Alex Kachler
@Alexkachler10
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Blue Jays Pitching Development Coach. Pronounced Catch-ler
Joined October 2012
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Pinned Tweet
The Rising “Sinker”
Why do pitchers like Josh Hader opt to throw sinkers despite pitching almost exclusively up in the zone?
Normally, it would be optimal to throw a four seam when chasing vertical break, but there appear to be some exceptions. (Thread)
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Very late to the party, but I wanted to show how although Team Japan dominated the WBC with splitters, very few of their pitchers threw the same splitter.
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Excited to be joining the Toronto Blue Jays organization as a Pitching Coach out of their Player Development Complex in Florida.
Thankful for the relationships, memories, and friendships developed at Tread Athletics over the past 2 years.
Thrilled for this opportunity!
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One of the craziest stories in player development I’ve seen is the Rays turning Zack Littell into a starter on the fly midway through the 2023 season.
A 6 year MLB reliever, the Rays worked their magic and turned Littell into the most efficient SP in the MLB down the stretch…
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Pete Fairbanks hasn’t allowed a run since July 22, throwing 18 scoreless innings with 28 Ks and only 2 walks.
He’s accomplished this thanks to an absurd 2 pitch mix paired with a unique release point from the clouds
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Only had one arm in pro day this year, but he did not disappoint.
Kasey Kalich working 94-96 with 6 above average offerings.
Still 25 years old. Data attached below.
@kaseykalich31
@TreadHQ
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Changeup Release
An interesting wrinkle in the “4S vs 2S” changeup debate is when a pitcher’s grip orientation does not match seam orientation in ball flight.
(Thread)
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The Virgin Cutter
-
With the sweeper gaining momentum and being efficiently taught across orgs, it’s time to look at what pitchers are going to learn next.
What pitch is an ideal complement to a sweeper? How about another slider?
(Thread)
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Spiked/Knuckled Breaking Balls
An underrated aspect of a spiked grip for a curveball or slider is that the spike can set an axis for the ball to rotate around.
(Thread)
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In honor of Thanksgiving, here’s a stat
@kieranliming
and I made up yesterday called the Turkey.
Inspired by bowling, we decided a 3 pitch, 3 whiff strikeout would be referred to as a Turkey.
2023 Turkey leaderboard 🦃
1) Blake Snell - 7
2) Sandy Alcantara - 6
3) 6 Tied - 5
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In honor of the NFL season kicking off, let’s compare the flight of a football to its baseball counterpart, the gyro slider.
Though a gyro slider spins like a football, there are some interesting differences in their ball flights.
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Back to the Grind: Bob Steve
It’s no secret that Robert Stephenson was the latest beneficiary of joining the Rays bullpen.
The easy observation is that adding a “cutter” made him dominant, but a pair of Rays staples are what really allowed this pitch to perform so well.
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Previously, I touched on how rare it is for a pronation dominant pitcher to throw a changeup that relies on seam shift for its movement.
While splitters are rarely thrown across the league, many pronators employ this weapon to achieve this effect.
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In honor of the 3 year (and 1 month) anniversary of this legendary Oliver Drake splitter, lets look at one of the most outlier release points of all time.
(Thread)
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Dylan Cease has had a fantastic season, thanks to a slider that is outpacing Savant’s run value leaderboard by nearly 10 runs.
Throwing more sliders has been the antidote to one of his biggest issues: getting ambushed.
(Thread)
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Using SSW to create vertical separation between a 4 seam and a sinker becomes easier the closer to sidearm the slot gets.
Most pitchers that create 10 inches of VB separation between the 4S and sinker either cheat slot or they throw sidearm with low spin efficiency.
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One of my favorite new pitch additions of the 2022 season was Framber Valdez’s cutter, which is really just a gyro slider.
The Astros found a slight inefficiency in Valdez’s ability to pitch to lefties, and this correction was the main differentiator in his breakout season.
