Thomas Bentley
@BentleY__ThomaS
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Pitching Analyst @drivelineBB | Economics @kcollege
Joined October 2015
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Throwing With
@DrivelinePulse
, A Thread:
In the wake of two UCL tears and what will be close to two years of physical therapy and rehabilitation, I’ve had some time to figure some things out (Not everything though, unfortunately).
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Why Do People Throw Hard: A Biomech Perspective On Throwing Velocity
As a trainer
@DrivelineBB
, the most common goal I hear from athletes is that they want to throw hard – great! That'll almost surely make you a better pitcher, but how do you do it? How do people throw hard?
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Biomechanics and Problem Solving re: Pitching, a thread:
This week at
@DrivelineBB
, I had the pleasure of conducting a pitch design session with an athlete that, for context, has plus velocity for the level of baseball he is playing and commands both a FF and SNK very well.
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I'm very excited to share that I've been hired by
@DrivelineBB
as a Pitching Intern! Thank you to
@KyleFedorka
for teaching me so much of what I know now, and thank you to
@MEllenbest
and
@coachott7
for giving me the tools to grow in this field. Can't wait to get to work!
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Intended Zones and Pitch Execution: How To Quantify Command w/
@DrivelineBB
Command and pitch execution are perhaps the most misconceived skills within the greater context of pitching. So what is
@DrivelineBB
doing to bridge the gap and make command a trainable skill?
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Week 1 in the books with
@kzoobaseball
!
Between the newly-dialed data systems, unparalleled dedication from fellow staff members, and the guys I get to work with on a daily basis, it's tough to find a reason to not be excited about what's going on in Kalamazoo.
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Building Pitches In a Lab: A Look Into Pitch Design
@DrivelineBB
As the prevalence and necessity of pitch tracking technologies become more apparent in baseball, our use and implementation of them becomes even more crucial to the success of our athletes.
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Heat Maps and Pitching Strategy, a (lengthy) thread:
Over the summer I came across a
@PitchingNinja
podcast in which Michael Fisher of
@CodifyBaseball
was a guest. I was enamored with the depth of analysis to which Fisher and Codify approached pitching strategy.
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Do weighted baseballs (plyos, driveline, etc.) cause injury? An Opinionated Thread:
I’ve recently seen a lot of opposition to the use of weighted balls and after seeing a post by
@drjoshheenan
, I thought maybe I would set the record straight in regards to these new tools.
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Spent the last few weeks at the intersection of python and pitch execution… ended up with command heat maps for the guys
@kzoobaseball
.
Pulling from CSV data via
@DrivelineBB
's Intended Zones Tracker, we can filter by pitch type to map-out isolated command tendencies.
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50+ command heat maps in less than 20 minutes for
@kzoobaseball
's pitchers...
Data operations are full steam ahead thanks to
@DrivelineBB
's Intended Zones and a little bit of work behind the scenes with
@zachsimm0ns
and
@JacobHoffman44
.
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The top 5 biomechanical correlates to ball velocity are:
1. Torso rotation velocities
2. Shoulder rotation characteristics
3. Elbow extension velocities
4.Hip-Shoulder separation
5. Moving fast down the mound
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Saw a lot of buzz about Graham Ashcraft following his 10K performance against the Padres. Was initially surprised considering I haven’t heard much about him, but after doing a bit of a statistical dive, it’s not super surprising that things are starting to come together.
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A lot of information is collected on a daily basis for our pitchers
@kzoobaseball
- so what do we do with it?
Using our new data/analytical system(s), each pitcher can see every aggregated data point via our Post-Bullpen/Live AB Reports.
Collect -> Analyze -> Inform -> Improve
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A critical part of creating an effective system is being able to ID strong indicators of performance. One the KPIs we use
@kzoobaseball
is STUFF+, and since our baseline bullpens in the fall, 14 pitchers have increased their agg. STUFF+ scores (collectively by an average of +11).
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Over the course of their 10-week break, 15
@kzoobaseball
pitchers gained velo, adding an average of 1.1 mph - how'd they do it?
We didn't use any velo days, just quality lifts, and well-executed individual programming via TRAQ and Pulse (
@DrivelineBB
).
