kyle hendricks changeup grip

A tense hand also tends to force the changeup into the ground, resulting in spiked changeups that are often the signature of beginners. Effective circle changeups can reduce the platoon split a pitcher will experience. 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. Its an effective pitch pretty much anytime its thrown, but throwing a changeup in fastball counts is the most effective. As a pitching coach,one of my biggest tasks is overhauling a pitchers off-speed pitches. His changeup? The grips here will help you create action, organically reducing stress forces on the elbow and shoulder. The Cubs and many other teams in baseball have concocted facilities to help their pitchers with mechanics, pitch design and efficiency. Condition 4: To accomplish the above, the thumb must be on the bottom of the baseball. 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. He had been between about 195 and 205 pounds, generally, and feeling good. Cubs Spring Training Notebook: Swanson's winning mentality, Lester's mark on Steele, Cubs make some spring history. The thumb is the pressure point, and its location on the bottom of the ball is crucial. Hendricks achieved a season high in curveball usage (25%) and whiffs (5), finishing off two hitters with the pitch. 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). 23 for '23: What is the Cubs' plan at third base? His arm slot and the speed at which he releases each pitch are indistinguishable. A circle change and a straight change are two different pitches, right?? check out my proven programs for pitchers of all ages, check out my proven programsfor pitchers of all ages. And, dont forget to sign up for my free newsletter, using the form below. Hook em horns grip? It was interesting to find out that it was an entirely different pitch. First, lets get it straight: a changeup does have a defined set of characteristics, and not all grips are created equal. His other stuff is elite. In part two of this changeup article series, Ill cover a step-by-step method of teaching and throwing the modern changeup. Same scenario but different pitch. x-mov is in inches, with negative denoting movement towards the rightys arm-side. Lets sum up those two pitches by movement and results so we can get a better sense of them. Hendricks threw his changeup 58.2% of the time in two-strike counts, registering a whiff rate of 17.9% in those situations . At the 50-second mark in the video above, theres an example of this grip from an Edgertronic camera. When learning a breaking ball, we get feedback by watching it break before our eyes, and our throwing partner gives us feedback from his point of view (that one was sharp!). Certain items are excluded, but theres still a ton of great baseball training gear to make you a better player and coach. We DONT want pressure to be on the fingertips, but rather at the very bottom of the fingers. The grip helps us remove speed from a changeup while simultaneously applying spin to it. Though a straight change perhaps looks exactly like a straight fastball (thus making it very deceptive), pure deception isnt the end goal. As it turns out, the changeup method I teach is incredibly easy to learn for pitchers of all ages, and it starts with the grip. Steele retired all six Padres batters he faced, then headed to the bullpen to throw 25 more pitches. 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. For a pitcher who throws 90mph, this is about 7mph off, or 83mph. But, a -8% changeup must have tremendous movement to be effective. Steele has yet to fully highlight the changeup in three spring starts. This LHP throws a straight change, he turns it over and it sinks away from RH batters. Whats up with this?! Were ecstatic to announce a new partnership between Rawlings and Cressey Sports Performance, and theyve set up a 20% off discount code on select products for our listeners. 1 Anthony Volpe, The 25 Most Surprising Seasons in Yankees History. Condition 2: The ball must be held stable with as little pressure as possible. Hendricks throws a sinker and changeup within 7-8 mph of one another. Theres too many questions, too much confusion with the changeup. Learning how to maximize the effect of the pitch, and minimize its weaknesses is what takes a pitcher to the next level. Switching grips could save Michael Pinedaschangeup, Yankees 3, Tigers 5: Michael King is back, baby. The Changeup should be 10-12% slower than a fastball. Rather, the pink and index finger comfortably rest on the side of the ball, as they dont have a strong role. Or, if all else fails, we can just say screw it and just throw a splitter; thatll work as a poor-mans changeup. Thats always a plus. If his two-seamer and changeup come out of the hand and tunnel the exact same way, youve got little chance of doing damage off him. By looking at a combination of Google Images and the disparity in horizontal movement between their four seam fastballs and changeups, I tried to guess what grip each pitcher was using: *Cubs ace Kyle Hendricks has two changeups. Common theories as to why he isnt pitching at an ace-caliber level include poor fastball command, a lack of a third pitch, and not attacking the corners as much with runners on base. 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. The odd thing about Hendricks is that his changeup actually spins more than his fastball, roughly 300 rpm more on average in 2020. Its important to understand WHY a changeup is slower. And I was able to, so it was good to end on that note.. The finger tips and pads are raised slightly and the finger pressure is between the first and second finger joints. Circle change? Play-by-play data prior to 2002 was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted He reminds me of Brad Lidge, who threw a slider that appeared to have mostly downward movement. The table below shows the qualified pitchers with the 10 highest pitch values for changeups, in terms of FanGraphs Pitch Values metric. Not technically. How can you get the same movement/action using two different grips? 