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Though likely unavailable for trade due to his pre-arb status, Andre Pallante strikes me as a valuable bullpen piece, despite some ugly surface level numbers:
ERA: 4.43
K%: 19.2%
BB%: 11.3%
(Thread)
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This week’s bizarre pitch profile is Cory Abbott’s “slider.”
Though tagged and referred to as a slider, the pitch averages 10 inches of armside run, resembling more of a changeup.
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Shane McClanahan burst onto the scene in 2022 thanks to an improved changeup.
One of the first things I noticed when diving into the pitch was that he had “improper” seam usage, likely costing him a few inches of depth on the pitch.
But does this even matter?
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Jose Ruiz was recently DFA’d by the White Sox and claimed by the D-Backs.
With a couple of tweaks in usage, this could be a steal. ⬇️
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Corbin Foy. RHP. Seeking UDFA.
22 years old. Mercyhurst
FF: 92-96
SI: 92-96
SL: 85-88
CB: 82-86
Draft League Stats (SP and RP)
6 G
13.1 IP
14 K
5 Hits
4.05 ERA
Data from
@TreadHQ
pro day and MLB Draft League attached in next tweet.
@corbinfoy12
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In a previous thread, I discussed how Drew Smyly and Josh Hader negate the old adage that “sinkers tail arm side” thanks to help from SSW.
This calls for a more universal system regarding seam orientation and its impact on ball flight.
Thread:
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When it comes to weird profiles, Domingo Acevedo’s “slider” might just take the cake.
At 87 mph with 7 inches of HB, the pitch looks typical on paper…Until you realize that it’s 7 inches of armside run.
(Thread)
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Corbin Foy
22 years old. Mercyhurst
Up to 95 in
@mlbdraftleague
FF: 92-94 T95
SI: 91-93 T95
SL: 83-87 T88 gyro profile
CB: 80-83
Great feel for the slider. Sinker has developed into a weapon this spring.
Throwing on Friday
@corbinfoy12
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Wanted to share a little context on this recently posted
@TreadHQ
clip and what we were trying to do with Andre Pallante’s fastball in the video.
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First Pitch of the Game
One of the major trends in baseball this season has been the decline in fastball usage, but this hasn’t carried over to all situations.
(Thread)
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Morgan Wallen Mix Part 2: Dauri Moreta
The Pirates could afford to trade Robert Stephenson because they built their own, club controlled Up/Down monster: Dauri Moreta.
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Sometimes pitchers forget that hitters have the capability to adjust to what they are throwing.
Though the high four seam is still a very effective strategy, orgs like the Houston Astros are quickly proving that handling he high heater is a learnable skill.
(Thread)
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Had to give it a try first thing this morning.
@LA_Strom
is definitely on to something.
The “Kick Change”… A possible solution to your Change-Up and Splitter Pitch Design,
Average ➡️ Great… Thread⬇️
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Tyler Anderson’s Changeup
Tyler Anderson’s breakout season can attributed to the Dodgers improving his changeup through optimization of seam shifted wake.
(Thread)
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The Rays have always had a knack for finding outliers, and Fairbanks is certainly that in many ways.
Looking forward to watching Krazee-Eyez Killa do his thing the rest of the year 👀
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Electric Live ABs from free agent Parker Caracci last week
FB: 95-96
SL: 88-90
SP: 84
AAA experience. Landed everything in zone in this outing.
Been throwing 2-3 times a week, still in mid season shape.
@Parkercaracci
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Free Agent RHP Parker Caracci
26 Years old. AAA Experience
Indoor Lives 6/2
FB: 94-95
SL: 87-89
SP: 82-84 (averaged -5 VB today)
With Blue Jays org 2019-2023
Trackman Data available with request
@Parkercaracci
@TreadAthletics
@TreadHQ
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Last week I had the unique opportunity to to put one of my old threads into practice thanks to
@t_zombro24
By changing the seam orientation on Zack Kelly’s changeup, we were able to kill a tremendous amount of VB with no intervention to his release.
