarios that involve not just the pitcher, but the other fielders to help hold the runner on and prevent him from getting any kind of stealing jump. The first relationship to be discussed is between the catcher and the pitcher. Since the catcher has a better viewing angle on what the runners are doing, he can see, better than the pitcher, what the runner is doing. Regardless of whether the sign originates from the dugout (called by the coach) or solely from the catcher, the catcher can indicate to the pitcher that the runner is taking too many liberties on the base and he needs to pick over. Generally, there is a unique set of signs that indicate to the pitcher that a pick is on. For example, the "horns" series is created by putting the index and pinky fingers down as the first sign, followed by either a 1, 2 or 3. The second sign dictates where the pick should go with first base obviously corresponding to the number 1 and so on and so forth. It is important to note here that it is essential for the fielders to be reading the signs as well. If a short stop or second baseman sees a "horns 2" sign, this indicates a timing pick based on the number of looks is coming to second. This tells the short stop or second baseman to break to the bag as the pitcher looks back toward home (on the predetermined number of looks). After he looks, home, he will continue his rotation back around to start the pick off to second base. Also, from the horns series, the catcher can indicate other unique pieces of the running defense. A "horns - horns" sign can indicate a pitch out and a "horns - fist" can tell the pitcher to hold the ball until the hitter steps out of the box. Just make sure that the first sign is unique enough to tell the pitcher it is not a sign for a pitch.

Another relationship designed for the cessation of base stealers exists between the fielders and the pitcher. At any point in a game, in between pitches, a sign must exist that allows a fielder to indicate that THEY want the pitcher to pick to their bag. The sign itself, of course, can be any number of things as long as it is inconspicuous. A good example would be covering the emblem on the hat as if the fielder was adjusting his hat. The key here falls two-fold on the pitcher. First, he must disciplined enough to look at his fielders after every pitch when a runner is present. It doesn't have to a long look, but just enough for the fielder to cover his hat, for example, to indicate that he wants the pick. With a thousand other things to consider, it is easy sometimes to forget to look at all the fielders. Secondly, it is the pitchers responsibility to acknowledge that he has received the pick sign as well. This sign can be just simple as long as it is discreet. The adjusting of the cup could serve the needed purpose quite well. Generally, speaking, once the pick is put on by the fielder and acknowledged by the pitcher, it is cued off of the head looks of the pitcher. For example, if the first baseman gives the sign, then the pitcher (a righty) will come set, check the runner once, check him twice, and after looking home, spins and picks. For a lefty, the leg lift will cue the pick is coming. The key, of course, is communicate silently to the each other that the pick is coming.
The last relationship involves the middle infielders when there is a runner on second. Sometimes, an opportunity presents itself for the pick off after the pitcher comes set. If the runner extends its lead too far, for example, or seems to loose focus while off the bag, the infielder can indicate to the pitcher to essentially "PICK NOW!" The fielder does this with what is know as the "flash pick." In the case of the short stop, he will wait until the pitcher looks his way and then break to the bag with his glove hand extended to the bag. As soon as the pitcher sees this, he must immediately turn and spin pick, getting the throw to the bag at the same time the fielder gets to the bag. On the flip side, if the second baseman does the break to the bag, he shows an open throwing hand when the pitcher is looking and the picks is timed in similar fashion. This technique should be used sparingly because the element of surprise is the key to making this work. However, if timed correctly, the pitcher can quickly get himself out of a sticky situation.

So there we have it. I know this is a bit in depth and I, truthfully, I could do a post on each scenario. However, this should suffice for now. Let me know if you have any specific scenarios or questions.

Until NextTime!!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Brian Wilson

2010-03-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

I realized something today. I have been completely biased toward starting pitchers. Besides paying tribute to the former Mets closer, Billy Wagner, I have done no other Big Leaguer Breakdowns that feature relievers. (Unless you count John Smoltz) Well, that ends today. The youtube account, laflippin, continues to put fantastic slow motion videos of many great pitchers and the Sanfransisco Giants closer, Brian Wilson caught my eye. He had a breakout year last year with his signature crossing of the arms to pay tribute to his late father and God. As a fellow believer, I have a huge place is my heart for pro ball players who aren't afraid to show their "true colors" when it comes to their faith. It also didn't hurt that B. Wilson finished the year with a 2.74 ERA, 38 saves, and a 1.20 WHIP. For all of these reasons, he is this week's Big Leaguer Breakdown.

Check out laflippin's latest youtube post of Brian Wilson letting go at 98 mphs!

Right off the bat, we can see that Wilson is very compact and deliberate with all of his movements. In other words, he has no extra rotations or over-exaggerated leg kicks. Basically, he lifts up, down and through to release. Let's stop the video first at the :05 mark to see Wilson at one of my favorite spots in the motion, the height of the leg lift. We do see a slight inward rotation of the upper half, but other then that, the hands are close to the body, the back leg is tall and the front leg is up and in a perfect angle to work back toward the target.

From here, we see the hands break as he leads his body forward with the front hip and front shoulder. There is a slight bend in the back leg but only to allow the body get more athletic as it gets closer to foot strike. We see Wilson here, at the :11 mark, just about to make contact with the dirt down the mound at foot strike. As we know, we must keep the front shoulder on target as the hips begun to turn to generate the power with which we deliver the baseball. We see Wilson doing this at this point in the delivery. The front foot has turned, initiating the hip turn, but his shoulders are still online and waiting for the power of the lower half to force the upper half through and down to release.

We fast forward to the :13 mark to show you what I think is the best part of Brian's delivery. His finish. At this point of the delivery, he has just released the baseball. I want to point out the great job Brian does getting the chest forward and bending at the waist to get extended over his front leg. Of course, he his head is on target and shoulders are square. By getting the foot down and having a slight bend in the front leg, we are able to stay loose through the torso and force the chest and therefore the throwing arm closer to the target on release.

All of this combined contributes to Brian Wilson's ability to throw in the mid-90s. We can learn quite a lot from these key features of his delivery. Most importantly is flexibility in the torso.

Until Next Time!

Controlling the Running Game Part I

2010-03-17T18:00:00.001-07:00

As if pitchers don't have enough to worry about when it comes to facing nine hitters trying to take their heads off. If one of those hitters happens to reach base, it is also the pitcher's responsibility to make sure the runner does not get too large of a lead or worse, steal a base. Many times, keeping a hitter on first or second base can make the difference between a runner grounding into a double play or possibly scoring on the same ground ball.

There are two main ways for a pitcher to keep the runner from getting too big of a jump when stealing or too large of a lead on the pitch. Both ways are based on preventing the pitcher from getting into a set routine. Unfortunately, pitchers are bred to repeat absolutely everything when it comes to their delivery. However, if the pitcher does the same thing when he comes set, the runner will be able to time his looks and holds and get the best possible jump. The first way to prevent this from happening is changing the number of "looks" after coming set out of the stretch position. In other words, changing the number of times a pitcher looks over at the runner to prevent the runner from getting a comfortable lead. Unless the runner is looking for you to pick off, he will be forced to stop lengthening his lead or even shorten the lead when the pitcher looks over. Plus, the change in looks forces the pitcher to change his timing before the pitch. This tactic leads us to the second form of holding the runner. In addition to changing looks, the pitcher must vary his holds before delivering the pitch. Sometimes, the pitcher will come set, look once, and then pitcher immediately. Other times, he could come set, look one, hold for a few extra ticks, look again, then pitch. Still other situations would have the pitcher coming set, not looking at all at the runner, and immediately deliver the pitch. You get the idea here. The key is to remain calm and under control. There's no reason to get over anxious, because as long as you hold the baseball, the runner cannot run without risking being picked off.

Another piece of the puzzle is the pitcher's ability to be quick to the plate. After varying looks and timing, the pitcher must shorten his leg lift and release the baseball in shorter amount of time. If you look at it like a math equation, we can deduce how fast a pitcher must be to prevent the runner from having a good chance to swipe the bag. If it takes the normal, above average runner just under 4 seconds to run 80 ft (the distance from a lead off to the next base), the combined time from the delivery to the catcher and catcher to second must be less than that. We know that the cut off mark for a decent catcher's arm from home to second is 2.0 seconds or less. Therefore, a pitcher must be able to start his delivery and get the ball to the catcher in less than 1.8 seconds (leaving a .2 second margin for error). Righties should work a little quicker than this, utilizing some variation of a shorter/quicker leg (known as the slide step) to get the ball to the plate in 1.5 seconds or less. Lefties have the luxury of looking at the runner as they left their leg and can afford to be a bit slower.

So this concludes part 1 of the "Controlling the Running Game" segment here on LIM. I will look at things that the pitcher and the other fielders can do to be on the same page with holds and pick offs to further prevent the runner from moving illegally (stealing the bag).

Until Next Time!!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Javier Vazquez

2010-03-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

We go off the beaten path only slightly this week for our Big Leaguer Breakdown. Although having been in the Big Leagues for 11 years, it is just recently that Javier Vazquez has begun to get the star caliber recognition he deserves. This sudden awareness may have something to do with the fact that Javy lowered his season best ERA but more than whole point. Or possibly it is that he struck out 238 batters in only 219 innings to finish fourth in the Cy Young Award voting. Either way, after going 15 - 10 for the Braves last year, Javier is now with the Yankees and poised to make even better of a devastating fastball, slider, change-up combination. It is for these reasons that Javier Vazquez is this week's Big Leaguer Breakdown

Check out this great youtube clip from laflippin of Vazquez in slow motion.

We will look at a very early part of this clip to point out something Javy does that I am a big fan of that I haven't noticed on many other pitchers. At the :07 mark of the video, Javier has stepped off to the side for his drop step, pivoted his back foot in front of the rubber and also simultaneously rotated his front shoulder in line with the target. Many young pitchers rush through this step and either over-rotate their front shoulder or never quite get the shoulder all the way closed. By setting the front shoulder on line early, we can be sure that the rest of the delivery has a chance to stay on line as well.

From there, we go to the :13 portion of the video. Vazquez has elevated his leg lift well beyond parallel and his hands are equally as high. This position can lead to some very detrimental variations if the pitcher is not careful. Of course, being a Big Leaguer, Vasquez has been able to repeat this with great effectiveness. For a young pitcher who wants to emulate this, he must make sure to remain tall and not simply fall down the mound from this position. Instead, the front leg most work back down before going forward. We see Vasquez do just that as we go to the :18 mark. His hands have just begun to separate as his body has just now begun to move forward toward the catcher. Very important to notice is that his back leg has not collapsed barely at all. Instead, he's remained very tall with great posture throughout the entire first half of his delivery.

At the :22 mark, we see one of my favorite postures in the all of pitching. We see the hips have "fired" as the front foot is preparing to touch the ground down the mound. More importantly, however, is the fact that the elbows have not yet begun to rotate around. Instead, they are "loaded" and online toward the target. This timing of the hips and elbows are the key to generating a quality delivery and velocity at the same time.

Check out the picture below to see exactly what I am talking about.

From here, Vazquez gets to finish in perfect text book fashion. At the :24 mark, we see his chest and chin squared directly to the target with the glove turned and tucked down without yanking. The front knee is bent and the chest is coming forward. Peculiarly, he seems to elevate his body from this position over the front leg instead of staying down through the release. It is possible that the front knee locked out just a bit as he released, preventing him from getting the desired release. This is a minor gripe on my end, but deserves mentioning as we look at the delivery from this step by step breakdown.

There are many pros and only a few cons from the clip of Javier Vazquez. Most importantly, we must really grasp how well he controls his lower half with such a tall leg lift. Also, his hip turn and upper half timing is impeccable. Take some time and keep studying this clip and any others you can find of Javy.

Until Next Time!!

Updates to Less Is More Website!!

2010-03-13T18:44:00.001-08:00

Just a quick update fellas. I've just recently completed Less Is More's youtube account. It has been added directly to the Less Is More website along with a few other updates. There are new tutorials and the format of the tutorial/lesson page is completely rearranged. Take some time to explore the new format and all of the changes to the website it self. The new videos are also full of awesome info.

Click Here To Visit The LessIsMore Website.

As always, the blog will be updated a few times a week. Check back in tomorrow night for the next Big Leaguer Breakdown and next week for my favorite fantasy picks.

Until Next Time!!

The Value of Professional Instruction

2010-03-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

As a Professional Pitching Instructor, I understand that this blog post could possibly come across as a bit on the self-serving side. However, I believe strongly in the quality of information and instruction that I provide and have witnessed many young pitchers achieve well beyond what their natural abilities along would take them.

As we consider Professional Instruction, we must first acknowledge many times the other sources of instruction young athlete may be receiving may be incomplete. Many of their coaches are either their parents or friends of parents who may or may not have much playing experience. There is no doubt that they mean well and are a great blessing to the teams they coach with the time and effort they give. When I say that the instruction may be incomplete however, I mean that their parents/coaches most definitely do have some good baseball know-how mixed in with some poor habits born from incorrectly interpreting things they may have seen or done previously.

The role that Professional Instruction can play, is filling in those gaps where a young player's coach may not be able to provide all that he needs. Specifically, when considering a player in the early stages of his career (10 years old or younger) a professional instructor will be able to instill great fundamentals and prevent poor habits from every being formed. It is at this stage that it is essential that those child's parents and coaches are made a part of whatever individual instruction he or she may be receiving. By understanding what the instructor is teaching, the coach and parent can reinforce these good habits throughout his career. Of course, this may require some humbleness on the part of those parents to allow them to learn something new themselves. The ideal situation is where the Instructor and parent can learn together as they meet the needs of the young player.

The other consideration concerning the value of the Professional Instructor is centered around the advanced, high school athlete. In this situation, the athlete has created a style of play that is comfortable to him or her. The changes made here with the instructor will most likely be very small in terms of how "drastic" they are perceived. However, they will also be more technical and in depth in their nature. In other words, the instructor will really be able to delve into the deepest, most technical parts of his trade and share those with the high school athlete. It is here that the athlete is truly able to gain some knowledge about his trade that no other coach will be able to provide. It is especially true when the instructor is a former professional player. These slight adjustments will make the difference to elevate his or her game to the level that may make the difference between playing high school and being successful at the college level.

These two scenarios are just a small glimpse into the value of my personal profession. By adding a professional instructor to your repertoire, you are giving you or your child's game every possible chance to succeed and supersede all of his available potential.

Make sure to contact me to set up your next appointment: foco1515@yahoo.com

Until NextTime!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Tommy Hanson

2010-03-07T19:13:00.000-08:00

I know we've done quite a few All-Star big leaguers in the Big Leaguer Breakdown segment in the past. So this Sunday, I thought it was time we gave some love to a young gun. Tommy Hanson is an up-and-coming righty whom the Atlanta Braves will be relying on this year to deliver on the promise that his first year showed. And what a first year it was. Going 11-4 with a 2.84 ERA, Tommy was limited to 127 innings, where he struck out a 116. These stats were good enough to place him third in the Rookie of the Year voting and makes him this week's Big Leaguer Breakdown.

Check out this aerial view of Tommy Hanson warming up to study his mechanics.

The first thing to notice is how smooth and calm his delivery is. Of course, some of this can be attributed to the fact that he is warming up. Still, from my experience watching him in games, his ability to repeat that smoothness does not change once the up yells "Play Ball!" Tommy Hanson, out of the stretch here, utilizes a lower leg lift than usual. You can this at the .03 mark of the video. Of course, this may just be, because he is working on being quicker to the plate out the stretch with runners on. Pitcher's must understand that the shorter the leg lift, the quicker they must get their elbows up to shoulder height before throwing their pitch. Out of the windup, a pitcher has the luxury of a high leg lift to make their timing a little slower, and possibly easier to keep "on time."

Here, we see Tommy get those elbows up almost immediately after the front knee works down and out. At the .04 mark, we see that Tommy actually lack s a little bit of the athletic position we look for with those elbows up. With his elbows up, he essentially glides down the mound to foot strike. However, this movement forward allows him to keep his front side (elbow, shoulder, and hips) on target until turning those hips.

If we look at the .20 mark, we see the hip turn beginning to bring the throwing arm forward. As we watch the video past this mark, and see Hanson's finish position. He does a good job of getting the chest over a rather straight front leg. Of course, he does bend slightly at the knee before it straightens out. As a general rule, I don't recommend locking the front knee out, but if you are flexible enough, you can still locate pitches down in the zone over top of a straight front knee.

In that same part in the video, rewatch what Tommy's glove is doing. If you've been following this blog, you'll know that I am a huge fan of a glove turn instead of pulling with the glove. Here, Tommy gets the glove tucked underneath his stomach, keeping his body online throughout the finish.

Overall, I really like Tommy's mechanics. I think if he were able to develop a bit better timing with the elbows and hips, he may be able to develop a little better velocity. However, he seems to be on the right track his ability to repeat what he does through out a long season...so we'll let him stick to what he's doing.

Until Next Time!!

Throwing Harder

2010-03-02T18:12:00.000-08:00

I am sometimes frustrated by how concerned all of my pitchers are about how hard they throw. I know I know.... stop yelling... I know scouts care about how hard you throw. That doesn't mean it is the most important thing with which they are concerned. On the forum I post on, there are current threads about how a pitcher can throw 90 - genetics or hard work and all of the different ways to generate velocity. I think my biggest concern is that young pitchers will loose sight of the thing that scouts are really concerned about. Can you get hitters out. I am sure it has been said before but I will say now... "If you could stand on your head and throw underhand and consistently get hitters out... a professional team would give you a job." I truly believe this. Certainly, throwing harder gives hitters less chance to react to certain pitches. Still, a lot of hitters love to hit pitchers that throw above 90. It is the pitchers that have a lot of movement and great off speed stuff that give hitters fits.

Again, I know throwing hard helps. I also know it would be awesome from a bragging rights stand point. But I also know that there are far more important things to work on. Developing secondary pitches, repeating your delivery, and throwing better first pitch strikes would all be much better ways to spend your time. The good news is if you work long and hard enough on your throwing mechanics and other pitches, the consistent throwing and extra work, just may parlay into better velocity on your fastball. Just make sure it isn't the only thing you are concerned about as you work off the mound.