Simplify when it works.
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One area I’ve been given a lot of creative freedom with
@kzoobaseball
is our implementation of Pulse (
@DrivelineBB
) with our pitchers.
Even with an improved understanding of how to use our technology, I felt a need to continue iterating — so we created Pulse Compliance Scores.
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The Flawed Ideology Behind "Data" Criticisms:
In the wake of some systematic failures of my own, I have been – simply put – thinking a lot about how we use data. But what does that mean?
How DO we use data; and when are "data and analytics" actually the reason we fall short?
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Quantifying Nastiness w/ Stuff+:
Over the course of the past year, I’ve been absolutely enamored with Stuff+ and normalized pitch grading models – particularly those used by
@DrivelineBB
,
@enosarris
and
@fangraphs
, and especially
@Pitching_Bot
's.
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Will vouch for this dude any day - but
@zachsimm0ns
is the real deal. He managed to, in less than a month, take some foundational coding knowledge from a COMP-104 class and turn it into a data-driven solution for
@kzoobaseball
.
Recently dove into coding with
@BentleY__ThomaS
. Using Python we set out to create a heat map for our hitters
@kzoobaseball
. In this case we utilize Whiff% that will allows us to see the zones our hitters swing and miss most in.
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Two days of live at bats means two days worth of command heat maps for
@kzoobaseball
pitchers.
There's a lot of ways this process could be improved, but running code with IZT data wasn't even a thought in my head 6 months ago.
Big steps thanks to some help from our data dept!
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Kalamazoo Baseball in 2024
Welcome to Kalamazoo, PitchCom.
Our program will now be using
@PitchCom_Sports
products.
🐝⚾️
#d3baseball
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The Importance of Individuality In Training:
While working
@DrivelineBB
these past few weeks, I’ve been massively privileged with access to industry leading resources, both in the people I work with and the technology we use.
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Explaining Emmanuel Clase’s Early Regression:
For many
#Guardians
fans, it’s no secret that stud closer Emmanuel Clase seems to have taken a step back since last season. Let's dig into the how and why behind his early regression in 2023.
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A Year of Progress for .
@KadenSotomayor
…
Spring 2022 → Spring 2023
FF Velo: 78.6 → 84.2 📈
BB Velo: 64.0 → 73.8 📈
CH Velo: 72.6 → 77.3 📈
FF KStuff+: 79 → 107
BB KStuff+: 78 → 132 🧹
CH KStuff+: 68 → 92
2023 BAA: .147 🔥
2023 ERA: 3.68
2023 K/9: 7.36
How’d he do it?
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@ChaseCummins1
2023 Spring –> 2023 Summer
FF Velo: 84.8 ➡️ 87.7
SL Velo: 77.4 ➡️ 81.7
CH Velo: 76.4 ➡️ 80.8
FF KStuff+: 101 ➡️ 110
SL KStuff+: 112 ➡️ 122
CH KStuff+: 133 ➡️ 144 🔥
BAA: .356 ➡️ .215
ERA: 7.05 ➡️ 2.53
K/9: 6.1 ➡️ 14.3
HR/9: 2.1 ➡️ 0 ❗
How did he do it?
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Put most simply, some people throw harder than others because they more effectively generate and transfer energy as a means of imparting force to the baseball.
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@kzoobaseball
@kzoobaseball
Data Dept. =
@zachsimm0ns
and
@JacobHoffman44
Both of them have been huge in the process of collecting this mass of data, and both are instrumental in processing it in an actionable way.
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Ever since I saw videos of Mitch Keller’s fastballs from
@TreadHQ
I’ve been waiting to see him break out. I really thought last year would be the year and even though he did take a huge step forward, I think 2023 is the year he certifies himself as a standout big league starter.
Mitch Keller has been named our Opening Day starter in Cincinnati.
Congratulations,
@mkeller11
!
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That sweeper is actually ridiculous... ⛽️🧹
Zack Leban showcasing his nasty slider in a recent live abs 🙌
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Ridiculously cool stuff from
@kww_DL
! If you have even the slightest bit of interest in baseball or biomechanics this is undoubtedly worth the quick read.