04/02/2013. Six miles per hour? When a pitch is thrown harder, it flies longer along the same trajectory as a fastball. 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. By movement, its almost exactly average at least its a little slower than most changeups, but so is his 89 mph fastball. Because he's both upped his usage and . Pitchers want to create as many variables as possible to prevent the hitter from getting barrel to ball. Lets clear it all up. When Hendricks is on, weve seen this in action. Pinedas offspeed pitch is thrown with a two-seam grip (the main photo in this post shows his changeup grip). "That's a big step," veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks said. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. Its easy to dismiss the Cubs starter for Game Three, Kyle Hendricks. Just about everyone understands that a southpaw throws a circle change to a RH batter so it will sink and tail away from the plate. So, we need a combination of the hand being as relaxed as possible while still being held securely. Milwaukee starter Corbin Burnes won the NL Cy Young last year and was supposed to be the. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. 07/16/2013. He can locate his sinker well, though, and has a good change. 13.1 inches. Kyle Hendricks is a solid and consistent pitcher. nhs covid pass netherlands; clash royale clan recruitment discord; mexican soccer quinella Marshall threw his two-seam fastball similar to this Edgertronic footage, but from a left-handed release. The average movement of 3 to 3.5 was least effective. Pingback: "Going JUCO" - Is Playing NJCAA Baseball a Risky Move? Changes will take effect once you reload the page. He keeps his arm speed exactly the same, Marshall said. 0 0 Less than a minute. If the pitcher can develop a good change up, his fastball will appear faster and the hitters will be less aggressive. 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. First, he averaged just 5.5 mph of separation between his fastball and changeup, with the latter clocking in at an average 88.5 mph. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. 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. This counteracts the idea that killing more spin automatically means more downward movement (multiple factors go into the movement of every pitch). Then, let your index and pinky fingers fall gently to the side of the ball. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses cookies. Watch below to see if this is the type of pitch youd like to learn. Casey Sutherland may have just 12 games of experience with the Red Sox, but he has already shown dominance while fulfilling a childhood dream. Freeland not only changed his mechanics, his pitch mix was drastically altered. But, thats much more of a thing Big Leaguers do to stay effective, and much less the rule we teach an amateur or minor leaguer who needs consistency more than anything. "Hendricks sits at 86.7 mph with his two-seamer (slower than some of the other changeups picked here). Design by DAYO, *I hate spam too, only the best for my subscribers, CSP Elite Baseball Development Podcast: Kyle Hendricks, I will never spam you or share your email, Why different athletes need different approaches to power development, Why its essential that you learn to train outside the sagittal plane, Which medicine ball and plyometric variations I use with baseball players, Why not all throwers have identical deceleration patterns or training needs, How your arm care programs can be improved to reduce the risk of injury and improve throwing velocity, Why Kyle chose to move across the country out of high school and attend Dartmouth College, How Kyle has developed his ability to manipulate the baseball to create movement, How Kyle worked diligently to develop his changeup and how players can better develop this feel pitch, How throwing a quality changeup actually helped Kyle learn to throw a two seam fastball, How grip, specifically pinky position on the baseball, impacted the effectiveness of his changeup, What Kyles thought process is when throwing his changeup and how late hand speed out front trumps early, forced pronation with the pitch, How Kyle developed a cut changeup, which is differentiated from his regular changeup, How Kyle approaches attacking hitters and why he emphasizes throwing first pitch strikes and controlling counts against hitters, Why Kyles four seam fastball usage increased in 2016 and why this change allowed him to have more margin for error and improve the effectiveness with his fastball, How Kyle learned to read swings and bat paths in pro ball and how this has influenced how he competes against hitters, How Kyle prepares by utilizing coaches scouting reports along with video to develop a plan for success against the opposition, Why Kyle has always been intrigued by the mental side of baseball and how he has used it to develop an edge in the game, How simplification has revolutionized Kyles ability to master his mentality, control the game, and play to his highest ability, Why Kyle works to find a balance between using analytics and relying on his intuition, What pitch clicks in the bullpen when Kyle is set to have a great game and how Kyle knows when he is locked in, How Kyle attacks throwing his various pitches in his daily throwing progression, How individuals who lack elite velocity can identify their strengths and learn to separate themselves from the competition, Avoid the most common deadlifting mistakes. And, what grip will get him there? Building off of last year, balls coming out nicely [and he] looks like hes healthy and going to give us some really good starts.. Work for full arm extension to the plate on the follow through just like on the fastball. 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. The middle and ring finger MUST be close together. Ive taught this exact style of changeup to hundreds of pitchers, and 70% will obtain a 10% speed reduction with equal parts lateral and sinking movement. There. got a stalwart anchor atop the rotation in Hendricks. In theory, getting more movement on his changeup shouldnt be a bad thing. Brad Keller and Joe Musgrove reportedly throw their fastballs with a one-seam grip. . 