SB Nation Blog: Driveline Mechanics

Pitcher Analysis: Tim Lincecum

Driveline Mechanics — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:25:24 -0000

The 98 mph fastball. The knee-buckling curveball. The leap off the mound. The electric arm.

Based on readers’ comments and repeated emails about Lincecum, I don’t need to say much more. Check out the sickest curveball you’ll see this side of Josh Beckett after the break.

But first, a preview

Disgusting. More on that later.

Pitcher Analysis: Justin Duchscherer

Driveline Mechanics — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 09:50:58 -0000

Before I start the analysis of Justin Duchscherer (hereafter called “The Duke”), I want to confess that The Duke is my favorite pitcher of all time. He gets it done at the major league level without a 90+ mph fastball and throws five pitches for strikes, relying on his pinpoint control and his ability to change speeds and locations at will. He has been a setup man, a closer, and now finally gets his wish and has been converted into a starter (he did win a minor league Cy Young, after all). How does the Duke do it?

Well, the Duke throws the following pitches (source: Fangraphs):

Fastball: 86 mph (47.1%)
Slider: 81.3 mph (3.2%)
Cutter: 81.6 mph (26.0%)
Curve: 69.8 mph (22.8%)
Change: 79.9 mph (0.9%)

A soft-tossing righty junkballer that dominates the American League? You bet. More after the break…

Pitcher Analysis: Clayton Kershaw

Driveline Mechanics — Mon, 26 May 2008 01:14:35 -0000

Clayton Kershaw, a 20-year old phenom in the Dodgers organization, is one of the top pitching prospects in the nation. Today (5/25), Kershaw made his MLB debut against the St. Louis Cardinals. Millions of Dodgers fans watched to see the kid touted as the next Sandy Koufax and hoped that the young lefty would live up to the hype.

He didn’t disappoint. Kershaw gave six solid innings of work, striking out seven, walking one, and scattering five hits, giving up just two runs in the process. Unfortunately due to some defensive misplays (Dewitt’s throw home, Loney’s juggling of a pop fly), Kershaw got stuck with an extra run he perhaps didn’t deserve. The Dodgers maligned offense couldn’t give him three runs, so he left the game tied, unable to get a win. However, by any measure, Kershaw’s debut was a success. He showed off excellent command of his 94 mph fastball - dialing it up to 96 on plenty of occasions - and maintained his velocity even as he eclipsed 100 pitches in his start. His 72-76 mph curveball was devastating, as he was liable to throw it in any count to any hitter, burying it in the dirt for swinging strikeouts and simply looping it over the plate for a get-me-over strike.

I saw an outstanding young pitcher with a ton of promise today. Let’s take a look at what Clayton Kershaw has done in the past and let’s look to the future as we analyze his mechanics…

Pitching Mechanics Voiceover: Andy Sonnanstine

Driveline Mechanics — Wed, 21 May 2008 09:18:16 -0000

Ohio’s own (I’m from Cleveland), Andy Sonnanstine hails from Barberton and attended college at Kent State University. Though Sonnanstine posted a 5.85 ERA last year and currently has a 4.53 ERA, his Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) stats are 4.26 and 3.89, respectively. That indicates he is the recipient of some poor defense behind him and is simply getting unlucky instead of him being a subpar pitcher.

Sonnanstine throws a ton of different pitches for strikes. Here’s his 2007 Pitch f/x data, courtesy of Josh Kalk’s site:

type	Speed (MPH)	Break x (inches)	Break z (inches)	Balls	Strikes Called	Strikes Swinging	Foul/Foul tip	In play outs	Singles	Doubles	Triples	Home Runs
Fastball	87.93	0.33	8	135	101	32	72	55	17	6	0	2
Curveball	72.64	10.74	-1.67	27	7	9	4	6	1	1	0	0
Slider	77.71	7.61	0.49	41	19	26	25	25	7	5	0	2
Change	81.39	-7.12	4.39	23	9	7	4	10	1	0	0	2
Cutter	87.73	-6.86	5.35	53	27	9	26	14	8	3	0	0
Splitter	81.46	5.27	7.94	23	10	3	18	5	3	1	0	1

If that doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what will. Read on!