Lead leg pitching ground reaction forces (GRF) typically have two peaks: an "impact" peak and a "true" peak.
"Impact" peaks represent peak GRF before pitchers start cushioning their landing.
"True" peaks represent peak GRF once pitchers stabilize their front leg.
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I would rather say, precisely identify your weaknesses and improve them, precisely identify your strengths and build on them, and understand that movement is equal parts art and science, so theory alone will only get us so far.
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The highlight of his season, though, came on March 22nd against the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire – an outing where he came with no warm up due to an injured starter, posted 2 scoreless innings where he struck out 4 batters, and ultimately put his team in a position to win.
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The last thing I’ll say is this; this is not me advertising for PULSE or Driveline, this is me encouraging baseball players with goals to start making educated decisions in pursuit of those goals.
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Biomech analysis gives us, as trainers, the ability to train athletes without guessing. With this analysis, athletes can be more efficient, precise, and objective in their training which, at the end of the day, leads them towards their goals more promisingly.
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Couple things here:
1. There's something to be said about the buy-in from top dogs like Lowder and Hartle to set the stage for this.
2. "Nothing here is by accident." That is, for one, badass, and two, a testament to what it takes to make an investment like this yield returns.
Here's an in-depth look by
@SBJ
that goes behind the scenes of
@WakeBaseball
pitching development, and highlights how tech & data is being translated directly onto the field for The Deacs. 👇
by
@ByEthanJoyce
|
@mikemcferran_
#GoDeacs
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Any team should call them selves lucky to have a Cade Thune on their roster. Taught me more in 1 year than I could’ve ever imagined. Hard worker, great pitcher, and above all, great teammate.
Kalamazoo College class of ‘22 with 2 years of eligibility looking to grad transfer. 6’4” 215lbs.
FB: 90-92 T96
CB: 80-83
CH: 82-85
Have more video available for those interested
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The solution to this problem, courtesy of
@sahellinger20
, was to implement a constrained pivot pickoff in this athlete’s plyo routine. This exercise presets ~90 degrees of shoulder abduction and thus trains muscle memory for throwing using that position – pretty straightforward.
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With an xERA that was .87 points better than his actual ERA (x4.02 --> a4.89) in 2022 and significant improvements already shaping up in Spring Training, I look forward to seeing all the pieces come together for Graham Ashcraft in 2023!
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Feel like I'm preaching to the choir at this point, but Soto is still a generational player and has a nearly unprecedented ability to get on base.
100th percentile chase rate and .928 OPS is kind of insane for a 24 year old - not to mention he's done this since he was 19.
The highest MLB on-base percentages
since Ted Williams retired in 1960:
Barry Bonds, .444
Juan Soto, .424
Frank Thomas, .419
Mickey Mantle, .418
Edgar Martínez, .418
Wade Boggs, .415
Todd Helton, .414
Mike Trout, .413
Joey Votto, .412
Manny Ramirez, .411
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Weighted balls are not the reason you or your players are getting injured.
As a player, it’s much easier to apply blame to external factors than take accountability for poor movement patterns.
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We can think of the pitching motion and thus the kinetic chain as being an exponential system of sorts in that if we change inputs even slightly then outputs are apt to change significantly and disproportionately.
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NYCBL Pitcher of the Week powered by
@stinger_brand
for Week 3 (6/19-6/25) is Chase Cummins of the
@crushball
⚾️
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@TreyRowley1
@CoachFarquhar
@KyleFedorka
@Ohio_Baseball
@ToledoBaseball
@PrepbaseballM
@WMUBaseball
Water tower power
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Long story short, give this a read. Wake Forest is the template to follow for college baseball teams that have any intentions of being good at baseball.
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Secondly, having seen this type of work done in real time now, it’s clear that biomechanical analysis of pitchers is no longer the future, it is the present and anyone not looking into and investing in this technology will be wishing they had very soon.
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The point of this story is twofold, first and foremost being that the seemingly small details which make up the pitching motion are anything but small and certainly have notable consequences.
