Youth pitchers 14 and under should concentrate on developing the fastball and learning to throw it to spots, plus learning to change speeds on the pitch. Cole was sharp, and the King has returned. What is an appropriate age? Sink is good, right? When they do, the brain apparently defaults to the average changeup. Just email elitebaseballpodcast@gmail.com. This takes velocity off the ball and creates movement. He limits baserunners (both via hit and walk) and home runs, leading to a solid ERA. The odd thing about Hendricks is that his changeup actually spins more than his fastball, roughly 300 rpm more on average in 2020. For all other changeups, as movement decreases, speed change must proportionally increase. If you want to develop faster, and train better, you need the best gear. Pingback: How to Throw a Curveball - The Definitive Guide, Pingback: Here are The Best Pitching Drills for Young Players in 2021. got a stalwart anchor atop the rotation in Hendricks. When and if the 2020 season gets underway, the Cubs will be asking a lot of Hendricks who is irrefutably the go-to guy in the rotation. . Right-hander Kyle Hendricks' changeup has been a staple of his big-league success. Throwing a changeup when a hitter expects fastball is a great way to get a quick rollover ground ball for an out. Updated: Saturday, March 4, 2023 3:30 AM ET, Park Factors Dan Blewett is a former pro pitcher, baseball academy owner and author of, https://elitebaseballperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/1-1.png, http://Elitebaseballperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ebp-green-transparent-horizontal-logo-300x96.png, The Modern Changeup: The Best New Pitch In Baseball. This sinking, running action is critical in giving the hitter not only a speed change to try to figure out, but also a moving pitch to content with. The hand pronates inward, slightly, before release. The way I teach the modern changeup in this article, it will produce movement to the armside, with sinking action as well. The changeup spiked five feet in front of the plate, typical of beginners, is extremely rare in my baseball academy. Youll learn everything you need to know to throw one that sinks and runs with great deception and arm speed. 23 for '23: Who steps up for Cubs in wake of the Seiya Suzuki injury? Kyle Hendricks' changeup. Excellent explanations Dan. Not to mention he has a baby on the way. Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes! Steele retired all six Padres batters he faced, then headed to the bullpen to throw 25 more pitches. Over the course of six innings, he generated a 55.6 percent whiff rate with the change, his highest such mark with that pitch since April 8 of last year (58.3 percent, also against the Brewers). How do I throw a changeup? Still, it is something to think about going forward for Pineda. The middle and ring finger MUST be close together. Edgertronic cameras can capture images at over 2,000 fps. When force is applied to the center of the baseball, the baseball will come out hard, because all of the available arm speed is going into propelling the ball forward and applying backspin. One of the biggest frustrations for pitchers new to the changeup is that they bounce it too much. The finger tips and pads are raised slightly and the finger pressure is between the first and second finger joints. I have one collegiate pitcher who throws the pitch with a 15% reduction, no decrease in arm speed, and heavy, fork-ball like sink with no lateral movement whatsoever. You can do so HERE. Forcing the fingers down the sides of the baseball are one of a few culprits that cause undue hand tension. Its a small blue box, a little bit bigger than a wallet that captures images at extremely high frame rates. The end goal, rather, is a mis-hit or swing and miss. For a RHP looking at the back of his hand, and the ball as a clock, place the thumb at 7 oclock, the little finger at 5 oclock and the first 3 fingers on top of the ball at 11, 12, 1 oclock. Pitchers want to create as many variables as possible to prevent the hitter from getting barrel to ball. At the 50-second mark in the video above, theres an example of this grip from an Edgertronic camera. Effective circle changeups can reduce the platoon split a pitcher will experience. Condition 4: To accomplish the above, the thumb must be on the bottom of the baseball. Watch below to see if this is the type of pitch youd like to learn. Thats an 8-mph differential between two pitches that follow the same trajectory. kyle hendricks changeup grip If the thumb cradles the ball from the bottom, the rest of the hand can be almost completely relaxed. Your email address will not be published. We prefer the 3 finger grip because we find it easier to control. Turn the hand on the inside of the ball to apply spin. Hendricks throws a sinker and changeup within 7-8 mph of one another. When you have a successful changeupyoure not trying to slow down your body at all.. [] part one of this series on the changeup, we discussed the modern changeup, a version of the changeup that is typified by [], Your email address will not be published. We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. Several years before Kendrick started throwing his cut change I had came across the pitch in the Minor League Scouting Notebook. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. Lots of amateur players and parents have this question. He doesnt have much faith in them. Your email address will not be published. The arm action is just like the fast ball until the pitcher comes into the acceleration phase, then: Bring the hand in closer to the head which causes the elbow to lead longer. This is crucial, as yes, any changeup grip could work, but not all grips will help a pitcher easily spin the ball and produce excellent movement. Kids need to pay more attention to this stuff. What Causes A Mental Meltdown in Baseball? Despite slight differences in grip, most other pitches are thrown in the same way across pitchers. x-mov is in inches, with negative denoting movement towards the rightys arm-side. We get about 5% from the grip itself, and 5% from the hand action. I did it earlier today, when I called him a two-pitch pitcher. I know he had great stuff and his pitches had tons of movement but he constantly struggled with command his entire career. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Palm ball? There is no need to circle the fingers it provides little to no benefit. He keeps his arm speed exactly the same, Marshall said. Make sure youre throwing a repertoire that fits your body, your arm slot, your pitching style and age level. If you work hard practicing it and improving over time, yours will have similar movement to the changeups thrown by Kyle Hendricks and Johnny Cueto. Though a straight change perhaps looks exactly like a straight fastball (thus making it very deceptive), pure deception isnt the end goal. There. A curveball has defined spin, topspin moving in a 12-6 or 1-7 orientation with as true a spin axis as possible. His other stuff is elite. Ive seen five different sources call one particular pitch five different things, so I figured a cut change was some grizzled old coachs slang for a circle changeup. How to Throw a Curveball - The Definitive Guide, Here are The Best Pitching Drills for Young Players in 2021, The grip doesnt work well for them (tinker and try others), Without the thumb on the bottom, theyre forced to tense their hands up to keep the ball secure, Theyre guiding it and not throwing it like a normal fastball. Feedback is crucial in figuring out which versions are good and which are bad, and without it, the pitch wont improve because the percentage of good vs bad changeups wont skew in the right direction. Cubs Spring Training Notebook: A leadoff option emerges. Both his whiff rate and his Adjusted Contact Score are. 0 0 Less than a minute. personal pitching pitcher changeup changeup grip cubs chicago cubs mlb fastball kyle hendricks sinker < back to my photo gallery alvinalexander.com is owned and operated by Valley Programming, LLC Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. Its not easy developing a great changeup (or any offspeed pitch for that matter). He throws strikes and has a sense on how to pitch, and looks like a sleeper prospect to me. Dropping the hand and elbow and short arming across the body. The changup I teach has heavy sink and armside run. But for the second time in three seasons, Hendricks helped the Cubs start off on the right foot with a good performance against the Brewers at Wrigley Field in the season opener.. Not to mention both starts followed a strange set of circumstances: the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020 and an . It was extremely helpful. As a right-handed pitcher myself, I threw more changeups to lefties, because I didnt want my curveball breaking down and in, into their happy zone. "My changeup was similar, but I wasn't establishing my fastball down in the zone." First, definitely check out this video below, as it delves deep into the philosophy of throwing a changeup behind in the count. He was a good-though-not-great pitcher . If youbelieve adding velocity could be critical to your success,check out my proven programsfor pitchers of all ages. When thrown the above way, we will reliably achieve a 10% (plus or minus) speed reduction that can easily be repeated at any intensity. If we were to name the two, we might name one the Cut Change, and the other the Fade Change. Pitchers who haven't reached puberty should not throw breaking pitches competitively due to their lack of muscle, ligament and bone development. The hand action provides the second 4.5mph, and that action is the same as a sinker, and somewhat opposite of a slider: pronating the hand on the inside of the ball just before release. 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The Cubs and many other teams in baseball have concocted facilities to help their pitchers with mechanics, pitch design and efficiency. the arm pronates on every single throw its not possible to not pronate. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. What type should a young pitcher aim to develop? Dan, I was a Baseball Ops consultant for the Red Sox and did an analysis of changeup effectiveness. youtube.com/watch?time_con 0:09 1.3K views By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. I searched for extreme examples of each so that we could best see the difference, so the one on the left had 11 inches of arm-side fade, while the one on the right had two inches of glove-side cut. The speed difference is significant, but the difference in their running action is nearly zero. My All-Time favorite was Johan Santana, though his relied more on greater speed change (15% or so) than movement. The Professors sparkling career continues to improve. Hendricks is predominantly a sinker (42.4 percent of his pitches in 2019) and changeup (27.8 percent) pitcher, mixing in the four-seamer and curve as