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Zack Kelly: The Last Airbender
Just over a week ago, the Red Sox called up a rookie reliever who could be a small tweak away from throwing the next Devin Williams Airbender.
Thread:
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Jack Tomich
22 years old. Transfer Portal (3 years eligibility)
SI: 91-93 T95
FF: 91-93 (maybe the flattest VAA on the planet?)
SL: 78-80
Throws hard. Throws sidearm. 🧠
Throwing on Friday
@jack_tomich
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Athlete Update: Reid Hensley
-Uncommitted Sophomore at Tyler Junior College
-92-94 in all 10 appearances in 2023
-1st season as a full time pitcher
12.1 IP
18 K
13.1 K/9
@reid_hens6
@TreadHQ
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What Can You *Safely* Throw in Zone?
Shohei Ohtani is having his best pitching season to date, thanks to increased slider usage at the expense of his fastball.
The advice “throw more sliders” is (correctly) gaining popularity, but why has this worked for Ohtani specifically?
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Seeing DL Hall’s stuff on Hawkeye for the first time made me cognizant of his slider and changeup getting “wrong way” SSW deviation.
Slider
Release Tilt: 2:53
Break Tilt: 1:32
Changeup
Release Tilt: 9:56
Break Tilt: 10:18
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Beau Blanchard
21 years old. Transfer Portal. (Formerly U New Orleans)
FF 92-94 T96
SP 84-86
SL 82-83
CT 88-89
Clips from today’s tune up bullpen in house below.
Throwing on Friday
@BeauBlanchard7
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The best 4 seam in baseball is thrown with a 2 seam grip.
The rules don’t apply to Felix Bautista…
LOLOLOLOL
4-seam fastball Stuff+ this year, minimum 10 thrown:
1) Felix Bautista
2) Jeremiah Estrada
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Update: FB now up to 96
Slider 84-88. Gyro profile
Attached in-game and bullpen footage of the slider below ⬇️
Still Uncommitted
@Reid_hens6
@TreadHQ
Athlete Update: Reid Hensley
-Uncommitted Sophomore at Tyler Junior College
-92-94 in all 10 appearances in 2023
-1st season as a full time pitcher
12.1 IP
18 K
13.1 K/9
@reid_hens6
@TreadHQ
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When you're mid pitch and you remember all the homework due tomorrow
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The Fastball
Pete Fairbanks is:
-1 of 7 pitchers to avg 99+ mph
-1 of 7 pitchers to avg > 20” VB
-1 of 1 with both (Bautista 19” VB🏔)
With this combination, Fairbanks has the least amount of drop (7.7”) on the FB in baseball.
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The Release
With his 6’6”frame and high slot, Fairbanks also has the highest average release height in the MLB at 7.02 feet.
Though this may not be ideal for creating a flat VAA fastball, it allows Fairbanks to throw one of the hardest, steepest breaking pitches in the game 🔨
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With the
@TreadHQ
pro day coming up this Friday and Saturday, I wanted to highlight my athletes who will be participating in the event.
(Thread)
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Had to look into Shelby Miller after the Dodgers took a flyer on him.
Though a small sample, of all pitchers with a sub 5’6” release height, he had the highest 4seam IVB in the MLB at 18+ inches. Also has elite extension at over 7 feet.
Dodgers continue to play ♟️
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Camilo Doval is turning in an excellent sophomore campaign, thanks to your standard addition of a 284 Stuff+ sinker to the arsenal…in the middle of the season.
(Thread)
(Thanks
@k_camden
for the assist)
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Jason Adam just wrapped up a fantastic season in Tampa Bay, improving his ERA from nearly 6.00 in 2021 to 1.56 in 2022.
The main arsenal change has been his improved slider shape, and reducing fastball usage to roughly 1/3rd of the time certainly helps too.
(Thread)
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The wrong way splitter/changeup is one of my favorite party tricks.