Until Next Time

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Tim Lincecum

2010-02-28T15:10:00.001-08:00

As we head closer to the first game of Spring Training 2010, I am excited to continue studying the mechanics of the many great pitchers in the game today. This week, we look at one of the most unlikely success stories of recent memory. Unheralded and undersized from an mediocre baseball school, his funk mechanics completely contradicted the velocity that exploded out of his skaterboish frame. When I pitched against Tim Lincecum in the Cape Cod Summer League, scouts were unsure if his diminutive stature could hold up to the wear and tear of a big league season. To prove them wrong, he would start on his usual start date and then during his mid-week recovery, he would close games out with identical velocity. Fast forward to 2010 and any scout of wrote him off as too risky are kicking themselves after one of the finest seasons from any starter on any team, any where. Posting a record of 15 -7 with a 2.43 ERA, "The Freak" as he is now called, was awarded his second Cy Young Award in as many years. So now we have a look at his unorthodox motion and break him down: Big Leaguer style.

Check out this video of slo motion Tim Lincecum in action to get an idea of how he generates his velocity.

I guess technically, the video isn't in slow motion, but it gives enough repetitions to get an idea of what we are looking at. Hopefully, you can see by the first still frame that Tim's body posture and angle are different from "typical" mechanics. The video talks about full body throwing and I tend to agree that Lincecum does exemplify how to use ones full body very well to generate velocity.

If we stop the video at the 8 second mark, we see one of my favorite stopping places in a delivery, the leg lift. Here, Tim's upper half has completely rotated inward, showing his back to the hitter. His hands are slightly up and back, but he stands very tall on his back leg. I've said many times, that upper half rotation is very dangerous, because, as the pitcher's body moves forward and uncoils to release the ball, its very difficult to repeat any type of release point. Contrary to this, Tim's body stays on line all the way through...albeit, a rather indirect line.

At the 9 second mark, we see a couple huge "errors" in his delivery. He collapses terribly on his back leg, his front side closes off, his shoulders are tilted WAY back, his throwing arm is down, front arm is high, and he isn't stepping anywhere near the target. That being said.....he might be one of the most "athletic" pitchers in the game. Because, despite all of these perceived flaws, he manages to allow his front hip to lead down the mound and utilizes a fantastic lower half (read, hip turn) to get back on top of the baseball and throw in the mid 90s. Let's fast forward to the side view to see what I mean. Starting at the 0:35 mark, we see how well he rides that front hip and, despite leaning back on his heals most of the delivery, explodes over that front foot and exaggerating his front shoulder over the top side.

Taking it a step further, the 0:38 mark shows just how quickly Tim is able to get his elbows up to shoulder height. Although his upper half is leaning back (outside of his heels), the front foot is getting down in good timing and his momentum will allow him to get his upper half over that front foot despite the poor angel of his body. Much of his ability to generate velocity does indeed come from the momentum derived from the high leg kick driving down and out toward the plate. You may remember from a while back a commercial showing a home video of Tim's dad showing a young Tim how to use the glove side to get the chest square and finish down over that leg. As we see in the video, the glove drive down definitely plays a huge role in allow for him to create that last extra turn to square to the target and finish his pitch. Check out the 44 second mark to see, much to the surprise of anyone who teaches pitching, Tim is able to get completely squared to the target and get fantastic finish on his pitch.

I wouldn't be able to teach how to pitch like Tim Lincecum. Still, much can be learned about developing a momentum filled, athletic delivery from "The Freak." Of course, in quality Major League fashion, he is able to repeat his delivery impeccably. I would go so far as to say there are only a few people in the game who can replicate these mechanics. There is another great youtube video that shows some similarities between him and Yovani Gallardo.

Either way, make sure to study how well he generates velocity through a momentum filled delivery. Be sure to note that it will be very difficult to mimic everything he does. Even so, take not the uniqueness of his delivery.

Until Next Time!!!

How to Have Successful Tryout

2010-02-23T18:12:00.000-08:00

With high school baseball tryouts underway, I wanted to take a second to think about the best way for a young pitcher to impress his JV or Varsity coach. A no, throwing hard is not the only way to do this. There are many things that are important to high school coaches when they look at their young pitchers. The following are the 5 most important things that I feel a high school coach will be looking for.

1. Throw Strikes - It doesn't matter if you throw 64 mphs. It does no one any good, no matter how are you throw, if you cannot locate your pitches. Nothing is more frustrating than a pitcher who continually walks batters. While you are throwing a bullpen in front of your coaches, focus on making pitches in the zone with all of your pitches. Even more impressive would be if you could purposefully throw off-speed pitches for a strike on purpose and then also for a ball on purpose. This would not only show your ability to command the zone, but also your knowledge of pitching.

2. Run Far and Fast - What does running have to do with pitching? Well, it is common knowledge that all pitchers have to run. Whether they are training their leg strength, their endurance, or helping their arm recover from a long outing, running is part of a pitcher's job description. If you are in good shape when you come into tryouts, a high school coach will be even more impressed with your apparent dedication to the finer details of the complete pitcher...or "Intelligent Pitcher."

3. Look the Part - Presentation is everything in the real world. Even for a high school pitcher, it is important that you look like a pitcher. Invest in a good pair of Rawlings, Wilson, or Mizuno baseball pants. A long sleeve dry-fit shirt to go underneath a t-shirt or short sleeve athletic shirt. Always where a proper baseball hat with brim properly formed. (By the way, properly formed is not flat brimmed...that looks terrible and needs to be banned from baseball) Also, please do not forget your cleats, turfs, or glove. You want to be prepared for all situations.

4. Show Respect - Coaches have a very difficult time with young athletes who feel they don't have anything to learn. If you are in a tough competition for the last starter spot on a team, a coach will be much more likely to select a pitcher who is very "coachable" even if his skills are slightly less than a pitcher who doesn't do what a coach says. Whenever you are being instructed by a coach, make sure to look him in the eye and address him with "yes or no coach." Be willing to try just about anything they are telling you to do. Even if you don't feel comfortable with some of the mechanical changes they may be asking you to make, they will respect you more for being willing to try different things.

5. Throw Hard - I know I know, I said it doesn't matter...and it really doesn't, most of the time. However, if you do happen to have an above average arm, that is, in high school, above 85 mphs, a coach may possibly give you a spot on the team with the hopes that they can harness some of your "power" and get you throwing strikes, running fast, looking the part, and showing respect. I put this at the bottom of the list, because it truly is the least important. Plus, its too late to do anything about your velocity now. But, if you got it....use it.

So good luck with all your tryouts guys...Keep me updated.

Until Next Time!!

Controlling the Uncontrollables

2010-02-16T19:08:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the misleading nature of the title of this blog. Uncontrollables are by their very definition incapable of being manipulated. Whether it is the weather, the umpires, your teammates, your coaches, the way the mound is shaped, the one thing that all of these have in common is the fact that there is nothing you, as a pitcher, can do to control them. "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes...it rains" as Kevin Costner (as Crash Davis in Bull Durham) said. The point being that you must be mentally tougher than all of your outside influences.

As we consider all of these outside influences, we must look introspectively to consider how we would feel if presented with these kinds of situations. So many times I hear ball players complain about how the weather affected their ability to throw strikes or how their coach was getting on them too much in between innings. The thing that both of these scenarios have in common is that neither has any bearing on the actual playing of the game. The weather is exactly the same for both teams and your coach isn't out there throwing the pitches foryou during the game. Therefore, an "Intelligent Pitcher" must not allow himself to be affected by the weather or the less than uplifting words of his coach.

Let's say the game you are starting gets moved back an hour and they've used too much field crew used too much turface on the mound to get it ready. You may try to argue that pushing a game time back throw off the routine that you are used to and that the turface may affect the rhythm of your mechanics. To that I say, shenanigans. Sometimes your routine has to be adjusted. Other times you have to pitch off a less than perfect mound. As a pitcher, you still have one job to do. That is to get hitters out. No matter what happens, you are the leader of your team while on defense and they rely on you to overcome these obstacles.

As we take this a step further, we must realize that all of the previously mentioned scenarios are completely, 100% out of your control (hence the phrase uncontrollables). So by definition, it is a complete waste of time to worry about changing them. Instead, the best advice I've ever received came from my lo A Southbend Silverhawks manager, Mark Haley. He said "You cannon control all of the things that are out of your control. What you can control, however, is you handle yourself in these situations." In a nutshell, the only thing that truly have any mastery of is the way you deal with all of the games ins and outs, ups and downs. And when you think about it, how true this really is. You can't control your coach getting upset with you, but you can control how you respond to him. Do you fold up and mope? Do you make excuses and deflect blame? Or do you accept responsibility, make and adjustment and get better? You can't control the fact the mound is soggy and the game time got moved back half way through your warm up routine (this actually happend to me at William and Mary). But you can control how you respond. Do you convince yourself that you can't pitch on such a crappy mound? Do you have an immediate excuse ready if you give up a run after the game time is changed? Or do you look at the mound as just another mound and the game time as just another game to win?

I hope you catch my drift here. Baseball is such a mentally active game. Half of the game truly is 90% mental (Yogi Berra). If you convince your mind of a certain way to react, than your body will respond. As all of your seasons get ready to kick off, take a second to analyze your goals for the season. Think about how you plan on achieving the goals. Consider what some of the issues that may prevent you from reaching those goals. If any of these things are directly related to your work ethic (like stay up too late, or partying, or not doing your conditioning or lifting) than make an effort right now to adjust them to achieve your goals. And if they are beyond your control, mental prepare to deal with these things in way that only makes you tougher and more determined to dominate the competition no matter what the game itself throws your way.

Never underestimate the power of mental game...

Until Next Time!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Cliff Lee

2010-02-14T16:26:00.000-08:00

With Felix Hernandez's BLB already in the books, the other half of the newest nasty starting pitching duo in the Major Leagues seemed a good fit for analysis. He went from mediocrity in 2006 in Cleveland to ace of the Indians' staff in just a year. His Cy Young award winning year in 2008 where he posted a 22-2 record with a 2.54 ERA put him at the top of the list when it comes to best lefties in the league. All of this hoopla got him sent to Philadelphia to become the ace of their staff mid way through 2009. After taking the Phils all the way to the World Series, despite a less dazzling win/loss record, he again established himself as the most reliable starter on the staff. However, this was not enough to keep him in the city to brotherly love. Now, the trade winds have landed him in rainy Seattle as the yin to King Felix's right handed yang. We'll see in this clip some of Cliff Lee's funky left handed mechanics.

Check out this slightly grainy clip of Cliff Lee rocking and firing.

After a much belabored introduction by the commentator, we see one of the most unique attributes of Mr. Lee's mechanics. His large side step to start his delivery is defintley contrary to popular pitching mechanics' rule of thumb. I tend to be a proponent of minimizing movements that do not contribute anything to the delivery itself. By stepping this far to the side, it can be very difficult to bring the leg back up into the leg lift and maintain the posture and balance.

At the 56 second mark in the video, we see Cliff has lifted his his knee up well past horizontal and his hands have lifted in similar fashion to his back shoulder. Cliff Lee utilizes a bit of over-rotation in the shoulders as a means of deception and momentum as well. From my point of view, these mechanics work very well for Cliff Lee, because he is able to repeat them very well. However, I would not recommend such a high hand slot or over-rotation in the upper body.

At 1:20 mark, we see the hand break and beginning of the stride forward. Lee is not directional and does not stay very tall in this position. Generally, we want to keep the back leg loaded with most of the weight still over the rubber. Cliff does this very well, but loses quite a bit of height by collapsing so far on that back leg. Notice also the direction of his front leg is not directional to the target at all. Instead, he works out and around with the weight of the body forcing him to lean back to stay balanced. We see also a very low hand break which will require a lot of athleticism to get back on top of the baseball for release.

Just before foot strike, at the 1:36 mark, we see Lee's elbows have appropriately elevated but the hips are grossly closed as is the upper half. The hitter could literally read the name on the back of his jersey. The commentator draws a line here to show just how target is Cliff's stride. Again, this does a lot to create deception in a delivery. The hitter will have a difficult time tracking the angle of any of the pitches Cliff throws. However, throwing this far across your body makes reaching the inside corner very difficult and puts a lot of strain on the body itself. In fact, looking a few clicks forward, (1:50) we see Cliff's front shoulder has to clear very early and a bit violently to make room for the throwing arm to come through. He does close his stride a touch, but is still leaning back quite a bit as the arm prepares to accelerate forward.

By the time his front foot gets down and his hips fire through, we see a great use of the glove forcing the body to finish to the target. Check out the 2:08 mark to see a good example of posture at release point. Granted, he is still moving across his body some, he has efficiently gotten into a position to release toward the target (which is necessary with his other mechanics). It is no surprise here that he has to clear his head so far off to the side to back toward the target. This flaw is a product of his previous movements and body positioning.

The last portion of the delivery does a lot to showcase his ability to get up and over the front leg and extend to release. Again, I feel this is most likely necessary with such an awkward body positioning earlier on.

So, in conclusion, I would not every teach someone to pitch as Cliff Lee does. However, as I've said many times, if you can stand on your head and repeat your release point and be effective...do it. This delivery works for Cliff Lee and he has capitalized on the the nuances of a very deceptive motion.

Until Next Time!!

The Purpose of the Purpose Pitch

2010-02-12T16:28:00.000-08:00

Many of you are probably familiar with the term "purpose pitch." But what exactly is a purpose pitch and how is it best utilized over the course of a game? Through my professional experience, the purpose pitch is used in two scenarios. First, it is used to set up a following pitch, usually designed to strike out a hitter. Secondly, it is used to put a hitter on his butt if he is crowding the plate or getting too comfortable at the dish. We'll look at both situations in this post.

From a general pitching stand point, I am a huge proponent of being on the attack at all times. As a general rule, we look for strike 1, strike 2, and strike 3 (or ball in play) in no more than four pitches. This technique leaves very little room for "toying" with the hitter. However, the idea behind the purpose pitch is to leave the hitter more vulnerable to a subsequent pitch that would ultimately put him away. Most purpose pitches are utilized when the pitcher is well ahead in the count (0-2, 1-2, or possibly if your command is really good that day, 2-2). For example, let's say the hitter is in a 1-2 hole and the last pitch you threw him was a good, hard fastball away that he fouled back. A pitcher's first instinct would usually be to go right for the punch out with an offspeed pitch down. However, many good hitters are looking for this and will be ready for it. Instead, you can do more to put yourself in the driver seat by purposefully elevating a fastball out of the zone. This serves two purposes. It changes the hitters eye level from low and away to up and possibly in. It also speeds up his timing as he takes a hard fastball that appears to be coming even faster because it is at eye level. With the count now at 2-2, we have more options than we did before to put the hitter away. Here, a good change-up that bounces on the plate (slightly away) or a breaking ball that starts at the hitter and breaks to the outside corner would leave the hitter helpless. Taking it a step further, a hard fastball away with good sinking action would likely entice the hitter to swing because he's been sped up and is looking hard, but won't be able to put good wood on a pitch that is well placed outside. The use of this type of purpose pitch is especially beneficial the second and third time through a team's lineup when it is beginning to feel as if you've gotten into a bit of routine. The hitter will sense this routine and the purpose pitch will undoubtedly throw him off.

Another great use of the purpose pitch is done in the reverse fashion of our first example. We are still ahead in the count (we'll say 0-2 here). If you are completely in the driver seat and want to go for the punch out. In this situation, we can go right for our best breaking ball that is only in the zone for a split second before darting down and away (usually into the dirt). At best, the hitter has expanded the zone so much that he flails at this pitch for an easy strike three. At worst, you've got him leaning on his front foot and very away that you will throw that breaking ball any where and any time. At his point (with the count 1-2) we can elevate a fastball, throw a better breaking ball, or paint a solid fastball on the inside corner for strike three. Again, the use of the other pitch was not to toy with the hitter. Instead, it was to leave him even more vulnerable to other pitchers later in the at bat and possibly later in the game.

Finally, hitters do tend to get a little territorial over that plate from time to time. As a pitcher, that plate (and both sides of it) is YOURS. Under no circumstances should you allow a hitter to dictate what side of the plate you want to throw to. If you see a hitter crowding the plate, scooting up in the box, looking at you the wrong way, looking at your girlfriend in the stands, showing up any of your teammates.....you let him know that you are running this game with a perfectly located fastball right beneath his chin. I am not saying to throw at him ... especially not at his head. Instead, a fastball about shoulder high and just inside of his body will have him spralling out of the way and dusting himself off. As the dust settles, give him nothing more than quick glance to make sure he knows you know what just happened. The purpose pitch here is designed to help dominate the game within the game. The mental game that is essential for a pitcher to dominate if he wants to be successful.

So we have our purpose pitches designed to put the hitter on the defensive in a variety of ways. Never be afraid to utilize them as you get more comfortable with the flow of each new game and the situations that call for them.

Until Next Time!!

Why Do Lefty's Have More Movement?

2010-02-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

As a left-handed pitcher, I grew up hearing how lucky I was to be left-handed. "All lefties are so lucky" they would say. "Lefties have more movement and some throw natural curves" were a few of sayings the little league dads would remark. So what is it about us southpaws that seem to make us so unique?

For starters, only 13% of the world's population is left handed. So naturally, there are less of us out there. Let's face it, we live in a right handed world. Hitters are used to facing right handed pitchers from little league on up through the big leagues. When they see a guy throwing with the "wrong" arm, it takes some getting used to. This difficulty is compounded when a left handed hitter attempts to hit off a lefty pitcher. Not only are they not used to seeing a lefty, the ball is also coming out from behind the hitter. This just compounds the trouble.

Also, many left handed little leaguers do have a tendency to throw with their hand on the side of the ball, causing it to move or run away from a right handed hitter. Of course, righties can do this too, but many of them seem to have more trouble developing this movement. I don't have a sound explanation for this phenomena, but I do have my theory. I can't prove it, but it makes sense to me, so I will share it with you.