well. The goal is to not make the hand tense by stretching the pink or index down the ball this is why making a circle with the index finger is detrimental, at least on this grip, as it will make the whole hand tense. Provided the speed reduction is there, anomalies in movement are okay, and to be expected no two pitchers are alike. Several MLB hitters claimed to be able to read the spin of pitches, which might be impacting the effectiveness of Pinedas changeup. There should be no difference in the way a little leaguer or other youth pitcher throws a changeup, as compared to a high-level or Big Leaguer. Eight? You should be tinkering with this grip and any other you try and see what works best for you to produce the best possible result. Reset ahead of the third, he retired the side in order. He is the owner of a 3.12 ERA, which is among the best in all of baseball. Last updated: July 27, 2020 Chicago Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks throwing a sinker (sinking fastball) and changeup. All of which is a lengthy preamble to guide you to the point of this whole piece, which was Hendricks' changeup usage and results from Wednesday. Besides advising Hendricks to sharpen an edge, Budner adjusted the grip on a changeup that eventually became his most effective pitch. A sinking two seam fastball does that, except its usually moving inside on a RH batter, not away. For a pitcher who throws 90mph, this is about 7mph off, or 83mph. Twitter: https://twitter.com/cubs Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cubs/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cubs/ Snapchat: http://Snapchat.com/add/Cubs TikTok: http://bit.ly/3jRYPkM 10 best single-season performances in the last decade, Cubs should keep close eye on non-tender candidate Cody Bellinger, Cubs starting pitching has been thriving on the North Side, Make no mistake: the Cubs are very much about power hitters, Cubs are giving pitcher Javier Assad a deserved shot, Cubs: Its time to start thinking about potential September call-ups, MLB.com had a team of writers pen a piece on the games nastiest changeups. He also ranks second in the. In my years as a baseball academy owner and professional pitcher, Ive taught this pitch with equally great effect to 11-year olds and 25-year old pros. The ball is gripped deep in the hand, balanced and held loosely. Lets sum up those two pitches by movement and results so we can get a better sense of them. Or, if all else fails, we can just say screw it and just throw a splitter; thatll work as a poor-mans changeup. Instead, their two-seam fastball velocities are given. Also like fastballs, changeups thrown with a two-seam grip get more run and fade. Steele found himself forcing the fastball, his upper body getting ahead of his lower body. 1 - Kyle Hendricks (Cubs) - 19.7% Whiff rate, 62 Adjusted Contact Score For my money, Hendricks throws the best changeup in the game. This is basic, but needs to be addressed in any good changeup article. This is likely the only thing changeup throwers all agree on. Odds & lines subject to change. At the 2:09 mark in the video above, this slight grip alteration between Hendricks sinker and changeup is the only thing thats noticeable. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. Maybe this was unique to Clement. Vulcan change? 13.1 inches. The grip will only account for a 5% speed reduction when force is applied to the center of the baseball. I mean, he throws a cutter and a curve about 10% of the time combined, but both pitches are fairly substandard by whiffs and grounders, and with two strikes, they all but disappear. Depending on the pitcher and his unique way of executing the pitch, the output will vary slightly. When these harder breaking pitches finally do move off the fastballs path, it makes them appear to break more suddenly, sharper, which in turn makes them more difficult to square up. Fosh changeup? ), Hendricks sinker has a little bit different of a grip, Marquee Sports Network analyst Sean Marshall said. June 7, 2022 . Today, well focus on the elusive third pitch. Kyle Hendricks purposefully cuts his changeup sometimes. This converts some of the arm speed into spin, which reduces the balls speed in the same way as a curveball or slider (except the spin is applied to the opposite side of the ball). I explain to my pitchers that speed reduction comes from two factors, making up a 10% reduction in speed: Its important to not think about the changeup as having a set MPH reduction, because this couldnt possibly be the same for a 13-year-old pitcher and a 19-year old. At the core of this was a changeup he threw almost twice as often as before, and that changeup was a very weird . He knows he hasn't looked like "The Professor" that . Though this works quite well for him, it's not the standard version for most pitchers, for one main reason: pitchers need a pitch that breaks away from opposite-handed hitters. I chewed over this data, which still seemed counter-intuitive, and then calculated what percentage of effectiveness was attributed to velo differential (which is not obvious at all from the numbers in the analysis). 10,000+ people already dosign up now! I dont want my son to end up straining. If the middle and ring finger are apart, they start to work against each other, causing the ball to have inconsistent spin that often cuts. Essentially, its no different than a slider or cutter Think about Noah Syndergaards extra-hard slider, and how hard it is to hit. Click on the different category headings to find out more. Oct 11, 2017 Do you have a picture/video of Maddux's 2 seam grip? The harder a changeup is thrown, the more it matches fastball arm speed, and initially fools the hitter into thinking that 90mph arm speed = 90mph output. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. This allows them to work together, as a unit, to turn inward on the ball, to make it sink and run. Home/hygeia conjunct lilith/ kyle hendricks changeup grip. Breaking pitches are slower than fastballs not because they are thrown with less intensity. Kyle Hendricks, left, and Alexi Pappas as Dartmouth freshmen, in a photo from Pappas. And technology like Edgertronic cameras can help us appreciate his success more than ever. Baseball is interesting . I wrote an article on Elitebaseballperformance.com on the same topic, so check that out as well. That sounds a little better already. Be sure to make smart choices regarding your career and your development as a ballplayer! The velocity data doesnt help a ton, but by movement, you can see it. You try to tell the difference when he tunnels those two pitches.". Although other factors come into play, less spin means less resistance to the downward force of gravity, which allows the ball to drop more than expected. If you called his Cut Change a slutter, you might best get across what hes doing with the pitch. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. "Hendricks sits at 86.7 mph with his two-seamer (slower than some of the other changeups picked here). Thankfully, theyve got a stalwart anchor atop the rotation in Hendricks. This was awesome insight thanks so much for sharing! Rather, that arm speed and velocity is lost into the baseball by spinning it. One of the tools used by the Cubs is known as an Edgertronic camera. How can you get the same movement/action using two different grips? Last year, he used the breaking ball 9.5 percent of the time. Well, we have some good news for you. Heard Hendricks is thinking of changing his name. You can check these in your browser security settings. The ball should rest up against the top ridge of the palm or at the base of the fingers. Unsurprisingly, Hendricks' changeup was the runaway . 07/31/2012. The slider doesnt really fit the Cut Change by either velocity or movement, but it is closer on velocity at least. It wont matter what kind of firepower the likes of Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Kyle Schwarber, Willson Contreras and Anthony Rizzo bring to the table if this group cant keep opponents off the board. Some may add a specialty or fourth pitch as they get more experienced. The pinky and index are bystanders. [In the regular season], I would have started flipping a lot more breaking balls or tried something a lot different, Steele said. Casey Sutherland may have just 12 games of experience with the Red Sox, but he has already shown dominance while fulfilling a childhood dream. Tyler Chatwood seems likely to rejoin the rotation after a year of serving in a swingman role, alongside southpaw Jose Quintana and the elder statesman of the group in Jon Lester. The average movement of 3 to 3.5 was least effective. Changeups that start and leave from the fingertips do not gather as much spin, and often fly too straight or flat.. Major League and Minor League Baseball data provided by Major League Baseball. The breaking pitches create more stress on the elbow joint and bicep in young pitchers may not be developed enough to properly decelerate the forearm. The thumb is the pressure point, and its location on the bottom of the ball is crucial. Brad Keller and Joe Musgrove reportedly throw their fastballs with a one-seam grip. Kyle Hendricks and Dallas Keuchel have made careers out of their prolific sinkers, and based on 2020 data, it appears as though those pitches have gained additional movement through a SSW. This pitch, in comparison to the deGrom one above, exhibits how a changeup's effectiveness isn't about how fast or slow one is thrown, but rather how well it plays off a pitcher's fastball. In his first 13 major league starts, Hendricks went 7-2, 2.46 in 80 innings, with 72 hits allowed and a 47/15 . 08/01/2012. Your goal as a catch partner for someone learning a changeup should be to give feedback over and over, so that they can connect how it feels and looks as they throw it. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Take a look. Less movement begins to resembled the mythical gyroball and apparently fools MLB hitters who pick up the spin. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. If Michael Pineda never puts it together, no one will ever be able to say that it was due to a lack of effort from internet analysts trying to diagnose his problems. 07/16/2013. When the hitters brain must deal with both speed change and movement away from the initial trajectory of the pitch, the likelihood of weak contact increases. The changeup used to be a significant part of Verlander's arsenal, but he began relying on it less and less as his slider became more of a weapon. Okay, so once you learn this shiny new pitch, itll be important to understand when and why you should throw a changeup. Then, let your index and pinky fingers fall gently to the side of the ball. Mixing in a few two-seamers might improve the effectiveness of his changeup as it is. Because any slower than this and the arm has to begin slowing downits very rare to see pitchers throw a pitcher much slower than 10-12% with their normal delivery and full arm speed. No, Im not blowing smokeIve taught lots of pitchers over the years, and its not hard to produce a heavy sinking changeup. 