Ever seen a catcher throw a demon 30 inch cutter back to the pitcher when they grip a two seam? This is the same thing.
Zac Gallen's accidental Cut Change (7" of cut) fooled everyone...including Zac.
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Youre Salty Spitoon on Twitter but Weenie Hut Juniors in real life
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Peeling back another layer, McClanahan had always had issues with commanding the pitch before this season.
In a recent interview with
@pitchingninja
he dives into the grip change he made this season and the reasons for it. Give it a listen here:
My Interview with Shane McClanahan
-Pitch Grips [Fastball, Slider, Curveball and Changeup]
-Mechanics
-Mental Game
-Pitching Approach
And more!
Watch & Subscribe!
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Since I love Rays relievers, I want to look at what makes a seemingly vanilla 2 pitch mix from Jalen Beeks unique.
Though there are plenty of FB/CH mixes across the league, the pair of profiles Beeks utilizes are seldomly used in tandem.
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Whether the cubs win or lose, Ben Zobrist deserves to be a hero he's a great guy and I've got mad respect for him
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The next weird profile worth diving into is Andre Pallante’s fastball.
Tagged as a four seam fastball, it’s sort of a cutter, sort of a sinker, and happens to average over 95 mph…
(Thread)
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I would never marry a girl who throws soft toss this badly
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Caracci in the American:
14 innings
1.29 ERA
19K
5 BB
11 H
32.7% K%
8.6% BB%
94-97 T99
@Parkercaracci
Tread Athlete
@Parkercaracci
sitting 94-96 for an exit session after a great showing in the American Association where he ran it up to 99 🔥
PC:
@Alexkachler10
#TreadFam
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Breaking down his release, the first rotation of the ball implies there could be a slight degree of reverse gyro put on the baseball.
Watch as the MLB logo turns away from the camera. If this pitch had any degree of normal gyro spin, the logo would turn towards the camera.
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Here’s one you may have expected, notorious riseballer Gerrit Cole leads the MLB in strikeouts on 4 seamers.
One you may not have expected, about half of those Ks have been located in the lower half.
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Though the standard approach to pitching has become sliders to RHH, and curveballs to LHH (for RHP), Joe Musgrove throws everything to everyone.
(Thread)
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Rumor has it that
@RyanSchwartz25
is so bought in to the 🪄🫘 that he orders triple beans at Chipotle
The ABSOLUTE Furthest ball that has ever been hit on my channel.
@RyanSchwartz25
(
@TexasBaseball
Commit) with
@USAPrimeCoastal
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Even with likely regression, if Littell stays healthy, I would not be surprised if he’s able to eat a good chunk of innings for Tampa next season.
It’s hard to replace legends, but I believe Littell can continue to fill a massive innings void left the Bay after 2022 🍽️
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@Alexkachler10
update: my mom just beat my sister in the semifinals and she will joust my grandmother in the final
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the throwing motion slowed down looks really cool ⚾️👀
(ignore Trzeciaks Woo Woo at the beginning)
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First Jose Fernandez, now Arnold Palmer...today is one of the worst days in sports history 😭
#RIPJoseFernandez
#RIPArnoldPalmer
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Here are several other pitchers who throw sinkers with SSW effects in the “wrong” direction. Weirdly, most cases I found were lefties.
The other commonality is high spin efficiency. When near 100%, reverse gyro spin can inadvertently be put on the ball if they get inside of it.
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2022: Line runs through the top half of the ball, creating a rough spot on the bottom of the ball, pushing it up ❌
2023: Line runs through on the top half of the ball, creating a rough spot on the top of the ball, pushing it down ✅
Tropic of Capricorn > Tropic of Cancer 🌎
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The Slider
Pete Fairbanks is also 1 of 7 pitchers to average both 85+ mph and -5 IVB on a breaking ball (SL or CB).
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Smyly actually appears to pronate the ball into release, which is normally associated with “sink.”