Pitcher Analysis: Cliff Lee

Driveline Mechanics — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:51:19 -0000

[Editor's Note: I've invited Kyle Boddy of Driveline Mechanics to analyze an Indians pitcher. Here's his statistical and mechanical analysis of Cliff Lee's amazing start to the 2008 season - Ryan]

Phrases that I heard about Cliff Lee over the course of the 2007 season:

He’s a bum!
Good riddance - enjoy Double-A, you idiot.
We should have traded you for Matt Murton while we had the chance!

Phrases that I have heard about Cliff Lee over the course of the 2008 season:

We love you!
Never leave!
Thank God we didn’t trade you for Matt Murton!

Funny how things change, isn’t it?

Quick Note: Chien-Ming Wang

Driveline Mechanics — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 07:48:19 -0000

Posted over at Driveline Mechanics...

Source: Getty Images

I hate to start this article off all doom-and-gloom style, but I’m already unhappy with where this analysis is going. This still accurately captures the intensity of pitching for the Yankees, but it also indicates two things I am probably going to dislike in Wang’s delivery:

He is showing the ball to CF/2b, which unnecessarily increases stress on the UCL, and

He is taking the ball laterally behind his body, commonly called "reverse rotation." However, as an addendum, he does have his elbows below the shoulder in this picture, so when I analyze the video, it might be okay.

Let’s check out the video…

Quick Note: Joakim Soria

Driveline Mechanics — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:54:14 -0000

From Driveline Mechanics...

Royals’ fan Brian commented on the request post, stating how much he liked the site and if I could do a bit on Joakim Soria:

I’d love to see an analysis on Joakim Soria. The guy doesn’t throw all that hard but gets K’s all the same. I’ve read that batter’s can’t really pick up his release point and that it looks like the ball is coming out of his sleeve. I’d be interested to see if his mechanics might explain this. Thanks, I love the Web site.

Flattery will get you everywhere, my friend! Let that be a lesson to all readers out there.

I’ve gotten a few comments on various forums and blogs that I keep track of using blogstats in WordPress, and almost all of the A’s, Rays, and Royals fans have been very supportive and interested in my work. Yankees fans tend to question my credibility and flame me. Though it is over a small sample size, it sure does reinforce a few stereotypes! Let it be known that I have a bias towards a readership who likes to have civil debate with me, rather than a group who would rather just post irrelevant jabs.

Anyway, moving on to Soria. Royals’ closer Joakim Soria is another Rule 5 draft success story, being stolen out of the Padres organization after they left him exposed. He went on to have a pretty damn good year in 2007, but spent some time on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation.

Pitching Mechanics: Joba Chamberlain

Driveline Mechanics — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 08:36:42 -0000

As requested, by readers Mark and Heater, I’ve done some analysis of Joba Chamberlain. Most people are familiar with his body of work statistically, so I’ll skip that for this analysis and focus only on the mechanical side of the top prospect in pinstripes.

Source: pitchingclips.com

Unfortunately for Yankees fans, I don’t really like what I see…

Pitcher Analysis: Zack Greinke

Driveline Mechanics — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:12:58 -0000

From drivelinemechanics.com...

I have to admit, Zack Greinke has been one of my favorite pitchers to watch ever since he made it to the big leagues with the Royals. Yes, I’m an Indians fan, but like the folks over at Baseball Prospectus, his stuff is exciting to watch. He throws both of his fastballs at varying speeds and locations, he has a great curveball that he occasionally hangs at 70 mph, and flashes a plus changeup and slider combination to boot.

Driveline Mechanics: Aaron Crow

Driveline Mechanics — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 06:36:41 -0000

Aaron Crow, a Mizzou pitcher, seems to be getting quite a bit of press lately. Both Chris O’Leary and Saber-Scouting have written about him, the former disliking his arm action (showing signs of what Chris calls the Inverted W and Inverted L) while the latter likes his ability to scap load and his elbow picking up the ball.

I don't like his mechanics. Read more after the jump...