The theory is as follows: We know the Earth rotates West to East or counter-clockwise if looking down from the North Pole. This rotation, in conjunction with the orbit of the Earth around the sun creates magnetic fields that pull on the different polar regions. For righties, the pronation of their throwing arm (turning inwards) on release must create a type of spin that is in unison with the Earth's gravitational and rotational forces. On the contrary, I believe the left-handed pitcher creates a spin that is in direct contradiction to these forces. As a baseball thrown by a lefty travels through the air, these unique forces pulling on the baseball create the added movement that a hitter see's when facing the Tom Glavine of their respective league. Now as I said, I don't have the scientific equations to prove my theory, but it does appear to be true based on the extra movement that most lefties have.

If anyone out there has a better explanation, I'd love to hear about it. In the mean time, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Until Next Time!!

P.S. I am totally kidding about my theory (but not really).

Peyton Manning Would Be a Great Pitcher

2010-02-07T13:56:00.000-08:00

Well, even the best pitchers need to take some time off to enjoy other sports. With today being Super Bowl Sunday and all, I've decided to forgo this week's Big Leaguer Breakdown in lieu a few reasons why Peyton Manning (of the Indianapolis Colts) would make a good pitcher.

First, we know he has a good arm. Throwing a football 75 yards is easily as difficult as throwing a baseball 90+ mphs. Of course, the necessary time to straighten out that funky football release would be required, but other than that, I am sure he'd get the job done.

Secondly, he looks like a regular guy. I hope this isn't a news flash to any of you but most baseball pitchers don't look like "superstar athletes." Take them out of a baseball uni and they look any regular old dad who would play golf on weekends and try and sell Honda's during the week. Peyton has that look. Put him in pinstripes and he'd look like David Cone (former Yankee).

Thirdly and most importantly, he is the best quarterback in the league at reading defenses, calling audibles, and executing split second decisions based on his knowledge of the defense. A pitcher must be equally able to study his opponents and make adjustments according to what each hitter is doing. The way Peyton is able to create havoc for defenses is the same way a pitcher can disrupt a hitters timing by setting him up and putting him away with different sequences of pitches and locations.

Now, I'm not suggesting Peyton should do his best Michael Jordan impression and switch sports. Still, we can all learn a lot from his uncanny ability to read defenses mind and expose their weaknesses. Let's hope all of you in Less Is More Land can do the same on the mound.

Until Next Time!!

Conditioning is NOT a Four Letter Word

2010-02-05T14:27:00.001-08:00

Per the request of one my college coach friends, I will be discussing the importance of being the in the best possible shape during and in preparation for a baseball season. Yes, we're talking about conditioning. To many ball players, they are more interested in simply playing the game than putting in the extra work in the gym and running and training that in is necessary to maximize the full potential of your body.

Think of it this way. Let's say you're a pretty decent pitcher with a pretty decent arm, but you don't spend a lot of time in the weight room. You actually have no idea how good your body can be at full potential because you've never played at your bodies full potential. To make matters worse, there are 1000's of players out there who are working out right now, or running sprints or running distance to give themselves every possible advantage once the up yells PLAY BALL! That's the point isn't it. To put your body in position to play harder than your opponent longer than your opponent.

From a pitcher's stand point, your conditioning program is DIRECTLY correlated to how hard you throw, how good your arm feels, and how likely you are to get injured. Your conditioning program consists of a daily combination of the aforementioned sprints, distance running, agilities, band work, and long toss. During your preseason, you want to really build your arm strength with a dedicated long toss and bullpen program. After completing these throwing sessions, you always always always want to do some kind of running. As a good rule of thumb, after every bullpen, a nice long jog (30mins or more) is appropriate. After your long toss session, you should complete some kind of interval/sprint session.

Now, it is important that we utilize both kinds of running in conditioning program. Long runs serve a different purpose than their shorter more explosive counterparts. Longer jogs are great for pumping tons of blood through your system over a longer period of time. This blood flow helps your arm repair itself and flush out any lactic acid (the stuff that makes your arm more sore longer) build up. The runs also force the legs to strength in a long distance type of fashion which loosely mimics what is required of the body over a 2 hour pitching start. Essentially, the stronger you feel during runs, the stronger your body will feel later in the games you are pitching. On the other side, intervals and sprints are great for EXPLOSIVE leg strength. Some examples of these exercises are sprinting from the foul line to center field and walking back to the line, spring along the warning track from pole to pole (or variations of walking, jogging, and sprinting the warning track) and bow and arrows (jogging the warning track and sprinting straight across the outfield to center field). By doing these sprint workouts, we force the body to explode quickly (like the release of a baseball) and then come back to a calm state. Your heart rate will do the same thing. The elevated and the decreasing heart rate will build a different kind of endurance that will benefit a pitcher throughout each inning. Think about how your body reacts during an inning, and then the calm you experience as you wait in between innings. Ultimately, your goal is train your body to react to as many types of physical exertion as possible. If you can handle all of these types of runs, then you can handle the exertion of an outing on the mound longer and control your body better late into games.

In relation to this, you want to also conclude all of these workouts with some variation of core work. (By the way, when I say CORE WORK...I mean your full core, not just your front abs) This means planks, side planks, alligator walks, russian twists, prone cobras, ect ect. The core work is essential to controlling and stabilizing your body through these long starts we are talking about. The two main things that break down over the course of a start are your legs and your core strength. When the core breaks down, the legs will not be controlled as well and the upper half will suffer as well.

I could go on for days on this subject. Perhaps next week, we'll look even further in depth about a few specific exercises.

Until Then!!! Work hard guys, the season is almost here!!

Achieving Flow

2010-02-02T17:20:00.000-08:00

I believe I've referenced before the importance of getting in a routine for your pitching delivery. It is also no secret that baseball players are notoriously superstitious. Heck, Wade Boggs ate the same chicken dinner (winner winner) before a game for his entire career. Still, I feel its important to address a pitcher's pregame rituals as we think about being able become mentally prepared for a game.

To pitch at any competitive level, one must achieve a state of focus that is both locked in and loose and free. Psychologists have addressed this as way of achieving "flow" or being "in the zone." There are actually "coaches" you can go see who claim that ( for $500 a session or more) they can help you achieve the zone mentality with a few mental exercises. While I've never attended these sessions, I am a little more than skeptical that its that simple. If it were, everyone would have done it by now. Zone coaches aside, I believe there is much that can be done to better give oneself a better chance to be "in the zone." And we've all been there before. Certain games just seem to happen where you feel like you are exerting almost no effort and throwing your hardest. You feel like you could literally close your eyes and still throw a pitch anywhere you want at anytime. Sometimes, this state of consciousness lasts a few pitches or innings and sometimes it last much longer.

Achieving this conscious state of "flow" is really at the heart of Less Is More Pitching. The idea that you can literally become so comfortable on the mound and know your delivery so well that you are routinely able to stay loose and calm and apply LESS force to your delivery which results in MORE velocity and movement is at the crux of my pitching philosophy. I realize these ideas seem contradictory, but trust me, they go hand in hand.

So...with all of that being said, as we prepare for a game, we want to give ourselves the best possible chance to achieve "zone" mentality. It is for this reason that baseball players are so darn superstitious. Starts with where you park your car in the parking lot and what gate you walk into the field through to which sock your put on and what music you listen to while getting dressed. Now, I'm not saying ever pitcher should worry about all of these details (although some do)I am saying you should pick one or two things that helps your brain recognize that it is time to get ready to pitch. Something simple like putting on your favorite song in the clubhouse can be exactly what you need to initiate flow. It can be even something a little more dramatic if need be as well. For example, there is a story that I've heard through some of my professional colleagues who played with Roger Clemens. They said he would purposefully put IcyHot on his jock strap as he got dressed. The reason behind this is that he felt if he was too comfortable than is mind would not be sharp enough to be on his game. By using the IcyHot, he was able to be uncomfortable in a good way.

Now, I'm not suggesting everyone go out and by IcyHot, but I AM suggesting that if you THINK it will help you...then it will! And that is ultimately what it boils down to. Finding what makes you lock into your "flow" state. Try different approaches and routines to find what works for you. A good way to figure this out is repeating what you did after a particularly good outing. Be diligent and leave no stones unturned.

Good luck and as always, keep me in the loop as you try these things out.

Until Next Time!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Felix Hernandez

2010-01-31T16:30:00.000-08:00

Since Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee were awarded the top spot in this Friday's blog about the best 1-2 Combos in the MLB, I found the timing perfect to have a look at the one of these guys for this week's Big Leaguer Breakdown. King Felix's numbers this year were those fit for a.....well you get the idea. He was fantastic, going an amazing 19-5 with a 2.49 ERA. He also struck out 217 while walking only 71. With those numbers, he could rule any rotation on any team.

Let's take a look at this outstanding video of Felix's delivery.

What you should notice immediately is the high hand slot and the issue inward turn of the front hip and leg on the leg lift. Stopping the video at the 4 second mark shows a front side that is completely closed off, showing the numbers on the back of his jersey to the hitter. His chin is tucked down by his shoulder (which I like) and his weight is perfectly balanced over the back leg. As I've said a million times, this over rotation is fantastic for generating an explosive lower half and hiding the ball from the hitter. However, it requires impeccable timing that only a few guys are able to execute perfectly. When you think about this type of movement (AJ Burnette and Dontrelle Willis would be other examples) it is important to realize how the pitcher must return to the midline and still finish directionally to the target to allow the delivery to be repeated effectively.

If we watch the video to the 10 second mark, we see the timing of the leg swing and hand break are simultaneous. He also keeps his shoulders tilted fairly high, causing the throwing hand to break downward as the leg swing out and then down the mound. Again, a lot of this is a direct result of the upper half rotation we just looked at. There are many pitchers who utilize the high front shoulder/low throwing arm posture (Andy Pettite, Zack Greinke) but it requires very athletic and quick elbow loading as the foot gets foot strike. Even from this position, Felix must get shoulders back to parallel and ultimately finish down hill.

When you get to the 13 second mark of the video, you will see has done just that. The front foot has just hit the ground and the hips have just begun to open. However, the elbows are now perfectly level, the shoulder blades are loaded, and the front side (glove and shoulder) are still directly on target. This chain reaction will allow the hips to generate the power to deliver this pitch.

From this position, we see the ball being released as the glove is turned down and is quickly and the chest works forward and over top a bent front leg. This goes to show that a lot can be down in the first half of the delivery that may not be text book. However, if the second half the delivery is text book (as Felix's is) then it can be combined in to a very unique delivery that is as devastating as King Felix's.

So study this video and the others out there. You see a lot of these young guys generating their power this way. Just understand that it requires a high level of body control to be that wild!

Until Next Time!!

Top 5 Pitching Combos in the MLB

2010-01-29T04:22:00.000-08:00

With those dang Yankees winning the World Series this year after spending boy-band money to acquire two of the best starters in the game. (CC Sabathia and AJ Burnette) I thought it would be fun to look at the League as a whole to see who else has two top dogs at the top of their rotation. It has become pretty much common knowledge that no matter how good your offense is (Texas...NY Mets) you have to have good pitching to even have at a shot at the ultimate crown. These days, it isn't enough to have 1 bona fide No.1 starter, but it seems atleast 2 are necessary to get where you need to go.

So here is my list....
1. Seattle Mariners (Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee) - One of the biggst offseason deals puts these sleepers at the top of this list. I am not convinced they will win the World Series because Seattle is just a tough place to play. However, Cliff Lee was the anchor of Phillies rotation this past year and King Felix is equally as electric in his own right. Two All-star Caliber, Cy-Young candidates in the same rotation...can't beat it)

2. New York Yankees (CC Sabathia and AJ Burnette) - I really don't like the Yankees for a multitued of reason, sometimes I even have trouble respecting them. However, there is no denying just how good they were this year. You cannot ignore the fact that they have largely the same lineup (including these two) coming back. Expect them to lead the way back to the playoffs at least. The only reason these two were not my number one pick is Burnette's tendency to be a bit erradic at some points of last season.
3. Arizona Diamondbacks (Brandon Webb and Dan Haren) - This pick may surprise some because of how poorly the Dbacks faired this past year. However, we cannot ignore the fact that former Cy-Younger Webb only started 1 game last year. In the previous year, he was the most devastating pitcher in baseball. With Haren anchoring an otherwise mediocre staff, he lead the team and most of the MLB in ERA. Expect a healthy Webb this year to regain form and pair with Haren just as well as anyone else on this list.
4. Philadelphia Phillies (Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels) - Had this list come out last year and this two guys were on the same team, they may have grabbed the number one slot. My only reservations this year are will Cole Hamels having such a mediocre season. There is no denying Halladay's Cy Young award winning talent. He might be one of the best ever. If Hamels returns to 2008 World Champion status, then the Phillies will be unbeatable in the playoffs. However, if he melts again like this year, then these guys fall off my list entirely.
5. Josh Beckett and Jon Lester (Boston Red Sox) - I happen to love Josh Beckett from a mechanical pitching stand point. Most of the season this year, the results are there. If you look at Lester, he is, in many ways, the left handed version of Beckett. Both power pitchers with power breaking pitches. Unfortunately, both hit patches of irregularity this past year. If they can avoid these stretches when it matters this year, then they are both capable of dominating all who cross their paths...even those Yankees.

So there is my top 5. Let me hear who else needs to be on the list...Its ripe for a debate.

The Art of the Slide-Step

2010-01-26T17:54:00.000-08:00

Aside from throwing strikes and getting hitters out, another one of a pitcher's most important responsibilities is controlling the running game. The better job a pitcher does of preventing runners from stealing bases, the easier job he will have preventing runs from scoring that otherwise would not. There are three basic ways to do this. You can attempt a pick off move to the base the runner is occupying, you can vary your looks (checking the runner with your eyes) and timing (how long you hold the baseball before delivering it to the plate) and finally, you can be quicker than normal delivering the pitch. Most pitchers utilize some variation of a shortened leg lift called a slide-step to allow them to get to the plate without allowing the runner to get a good jump toward the base they would be stealing.

The slide-step is especially important for right handed pitchers, because they do not have the benefit of looking at the runner on first as lefties do. They must rely on changing how long they hold the ball and then being quick to the plate to give their catcher to a chance to throw the runner out. Runners steal bases by studying a pitcher's movements. Unfortunately, most pitchers are creatures of habit and have a tendency to hold the ball almost exactly the same amount of time before delivering a pitch. If they check the runner at all, they usually check the exact same time and number of times. A good base stealer will pick up on these patterns and wait until the exact moment before he lifts his leg to the plate to break for the bag.

So...the "intelligent pitcher" must be aware of these tendencies and purposefully mix up how we address the hitter. It requires repetition and practice like anything else in pitching does to be comfortable when attempting to utilize these tactics.

Mechanically speaking, to use the slide step a few things have to change. These adjustments are minor, but imperative to allow a pitcher to still remain "athletic" throughout the delivery and throw downhill without the benefit of a high leg kick that is generally used out of the wind-up. Instead of a high kick, you must bring the front knee slightly up and back towards the back leg. The hands will mimic the minor movement of the front knee, moving slightly up and back. From this position, the pitcher must be especially quick when driving the front foot down and straight toward the target. At the same, the elbows must get to the loaded and parallel position that we see out of the wind up. Usually, the arm swing must be quicker and shorter than out of the wind up, because there is less time until the front foot hits ground. The pitcher must also make sure to allow the hip turn to provide the power in the delivery, once the elbows are at their highest point.

If the pitcher is able to execute these minor adjustments, then his velocity should not suffer at all while making his delivery to the plate about 1.2 to 1.5 seconds. If the catcher is able to throw down to seconds in or around 2.0 seconds, that gives the runner only 3.5 seconds to cover 80 feet (considering he's leading off). Most runners will not be able to do this and promptly be thrown out.

So there are the basics of controlling the running game. Let me know if you have any other questions about specific scenarios!!

Until Next Time!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Yovani Gallardo

2010-01-24T12:35:00.000-08:00

One of the Major League's newest aces is Yovani Gallardo of the Milwaukee Brewers. In what was essentially his second big league season, Yovani emerged as the ace of the Brewers' staff, posting a 13-12 record and a 3.70 ERA with over 200 K's is just 185 ips. Hailed as one of the key components for the future of Milwaukee baseball, Gallardo is this weeks' Big Leaguer Breakdown.

Check out this video of his warm-up to study how he delivers the baseball.

Yovani's delivery is characterized by a high leg kick and an explosive drive to the plate. You can notice from the beginning of the video that he starts almost out of a stretch position and simply steps to the side before swing the front leg around upward into the leg lift. I am not a huge fan of this technique because it is essentially wasted movement, however many big leaguers prefer this movement because it minimizes effort and difference out of the wind-up as compared to the stretch. For this reason, I see why guys like Cliff Lee and Gallardo utilize this starting positon.

If we stop the video at the 5 second mark, we see the leg lift is up beyond parallel and the hand position follows suit. You should also notice a slight upper half is slightly rotated inward, but the hips and lower half are still on line. I am a fan of this technique as long as the upper half is able to finish back over the midline of the body. The concern would be if the upper half over rotates along with the hips, preventing a repeatable release point.

A few clicks further on the video shows Yovani utlizing an extremely wide and high hand break and arm swing. His front arm extends high above his head and forward, the shoulders are tilted down and back and the throwing arm is extended in the opposite direction and down toward the ground. Also important to notice is how the front foot extends out and forward (similar in direction as the front glove side) but the weight is still loaded on the back leg. This posture is something very important to me when I teach my young pitchers how to stay loaded on the back side before turning the hips. It is a tricky concept to think about extending forward with the front arm and front leg without the rest of the body weight going forward. You can also see from this position (pictured below), that the shoulders are about to level back and finish back over the front side.

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At exactly the 6 second mark, we see the hips begin to rotate and the scapula contract before firing the baseball. Many pitching coaches are big proponents of "firing" the shoulder blade muscles after the elbows get to shoulder height. Gallardo, in this video, does a great job of allowing the hip turn to "fire" his upper half and explode to the target. He does pull a bit violently with the glove after the 6 second mark, but does a good job of finishing over the front leg and planting the foot firmly without straightening out the plant leg. You see outstanding upper half core flexibility as he extends over that front side on release.

So study this video and others of Yovani as much as you can to see a more "violent" delivery that translates into very explosive pitches.

Make sure to post any questions you may have with his delivery.

Until Next Time!!!

How Many Different Breaking Balls Are There?

