I threw a partial side session on Sunday, as I’m gearing up for the 2008 season. I feel as though I’ve gained a few mph on my pitches (and the location is getting better), but after reviewing the video, my biggest flaw is still there (albeit less seriously as before, it is still present). At footstrike on a fastball release, my glove arm is tightening up (good) but before my hips rotate (very bad). Since my torso more or less rotates with my legs, this is robbing me of significant velocity and will only increase the load on my shoulder/arm. This is something I have finally identified as my major flaw, and I think I know how to fix it.
See on the left how Lincecum extends his glove arm away from his body? This helps to keep his shoulder closed at footstrike and achieve a powerful position:
I would like to get a picture of me up there, but for some reason I can’t Print Screen from Windows Media Player, even when I turn hardware acceleration off. I’ll figure it out soon.
Tomorrow Jacob and I are going to the American Baseball Institute at 9 AM to get some work in, tour the facility, meet the coaches, and check out some prospects who are getting evaluated by Cubs and Phillies scouts. Should be a good time!
Been a long time, I know.
I’ve been craving some custom-turned wood bats for awhile now, and finally decided to pull the trigger about 2-3 weeks ago on some NYStixs bats. Check them out:
They are both 33 in. and 30 oz; the top one is NYS11oM (suited for line-drive hitters) and the bottom one is the NYS2KM (suited for power hitters). I’ll take a bunch of BP with both bats off the tee and in the soft cages to see which style I like best, and probably get 4-5 more turned for myself.
What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. I couldn’t have been more pleased to hear that yesterday’s Nandemoya game was a late one. My job doesn’t let go of me until 12:30PM on Saturdays, so I invariably miss all of the 9AM starts. A 2PM start gave me just enough time to get home, dressed, organized and there.
My start was in right field and batting 9th, a perfect match with the way the Red Sox intermittently played me. Though this time it was simply because I was new to the team and had to prove myself. The teams attitude alone made me infinitely more comfortable.
We were relaxed, and it showed by the type of baseball we played. I was tested in the first inning, and I really made it look more of a spectacle than it needed. I took a big step back when I saw the fly ball come off his bat, the dive at the end was just to make up for the error on the first step. Nevertheless, I held on, and it seemed to give us a lift. After that, my teammates made all of the other outs and it was a good show. It’s quite special when an amateur team makes zero errors in a game.
My line at the plate: 1 for 1 (1B), 1RBI, 2 BB, and a run scored
It is difficult to say what I enjoyed most, the baseball or the constant ‘man Japanese’ being thrown around the diamond. English speaking players have a distinct catalog of cheers and such, the Japanese most certainly do as well. I don’t know the Japanese set of phrases yet, but I could pick out a few general encouragements based on my formal and polite Japanese. I’m sure that Spanish speaking culture has the same thing, though I bet there are many subdivisions of baseball jargon in Spanish, based on the non-homogeneous nature of Spanish speaking players. Conversely, it was evident how culturally similar the Japanese guys were in their reactions to events during the game. For example, the entire bench exclaimed “Oshii!” (Japanese for ‘close call’) when a dribbler hugged the line and went foul. They all said the exact same word.
I had to smile. I can only hope to play more Yakyu.
Great game today - we won 8-0 and our starter went 6 innings and surrendered only 2 hits. Jacob made a guest appearance as well and put in a good day’s work, though I’ll let him post about it.
As for me, I made a pretty good defensive play at third, picking the ball down the line and rifling it across the diamond to get the third out in the fourth inning. I hit pretty well today, going 3-for-4 with 2 opposite field hits and an infield hit, all singles, and picked up an RBI.
As I said in a previous post, my summer league stats were:
Hitting Stats:
.300/.380/.410 over 113 PA / 100 AB
30 H, 9 2b, 1 3b, 12 RBI, 14 R, 8 SB, 8 K, 9 BB, 4 HBP
Pitching stats:
2-2, 1 SV, 6.94 ERA
33.7 IP, 20 H, 32 BB, 18 K, 26 ER
My hitting goals this year are:
I don’t know how much I’ll be used on the mound, but it’s likely to be as a setup man role or a closer role depending on how I do in the first few games. My arm feels great and I hope to pitch an inning or so tomorrow. I can safely say that I’m interested in pitching again after I struck out the side in my last appearance; nothing beats throwing from the mound.
My pitching goals will be:
Time to hit the sack. Game tomorrow at 2 PM!
Want. Badly.
I’ll probably buy this for next season. No sense in buying a $100+ maple bat during the winter when it’s going to get all screwed up due to moisture. Though we’re allowed to use metal bats in the winter league, I might start hitting with cheap wood bats instead. Maybe I’ll run by the Sports Authority tomorrow morning.
Many people watch their favorite ballclub and hear the commentators talk about the young prospects in the farm system coming up, and what they have to look forward to. Sometimes those prospects will be up in the fall once the team is out of contention or has a playoff slot locked up. But what’s the label of “prospect” really mean?
The “prospect” label is affixed to a player who scouts think have a chance at making it to the big leagues and sticking around, regardless of their current talent level, their stats, and their age. With the publication of the book Moneyball, many people question the effectiveness of scouting - how can you accurately determine the talent level (both present and future) of a player simply by watching two games that the player participates in?
