Pitching is mysterious
Jeff Passan has an interesting article up about Mark Prior and his run of season-ending injuries. He goes into more detail than I’d previously been aware of about Prior’s early days and training regimen. Turns out, Prior was basically scientifically engineered as an experiment in creating a pitcher who would be faster, stronger, and better (though, sadly, his salary peaked at $3.6M, far shy of the six million dollars I can only imagine they were shooting for). The fact that Prior broke down so early and so thoroughly is evidence that there’s still a lot we don’t understand about pitching, and a lot we don’t understand about the stresses that such an unusual and demanding activity can place on somebody’s arm.
Though there is a lot we do understand about what a dumb fuck Dusty Baker is. A lot of the blame for Prior’s health troubles can and should be laid squarely at his door, alongside the blame for Kerry Wood’s career as a starter ending prematurely, the blame for Derrek Lee’s should-have-been 2005 Triple Crown not being, and the blame for turning a team that was this close to the World Series in 2003 into a lumbering last-placer once again. So, yeah, we understand what a shithead that guy is. Unless, of course, we’re the Cincinnati Reds, who inexplicably hired him even in light of what he did to the Cubs.
So what, the bottom line is, “a pitcher gets most of his power from his lower body” and “don’t concentrate too much on arm stuff because it’s your legs that give you your power”?
I remember being told this nearly 20 years ago when I was playing high school ball. I also remember being told this was the reason tiny guys like Pedro could throw in the high 90s–tree trunk lets and great ability to take advantage of that rotational energy they can give you.
There are still people who think throwing is all about your shoulder?
Comment by Dave | 15 March 2009
I don’t think they’re saying it’s all about your shoulder; they’re just saying it’s sufficiently about your shoulder that you can fuck yourself up if you’re shoulder-ing wrong. That’s how I read it, anyhow.
Comment by Darien | 16 March 2009