2010-01-19T17:59:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all out there in Less Is More land. Today we'll be discussing some basic knowledge stuff that might be able to help some people identify exactly what kind of pitch they throw and what they want to throw. This post will discuss the many types of breaking pitches, namely the cutter, slider, slurve, and curve. We are discussing these pitches in this order because of the amount of perceived break or movement in each pitch.

1. Cutter - This pitch made famous by Mariano Rivera is the most similar to a fastball. Generally, it is thrown only a few mphs slower than the fastball. The pitch normally has no downward movement. Instead, it "cuts" glove side (depending on which hand you throw with). The movement is linear (left to right) and is great for "hand-cuffing" hitters who think they are swing at a fastball. Mariano is notorious for starting this pitch off the outside corner and bring it back for strike 3 or starting it on the inside corner and sawing off the hitter.

2. Slider - This pitch is the first of our family that introduces any kind of downward movement. The slider must still come out of the pitcher's hand flat as a fastball. However, when that pitch gets to the plate, its movement is short and quick, down and in. If we think about its movement according the face of a clock, the slider will move from 2 o clock to 7 o clock. I usually think of John Smoltz or CC Sabathia when I think of pitchers who have fantastic sliders. As a left handed pitcher, I happen to think the left on left slider is one of the hardest pitches to hit in the game. (Think of Randy Johnson versus...any left ever). The reason this pitch is so effective is, like a cutter, it comes out of the hand looking so much like a fastball. The difference, however, is that its sharp downard movement contributes to a high amount of swinging strikes. It is my favorite of the four.

3. Slurve - This bigger breaking ball is a type of "hybrid" pitch that has more lateral movement than a slider but is thrown harder and with more sweeping across action than a curve ball. Genreally, this pitch is "turned" earlier in the release point to allow for more perceived movement to the hitter. It is tricky because it can somes look like a fastball and produce swinging strikes or be slightly "loopier" and freeze the hitter who thinks the pitch is out of the zone until it is too late. Less pitchers in the MLB throw this particular pitch, however, many different breaking pitches can be described as a slurve because of its differing movement patterns.

4. Curve - The curve is ultimately the most easily recognizable pitch of the four. The movement is the "biggest" of them all and generall moves straight up and down toward the hitter. This is where the terminology " 12 to 6 curve ball comes from. Big Leaguers such has Josh Beckett and Barry Zito utilize the traditional curve ball to make a living. The curve is tricky because of the size of the pitch's movement. The pitch is usually atleast 10 mphs slower than a fastball and the large amount of downward movement makes it difficult to time up and make solid contact.

So I hope this clears up any confusion there may have been over the four main types of breaking balls out there.

Also, if there are any questions you would like answered, please comment here and I'll be happy to get them up on the blog.

Until Next Time!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Zack Greinke

2010-01-17T19:22:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest stories of the 2009 season was that of Zack Greinke's ability to recover from a multitude of mental and mechanical problems early in his career to become one of the most dominant pitchers in the game. After beginning the season with 38 straight scoreless innings, Zack finished his season with the AL Cy Young award; boasting a record of 16-8 on a mediocre Royals team and a 2.16 league leading ERA and 242 k's in 229 innings, Greinke is without a doubt one of the best young pitchers in the game.

We'll look at this video of multiple pitches to see how he does it.

As you can see, the video is of great quality since the clips are from ESPN highlight footage. Unfortunately, some of the footage doesn't show much of his mechanics because of the timing. We'll start at the 27 second mark. Notice as he lifts his leg, there is slight inward rotation in both his front shoulder and front hip. I have no problem with this as long as the pitcher is able to get that front side back toward the targer without over-rotating on the way to release point. Zack utilizes a high hand position for his hand break. Notice how smoothly the hands separate as the back leg bends slightly and the front leg extends forward. (29 seconds into the video) When working with my pitching students, I describe this as "getting into an athletic position." There is a slight bend in the back leg as the elbows work up to that position. At the release point of this clip, you see how well he gets his upper half parallel to the ground and finishes to the target. The best aspect of Greinke's mechanics is the over all fluidity of the movements. There is no herky-jerky movements and the entire body works together to stay tall and powerful at the same time.

At the 48 second, we see a strikeout by Greinke where he gets a guy swinging on a high fastball. I want you to the clip and study his finish. To purposefully elevate a pitch, it is less imperative to finish downhill and bend on that front leg. Instead, you can see how Greinke almost stands up on release. Keep in mind it requires absolute mastery to be able to does this ON PURPOSE and still maintain a quality release point on subsequent pitches.

So as you can see, Zack repeats that fluid delivery quite effectively on ALL of his pitches. Splitter, slider, fastball, all are almost indistiguishable from each other to the viewer and, obviously, the batter.

Go through these clips and others on utube of Mr. Greinke to really see how well he times his body up for release.

Until Next Time!!

A Poem About Pitchers

2010-01-15T18:26:00.000-08:00

Today's post will just be a forward of a very interesting piece of literature I came across during my "travels." I post quite a bit on a pitching website called LetsTalkPitching.com. One of the administrators actually wrote a poem about pitchers that I decided to share with you. The author identifies himself as Coach Baker and has obviously had quite an extensive baseball career, both playing and coaching. So here it is...

Wizards and warlocks, out of deepen darken halls,
with spells and chants, as they dance the white ball.
With seams that spin, wobble and churn,
with the flick of their wrists, and a turn of their palm.

This man does stand on mysterious ground,
from ten inches high, measures the mound.
A stark white mantel is the perch that he stands astride,
as his magic is spun upon the horse hide he drives.

Now not all wizards are gifted as such,
nor are they equal with all the magical stuff.
Some have pitches with spells that react,
while other take chances with happenstance.

Ah, but then there are those that history will say,
had the gift of true wizardry, on any given day.
That special man who could weave at his will,
like words of an author with the stroke of his quill.
And many a roster, regardless of mix,
has tested this master will all of this tricks.

But try as they may to unseat from his mound,
the true wizard of wizards, and remove his bright crown.
With fastballs, curves, sliders and more,
with change-ups and pitch-outs, their frustration did soar.
Again and again, they charge the old man,
with battle axes of lumber gripped in their hands.

But with the stroke of his wands, and a glare cold as ice,
he’d vanquish the rosters, and turn men into mice.
These were no ordinary spells, no chants of delight,
for they were as deadly in the sunlight as they were in the night.

And as the last spell was cast, and the last battle done,
after so many years, he put down his ole wand.
And yet he was drawn to this mysterious game,
a game that gave meaning and a purpose to his name.
Lined up were those that who would serve the ole man,
and learn all they could from his experienced hands.

For this is the way of the heart and the mind,
the way of the ball and the magic of nine.
And the young apprentice listens with glee,
to learn from the master, the magic of STRIKE THREE!

Coach B.

Pitching Health Tip #1

2010-01-12T18:08:00.000-08:00

We'll keep it short and sweet today. Sometimes when I think about the information I've accumulated over the years about pitching, I start to delve into some pretty technical and complicated aspects of the art of pitching. I forget sometimes, that not everyone has had the experience and benefit of dedicated pitching coaches and personal trainers to give you some of the seemingly obvious advice that I take for granted.

So in light of that revelation, I've decided to provide, on a semi-routine basis, health tips that can help the Intelligent Pitcher compete at his highest ability level at all times. For our first installment of Pitching Health Tips, I'd like to encourage any and all pitchers to begin taking a multi-vitamin every day. In a perfect world, all athletes would receive all the vitamins and nutrients in their daily routine diets. However, depending on your living situation and budget, eating perfectly isn't always an option. For example, when I would get finished with a game in South Bend, Indiana at 11pm, the only thing open was usually Stake N Shake. Not exactly healthy. So, to make up for the holes in an daily diet, a multi-vitamin is extremely important. It is important to understand, however, that multi-vitamins cannot make up for complete deficiencies in a diet. If you get not Vitamin C for example, a pill will not make up for that completely .

So what kind of vitamin should you take? In my experience, the best to take is a liquid multi-vitamin such as Vit-acell by Max Muscle Nutrition. Liquid vitamins generally generate more completely than their pill counterparts and this particular mix has a great vitamin and mineral profile that is both balanced and effective. If you must go to a pill form, I would recommend a chewable variety for the same reason. The compacting techniques of the basic swallowed pill makes it extremely difficult for your stomach to digest. In fact, many times the pill isn't digest at all and its passes straight through. I currently utilize Centrum Chewable multi-vitamin and have had positive results. On the contrary, the non-chewable counterparts are less effective.

There are many varieties out there and the most important thing is to check the nutritin label to ensure there is the correct mixture of both minerals and vitamins.

Feel free to comment with any questions or comments you may have.

Until Next Time!!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: John Smoltz

2010-01-10T12:57:00.000-08:00

Today we examine one of the most versatile, durable, and explosive pitchers of the modern baseball era. After 21 big league seasons, the majority of which with the Atlanta Braves, Smoltz has become one of the only pitchers to accumulate 200+ wins and 150+ saves. Even this year, after struggling to recover from arm surgery with the Boston Red Sox, he was picked up by the St. Louis Cardinals and returned to form as one of the anchors of the Cards rotation. His mechanics have been largely the same since his rookie since ('88) and are one of the main reasons he's been so electric and effective for so long. I personally believe his mid 90's fastball and slider combo is one of the best in the history of the game. That is why John Smoltz is this week's Big Leaguer Breakdown.

Check out this unique video analyzing his mechanics during a bullpen where he is simultaneously videoed throwing a fastball and a change-up.

The point of this video is show how Smoltz keeps his delivery the same throughout both of his pitches. As an Intelligent Pitcher, its important to understand that the delivery must remain the same through each pitch, so the hitter is not tipped off as to what pitch is coming. At the seven second mark, you see how both legs lifts and hand slots are identically and properly loaded over the back leg. Notice how his chin is tucked down and level over the center of his body. Click the video one second forward and you can see the smoothness of his handbreak as he simultaneously loads the back leg. You can notice a slight bend on the back knee as the front hip rids down the mound. This works well for keeping the weight on the back side for the hip turn fires. Smoltz is also very smooth with his hand break but be sure to see how his hands stay timed up with front foot. Basically, as the foot goes forward, his hands work up and out.

We'll look at the 24 second mark of the video (the second pitch) to again watch how quickly and easily Smoltz gets his elbows up and into the power position. Notice how his front foot hasn't quite hit the ground yet and his hips are still on target. As we know, this is essential for allowing the lower half to "power" the upper half to release. As the end of the 24 second mark, Smoltz has turned his glove down and his throwing elbow is leading the hand to release. Here, his chest is completel square to the target with the hips completely turned. The chins is perfectly level on target and ready for the finish over a slightly bent front leg.

The last half of the video does a good job of breaking down some of his movements as well. You can see how symmetrical his body his throughout many parts of his delivery. Make sure to study these pieces as well as the the entire video.

I'm always available for any comments or questions.

Until Next Time!

Pitching Backward?

2010-01-05T18:02:00.000-08:00

Hitter's are born to hit the fastball. They are bread from the first day of Coach pitch to hit the straight ball. Generally, hitting the breaking ball is a skill that is acquired by some of the better hitters at every level. Weather its high school, college, or the pros, hitting the off speed pitch is an acquired skill that takes years of dedication. Of course there are other types of hitters who attempt to get by just waiting and working the count to get the straight one. In scouting reports, these guys are typically described as "dead red" or "first pitch fastball" hitters. Also, many scouting reports ON pitchers will show a pitcher's tendency to throw a lot of off-speed stuff or that he possibly throws fastballs early and soft stuff late. Any of these scenarios would represent good situations to "pitch backward."

So, what does pitching backward mean? Essentially, it is a pitching strategy that entails throwing fastballs in breaking ball counts and breaking ball counts. For example, most first pitches of an at bat are expected to be fastballs, so a hitter would be ready and looking for the fastball. Here's a perfect opportunity to spin a breaking ball in for a strike. Most hitters will be on their front foot and just take the pitch...looking for the holy grail (fastball). On the flip side, if you have a hitter who works the count to a 1-2 or 2-2 situation after a variety off-speed stuff, this would be another perfect opportunity to ring him up with an fastball. I am personally a huge fan of an inside fastball here that can "freeze" the hitter for strike three. Middle counts don't lend themselves as much to pitching backward. Basically, you can do what you want to get to the '2-strike' count. Of course, you don't want to fall into a pattern when setting up hitters. But that's a post for another day. Just be aware of counts where you think a hitter might be looking for a fastball and throw a breaking ball and vice versa.

So there we have it. Not the longest post ever...but the point is essential to get the better of the more advanced hitters you may face. A good pitcher must know his hitters and be able to read hitters he doesn't know. This is definitely an advanced topic, but its one that all pitchers must address.

Always comment if you have any questions.

Until Next Time!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Billy Wagner

2010-01-03T17:39:00.000-08:00

For this week's Big Leaguer Breakdown, I've decided to look at one of the best relievers in recent history. With 385 career saves and one of the most electric fastballs from a left handed pitcher, Billy Wagner and his intro song (Enter Sandman by Metallica) have been terrorizing hitters in the 9th inning for over a decade. Wagner is also unique from a mechanical standpoint because despite his smaller stature (he's 5'10") his electric arm speed and powerful lower half allows him to generate serious velo.

Check out this video of him warming up to study those mechanics.

Starting at the 3 second mark of the video we should look at two specific things. First off, his leg kick is extremely high...well beyond the parallel mark of his hips. As a reliever, he doesn't need to use the wind up and doesn't really need to be overly concerned with being quick to the plate with runners on. Therefore, he utilizes a very exaggerated leg kick to help generate his velocity. Also notice how high his hands are at this point; raising in unison with his leg to an equally exaggerated height. This placement is key to showing the extremely rare elasticity that Billy uses to help generate so much arm action.

As we watch the video forward from this point, we notice how well Wagner keeps his weight back as the hands break and he begins moving toward the target. After the leg lift, the front leg works down first before working forward with only a slight bend on the back leg. This is still at the 3 second mark. What is important to see here is that his hands have not yet broken. Typically you would want your hands to break as the knee works down and forward. This is what makes Billy so unique. His hands, elbows and arm speed so fast, he can afford to break his hands later and still remain on time with his hip turn. Let's watch further in the video.

At the 4 second mark, Wagner's hands have broken and already elevated to an awesome power position. He again utilizes his excellent hand speed and also a very very short arm swing to get to that power position. His elbows are up and loaded BEFORE the foot hits the ground...as you can see from this point of the video.

From here, its explosion time. The hip turn is quick and direct and he tucks his glove under his chest. The glove turn is a bit on the rotational side but he is able to keep his chest and chin direct over the target as he explodes to the target. His front knee does lock out on release, but his flexible waist and core allows for a proper finish.

So there we have Billy Wagners mechanics broken down in ultimate Less is More fashion.

Make sure to post any questions or comments.

Until Next Time!!

Pitching in 2010

2010-01-01T17:43:00.000-08:00

With 2010 less than a day old, I figured it was high time to look forward to getting ready for the new baseball season ahead. Pitcher's report to big league camp in mid-February and high school tryouts are just a short week or two behind. So what does this mean for all of you in Less Is More Pitching land? Its time to start preparing for the up coming season to allow yourself the best chance to be the best pitcher you can be.

We know the off-season is for getting stronger and hopefully gaining some muscle and core strength. If you've spent the off-season dedicated to a weight program to achieve this goal, then it is time to switch that program to a lower weight/higher rep explosive lifting program. You no longer need to be gaining muscle mass, but instead, training those muscles to be as explosive as possible with some Olympic style lifting mixed with stability exercises and agilities. It is also time to ramp up your cardio program. Running more frequently and staggering how you run is important. For example, interval training, sprints, and long distance should all be utilized to create the proper mix of cardio work.

As for throwing, now is a good time to begin your long toss program if you haven't already. Start slow and shorter, gradually increasing the distance you throw and how often you throw. Maybe three times a week the first week and then add to that in the following weeks. You want to be up to a good arm strength by the beginning of February, because it is at that time, that you would want to begin throwing you bullpens in preparation for tryouts and the season ahead. I hope you don't need convincing to begin your long toss program...but in case you do...here's a quote from Greg Maddux in a 1999 issue of Collegiate Baseball Magazine.

"I'll start playing long toss in January. If I can throw it 200 feet, I try to throw it 300 feet. I don't stop at 120 feet, I throw it as far as I can."

...he continues by saying...

"I think long toss is a great way to build your arm up, to get in shape to throw off the mound."

Also, if you haven't already begun doing jobe exercises or band work before and/or after you throw, this is the time begin doing that as well. There are plenty of indoor facilities in most areas, like the WISC in Williamsburg, VA where I train (shameless plug) to allow you begin your season preparations regardless of what the temperature is out side.

If you have any specific questions or comments about how to get ready for the season, please post them here and I'll respond in as much detail as you can handle...I tend to over do it with these types of things because the most important thing you can control right now is how hard you work...and there better not be anyone who works harder than you do...right now!!

Until Next Time!!

Is Size a Factor...Throwin Hard?

2009-12-29T18:02:00.000-08:00

I have run across a few people lately, young and old, who have asked me a relatively simple question with a relatively complicated answer.

"How can I throw the baseball harder? and Does being taller mean I will throw harder?"

Pretty good questions to be sure, born out of a desire to be the best pitcher they can be and hopefully pitch at the professional level no doubt. When I answer these types questions, I try to be as honest as I can when I say... "There are many many ways to skin a cat." Of course, what I mean is that all different types of bodies are able to generate powerful velocity. Whether its Tim Lincecum who is barely 6 feet tall, or Randy Johnson at 6' 11", you can generate velocity in many many ways. Both of these guys throw in the mid 90's.

I will say this however. As a general rule, the taller you are and the more athletic your build, the more appealing you would be as a pitcher to professional scouts. Of course, if you are 6'5" and built like a gladiator, but throw the ball 75mphs....scouts won't give you a look. However, for example, if you are tall and lanky with average velocity in high school (let's say 6'2", 180lbs, throwin 85mphs) scouts may be inclined to give you a chance in the hopes that you may develop better velocity as you mature. So there is a benefit to being taller and "looking like a pitcher." Still, the important thing to realize is that the best way to get drafted is to throw with good velocity or be extremely successful throughout the last two years of your high school career. This is when the scouts and college coaches will be most interested in you and most likely to truly analyze your skill.