The truth is that both contemporary stats and traditional scouting methods are useful in evaluating a player. We’ll talk about the roles of both as we look into the 5 tools that define a baseball prospect.
1. Speed
Speed is correlated with many positive things in baseball - fielding ability, stolen base ability, and general athleticism. Scouts love to see a “burner”- kids who can fly on their feet. However, a lot of statistical analysis has proven that pure speed does not necessarily mean a player will steal a lot of bases - mental ability plays a huge role in timing the pitcher and choosing the right spots. Regardless, possessing above-average speed will give you the potential to be a better fielder and baserunner than the player with average speed.
2. Arm Strength
Often considered the least valuable of the 5 tools, arm strength is necessary to play the left side of the infield (third base, shortstop) and is important in the outfield, specifically right field (range is more important in center). A deadly cannon of an arm can be feared behind the plate to cut down runners, but other catching mechanics are just as important (pop time, receiving skills, knowing how to call batters). Most biomechanical analysis shows that “arm strength” is more related to core strength and the mechanics to utilize the whole body in throwing.
Arm strength can also refer to arm endurance - absolutely vital for a starting pitcher who looks to throw 180+ innings per year. Clean mechanics and a strong rotator cuff are two major things all pitchers must have to compete at the highest levels.
3. Hitting for average
It is often said that good hitters develop power, but power hitters don’t turn into good hitters. The ability to hit for average is important - it demonstrates bat control and a keen batting eye. A stat growing in popularity is on-base percentage (OBP), specifically isolated OBP (OBP - AVG). Swinging at hitter’s pitches and controlling the plate is an important aspect of hitting; without it, pitchers will prey on your weaknesses. Contrary to popular belief, looking to walk is not what teams that value OBP want - they want selective aggression. Selective aggression is the ability to pick out mistakes by the pitcher and make them pay for those mistakes while taking pitches that cannot be hit well. Taking the first pitch fastball down the middle or the 2-0 fastball middle-in is a mistake - as a hitter, you might only see one hittable pitch per plate appearance. Capitalize on it, no matter what the count is.
4. Hitting for power
Hitting for power is extremely important and one of the quickest ways to get promoted in the minor leagues. The guy who hits .310 with 10 home runs will get overlooked by the guy who hits .280 and 35 home runs. The reason for this is because while .310 is a great batting average, without power, it is worth much less. If all you do is hit singles, you need to hit a lot of them with exceptional speed to see regular playing time (think Ichiro for example) unless you are a great fielder.
With strength conditioning becoming more and more mainstream in the baseball community, scouts want to see every hitter embody the threat to hit one out of the ballpark. You will very rarely look at a lineup in today’s big league lineup and see a guy who hits less than 5 home runs a year.
5. Fielding
Range is life when it comes to fielding. The ability to cover ground quickly and get into an optimum fielding position requires speed, intelligence, and most of all, great reflexes. Soft hands are necessary in the infield to cradle the ball and to avoid errors, and arm accuracy is key as well. The toughest position defensively is widely considered to be shortstop, followed by center field.
Courtesy of my friend Carlos Gomez over at Bullpen Mechanics (check the blogroll), here’s Clay Buchholz throwing a fastball and a changeup:
You will notice that he doesn’t change his delivery whatsoever when throwing both pitches. This is what we’re looking for. Look harder, though, and see how late the changeup (78-79 mph) arrives compared to his fastball (90-93 mph).
That’s just wrong.
I threw a great side session today with Jacob. My arm felt great, the fastball was popping, and though I was missing high/inside a bunch, I think I unlocked a few more minor things with my mechanics. The gyroball felt great and had good movement on it, as did my fastballs - I’ve been consciously trying to pronate more to both protect my elbow and to produce sinking/boring action. It seems to be working well.
Looking forward, I’m not sure what my role is going to be on my next team - I want to pitch, but moving up to the Baker division (soon to be renamed) will mean tougher competition and no restriction on innings pitched per game. Though I think I have the endurance and makeup to go as a starter, it has yet to be determined whether or not my shoulder is going to hold up if I take the ball every fifth day. Another concern of mine is that I only have two pitches I feel comfortable with - my two-seam gyroball and my four-seam fastball. Though my circle change is a plus pitch when it’s on, I have significant trouble locating it and keeping my arm action similar to my fastball. If I stick to middle relief, all I’ll need is two pitches, but if I go as a starter/long reliever, I’ll need an offspeed pitch for help on the second time through the lineup.
We’ll see; going forward I will be preparing as a starter (as will Jacob, who looked good on the mound today - throwing pain-free!) and see what the next team offers in the way of pitching.
My Red Sox were ousted by my Red Sox, only seven players showed to the last game. It was a combination of injuries and disinterest. Even though I’m not happy with the way the season went, I can’t say that I couldn’t see it coming.
In other news with me, I went to my doctor again to see what’s the matter with my shoulder. It had only gotten marginally better with the rest and anti-inflammatories prescribed by my doctor. He sent me to physical therapy for rotator cuff tendonitis. The therapy has gone really well, I can already feel the difference. They have me doing exercises to strengthen the backside of my shoulder. My next appointment is tomorrow at 8:30AM, if I get cleared for swimming, I’m off to 24 Hour Fitness to get a membership.