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I consider myself very fortunate to get to work with this dude on a daily basis, but I know he would agree with me when I say the work is just starting. Super excited to keep working with you, congrats on the NYCBL all-star nod, Chase.
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re: The Conversation Around Analytics in Sports
Being process-oriented is not an excuse for poor results. Much the same, the two are not mutually entangled, you can be process-oriented and still produce underwhelming results; such a case would indicate that your process sucks.
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If you missed tonight's game, you missed all the fun!
@RinehartRyar
from
@kzoobaseball
with the Walk-Off
#ClipperClobber
in extra innings to give the Clips the win in dramatic fashion!
#clipsarehot
#walkoffwin
#homerun
#batflip
@GLSCL
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Much the same, having a blanket opposition to anything as coach/trainer is a bad call, as the best coaches/trainers I’ve worked with are those who recognize the nuances of each method brought before them.
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This athlete’s standard deviation was ~8, which in the context of our reference, means he could execute an ideal shoulder abd. on 1 throw and be significantly out of that range on another. A few degrees may not seem like much, but in regards to the pitching motion it actually is.
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@KyleFedorka
@DrivelinePulse
@HP_Training
Thank you for having me! Great to see
@HP_Training
investing in innovation for their athletes. Can’t wait to be back!
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6 of those 10 SO came on Ashcraft’s slider, which he even ran up to 87 mph. Pair that with a cutter that lands among the ranks of Corbin Burnes and Emmanuel Clase in terms of Stuff+ (Ashcraft’s scored a 113 which is 7th in MLB), and I think we have a potential ace on our hands.
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Pretty good stuff here from
@zachsimm0ns
; really interesting analysis of how taking "the right risks" within the context of one's strengths can pay huge dividends.
After watching some of
@Randeeezy13
content/videos on YouTube I have become very interested in the
@RaysBaseball
player development system. So, I decided to dig deeper on a recent case in which the Rays took one of their player's games to another level.
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I’m not necessarily suggesting mal-intent on behalf of coaches who disagree with my opinion, however those who have a blanket opposition to weighted balls and the work being done by driveline often have a misinformed and uneducated view of the matter.
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This means that the manner in which he imparts force upon the baseball at release varies as well which would, intuitively, make establishing consistent pitch profiles difficult, as is the case here.
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Ashcraft was a mediocre pitcher in 2022, however – the underlying stats leave a lot to be excited about if you’re a Reds fan.
His 55% GB rate, 3.8% avg. launch angle, and 97.3 mph avg. cutter velocity are all above league average. So why did he struggle?
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“I don't want to be looked at as the guy who comes in when the game is already over. I want to help this team to the best of my ability.”
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Huge fan of this. Defensive metrics are a work in progress but stuff like this gets me excited for where they're going. Pretty clear cut analytical explanation for what marks one player's defensive improvement and another's regression.
Happy Friday. Let’s do a defense thread.
Bobby Witt has gone from horribly-rated to solid! Let’s find out.
Ronald Acuña Jr. rates as -6 OAA (but+3 DRS). Why? Join me on a journey.
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But how would one go about measuring such things? This is where Driveline’s Intended Zone Tracker comes into play…
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Even the most useful tools can become detrimental when used improperly by misinformed people.
Read, learn, and look to be better, not right.
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@jakeheld6
@swow04
@CoachCutter5
@CoachFarquhar
Was really hoping this day would come! Congrats Jake! You’ve got an unparalleled work ethic and mentality, can’t wait to see where this takes you.
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In lieu of my fascination with this new approach to pitch evaluation, I have spent the last year making my own model tailored to Division III baseball and with that I am excited to share my very own K Stuff+.
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It’s hard not to like a 170 lb side-arm relief pitcher named Jimmy Herget off of those characteristics alone, but his stuff and ability to get outs has quickly turned him into one of my favorite pitchers in MLB.
Jimmy "The Human Glitch" Herget, Nasty Breaking Balls. 😨
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He often sees fluctuations of velocity in-game, and has significant variation in breaking ball profiles while struggling to command them. This was also evident in his baseline bullpen as can be seen in his Trackman report.