Another word about your "build." Scouts are generally turned off by those with poor athleticism You are doing yourself no favors by being out of shape during the baseball season. Of course, being too muscular (like a body builder) would be detrimental to your draftability as well. The most similar build I can compare it too would be that of a slightly more muscular basketball player.

So in summation, being taller doesn't guarauntee you will throw harder. However, being taller in conjunction with a pitcher's build, does increase your stock with college and pro scouts.

Hopefully that clears up any confusion from my young readers and parents.

Until Next Time!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Randy Johnson

2009-12-27T17:17:00.000-08:00

One of the most dominating lefties in the HISTORY of professional baseball is without a doubt, Randy Johnson. Pitching for the Expos, Mariners, Diamondbacks, Yankees, and Giants, he is one the tallest pitchers in the game as well at 6' 10". He throws in the mid 90's from a low three quarters armslot and throws a slider that looks like its coming out from behind a lefties head. That pitch is known as one of the most devastating pitches in the game, this side of Mariano's cutter. That's why this week's Big Leaguer Breakdown is Randy Johnson.

Check out this video to really study the Big Unit's delivery.

This video operates in super slo-mo which is definitely one of my favorite videos to show. So, if we watch the first minute and five seconds of the video, we will see Randy finally get to the highest point of his leg lift. Notice how little body movement occurs in his upper and lower half as he lifts that front leg. There is a small amount of body tilt but for the most part, he is loaded and ready to stay tall through out the delivery.

The next thing I want you t do is watch the video from the 1.05 to 1.11 mark and watch how his front knee and glove stay connected in its movement. This is a great way to stay "timed" up so that the elbows are at their highest point as the front foot hits the ground. From the same clip, we do notice that as his hands break, the throwing arm wraps some behind his back. This works well for Randy as he utilizes that lower three quarters arm slot to create sink and get extension from the release point. In the middle of this sequence, the 1.09 mark, you will see how tall RJ is in the lower half. He gets the most out of his tall frame and really utlizes the leg for leverage.

At the 1.12 mark, you can see that his hips have cleared and his glove has turned directly under his chest. The glove turn is key because it isn't yanked off target. By turning it straight down, as he does in this video, his hand break and low arm slot come together perfectly to allow for perfect extension and a very repeatedabl delivery. Also notice, at the same time in the video, his front knee is slightly bent (think Roy Oswalt's video) making his front side extension even better.

Finally, his finish keeps his head on target and fully finishes his 95mph fastball.

Continue watching the video to see how compact and repeatable his video is. He was born with exceptional height and has created a delivery that perfectly makes the most of his assets.

Keep studying and post any questions!!

Until Next Time!!

The Ultimate Baseball Christmas List

2009-12-24T06:24:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas from all here at Less is More to all my readers out there. In similar holiday fashion, I'd like to provide a Christmas list that every "Intelligent Pitcher" would want. You may recall that over Thanksgiving, we did a Thankful List. Well this time, we're getting a little on the selfish side, asking for things we really really want for our pitching selves. Of course, its always betting to give than receive, so we will be sure to exchange many many complete games and quality starts with this list!

So here goes... (These are in no particular order)

10. Rawlings Pro Preferred baseball glove. 12 to 12.25 inches with either a basket or two piece web and finger sleeve. Black or tan in color. The best glove for a pitcher around.

9. Nike Cooperstown baseball spikes to pitch in. I am personally a fan of the Puma Cell 2ks - but they are discontinued, so we'll go with the next best thing here. Nikes Cooperstown use the best leather and are still comfortable and light weight.

8. $100 giftcard to Tuff Toe. Every pitcher in the big leagues has their drag leg's spike professional dipped in super glue from the guys at Tuff Toe. $100 should last you atleast through a season or two and multiple dippings.

7. Nike Compression Sleeve. For use in between starts or as you warm up, the compression sleeve keeps the muscles warm and tight and minimizes swelling and inflamation when you are throwing.

6. Phiten Necklace and wrist band. I'm not convinced they work...but the big leaguers swear by em and they def. look cool. So, lets stimulate our blood flow like they do...plus, if its Christmas, why not?

5. Nike Air Max 360 Running Shoes. Because after everytime you pitch, you have to run. Why not have flywire technology to help make those long jogs a little easier.

4. Oakley Radar Path shades. You aren't on the mound all the time. When you aren't you usually shagging flies during BP or waiting in the bullpen before a game. Keep the sun out of your eyes!

3. Swiss Ball and Bosu Ball. For the best in core stabilization during your workouts. The big round ball and the half ball will force you to increase your core strength!

2. Container of Delaware River Mud. For the best ball rubbing dirt in the game, its got to be from the Delaware. As the story goes, one guy goes down to the river bank when no one is watching. He wades in with a 5 gallon bucket and scoops up as much as he can. He then packs it and sells it. He's the best source in the game.

1. Pine Tar. I don't care where or how...just get some and learn to use it. If you ain't cheatin, you ain't trying!

So there's the Christmas Pitching Wishlist. Lets hear some ideas that I forgot.

Until Next time!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Max Scherzer

2009-12-20T15:57:00.000-08:00

Today marks the conclusion of Jim Farr's Winter Baseball Camp. A lot was accomplished by the pitcher's and position players that attended despite the tough wintery weather conditions. One of the primary topics covered in many of the mechanical breakdowns lead by Farr himself and the other coaches (myself included) was the importance of athleticism on the mound and the use of the legs, hips and core in delivering the baseball. With that in mind, I've decided to make this weeks Big Leaguer Breakdown of Max Scherzer of the Arizona Diamondbacks. I played with Max during his first professional season in Hi A with the Visalia Oaks. One of the most apparent things about his delivery is his ability to explode to the target and finish over front side...getting almost parallel to the ground on his finish.

Let's check out this video of him pitching in Arizona to see what I mean.

To get the idea, lets start from the end and work back with his delivery. Check out the 22 second mark of the video...after Scherzer has finished his pitch. What I want to point out is just how parallel his body is to his finish. Even more important is his front leg being slightly bent and able to keep his chin on target through his finish. If you back up the video just a touch (still at the 22 second mark) you can see the glove turn also being utilized to keep the body on the mid-line. This point is key because of how fast and possibly even violent his finish is. It is essential to be consistent with that glove turn to stay online.

A few more ticks backward and we see Max's elbows are positioned fully elevated and "loaded" in the power position. At the same time, if you look at his front foot...it is fully positioned at the 45 degree angle as the foot is getting ready to plant. You can see how his foot as slighlty gained ground forward, but the majority of his weight is still back and ready to fire. As many of you know, staying loaded on that back leg as long as possible is key to generating the type of velocity (95 -97) that Scherzer does. Check out pic to see what I mean.

Finally, we'll look at the 21 second mark to see how compact and poised to explode he looks in this positin. Not that this position is where he generates his power, it is, however, how he gets in position to "get athletic." I really like how he brings his front leg in and tucks his hands to the same place. It leaves little room for error as the hands can easily work up from this position.

So there is Max's delivery in reverse. As you know, the video has more than one pitch...so always study them step by step. It's difficult to recreate some of the speed and flexibility he has in his core and legs...but it will do good to try and emulate his finish and position.

Until Next time!!

Top 10 Pitchers Pitches.

2009-12-18T19:03:00.001-08:00

Certain pitcher's are known for having certain unhittable pitches. Be it, Nolan Ryan's fastball or Whitey Ford' spitball. For today's post, I present to you, the Less Is More Nation, the top ten current or recent pitches and the pitches they are known for. Keep in mind, this isn't necessary the best pitchers in the game. It is however, the best pitches by those pitchers.

10. Joel Zamaya's Fastball. With an official reading of 101 mph, his fastball is one of few to break the triple digit plateau. With flames on his arms...he truly in the ultimate fireballer.
9. Roy Halladay's Sinker. He is the ultimate workhouse. Able to pitch complete games in a single bound. How does he do it? With a vicious sinker that induces groundball after groundball...keeping that pitch count down.
8. Randy Johnson's Slider. Just ask John Kruk how good this slider is. Of course, with a mid 90's fsatball to boot, his slider is all the more devestating. He has one of the most unique are angles and frame (6'10") to create this unhittable pitch.
7. Trevor Hoffman's Change-Up. Even this late into his career, he has managed to be effective. Early in career he still had his mid 90's fastball to off-seat the already devastating pitch. Now, even as age has claimed to velo, he still gets hitters out with this pitch.
6. Barry Zito's Curveball. This pitch is difficult to his because of just how unique it is. Almost no one else in the league throws such a slow and looping (in a good way) breaking ball. When it is on, hitters can't seem to square it up.
5. Dan Haren's Splitter. Nothing is worse than trying to hit a good sinkerballer who also happens to have the best splitter in the game. One pitch goes down and in, the other down and way, both look the same....Nasty.
4. Cliff Lee's Spike Curve. I know I know...I said it was a knuckle curve, either way, its next to unhittable. Seriously, just ask the Yankiees.
3. Justin Verlander's Fastball. True, Zamaya may be able to throw a little harder. But Velander can also hit triple digits...in the first inning AND the 9th. Almost no one can still do that.
2. AJ Burnette's Curve. The only reason AJ ever gets hit is that he is a little erradic with his control. From his low three quarters arm slot, this pitch is almost inperceptible when he's throwing right.

1. Mariano Rivera's Cutter. He is the ONLY pitcher is baseball who throws ONE PITCH. and only one pitch...and dominates. In fact, I believe he's the only pitcher who even tries to do such a thing. He doesn't even really know how he throws it...the only thing that matters....NO ONE HITS IT.

So there's my list....Now let's hear your ideas. This should generate some discussion.

Until Next time!!

Catcher Signals and Stealing Signs

2009-12-15T18:33:00.000-08:00

This may or may not come as a shock to most of you, but sign stealing is alive and well in professional, collegiate, and high school baseball. Case and point; every catcher in the big leagues gives multiple signs to the pitcher when telling them what pitch to throw. Especially when there is a runner on second base, it is very easy to see what fingers the catcher is putting down and therefore, even easier to tell the hitter what is coming. But even when there is no one on, you may see the catcher give multiple signs to prevent peering eyes from the other dugout picking up what pitch is coming. So, what are the methods that catcher's use to confuse would-be sign stealers? Here are just a few of the possibilities. Side note..."wiggle" is the universal sign for change-up which involves all four fingers down being wiggled.

1) Negatives - Essentially the catcher will put down multiple signs, none of which will be the pitch he actually wants the pitcher to throw. (e.g. the catcher puts down 2, 3, wiggle, 3 wiggle, 2). You'll notice that the preceding sequence never includes "1" or fastball. That is precisely the pitch the catcher wants. It requires concentration on the pitcher's part, but is generally good at getting the idea across.

2) Plus one Minus one - This technique involves either the innings or number of outs in a game. Essentially, the catcher will throw down any number of signs, with only the last or first sign being the important one. The catch is, if there are no outs, then the actual desired pitch is minus one from the sign given. If there are 1 out, it IS the sign given. And if there are two outs, it is plus one from the sign give. For example, if there is no one out and the catcher gives, 1, wiggle, 2, 2, wiggle, then, assuming the pitcher only has 3 pitches, the desired pitch would be 2 (breaking ball). As you can see, the last sign was a wiggle (or the 3rd pitch the pitcher has). Since there was no one out, you subtract one to get to the desired 2. Another example with innings would be for example, in the 7th inning, the catcher gives , 2, 3, 1, 1, 2, 1 this would mean he wants the pitcher to throw a breaking ball (2). This is because it is the last set of 3 innings which is a "plus one" situation. You take the last sign (1) and add one two it...giving you the desired 2.

3) Follow the 2 - This example is far less complicated but ultimately, just as effectively. Essentially, the catcher will give a sequence and whatever pitch follows the first 2 given is the desired pitch. So for example, if the catcher gives 1, wiggle, 1, 2, 2, wiggle this would mean the catcher wants a breaking ball. As you can see, this is because the first 2 was followed by another 2.

4) Touches- Our last example for today will be one that involves no signs at all. Instead the catcher will use places on his body for the pitch he wants. All the catcher will have to specify is what sign counts (first, second, third or so on) and what means what. So for example, top of the head will be fastball, mask will be curve, and chest will be breaking ball. If the catcher specifies that the second touch is the one that matters, then all he will have to do is touch in the appropriate order to get the desired pitch. For example, if he touches chest, head, mask, head...then this means the catcher wants a fastball.

Of course, there are many other scenarios that some catchers utilize, but these are just a few examples. If you need more, I will happily share more. There is also much more to stopping the running game, but that too will be covered in other posts.

Please post any questions or comments.

Until next time!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Roy Oswalt

2009-12-13T18:20:00.001-08:00

Yet another Sunday has come and gone...and Christmas is drawing near...what another great day for another Big Leaguer Breakdown. This week's subject will be Roy Oswalt for two main reasons. One, I found an outstanding slow motion video like last week's Verlander clip. And two, I think he it the best example of using your hips to draw velocity out of a smaller than average body type. Now, as the story goes with Oswalt, early in his career he had loss some of his mid-90s velocity due to some nerve impingement in his shoulder. As luck would have it however, he was working on his car one morning and was making some 'adjustments' to his car battery and was inadvertently electrocuted. Some how, through this freak accident, the impingement was alleviated and he almost immediately regained his 95mph fastball. Now, let me say, I do not condone purposefully electrocuting oneself to throw the baseball harder...I do, however, condone studying videos of Oswalt to see how he does it now.

Check out the video I am talking about of Roy Oswalt rocking and firing.

Oswalt, as I said, does not have the body type of your "prototypical" pitcher. Generally, pitchers are tall, long and lean with large powerful legs and broad backs. Oswalt on the other hand, although lean, is short and looks more like a nascar driver than a pitcher. However, lets look at the video to see how he throws his fastball in the mid-90's.

Notice immediately at the 18 second mark, that Oswalt has already begun to lock his hips and front shoulder on target. By doing so early, he has set his body in the correct position to control his hip turn until the exact right moment. Notice how both his hips and shoulder seem to lock onto target at about the same time.

One warning though, you can see as he gets his front leg to its highest point, he has already begun to leak his body weight forward. As general rule, I am not a big fan of doing so, because it generally leads to rushing by the pitcher and it usually prevents getting the elbows up on time.

If we stop the video at the 30 second mark, we see two mechanical trademarks of Roy. First off, his stride is well above average for a pitcher his size. Generally, you want your stride to be timed off your elbows getting to shoulder heights. Pushing off and trying to "jump" to the plate as Oswalt does here generally prevents good timing from the elbows. Secondly, you can see how his elbows have elevated to the power position in perfect time. His front foot hasn't quite gotten to "foot strike" but his elbows are already up and ready to begin rotating to the plate.

The next section of the video here is the most important. Rewatch the video from 30 seconds to 32 seconds and study the split second timing between his hips and his elbows. Understand that at full speed, this hip turn happens in a blink of the eye. It is almost violent to watch Roy fire his hips and bring the hand through to release point. However, it is this athleticsm that allows Roy to truly utlize every inch of power from his smaller stature. Of course, it doesn't hurt that at the 32 second mark, his chin is perfectly on target with his chest over top of his front leg with a slight bend at the knee. As we know by now, if you've read any of my other BLB's, this is essential to a pitcher being able to repeat his delivery.

So keep studying those mechanics and keep a close eye on the timing we are looking for. Oswalt is a model of that timing, even if he tends to jump a bit to his landing...this may be necessary for those vertically challenged pitchers out there.

Until next time...!!

Throwing the Inside Change-Up

2009-12-10T17:16:00.000-08:00

Today's topic maybe a bit on the advanced side, although the concept is quite simple. One of the most effective pitches in the game is a quality change-up. Almost every professional hitter I've discussed this with have agreed that a pitcher with a good change-up is the most frustrating. None of that should very surprising to you. But most pitchers are content with throwing their change-ups on the outer half of the plate (left handed pitchers throwing them away from righties and right handers away from lefty hitters). Problem with this is if the hitter is aware of these tendencies he can get expect and adjust to such habits.

One of the best ways to combat this dilemma is to throw change-ups on the inner half of the plate. Now understand, it takes large ........ cajones to throw this pitch. The reason is that the hitter will come out of his shoes swinging at this pitch. It will big and fat and if you miss in the middle of the plate and up, he may just hit it out of the yard. However, if it is down and in, he will either swing right through it or, more favorably hit the ball 1000 feet foul. This is because the pitch will look like a middle in fastball out of the pitcher's hand. Of course, all hitters are like sheep when they see pitches that look like fastballs in....meaning they are easily slaughtered when the pitch ISN'T a fastball.

Easily sheered sheep aside, if a pitcher can successfully execute the inner half change-up he will have added a completely new pitch and weapon to his repetoire. The hitter will have left himself completely vunerable to any number of pitches that could possibly follow the change-up. Of course, the inside change can be thrown in any count. However, I like to use it in those middle counts (1-1, 2-1, 1-0) where the hitter is looking for the fastball. He will be even more eager to swing at what looks like a fastball. What's even better, if he is thinking even more (which is always bad for a hitter...thinking mean) he may even fall victim to both the inside fastball and the inside change up following the properly executed first change.

So there you have it... the devasting effects of an inside change. Just remember, you must execute the location correctly, because, as said before, if you miss up and middle...those silly sheep will hit the ball a country mile.

Until next time

First Big Trade of the Off-Season

2009-12-08T18:12:00.001-08:00

I figured today would be a good day to switch up the routine and talk about a little current events going on in the Major League off-season. In case you haven't heard, a huge trade has been announced between the Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, and Detroit Tigers has just been finalized. The moves are as follows:

Tigers get Daniel Schlereth (LHP Dbacks) and Max Scherzer (RHP Dbacks) and Austin Jackson (CF prospect from Yankees) and Phil Coke (RHP Yankees)
Yankees get Curtis Granderson (CF Tigers)
Dbacks get Ian Kennedy (RHP Yankees) and Edwin Jackson (RHP Tigers)

So, this begs the question...who got the better end of this deal?