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. Mixing in a few two-seamers might improve the effectiveness of his changeup as it is. 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. But Scherzer dominated, limiting opponents to a .126 average in at-bats ending against the pitch - 12 points lower than deGrom's average. You can do so HERE. Ive only encountered this a few times and Matt Clement was one pitcher I recall reading about that could run his sinker away from RH batters if he kept it down in the zone. We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. The speed difference is significant, but the difference in their running action is nearly zero. youtube.com/watch?time_con 0:09 1.3K views A few of my high school pitchers threw to the Rapsodo device and turned in spin-efficiencies of 90% or better, indicating a very clean diagonal spin axis on their changeups, confirming that what I believed was happening. Put your thumb on the bottom of the ball and your middle and ring fingers together. I did it earlier today, when I called him a two-pitch pitcher. For a veteran pitcher who throws a curveball, sinker, sinking changeup, mixing in an occasional cutting changeup will definitely confuse a hitter. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. Not to mention he has a baby on the way. Cubs Spring Training Notebook: Hayden Wesneski states his case for Opening Day rotation, why Lesters loss Sunday comes with multiple positives, Marquee Sports Network - Television Home of the Chicago Cubs and Sky. 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. Gambling problem? But what creates that downward movement on Hendricks changeup is, in part, his grip. Sink is good, right? 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. The grip will only account for a 5% speed reduction when force is applied to the center of the baseball. So, you see more MLB pitchers throwing changeups that are harder (8-12% slower than their fastball) but with lots of downward movement. Like I said, Ive came across it often so it couldnt be a typo. At the same time, it is such a small number that it might just be a result of their Pitch F/X algorithm falsely classifying 111 of his pitches as two-seamers. The slow-motion setting on an iPhone captures at 240 frames per second (fps). NYY vs. DET: Gerrit Cole vs Michael Lorenzen. Make sure youre throwing a repertoire that fits your body, your arm slot, your pitching style and age level. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Kyle Hendricks, Cubs Hendricks leaned on his changeup heavily and threw it 932 times, nearly double Scherzer's 548. Kyle Hendricks knows he's struggled the last two seasons. You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. Breaking pitches are slower than fastballs not because they are thrown with less intensity. Not to mention he has a baby on the way. At the core of this was a changeup he threw almost twice as often as before, and that changeup was a very weird . Yankees Mailbag: Managing the infield and Domnguez hype. First, definitely check out this video below, as it delves deep into the philosophy of throwing a changeup behind in the count. First, he averaged just 5.5 mph of separation between his fastball and changeup, with the latter clocking in at an average 88.5 mph. His fastball command issues led to four walks in less than three innings. Condition 3: Overall hand tension must be as low as possible. Where you place your middle and ring fingers is VERY important they work together to apply the proper spin, to get the pitch to rotate much like a discoball does. After a conventional changeup and a splitter didnt pan out a coach was teaching him how to throw a cut change. At least, thats what Chicago is hoping as theyve got Hendricks locked up through 2023 with a vesting option for 2024, his age 34 season. Baseball is interesting and odd, especially . Learn how your comment data is processed. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Baseball is interesting . Spring training is more important than you think. If the thumb cradles the ball from the bottom, the rest of the hand can be almost completely relaxed. Required fields are marked *. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. 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. Straight changeups are sooooo old-school. But, this is just another iteration of his changeup, a different way for a him to manipulate hitters. But, we need to do this at a 100% intensity, which is difficult. Its a small blue box, a little bit bigger than a wallet that captures images at extremely high frame rates. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. Two distinct clusters. I taught myself how to throw a changeup in my junior year in college, and it became my best pitch in pro baseball. According to Statcast, Hendricks got 16 called strikes and 4 whiffs on his fastballs, which is just excellent and a huge reason his changeup netted an impressive 10 whiffs on just 25 offerings (40%). The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Hendricks struggled in 2021 in large part because he could not establish his fastball down and away and use it to set up his changeup and curveball. There is one more thing that stands out when looking at the movement of his fastball and changeup. The more speed we remove, the more the pitch must deviate from a fastballs initial trajectory, thus making it look less like a fastball out of the hand. The ball comes out in a unique way, with a tumbling spin rather than an angled axis. Releasing the ball too much from the side caused by turning the hand over too much. No, Im not blowing smokeIve taught lots of pitchers over the years, and its not hard to produce a heavy sinking changeup. Like fastballs, changeups can be thrown with either a four-seam or a two-seam grip. does st martin parish have school tomorrow. Be sure to make smart choices regarding your career and your development as a ballplayer! I send