15% will throw get the same speed reduction with predominantly lateral movement, and another 15% will get the same speed reduction, but only sinking movement. But, breaking balls are typically the slider, curveball and cutterpitches that their primary purpose is to break by curving or cutting. The changeup Hendricks threw at the time notably wasn't the same as the one he uses in the majors. best cars to camber in forza horizon 4 kyle hendricks changeup grip. Its time we all start learning this same type of pitch. Theo Epstein called Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks the "foundation" of the Cubs rotation. With a phone full of pictures of pitchers' fingers, strange beers, and his two toddler sons, Eno Sarris can be found at the ballpark or a brewery most days. My pitchers dont spike changeups very much. Condition 2: The ball must be held stable with as little pressure as possible. His reliance on movement and location could, at least in theory, help him age better than someone whos sole focus on the mound is blowing heaters past opponents. In short, Hendricks changed the grip of his curveball back during his Cy Young-caliber 2016 season, from a four-seam grip to a two-seam grip, in an effort to build up some increased confidence in a pitch he wasn't using as often as he probably should've been. Pull the string! Hold the ball at the base of your middle and ring fingers, then put your thumb on the bottom. The main criticism. Lets call the zone between -3 and -4 x-movement the no-fly zone. Although Kyle Hendricks is not a pitcher in need of change given his prolonged success with below-average velocity, comparing him to other pitchers with the footage from Edgertronic cameras provides insight into how he succeeds. There is one more thing that stands out when looking at the movement of his fastball and changeup. Hendricks rotates the ball backwards less than 90 degrees, allowing his two fingers to sit right below the horseshoe (the right side of the split screen at the 50-second mark). Which version is best? They, together, accomplish this task of applying spin and speed over and inward on the ball. If the thumb is not beneath the ball, as in the circle change grip, the fingertips will tense up to prevent the ball from simply falling out of the hand. His fastball command issues led to four walks in less than three innings. He had been between about 195 and 205 pounds, generally, and feeling good. The Mets had a prospect in their system with a solid repertoire but he was having trouble adding an off speed pitch. Hes a little bit higher up on the horseshoe [of the baseball].. The result has caught the attention of Hendricks, who relies heavily on his own changeup. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. 10? A combination of arm-side movement, known as run, and sinking movement. Spring training is, after all, a time to work through timing issues. by Handedness, R.A. Dickeys Unique Stuff and Conventional Problems. Steele and his girlfriend, Libby Murphy, are expecting their first child, a boy, in July. In the meantime, subscribe to my Podcast, titled Dear Baseball Gods and find me on Instagram @coachdanblewett. If we compromise on a goal of 10% speed reduction, which will be ideal for the majority of pitchers, we need to understand how we obtain that reduction. By Alexi Pappas. If the ball is held by the thumb, it keeps it down longer, reducing the likelihood the fingers will hook it into the ground. Hendricks two-seamer moves 12.7 inches from left to right. Overturning the wrist to make it. This week, MLB.com had a team of writers pen a piece on the games nastiest changeups and you can be sure Hendricks name showed up on said list. A changeup should be slower than a fastball by 10-12%, which means if you throw 70mph, a changeup should be 7-8 miles per hour slower (62-63mph). It was interesting to find out that it was an entirely different pitch. When a pitch is thrown harder, it flies longer along the same trajectory as a fastball. When Hendricks broke out in 2016, it was keyed by catching coach Mike Borzello and advanced scouting and run prevention coordinator Tommy Hottovy showing him data that he was becoming. The Fade Change is on the left, the Cut Change is on the right. Lay the middle and ring fingers together between the two-seams, with the thumb on the bottom pointing right at them. It takes a lot of skill to make it to the Majors, and a great offspeed repertoire is part of that. I also loved Felix Hernandezs changeup and Kyle Hendricks as well. Focus on leading your release with your index finger. Play-by-play data prior to 2002 was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted Part of the reason Hendricks achieves this much drop is due to his ability to kill spin. Kyle Hendricks did it again. The grip might differ slightly, but the way spin is applied, which may be the biggest factor in throwing a breaking pitch, is largely the same. The changeup is the most historically misunderstood baseball pitch. I filtered out the changeups over 85 mph because they are most likely slow sinkers. His repertoire made him more of a pitcher than a thrower, making Wright wary whether pro scouts eventually would. And, what grip will get him there? Work for full arm extension to the plate on the follow through just like on the fastball.
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