In terms of quality pitchers, I feel the Edwin Jackson and Max Scherzer are very comparable...Jackson did have a better year this year than Max, but both have tall upsides, although I'd argue Scherzer's upside is higher.

Both Phil Coke and Ian Kennedy had high upsides at one point in their career but seemed to have plataued a bit at the Major League level.

Speaking of plateaus, Curtis Granderson definitely peaked in 2007 where he had almost a 1000 slugging percentage. His numbers have gone down since '07 but still had quite a good season this year hitting 30 HRs, stole 20 bases, and had 71 RBI's. He will def. help fill a CF void that has been empty since Bernie Williams retired.

Schlereth may well be the wild card here. He did make his Major League debut this past year with the Dbacks and showed flashes of brilliance, but also was a bit erratic at times.

All things considered, I have to give the award for "best in the trade" to the Tigers. They essentially acquired four players who could all potentially make their opening day roster. They improved didn't lose much at the starting pitching position, but got better in the bullpen with both Coke and potentially Schlereth.

Of course, the Yankees make themselves better at a crucial position without giving up a ton....they always seem to do that - however, the Tigers do seem to have come out much better as a team, whereas the Yankees supserstar pedigree makes still trade pale a bit as compared to the moves they made last year.

Finally, the Dbacks don't get a ton better or worse with the trade. I do think Jackson will fit better in Arizona and Kennedy may do better out of the Big Apple, so there is def. potential there for both guys.

Bottom line, kudos to all three teams for making moves early in the off-season. We'll see how it all plays out this coming season.

Stay tuned for more pitchign tips soon!!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Justin Verlander

2009-12-06T15:06:00.000-08:00

In my college playing career, I had the pleasure of pitching against Justin Verlander when he pitched for Old Dominion University and I was at the College of Williams & Mary. (Who, by the way, just won their second playoff football game and beat VCU in basketball....Go Tribe!) In our two starts against each other, I recorded a win, as did Verlander. Of course, he has gone on to become on of the best "hard throwing" starters in the Majors. I say "hard throwing" because it is very rare to find a pitcher such as Justin who can consistently pitch in the mid 90's and touch triple digits for a long period of time. (He has thrown that hard since college and just completed his5th big league season) Pitching for Detroit this season, Verlander went 19-9 with a 3.92 ERA. Even more impressively, he struck out 269 batters in 240 innings, both among the best in the American League. Most hard throwers "burn out" early in the season and eventually in their careers. I suppose it is still possible that Verlander will burn out, but for now he has shown an ability to maintain quality mechanics that keep his pitches sharp and velocity up. It is for these reasons, along with the personal connection that I've decided to look at Justin Verlander's mechanics in this week's Big Leaguer Breakdown.

Here's this week's video of Verlander pitching in extreme slo-mo to be looked at.

In the slo-mo video, it takes Verlander 24 seconds to get to the height of his leg lift. What you should notice is that his body weight does not shift very much from drop step, to piviot, to leg lift. The weight of his body is firmly planed on his right leg and you see very little body movement as his leg lifts to well above parallel. It requires a high amount of core strength as well as posture to maintain that body control without leaking forward.

His next movements are extremely important to notice. His leg drives straight down and Verlander almost immediately gets to his athletic position. In other words, the leg travels down before going forward with only a slight bend on the back leg. By not collapsing on the back leg, he is able to keep most of his body weight, and therefore, power in his hips and always stay taller throughout the delivery.

Verlander does tend to jump a bit to his landing. Watch the video from 27 seconds to 29 and you'll see what I mean. His foot looks as if it is about to plant and then he gains another few feet before planting. For many of my clients, this prevents them from getting on top of the ball and throw downhill. However, in this video, Verlander keeps his elbows "firing" upwards even during his 'jump.' You can tell he is getting over his front side by how bent his front knee is when it hits the ground. Although that knee does lock out on release, he is loose and flexible enough at the waist to still get over top and extend at release. Stop the video at th e31 second mark to see an absolutely perfect example of finishing over your front side with chest and chin to the target with an excellent glove turn down.

Rewatch the video from the 24 second to 31 mark and just watch his lover half. His timing is perfect with his hips leading the upperhalf to release. It is the speed of his elbows combined with the timing of his hips and height of his body at release that he is able to repeat his delivery and put serious velocity on the ball.

As always, rewatch this video and the second slo-mo video of him out of the stretch to really study his timing.

Please leave comments and/or questions......Until Next time!!

Why Do Pichter's Have to Run?

2009-12-02T13:56:00.001-08:00

One of the biggest mistakes I see some of my young pitcher's make is skipping their post game or next day runs. Too many times I've heard the excuses..."But you don't really run in baseball." or "I don't run the ball to the plate, why should I work on running." Or my personal favorite, "My coach doesn't make us run, so I don't."

So here's the deal....Running is essential to becoming a better pitcher and here are three reasons why.

Firstly, legs are the foundation of a good pitching delivery. Weak legs cannot possibly repeat a pitching delivery with any kind of consistency. Therefore, running, especially sprints are essential to building explosive leg strength. Your feet, and therefore, your legs are the only part of the body that actually touch the ground. It is essential that they are as strong as possible

Secondly, running increases the overall endurance of a pitcher. This comes from quality, consistent long distance running. Think of it in terms of innings pitched. The first 10 minutes are like the first 3 innings, the next 10 minutes would be the 4th through the 6th, and the final 10 minutes represent the most important and most difficult innings in which to be sharp and effective on the mound. You that as motivation to be the pitcher who always finishes what he starts. Poor cardiovascular health will contribute to a pitcher breaking down earlier than his arm would otherwise last.

And finally and most importantly, running is essential to preventing arm injury and recovering from outings quickly and more efficiently. So here's the science behind it all. When you throw, you project your arm, shoulder, and elbow away from your body and thousands of tiny muscle fibers grip those body parts and immediately slow your arm down right after the baseball is released. When this happens repeatedly, as with pitching a game, tiny muscle fiber tears build up in the arm. To combat this, the body produces what is called "lactic acid." Recent research actually indicates that lactic acid is used by the body and burned as energy. Regardless, over time the muscles become sore. This soreness carries over and is generally worse over the following 1 to 3 days. To combat this soreness, it is essential for a pitcher to "flush" his system by getting the heart rate elevated from atleast 15 to 20 minutes. The elevated heart rate from running distance is perfect for getting more oxygen rich blood through the entire body. (In this case, any kind of cardio would suffice...swimming, biking, elliptical machine, row machine).

So, to get the best of all three running benefits, the "Intelligent Pitcher" must utilize both sprints, interval running, and distance work. I will be putting out an E-Book in the next few months to describe the perfect workout routine.

Stay tuned for more info on everything pitching...

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Dan Haren

2009-11-30T16:22:00.000-08:00

In honor of my former team, I decided it was time to look at one of the best pitchers on the Arizona Diamondbacks, Dan Haren. Although the team struggled, Haren lead the pitching staff in almost every statistical category on his way to a stellar year with a 3.14 ERA and 14-10 Win/Loss record.

Check out this video of Dan Haren to study his motion.

The first and most obvious attribute of his delivery is his elongated pause at the top of his leg lift. This movement is very unique to Haren and possibly one or two other pitchers. It casts some light on a very important mistake that a lot of young pitchers make. They feel they must generate velocity by having a very exaggerated leg lift and jump forward to their target. However, Dan Haren's delivery is proof that you can still generate velocity (he throws in the low 90's) without gaining anything from the initial leg lift.

Let's look at the 5 second mark of the video, just after the leg lift has moved downard. You'll notice that his body is still very tall and he has not yet collapsed on the back leg. His hands have broken away from each other and the ball is well hidden behind his back. An important note should be made here, that for Haren to get back on top of the baseball and get to his 'power position' he must have a very fluid yet aggressive move to the elbows up position. Regardless, Haren at this mark has remained tall and has his front shoulder, hip, and ankle directly on target. With a few clicks of the mouse forward, we see that Haren does exactly what he needs to do. The elbows do accelerate upward to a slightly tilted power positin. Also note that before his shoulders begin to turn to throw, his hips have ALREADY fired and front foot is turned torward the target.

You'll notice at the 6 second mark that his finish is a little off center and his legs remains very stiff on the finish. I normally would not advise either of these movments, but for Haren, he's managed to repeat his delivery well enough to get on top of the ball and locate it as he wishes. He is notorious for having pinpoint control and a devasting split fingered pitch. I believe that his stiffness on the front leg has actually contributed some to finishing on top of his splitter (more on that in another post)

There's another great slow mo version of Haren pitching. Check it out to really study his mechanics.

You really see how he gets into to power position and then fires the hips at about the 1.21 mark.

I love Haren's ability to repeat his delivery and hide the baseball. More importantly, I love how he is able to generate power 100% from his hip turn and drive from the back leg.

Let that be a lesson to all the young "Intelligent Pitchers" out there. You generate no extra velocity by rushing through your leg lift.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

The PItcher's Thanksgiving Wish List

2009-11-27T19:54:00.000-08:00

In honor of the second coolest holiday of the year (behind Christmas, of course) I decided to create a Thanksgiving list of things that all pitcher's would without a doubt be thankful for (assuming they had or possessed them). Now I've left out any performance factors here. Of course, every pitcher would be thankful for being able to throw 95 mph with super sink, but lets take a second to look at some other less obvious things a pitcher would benefit from having...and therefore be thankful. Please feel free to comment and add to his list. I'll start with the top ten!!!

1. A catcher who throws out over 50% of their runners and never misses a blocked ball.

2. A shortstop that lays out for every ball from beyond second to behind third...and hits .350.

3. A set of outfielders who consider running through outfield walls a personal hobby...and hit 25 hrs each.

4. A field crew who keeps the pitcher's mound precisely at the correct angle and the dirt at exactly the right density and dampness.

5. An umpire who loves calling both the high strike AND the low strike as well as gives 2 to 3 baseballs off the outside AND inside black.

6. Hitters who know how to hit balls right at fielders...all the time.

7. A glove (and set of reflexes) that always manage to nab that chopper up the middle...even the ones behind the back ala Cliff Lee.

8. Pine tar.

9. Really long, flexible fingers that put phenomenal spin on every pitch they throw.

And last but not least.........and I had to include one performance 'thank' because its that important.

10. The ability to throw first pitch strikes in every different way possible whenever and however he wants.

So there is it boys....The "Intelligent Pitcher's Thankful List" Please leave comments and add to the list

Warming Up Like a Pitcher

2009-11-23T17:53:00.000-08:00

Today's post will concern what might be considered by some to be a pretty obvious topic. Granted the idea of "warming up like a pitcher" does seem pretty apparent. However, the actual implementation of this idea requires a little more dedication and in fact, concentration.

The idea is simple. As you are loosening your arm for a day of baseball, be it practice, a game, or just tossing with your friends, it is of great important that you take time to consider your release point and create "good muscles memory." In other words, it does the "Intelligent Pitcher" no good to toss however he pleases as he prepares for the day. I have spoken frequently, especially in our Big Leaguer Breakdowns, about the importance of certain aspects of the delivery. For example, getting the elbows up to the power position, using your hips to drive the upper half to release point, and of course, balance point. To create the positive muscle memory, we must make sure that we incorporate these movements into each throw we make. If we don't, we train our muscles to move in a way that creates poor pitching mechanics.

So, one simple way to create better muscle memory as we warm up is to focus on one part of your throwing partners body. I like to use one of my partner's shoulders as a target. I alternate each throw from side to side to better simulate throwing to both sides of the plate. It's also very important to concentrate on repeating the same arm slot with every throw you make. As you increase your throwing distance, it becomes easier to incorporate other throwing techniques as it becomes more necessary to use your hips and accelerate your hand at release point to get the ball to the target.

Give these tips a try starting with your next game of catch. Then, stay consistent with these adjustments over the course of the offseason, then by the time your season rolls around you will be able to repeat your perfect delivery without the same effort.

Until next time!!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Johan Santana

2009-11-21T17:36:00.000-08:00

As a left handed pitcher myself, I find it tremendously useful to study some of the best lefties in the game. Without a doubt, Johan Santana can make claim to that distinction based on his many years with the Minnesota Twins and last two years with the New York Mets. He throws three pitches extremely well with his power change-up being his true "out pitch." Of course, it doesn't hurt that he throws 95 mph and locates with pin-point accuracy most of the time. In fact his numbers speak for themselves. In 10 big league seasons, he has a career record of 122-60 with an ERA of 3.20. He has 1733 career strikeouts and only a 1.10 WHIP. So, as we do here at Less Is More, I've decided to analyze Johan's motion for this week's Big Leaguer Breakdown.

Check out this video of Johan warming up to get a look at how he works.

The video is of Johan working out of the stretch and at the end we have a slow motion version of his delivery so we will talk about that portion of the clip. Feel free to watch repeatedly the entire video. Examine the 44 second mark of the video, before he's even lifted his leg - it should be easy to see how tall and athletic he already looks before he even moves. Notice his hand slot as well. They are located up by his shoulder and slightly away from his body. Within the framework of his mechanics, it works extremely well because of how his hand break works. If we watch forward to the 47 second mark, Santana has lifted his leg and gotten more compact within his entire body. His hands have moved in and front leg has gotten "loaded" inward before he works forward.

The next part of his delivery is key to study. Watch as his hands breaks and his front leg works down, but also out. Johan also sinks considerably on his back leg. Typically, I would argue that this would create some problems when trying to work down hill at release. However, in Johan's case, you must notice how quickly his hand break transfer into the "elbow's up"power position. Although the front leg has swung slighty out and around, his body weight stays loaded on the back leg for a longer period of time than the average pitcher. This characteristic is key to notice, because it allows him to transfer his weight exactly at the instance of foot strike (front foot hitting the ground). Again, notice at the 50 second mark, how perfectly his elbows are align and on target. Notice also how his front hip has not yet rotated through, but is also still on contact. By keeping his weight loaded on his back leg longer (even though he does collapse a bit) he is able to truly drive his hips through and, as we all know, if the elbows are up they will follow the hits.

Go ahead and look forward to the 1 minute mark. This is Johan's second slow motion pitch. We are now at the finish of his delivery; something he does with exact replicatin each time. His head is slightly off center, but does finish with absolute athleticism over top of his front leg.

So as we can see with the video, we must be careful to stay loaded on the back leg until the elbows get to their highest point. Although Johan collapses a bit, he times up his hips perfectly with those elbows and his athletic ability allow him to get on top of the baseball and finish down.

Continue to study and make it happen as Johan does!

Until next time!!

Look Imposing on the Mound

2009-11-19T17:21:00.000-08:00

I've been communicating with some young pitchers lately on a forum at www.letstalkpitching.com. One of the topics asked by a high schooler was "How do intimidate hitters?" It was actually a very intelligent question from a young aspiring hurler. It certainly acknowledges that there is much more to the pitcher - hitter battle than just the pitches being thrown. Sometimes, even the pitches being thrown can and should be used to "intimidate" the hitter.

From an "Intelligent Pitcher's" perspective, we must constantly aspire to have the edge in both the mental and physical side of the contest. For starters, let's think about how we stand and look on the mound. I used to wear my socks up in high school and college. However, upon turning pro, I decided that most professional pitchers wear their pants down and that it contributes to looking taller on the mound. Trust me, the taller the pitcher looks, the less comfortable the hitter will be in the box (e.g. Randy Johnson). I am also reminded of an interview with Johan Santana where he was describing where he learned his unique style of pitching. He said that in an effort to look bigger on the mound he had to physically widen is stance on the rubber. That thought process contributed to him standing as he currently does with his feet wider than most on the mound out of the wind-up.

Here's Kruk barely missing RJ's Fastball in the 2003 Allstar Game

Secondly, I've always ascribed to the school of that a pitcher should never show emotion on the mound. It is the idea that you are in control at all times and nothing the other team, especially the hitter at the plate, can do to get into your head. I'm not a big fan of the large fist pump after strike out or big play, however, I understand there are times where some people just can't help but let a little adrenaline out. It shouldn't matter if you just recorded a strike-out or gave up a three run bomb - your mind set and countenance (sorry, thats a William and Mary word that means facial expression) should never change.

Thirdly, the pitches you make will say the most about who you are as a pitcher. Never ever be afraid to throw the baseball inside. That part of the plate is yours and will never ever be the hitter's unless you allow it to be. If a hitter gets too close, you are completely within your rights to make sure you let him know he's too close with a well placed fastball under the chin. Now understand, do not EVER throw at a hitter's head, but if you need to knock him down...do it.

Ultimately, the pitches you make and your ability to shut down the opposing hitters will make you look more imposing than anything else. However, you must constantly be striving for every advantage and these few examples will go a long way to give you the edge you are looking forward to. It's all part of the Less is More philosphy. The idea that the more prepared and in control you are, the less hard you will have to "try"to throw strikes and gets outs as it all becomes more and more natural and, well, effortless.

Until Next time!!

What the Heck is a Spike Curveball?

2009-11-17T18:31:00.000-08:00

With the conclusion of the World Series and off season successfully here, I wanted to address one of the pitches that made Cliff Lee so effective this season. Many times you heard announcers describe his breaking ball as a "Spike Curveball." Well, I'll be honest with you. I had never heard the phrase before and yet, I still knew what I thought they were talking about. Upon further investigation and research, I discovered that the unique breaking ball that Mr. Lee throws is what is normally referred to as a Knuckle Curve.

Before Lee, Mike Mussina was also famous for throwing this tight spinning 12 to 6 or 11 to 5 (on the clock) breaking pitch. It gets its name as a Knuckle Curve (and also Spike Curve) because of the way the pitch is gripped. The middle finger is straight along the outer seam of the ball and the index finger is tucked underneath (similar to a knuckleball grip). I have had better success myself by sticking my fingernail directly into the seam of the ball. Either way, the knuckle is used to help accelerate the spin of the ball as it comes out of the pitchers hand by straightening the tucked finger at the release of the pitch. Typically, this will create a hard biting pitch that "spikes" downward, generally bouncing on the plate. Hence, the two reasons for the name.