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@KyleFedorka
Thank you, Coach. Was happy you could make it out to watch, wouldn’t have gotten back there without you.
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focus of the tool the results are typically quite disappointing and negative. For most, velocity will be found in the weight room and at the dinner table, with weighted balls being a supplementary tool to correct flawed movement patterns.
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Naturally, he came in with a lot of questions, and as trainers we’re tasked with answering them and proposing actionable solutions to the problems he reports having. As all pitchers do upon intake at Driveline, he began with a day 1 biomechanical assessment.
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"Stuff" isn't everything - we do track other KPIs after all - but our K STUFF+ model is one method we use to monitor arsenal improvements over time. Using an aggregate measurement like this allows us to condense info and more easily communicate pitch-level data trends w/ players.
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Kalamazoo College then went on to win 21 of their next 23 games, after being 1 game above .500 prior to. Kaden had done exactly what he said he wanted to 8 months prior, he helped his team to the best of his ability.
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Given that his mechanics scored as being better than 99% of athletes we’ve tested at Driveline, the report raised even more questions and thus some digging was needed if we were going to be able to provide the answers that this athlete was looking for.
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Biomechanical correlates to ball velocity rank, in strength of correlation, generally in the same order which they occur in the pitching motion. In other words, the movements which occur closer to ball release correlate stronger than those which occur further from ball release.
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In my effort to create this model, I’ve vastly deepened my knowledge of pitch flight metrics, and pitch grading. If I can recommend one thing for people interested in similar projects, I would say take the dive, make the jump, and go all in on something.
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We can use a recent example of two athletes who recently began training with Driveline this summer, Athlete A and Athlete B (who are real people, but names kept private). They have multiple similarities, but the most notable being their baseline velocities of ~90.5 mph.
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As a freshman, Kaden’s CH was essentially non-existent, and more so something he knew how to throw than a pitch he actually did. So what was the fix… how did he develop his arsenal?
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If you’re not adapting, you’re dying; if you’re not making changes, you’re not winning.
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@zachsimm0ns
Thanks Simmons! Can't wait to see you out there, let's tackle Seattle together :)
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In regard to coaches, many would rather blame the product than their own practices for the sake of maintaining reputations.
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There is a short window for us as baseball players to maximize our opportunities, so why not invest in your career now?
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@KyleFedorka
@DrivelineBB
@MEllenbest
@coachott7
Thank you Kyle! I can't put into words how much I've learned from you and how important you've been throughout this process. Without you and High Performance, this would not be possible!
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In 2022, Clase was unhittable – posting a 1.36 ERA and striking out almost 30% of the batters he faced. His cutter, the definition of an outlier pitch, also averaged nearly 100 mph in 2022. He was, at one point, the most feared pitcher in MLB, so what happened?
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In other words, things like strength, joint ROM, mechanical sequencing, and a multitude of other variables greatly influence whether or not you will throw hard.
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Kaden’s pitch profiles as a freshman were, in all honesty, pretty bad. His FF had a cut-ride quality to it that would have been great had it been consistent.
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Now let’s dive in! What is
@DrivelineBB
's PULSE? Put simply, PULSE is a sensor which can be attached to the elbow via arm sleeve or strap which measures and collects data on the speed, torque, and angle applied to one’s arm when in the act of throwing.
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That difference between pelvis and shoulder rotation at foot plant is what we refer to as hip-shoulder separation – or what is often referred to as the “rubber band effect”.
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Being exceptional in your ability to move fast down the mound is intuitively good if you want to throw hard, as moving the largest piece of the chain fast leads to subsequent pieces of the chain also moving fast.
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The fifth strongest and final ball velocity correlate we’ll discuss is how fast an athlete moves down the mound. This characteristic is quantified as center of gravity velocity, which measures the speed at which an athlete moves in a singular forward plane (towards the target).
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Torso rotation, while being lower down the chain than arm speeds, correlates quite well to shoulder internal rotation velocity (arm speeds), meaning that those who rotate the torso fast also tend to move their arm fast.
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Throwing is a complicated motion though, as is reflected by the 100+ metrics we measure and test for as correlates to ball velocity here at Driveline.
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