However because he imparts a degree of clockwise gyro spin paired with a 2 seam orientation, the ball is pushed to a righty’s arm side, giving it cut and ride in flight.
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Though known for his sinker, Clay Holmes has featured a pair of impressive sliders this season.
This chart clearly shows two distinct profiles for his sliders: a tight gyro, and a large sweeper.
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“There have been many ups and downs during my time as elevator commissioner, but my time has come to an end”
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Arsenal Design: Order Matters
Fresh off a breakout 2022 season and an extension, Jeffrey Springs has flashed a new sweeper this spring.
Not only do I love the addition to Springs’s arsenal, but also the order in which he dialed his arsenal in.
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“Wrong Way” Changeups
After yesterday’s thread, it seems appropriate to follow up with the pitch most associated with pronation, the changeup.
Like the sinker, there are several pitchers who get SSW deviation in the wrong direction (towards 12:00) on their changeups.
Thread:
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Pitchers frequently bias pronation or supination into release. These biases often lead to similar arsenals.
Pronators:
-Carry 4S
-Pronated CH
-Gyro Slider
Supinators:
-SSW Sinker
-Sweepy Slider
-Curveball
-SSW Changeup
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Continuing on the theme of the Rays Outlier Factory™️, let’s look at the adjustments Colin Poche has made to his breaking ball since August 30th.
(Thread)
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In the graphic above, there are 4-5 different splitter grips used with several different releases on top of that.
However, all resulted in:
-High Velocity (within 10 mph of FB)
-High VB separation (≈15 inch average VB separation off FB)
-Low Active spin (Gyro ⬆️, Spin Rate⬇️)
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After a few short months I have all of Fayetteville, North Carolina saying "jabroni"
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Due to injuries, the role change was bred entirely out necessity for TB, and there were almost no major indications that Littell could get stretched out.
But, ZL had 2 things working in his favor:
1) Platoon Neutral Arsenal
2) Above Average Swing Rates
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Wanted to post a brief follow up on a previous thread, where I discussed how a spiked grip can set the axis of rotation on a pitch, and how it can be applied to throw the Kluberball.
For a refresher, check out the original thread here:
Spiked/Knuckled Breaking Balls
An underrated aspect of a spiked grip for a curveball or slider is that the spike can set an axis for the ball to rotate around.
(Thread)
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A few years ago I was at a braves Marlins game and Jose Fernandez heard me say I was from Hillsborough County too so he gave me a ball
#RIP
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This is a good example of evaluating tradeoffs in designing an arsenal.
Sometimes a grip that isn’t optimal in terms of movement is what the athlete will be able to throw the best due to having leverage on the seams/comfort on the ball.
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Here’s Oliver Drake having a more “lefty” slot than Clayton Keyshaw
In honor of the 3 year (and 1 month) anniversary of this legendary Oliver Drake splitter, lets look at one of the most outlier release points of all time.
(Thread)
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Happy 86th birthday to the most impactful person in the history of the world, the one and only Arnold Palmer 😍⛳️🔥
http://t.co/Kfc8tZ724g
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If you think you're having a bad day, Just know I benched Anthony Rendon in fantasy today
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It wasn’t a major change to get from the slider to the cutter either, as the grips are the same, he just gets a little more behind the cutter, allowing him to generate more velocity on the pitch, while maintaining gyro spin.
Velo: 88.7
Vb: 2.9
Hb: 0.9
Spin Efficiency: 19%
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This approach is far superior to giving everybody the same grip/cue and taking only the survivors.
Individualization to motor preferences = 🪄🫘
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Congrats to my man
@beharris12
on his commitment to play ball for UNC Asheville
#D1Bound
http://t.co/yDDaInIOUU
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Before forcing a pitcher to grip a 4S or 2S changeup to “mirror” their fastball spin (which is likely a waste of time), make sure you know how the ball is spinning in flight first. 🪄🫘
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