The other difference between the Cliff Lee breaking ball and your average curveball is hand position at release. With a typical curve, the hand turned clockwise at release to put breaking ball spin on the ball. The benefit of the Spike Curve ball is that than hand stays up and behind the baseball until release. Instead of the quarter turn as described above, the hand rolls over at release and the knuckle finger extends, applying spin to the ball. Without the hand turn, the pitch is even more difficult to pick up. It works especially well when the spin of the ball is exactly 12 - 6 (or end over end). Most hitters are unable to tell the difference between a breaking ball spinning end over end and a fastball spinning in the exact opposite direction. The delay in pitch recognition will be all it takes to make it too late for the hitter to adjust to the breaking ball.

So there you have, the Spike Curve (Knuckle Curve) explained!

Remember to check out the new website here (if you aren't already there) and register for the free content!!

Until next time!!!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Roy Halladay

2009-11-15T16:53:00.000-08:00

Another week has come and gone and that means its time for another installment of Less Is More's Big Leaguer Breakdown. As one of the best all around pitchers of the past five years, Roy Hallady will be this week's victim. After ranking first in league in 2009 in complete games (9), third in ERA (2.79), second in IP (239), and second in WHIP (1.13), it begs to reason that much can be learned from the pitching techniques of Mr. Halladay.

Check out this video of Roy preparing for a game vs. the Orioles in 2009.

As an "Intelligent Pitcher," we understand the importance of being fluid in one's delivery and, more importantly, repeating that delivery every time. Roy Halladay does not have the most text book mechanics, but his ability to repeat that delivery has created a pitching style that allows him to release all three pitches (sinker, slider, change-up) from the exact same arm slot with the same exact arm speed.

We'll start as we normally do, at the most important point in the delivery (besides the power position), the balance point. At the 4 second mark the in the delivery, Halladay in unique as he brings his league high into his chest as it rotates inward, showing his back to the hitter. It is important to note here, that Halladay's fastball is one of the best "sinkers" in the game. Most, if not all, sinker-ballers have some sort of upper body rotation like Roy's. Revisit the BLB's of both Derek Lowe and AJ Burnette (both sinker-ballers) and you will see similar upper body rotation.

Go ahead a few clicks and the video and you will see the mechanics that contribute to the sinker. From the 5 and 6 second mark, Halladay breaks his hands out and around as his front leg does the same thing. Another keep trade mark of the "Intelligent Pitcher," is maintaining symmetry between the upper half and the lower half. Of course, as the upper and lower body rotate together, it must get to the mid-line in the delivery and finish directly at the target. Watch as the front foot hits the ground and his rotation in his hips are delivered through the upper-half and finishes with the release of the pitch. This finish is key to the sinker and Roy Halladay's deceptiveness.

It would be very difficult to throw directly overhand with the upperhalf rotation, so Roy does have a low-three quarters arm slot. Stop the video at the 15 second mark to view a second pitch and review his arm slot. His chest is over top of his front foot, and his chin is over top of his chest and pointed right at the target. In previous Big League Breakdowns, almost every pitcher has been able to get to this point in their delivery. Roy's difference is that he is able to repeat his rotation almost flawlessly where to many other's it would create timing problems.

Again, review this video and take not of how fluid he is from start to finish. Also note that although he is not direct to the target until he gets to his front foot plant position. It is his ability to finish down to the target that creates an unhittable sinker, slider, change-up. That and flawless identical hand and arm speed.

In related news...The Less Is More website will be up and running tomorrow! Check it out here!

Until next time!!

How to Strike Out Albert Pujols.

2009-11-10T18:44:00.000-08:00

As one of the most prolific homerun hitters in the last decade, Albert Pujols is possibly one of the most difficult hitters to get out in all of baseball. If you'll recall, by August of this year, King Albert was 7-9 with 5 bombs and 24 RBI's with the bases juiced. What's more, he was 6-6 on first pitch counts and when he was actually behind in counts. So he becomes even more dangerous when it matters the most!

Aside from intentionally walking in a run when he comes to the plate with the bases loaded - how does the "Intelligent Pitcher" get Pujols out. I am reminded of an at bat versus the Astros' Roy Oswalt. Roy was able to strike Pujols out on three consecutive perfectly placed outside fastballs. Albert didn't swing at any of the three pitches and struck out quickly. What does this tell us about Pujols?

Well, for starters, it proves that you can't make mistakes to Pujols. The pitches were perfectly located that Oswalt used to K Big Red. They were just outside enough to look like balls, and yet they were still on the black for a strike. Sorry, I know that isn't exactly easy to do, but sometimes the truth hurts.

But more importantly, this at bat gives us serious insight into the mind of big league hitters. The best hitters in the game are where they are because they are the most disciplined and selective hitters in the world. They are not like their minor league breathren who are inclined to swing much more aggressively...especially at pitches they aren't in the zone. In essence, they "help out" the pitcher when he would otherwise end up walking them or getting into "hitter's counts." The professional hitter (e.g. Pujols) will wait and wait and wait for HIS pitch. It big be an inner half fastball, or a first pitch curveball or change up out over the dish. Usually its a pitch out over the dish that they can drive. Whatever it is, the best hitters in the game, such as Albert, are good enough to let good pitches go, even for strikes that put them in pitcher's count, to allow them to get the pitch they are looking for later in the at bat. Hitter's like Albert are good enough to fight off pitches when they are in 2-strike counts until the hitter makes the mistake. Sometimes even into multiple at bats, the best hitters will wait until they get that pitch...and when they get it......they do not miss.

So back to the Oswalt encounter. The best I can say is that either Oswalt or the catcher saw something in the way Albert was approaching his at bat that tipped him off that he was looking for something off-speed or inside. Luckily, they were correct and were smart enough to not deviate from their game plan. So, in this case, three perfectly painted fastballs down and away is all it took in this instance to get him out.

As you can tell, getting Pujols out is not an easy task. The "Intelligent Pitcher" must be on his game and intuitive enough to execute a game plan to perfection...all the while hoping Albert hasn't already thought of your game plan and is there waiting with the bases loaded.

Until next time.....

Big Leaguer Breakdown: AJ Burnette

2009-11-08T17:29:00.001-08:00

Well, unfortunately, I was correct in predicting the New York Yankees would claim their 27th World Series crown. I was also correct when I proclaimed that it would all come down to pitching and the Yankees had the advantage in that category as well. Since we've already looked at the mechanics of both CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte, (two of the three starters used by the Yankees) I thought it'd be fitting to finish the trifecta by making this week's Big Leaguer Breakdown, AJ Burnette.

Check out this video on youtube of AJ Burnette pitching for the Yankees vs. the Tigers in July 2009.

The first thing to notice is the rhythm that AJ maintains throughout the entire motion. He's extremely fluid from start to finish and never rushes, never jumps, and never appears to be out of control. The "Intelligent Pitcher" should always strive to be like AJ in this aspect. It goes hand in hand with my "Less is More" philosophy.

So lets take our first look in this video at the 15 second mark. What you should notice is that Burnette's entire body has rotated inward, showing his back to the batter and effectively creating some deception in his delivery. It's important to note here that although this does hide the baseball, it also requires extreme focus to maintain a consisten release point. You can really notice this if you view AJ from behind. Watch the video a few clicks past (still on the 15 second mark) and you'll notice his hands break in a circular motion as is leg drops down and kicks out. Again, this contributes to AJ's deception and low-arm slot sinker he throws.

So how does AJ throw strikes with so much rotational movement in his delivery? Take a few more clicks on the video and notice the most important aspect of the Less is More Pitching philosphy... the elbows. His elbows explode up from his low hand break postion to an absolutely perfect "power position." His foot is just about to hit the ground and his hips have started to rotate. Notice (and this is key) his elbows have not yet cleared or opened yet. This position exemplifies how the hips (and hip turn) generate power to the arms to THROW THE BALL HARDER.

Another frame to exam is another one of my favorites. At the 29 second mark, Burnette has just released his second pitch in the sequence. Note the slight bend in his front knee and extention his throwing arm gets out over the leg. There is a significant bend at the waste that helps take the movement of his pitches closer to the pitch, so the hitter has less time to recognize and react to the pitch.

Go ahead and watch the rest of the video and study his mechanics again. His mechanics are not exactly textbook and they are defintely 'advanced' by most standards. For this reason, he does fall victim to some erratic performances from time to time. But when he is on, he is unhittable.

As always, leave comments and/or questions.

Until next time!

Give Me the Ball!!

2009-11-03T17:27:00.001-08:00

So, I've tried to be very positive with most, and or all, of my posts so far in the LessisMorePitching universe. Unfortunately, that all ends to day thanks to Cole Hamels. As a general rule, I like the guy as a pitcher. I'll admit, he has struggled some this year, especially in the playoffs, but as I mentioned in his Big League Breakdown, he really has one of the best change ups in the game and is very very good.

But................

After his comments following game 3 of the World Series, I've lost a bit of respect for the guy. In case you missed it, following his loss to the Yankees he was asked what went wrong and basically his response involved complaints about the erratic start times during the season and that he "could wait for the season to end." He continued to say it has been an emotionally draining season and just needed a fresh start.

A fresh start!?!?!?!?! You want the season to end!?!?!?!? You're still in the WORLD SERIES, Cole!!!!! You could possibly be the GAME 7 starter!!!!! As a professional baseball player myself, I can relate to being frustrated with a few bad games or even an entire season, but I also understand just how delicate the balance in a club house can be. There's no doubt that he'll be getting more than just a few dirtly looks from his teammates...espeically if they don't mount an incredible comeback in game 6 and 7. I would be much more understanding of his comments if his season were over. In fact, Derek Lowe was quoted saying similar things at the conclusion of his disappointing season. But his team was completely out of contention and had no way to make it in. I just couldn't believe he was so short-sighted to feed the media with such explosive material with two games to go in the world series. There's no doubt countless distractions as it is for all the players involved in the game...let alone the media asking everyone how the feel about Cole Hamel's comments.

From a pitching standpoint, the "Intelligent Pitcher" must always appear and act confident on the outside even if he doesn't necessarily feel it on the inside. Trust me, hitters are like wolves, they can smell and feed off of fear. And perhaps he did the Phillies a favor but giving them an idea of how unconfident he is. Hopefully, the will not give him the ball for game 7. I know atleast one former Philadelphia Philly agrees with me. Mitch Williams was asked if Cole should start, and he rightly said there is no way he can be given the baseball now. Again, let me acknowledge that I understand some of what Hamels is going through and I know that confidence and success are both absolutely necessary for the other to survive. It then begs the age old athletic question...what comes first "Confidence or Success?"

Regardless, Cole should have really thought twice before being so honest with the media. The fact remains that game 7 is still a possibility and whoever gets the baseball will undoubtedly be nervous. But he also will be the most focused, anxious, and fired up for the most important game of the season. The person who starts this game MUST want the baseball and never let on that he has EVER doubted a pitch he's ever thrown.

THE INTELLIGENT PITCHER MUST EXUDE COCKY CONFIDENCE!

Until next time......I'll return to my postive upbeat nature next entry...I promise...unless Cole says something else rediculous.

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Andy Pettitte

2009-11-01T17:52:00.000-08:00

With the Yankees leading the 2009 World Series 2 games to 1, I found it only fitting that this weeks big league breakdown be of game 3 winner Andy Pettitte. With a line of 6 innings pitched, 4 earned runs, 7 k's, and 3 walks, one of the best post season pitchers in the game was able to battle the Phils long enough to allow his line-up to get to Cole Hamel and take the victory.

Check out this video of Andy Pettite warming up during this past regular season and study his mechanics

The first thing that should be noticed is how meticulous Andy is when he goes about his business. And it does appear to all business with Mr. Pettitte. He is very regimented with all of his prepratory movements and takes care to do the same thing before, during and after each pitch. Lets start by looking at the 13 second mark where he has lifted his leg to its highest point. His chin is tucked and leg is characteristically high. What I want to point out is how high his hands are at this point. Pettitte is very compact with his posture but his back elbow is very high at this juncture. Now as the saying goes, what goes up must come down and his high elbow contributes to his very long arm swing. Fast forward the video just a few clicks and you'll see what I mean. His throwing hand travels straight down before swing out. Not unlike his teammate CC Sabathia, this creates a small hesitation in his delivery which is necessary to allow him to be on time to his release.

Its difficult to tell in this video, but Pettitte does an outstanding job of staying tall throughout his delivery and this also contributes to his ability to get back on top of his pitches and throw down hill. At the 14 second mark after his hands have broken, you can see that there is a rather dramatic tilt from the front elbow and glove to the back elbow and throwing arm. Many pitchers utilize this technique to create more torque and power through the release point. A warning to young pitchers though...you must be able to get that back elbow back up and through to release very quickly and without disrupting the desired release point. You'll notice that even at the 26 second mark (his second pitch) he still has gotten the back elbow all the way up, even though the hand has already begun moving forward. Pettitte utilizes a very aggressive front glove side to get over top of the front leg and get the throwing arm into an appropriate position.

Although the Yankee fan's head is in the way, on every pitch if you pause video right before release, you see that Andy is able to keep his CHIN ON TARGET and finish with his chest over top of his front leg. Keep watching the video a few more times and see if you can pick up on other things Andy does or doesn't do well.

I hope all my readers are picking up on a pattern with these Big Leaguer Breakdowns. As I've mentioned, all these very successful pitchers have their own unique deliveries. However, they do a few things very very similarly. Balancing on the back leg at balance point of the leg lift, getting the elbows up aggressively, taking the chin to the target at as they stay tall on their back leg, and finishi with their glove down and chest over the front leg. These main points should be the goal of all my aspiring pitchers and then be able to incorporate their own personal comfortable delivery with which they are able to repeat and throw strikes.

Until next time..........study those pitchers....leave comments and questions!!

A Fastball is Worth 4 Pitches

2009-10-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

Fact: If you can locate a fastball, you can actually throw 4 different pitches.

Don't believe me? Just ask Johnny Damon. In an at-bat tonight, versus Cliff Lee in game 1 of the World-Series, Lee threw him four different fastballs in 4 different locations - resulting in a broken bat pop up right back to the mound. Its all about how the pitch is viewed coming into the hitting zone by the hitter. As most "Intelligent Pitchers" know, the average hitter wants the ball middle in that he can drive into the gaps. So, it would beg to reason that we should avoid locating our fastballs in that location. So we will first begin with a hard fastball on the inside corner of the plate AND down a the knees. This requires the hitter to set his sights down and in and naturally causes his hands to "speed up" to get to that pitch. Most well located fastballs will not be hit unless the hitter guess correctly.

Now, the second most favorable location for a hitter to hit is up and slight away that can be driven up the middle. So, after speeding the hitter up and in, we will locate our next fastball up and away. (Think letter high off the outside black). The hitter will instinctively get "excited" because he reads fastball out of your hand. However, he will already be geared for the inside fastball and not be able to adjust his eye level back up and out in time to get the bat-head to the ball. This will likely result in a swing and miss or fouled off pitch.

Now that we've gone down and in and up and away, we should be in either a 1-1 or 0-2 count. At 1-1 we can go back down and in or in both 1-1 or 0-2 counts we can throw our third type of fastball, this time up and and in. Again, the hitter's eyes will light up at the sight of the fastball but as long as this pitch is located at the hitters hands - literally - he will likely swing but be unable to reach the pitch before it gets too deep. Another foul off or swing and miss should result.

To finish the hitter off, a well located low and away fastball should be all it takes. Why? Because it is the farthest away from the hitters eyes and therefore requires the most difficulty to hit. The hitter's eyes would again change down and also out. To hit this pitch, the hitter must wait and allow the pitch to travel further into the hitting zone and the hitter must also drive through the pitch and take it the opposite way. Unless you Albert Pujols, this probably is going to happen. Now, if the hitter has managed to foul any of these pitches off, you may need to double up on a few of the locations to get him out using just fastballs, and there are plenty of times when repeating a pitch will do the job. But you must note that you have attacked this hitter without using anything but a fastball. Of course, the better you are able to locate your pitches, the better.

The key here is avoiding the middle of the plate. We've utilized all four corners of the plate to force the hitter to change his eye level and speed up and slow down his hand speeds. Trust me on this, you must utilize all your pitches in all locations, but start with the fastball.

Why the Yankees Will Win the World Series

2009-10-26T17:38:00.001-07:00

So the October Classic has been set. Its Phillies vs. the Yankees to determine the best baseball team in the world for 2009. You know who's going to win? The Yankees. Why? Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching.

Now, don't get me wrong, I really don't like the Yankees. I really don't like Alex Rodriguez. But there is no denying that they are one of the most powerful dynasties in sports (even if they did just buy all their players). This year will be no different and it all comes down to pitching. It's what makes playoff baseball so special and so different from the regular season. You may be able to catch the Yankees (or even the Phillies in this case) on an off day when they are starting their 5th starter or on a rare bad day for Sabathia or Cliff Lee. But not in the playoffs. You will face each other's top 3 pitchers for 7 straight games. The best pitchers in the game will almost undoubtedly be at their peak performance, even on short rest.

So, as I said, the Yankees will win. Let's break it down.

Game 1: CC Sabathia (NYY) vs. Cliff Lee (PHI) - This game may be on the only game that doesn't give either team a clear advantage. Both pitchers are masters of their left-handed pitching craft. But again, this should give the advantage to the Yankees since they have more right-handed or switch hitters compared to the largely lefthanded Phillies

Game 2: AJ Burnette (NYY) vs. Cole Hamels (PHI) - Here we another set of all-star calibur pitchers who have shown that they can be both brilliant or mediocre depending on the day. Most concerning here is Hamels who has not been able to quite lock in as he will need to here to pull off a victory. If Burnette leaves balls up in the zone, he is hittable, but if he keeps it down, fuuughhet ahbadit.

Game 3: Andy Pettite (NYY) vs. Joe Blanton (PHI) - If history is any indication, Pettite has the advantage here. With the most post-season wins of any pitcher in history and coming off an outstanding series clinching performance vs the Angels (his 5th clinching). Of course Joe Blanton has the capability to be tough to hit, still experience prevails here.

Game 4: CC Sabathia (NYY) vs. Cliff Lee (or Pedro Martinez) (PHI) - No one in baseball is better at coming back on short rest and dominating. He did it for Cleveland. He did it for Milwaukee. He will do it for New York. Cliff Lee could also have success here, but just can't over come. If for some reason the Phils are winning the series, they could decide to go with Pedro here.

So you get the idea....both teams are excellent. Both teams have unbelievable fire-power on offense. I just feel the advantage points in the Yankees direction too often for the Phils to over come. Still, it is playoff baseball and absolutely anything can happen. As they say....."that's why they play the game."

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the LessisMorePitching community.

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Cole Hamels

2009-10-17T07:14:00.000-07:00

With the Phillies-Dodgers NLCS series tied at 1 game apiece, I felt it appropriate to look at one of the most important pitchers in that series so far; Cole Hamels for this weeks Big Leaguer Breakdown. Hamels battled the powerful Dodgers lineup every inning producing a line of 5 1/3 innings pitched, giving up 4 earned runs, striking out 4 and walking 1. Not particularly stellar on this particular night, but thanks Carlos Ruiz and the rest of the Phillies lineup, good enough for an ever-important game one win.

Check out this video of Cole Hamels warming up to study his mechanics.

Immediately, you should notice a theme developing about the elite pitchers in the major leaguers and their mechanics. None of them are immediately similar! I feel however, that there is much to be gained from that knowledge. Essentially, its important to understand, as I've mentioned previously, that deception and variations in a delivery can be very important to disrupting a hitters timing and making the hitter less comfortable in the box against you. And of course, I can't stress enough, that there a few key points that the "Intelligent Pitcher" must get to as Cole Hamels does here.

Lets first pause the video at the 1 second mark as his leg lift get to hits highest point. You've notice a small rock to the right before pivoting and lifting the leg, but his leg lift is one of the higher kicks in the game. However, he allows this to develop good momentum to the plate without falling off balance. This technique requires incredible core strength to keep his body in-line and on target to release. You should also notice how his chin is tucked down and in line with his front shoulder and front hip (essential to most pitchers delivery).

If you watch the video for another full second, you'll notice some sink in his back leg as the front leg swings out and around on its way to its landing. I am not a particularly huge fan of this as it "shrinks the pitcher" and can potentially flatten out his pitches (because he's throwing from a lower angel), and the leg swing can make finishing to the plate very tricky. However, it does provide for some disruption in tempo and hides the baseball very well from the hitter.

Once Hamels gets to foot-strike, watch how his glove swivels underneath as his chest turns follwing the hips to the square position. Of course, the finish is what is most important since its where the ball is released and Hamels finishes slightly off center (with a slight head tilt) but if he is able to repeat that release point, he can use the run on the pitch that it creates to be even more deceptive.

Go ahead and watch the second pitch in the video and watch how well the hips stay online and the elbows accelerate up late in the delivery. Hamels sometimes elevates pitches because his throwing elbow lags behind the front side. However, when it is times up perfectly (as it usually does) Hamels perfect front side and great hand speed are successful in keeping even the Dodgers off balance.

Comment on any things you might see in his delivery.

***** As mentioned, I'm getting married today, so will be offline until next week....keep working on those mechanics and I'll be back soon*****

Image Source: http://chrisoleary.com/projects/Baseball/Pitching/Images/Pitchers/ColeHamels/ColeHamels_2006_006.jpg

What's the Big Deal with the WHIP??

2009-10-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest things about baseball, professional, college, high school or otherwise, is the fact that anything and everything can be and IS analyzed through statistics. Baseball truly is the game of numbers. Batting average, ERA, slugging percentage, strike out to walk ratio, home run to strike out; they are all tools for coaches, managers, scouts, and arm chair fans alike to discuss, compare, and decide who is the best, most suited player of each and every variety. Two other statistics that have gained more attention thanks to the talking heads at ESPN (e.g. Buster Olney) is the OPS (on base percentage plus slugging) and more importantly to the 'Intelligent Pitcher' is the WHIP (walks plus hits divided by innings pitched).

Besides the obvious, what makes this statistic so defining(even more so than ERA)that it has become the most important number by which most all pitchers are measured. The answer lies in the information that the number implies about a pitcher. The average WHIP lies around 1.00 - 1.20 in the major leagues. What this means is that for every inning a pitcher throws, he only gives up one walk OR hit. The difference between hits and walks make up all other statistics that a pitcher is measured by. For example, to give up earned runs, a pitcher must first give up hits and/or walks before the runs are driven in. For a pitcher to strike out a batter, it means that he has neither give up a hit nor a walk (for that particular at bat). Taking this further, the WHIP is aimed a truly determining how affective, per inning, a pitcher can be. If a pitcher is able to keep this stat BELOW 1.00, it is safe to reason that 1 hit or walk or inning would result in a run and further. Of course, in 2009, this type of dominance is reserved for the likes of Mariano Rivera (.898 WHIP) Joe Nathan (.911) and Houston Street (.915)

So what does the 'Intelligent Pitcher' do with this type of knowledge. He understands that he must make every effort to MINIMIZE at all costs any efforts for the offense to string together any semblance of a rally. If they manage to get a hit, or you manage to give a walk, your focus must turn to preventing any further damage. (This goes back to the using your sinker to induce ground balls or you slider or other 'out-pitch' to get strikeouts as described in previous blogs) Certainly the outstanding numbers posted by some of the games best pitchers is not the norm. Let's be honest, Mariano is unbelievable. However, one must do all he can to stifle an offense with whatever weapons he has. If a pitcher is successful at this very basic point, then it begs to reason that all of his other numbers and statistics will look equally as good. Especially in the Wins and Saves Categories!

As always, post any comments and questions you may have and I will respond.

****I won't be able to post as often this next week because I am getting married Saturday and then going on my honeymoon. I'll be back on the blog as soon as I'm home****

Big Leaguer Breakdown: CC Sibathia

2009-10-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

As one of the most dominating left handed pitchers in the game today, CC Sabathia over powers hitters with a mid-90s fastball, devastating slider and even better change-up. His skills were so enticing that he earned himself one of the biggest free agent contracts in the history of the game from the New York Yankees to the tune of $1.61 million over 7 years. His delivery is unique with aspects that make him both deceptive and explosive and it is why he is this weeks Big Leaguer Breakdown.

Check out this video of CC warming up for a spring training game on you tube.

You'll notice immediately CC's sheer size and imposing presence on the mound. One way for the "Intelligent Pitcher" to gain an advantage on the mound is to look as wide and tall as possible on the mound. (Nobody's afraid of a short skinny pitcher - accept maybe Lincecum). To begin, pause the video at the 5 second mark where his leg lift gets to its highest point. You see that his entire body has rotated inward with his high by his back shoulder. Normally, this would create problems later in the delivery with the hands not getting through fast enough and throwing around his body. However, what he does next erases both these possible problems. Watch as his hands break down extremely quickly and his leg lift rotates back to straight before he begins his stride forward. All of a sudden he's back in a better throwing position.

From here he pauses ever so slightly with the ball hidden behind his hip. Again, the ball staying down could create problems for Sabathia. But if you watch closely as the video goes from 5 seconds to 7 seconds, his hands and elbows explode upward (especially with the front elbow leading his trek down the mound). As the hands explode upward, his front hip stay locked on straight and loaded (this is where he avoids opening up and rotating too early). As soon as the front foot hits the ground, hips fire through and his hand acts as that trust whip and absolutely explodes to release. (Hence 95 mphs) Go ahead and pause the video at 22 seconds to see another example of the hips loaded and elbows up . Note the tilt in the hips and shoulders. Again, these techniques may not be textbook mechanics, but they certainly work for Sabathia, because he knows his body well enough to still get through to the release point and stay on top of the baseball.

If you rewatch the video around 22 seconds and pause it as the ball is being released, you will see exactly what I mean about being to get to a release point. Notice that at release, his mechanics are 100% perfect. There is a slight bend at the knee, his chin is perfectly level over top of his chest and the glove is swiveled (not yanked) underneath the chest. Another quality of the "Intelligent Pitcher" is he knows there are many ways to have 'good mechanics' but there are certain things every pitcher must do to get to that release point that allows him to throw strikes consistently and (more importantly) effectively.

So there we have it. Another potential Cy Young award winner with unique but repeatable mechanics with various major points that are inline with the other pitchers we've seen. Elbows up, hips on line, chest square and chin to target at release.

Watch the last pitch in the video and see if you can pick out any other characteristics that CC uses to help him deliver his pitches. Add comments and I'll respond accordingly!!!.

Stay tuned for more posts this week.

The Honesty of Chris Carpenter

2009-10-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

It would not be considered an understatement at all to claim that Chris Carpenter should almost definitely win the Cy Young award this season in the American League.
His numbers speak for themselves... 17 wins - 4 Losses, 2.24 ERA, 1.01 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched)144 k's and only 38 walks. It was amazing comeback story for a player who has been marred with injuries including 'tommy-john' surgery in 2007 and a shoulder sprain in 2008.

Unfortunately, Carpenter was not as sharp in the first game of the 2009 playoff series versus their rival LA Dodgers. The Cardinals' ace gave up 4 earned runs on 9 hits while walking 3 and only strikes out 4 in only 5 innings of work en route to a 5-3 loss to the boys in blue. The reason I felt this story was blog-worthy is not because of the fact that a stud pitcher finally did poorly. In fact, Carpenter, in his defeat, showed in his post-game interview just how well he understands pitching and as a result why he is so good most of the time. Here's a paraphrased version of what he said...

When asked essentially 'What went wrong?' Carpenter said

"I was battling myself all game long. I just couldn't stay out of the middle of the plate. They hit everything I threw there. When I tried to get away from the middle, I threw balls and missed off and fell behind hitters. When I tried to get back to edge of the plate, I missed over the middle. I was either right down the middle or out of the strike zone and that's not a good way to pitch."

When asked about the 2 run homerun he gave up to Matt Kemp. (Again paraphrasing)

"I threw a pitch that was up in the zone and he put a good swing on it. He should have hit it out."

What you can see here by his comments is that Carpenter is able to take responsibility for his successes and his struggles. He knows that no one, not even the best big leaguers in the game, is good enough to throw pitches in the middle of the zone and get away with it. (Keep in mind that Carpenter's fastball is in the mid-90's and even that was not enough). He also knew that he can't throw balls out of the strike-zone if he doesn't first establish himself in the zone. Carpenter did acknowledge that the Dodgers did a good job of not missing the mistakes he threw (giving credit where it was due) but when on to say the he was battling and struggling all day but was never able to find his rhythm. Again, this is key, the he realize that when he as at his peak performance, he not forcing pitches to go where they are supposed to go. Rather, when he is in a good rhythm he is able to relax and command his pitches in the zone and out of the zone when he wants.

Luckily for the Cardinals, Chris Carpenter has needed to explain why he didn't throw well very often if at all this season. Unfortunately, they did in the first game of the series and after tonites meltdown, they wasted the stellar performance from the their' ther ace, Adam Wainwright.

Here's hoping he gets another chance before the series ends.

The Effective Slider Effect

2009-10-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

As "Intelligent Pitchers," we know that we must make all of our pitchers look like fastballs as the are released from our hand. We also know that the longer it take sa hitter to realize the pitch isn't a fastball, the less chance he has to hit that pitch. What is one of the toughest pitches to recognize, you ask? The answer is slider my friends. (Let me qualify this statement by saying the toughest pitch to hit by itself may well be a change-up, but I've chose slider here for its fastball-like qualities).

The reason the slider is so tough to hit is because its velocity difference is very similar to a fastball (usually 5 mph slower or less) and the trajectory is very similar to that of a fastball. In fact, the straighter a slider is until it gets to the plate, the better. A true slider will only move down and glove side about 6 to 9 inches and only a begin to 'slide' a few feet before the plate. Some of the best pitchers in the game today utilize their slider most frequently. Fan graph.com explains that in 2008 Armando Gallaraga used his slider 38% of the time, with Randy Johnson not far behind (35%) and Ervin Santana in third (33%). Of course, some of this is due to the type of pitcher they are and pitch selection. But it also shows just how valuable is the slider.

Visualize the slider from a hitter's perspective. A slider thrown by a right handed pitcher away to a righty will look like an outside fastball. Generally, a hitter will look to drive the fastball away and swing accordingly. As the hitter starts his swing, the slider darts down and away - usually resulting in a swing and miss. On the flip side, a slider thrown right at the batters hip will look like a fastball that will miss inside for a ball; only to have it break over the middle of the plate for a called strike (this is known as a backdoor slider).

So, how do we throw this mythical pitch? Well, like a fastball for about 90% of the delivery. The grip should be one with index and middle finger close together across the seams (see picture) and the mechanics and hand-speed should be identical to a fastball. With fingers on top of the ball as it gets to release point (as the arms passes by the head) you will turn "thumb to face" with the index and middle finger pointing down - similar to turning a knob on a door - as you release the ball. The harder the pitch is thrown, the straighter it will stay and less it will move (although this is generally the idea with the slider). The follow through is slightly across the body and down. Notice there is no "snapping" or turning of the wrist like many were taught in little league. When thrown correctly, the slider is a safe pitch to throw.

So there you have it. The slider in a nut shell. Please post any questions you may have and I will better explain one of the toughest pitches to hit in the game.

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Derek Lowe

2009-10-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

With this week's installment of BLB, we'll examine Derek Lowe of the Atlanta Braves. As discussed in the last post, Dlowe is known for having one of the best groundball to flyball ratios thanks to one of the best sinkers in the game. With the big league regular season coming to a close, I decided to take a short road trip to a Nationals games in which Mr. Lowe was pitching for the Bravos. This was of course purely for research purposes and was in no way fun, beneficial, or awesome in any other way shape or form........

I took some video of Derek in the bullpen and then pitching from both the wind up and the stretch. They have now been arranged into this easily viewable youtube video for your educational benefits.

The first video is of Dlowe warming up for the game.

The second video is footage from the game itself.

What you may notice immediately from his warm up session as that Lowe is very fluid and rhythmic in his delivery. One of the key components of the "Intelligent Pitcher" is being a smooth as possible when delivering the baseball. Also, notice that his path to the plate is not exactly straight ahead. He does a great job of closing in his front side and uses his glove and front foot to sweep out and around to his landing point. After studying the mechanics of Lowe and other sinkerballers such as Webb (during my days in Spring Training with the Dbacks) you notice that most great sinkers ball pitchers do allow for some rotational movement in their bodies to create a slightly off center spin on the their pitches.

When we look ahead in the video to the in-game footage we notice some similarities between Derek and last weeks BLB, Josh Beckett. Both do a great job of loading up their elbows just before the front foot hits the ground and then use their hips to drive the ball to release point. Of course, Lowe doesn't throw quite as hard as Beckett, but I feel that this can be attributed to the fact that Lowe's delivery is more rotational (instead of driving straight to the plate).

My biggest complaint about Lowe's delivery is his finish. You'll notice in almost every throw he appears very wild after his front foot hits and the back leg swings around. His front leg is stiff and locked out and there is almost no bend in his back at release. This, in turn, will contribute to short-arming the ball and not consistently repeating his delivery, especially the release point. By focusing on being a bit softer on his landing and allowing for some bend in the front leg, I believe Derek would be able to finish his pitches better without sacrificing movement or velocity (in fact, he'd probably gain an MPH or two).

Make sure to study the two slow motion clips to really see where he benefits from being rotational and getting his elbows up. Also be aware of the stiff front leg and hap hazard finish. I hope this video helps, but don't get used to so much footage...its back to youtube for the next weeks BLB!

Let me know if you have any requests!!

Why are Groundballs So Important?

2009-10-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

I've been reading recently about the significance of a pitcher's ability to induce groundballs. Most pitchers in the Major League's who feature an above average sinking fastball (think Brandon Webb, Derek Lowe, and Chien Ming Wang) are extremely valued for their ability to induce hitters into producing groundballs. During my days in the Arizona Diamondbacks' organization, they would even keep stat of every pitcher in the organization's ratio of groundballs to flyballs. But why exactly did they care and what exactly is good ratio anyways?

As mentioned in my last blog, the best pitchers in the game are able to get outs within the strike zone, and the groundball inducing sinker is one of the best ways to do that. Imagine how much easier it would be to get hitters out by simply throwing your fastball and letting hitters just beat it into the ground. Pitchers who are able to get hitters to swing early in the count and also hit groundballs (that generally result in outs) are usually able to keep their pitch counts lower and therefore, pitch much later into the game. Plus, to quote Bull Durham, "Don't try to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring! Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic." By throwing groundballs, he means "get outs in the strikezone by throwing your sinker and letting them ground out!" (to paraphrase).

The second reason groundballs are important is because they can help save a pitcher's pitch-count by getting him out of innings with groundball double plays. A pitcher who produces a lot of groundballs is always 'one pitche away' from getting out of an inning even with the bases loaded and 1 out.

Thirdly, a pitcher who can keep the ball on the ground is much less likely to give up homeruns (especially when the bases are loaded). Of course, a sinker ball pitcher needs to keep the ball down in the zone to be effective. Even a sinker will get hit out of the yard if its up in a hitter's wheel house.

This isn't to say a groundball pitcher can't strike people out. On Fangraphs.com, Dave Campbell referenced a start by Brandon Webb in September 2005 where 26 of his 28 outs where either groundballs or strikeouts.

So what is a good ratio of groundballs to flyballs? Typically, the benchmark is 1 to 1. That is to say, for every groundball you induce you give up one fly ball. When the ratio begins to tilt towards more groundballs to flyballs (1.3 to 1 for example) that begins to look very favorable for the pitcher. A ratio of 2 to 1 would be Brandon Webb status. (Webb's actual ratio is 1.89 to 1, but you get the idea - Derek Lowe's almost as good at 1.75 to 1. On the contrary, Livan Hernandez only got groundballs 45% of the time for a ratio of about .85 to 1)

So there you have it - groundballs keep a pitchers pitch count down, get the pitcher out of jam, and prevents home runs. Now all you have to do is develop a sinker. (We'll talk about that in a new blog).

But not in the next post - Stay stuned for the next BIG LEAGUE BREAKDOWN - this one will feature Derek Lowe. Look for it this weekend.