out great new information each week on all things baseball. Thats a big step, veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks said. Several MLB hitters claimed to be able to read the spin of pitches, which might be impacting the effectiveness of Pinedas changeup. I dont use a radar gun most of the time, and they wont have access to one either. When thrown the above way, we will reliably achieve a 10% (plus or minus) speed reduction that can easily be repeated at any intensity. We get about 5% from the grip itself, and 5% from the hand action. Kyle Hendricks and Greg Maddux also share the same nickname: "The Professor". This takes velocity off the ball and creates movement. For his career, Verlander's changeup has posted a 16% SwStr% and 46% GB%. A changeup needs to be thrown with as much intensity as possible. A four-seamer that cuts slightly and works best against right . Kyle Hendricks assigned to Daytona Cubs from Tennessee Smokies. Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks waves as he leaves the field following a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Monday, Sept . He doesnt have much faith in them. The ball is held deeper by the middle and ring fingers, which are less powerful as a combination than the index and middle. Right-hander Kyle Hendricks' changeup has been a staple of his big-league success. 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. I don't view the change up as a strike out pitch, but a pitch that is miss timed causing weak contact. Unsurprisingly, Hendricks' changeup was the runaway . Hes looking for closer to a 10 mph difference. Hold the ball at the base of your middle and ring fingers, then put your thumb on the bottom. The frustrating righty could definitely use a third pitch. Excellent explanations Dan. 10,000+ people already dosign up now! Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks talks about when in his career he developed what he calls his most important pitch: the changeup. It takes a lot of skill to make it to the Majors, and a great offspeed repertoire is part of that. Not so much. Right-hander Kyle Hendricks starts during a spring training game March 4, 2014, between. In this free 47-minute presentation, you'll learn: Written on December 18, 2019 at 4:51 am, by Eric Cressey. RHP Kyle Hendricks assigned to Iowa Cubs from Tennessee Smokies. Would love to compare - similar movement 2 Rob Friedman @PitchingNinja Replying to @dcor_25 Greg Maddux's two seam grip and changeup grip. Pull the string! Condition 1: Pressure must be at the junction of the palm and fingers, not on the fingertips. 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. Hendricks runs his fastball up to 94 MPH, mixing in a slider, curve, and changeup. If you can just mix that in there, its gonna make his stuff even better.. With his 70-72 mph changeup, he creates an even larger speed differential.. The lesson was to concentrate on deception, command, and movement and accept whatever velo differential comes with it, and not to worry about it. OK, so maybe it wasn't the complete game shutout we saw on Opening Day in 2020. Even many major league pitchers are successful with three basic pitches. Steeles slider and curveball are his go-to secondary pitches, resulting in whiffs 29.3% and 34.6% of the time last season, respectively, according to Baseball Savant. Today, well focus on the elusive third pitch. The answer depends on the other big half of the equation: movement. Pressure should be from the thumb to the bottom of the middle and ring fingers. The least effective velocity differential was 11.1 mph. 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). Kyle Hendricks' Changeup . Also like fastballs, changeups thrown with a two-seam grip get more run and fade. Spiking a changeup is caused by the finger tips hooking it into the ground. He. If a changeup is dead-straight, being closer to a 12% reduction is ideal (79mph off a 90mph fastball). By movement, it's almost exactly average. Most pitchers cant throw an effective changeup, curveball or slider. The changeup, for no good reason, is confused. His change caused more hitters to swing and miss (24.4 whiff percentage to 29.8) this season compared to last. So the answer here is kind of, but the changeup really isnt technically a breaking ball. Steele and his girlfriend, Libby Murphy, are expecting their first child, a boy, in July. You can check these in your browser security settings. What Causes A Mental Meltdown in Baseball? 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. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Instead, their two-seam fastball velocities are given. Take a look. Spring training is, after all, a time to work through timing issues. kyle hendricks changeup grip So technically, it does break. The ball should rest up against the top ridge of the palm or at the base of the fingers. 07/31/2012. The change up is supposed to be. Since making his big league debut with the team back in 2014, youve never had to wonder what you were going to get every fifth day. 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. 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. In fact, his changeup whiff percentage this year is second only to Cole Hamels among starters that have thrown the pitch more than 150 times. And, unfortunately, it ended too early. 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. Mine would sink so much that from the dugout (side view) it was often mistaken for a slider or curveball by teammates (atta boy, nice curveball!). 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 . He consistently beats a higher FIP. [In the regular season], I would have started flipping a lot more breaking balls or tried something a lot different, Steele said. by Handedness, R.A. Dickeys Unique Stuff and Conventional Problems. And, straight? Dropping the hand and elbow and short arming across the body. Lets take a look at good examples of both. Steele found himself forcing the fastball, his upper body getting ahead of his lower body. Rather, that arm speed and velocity is lost into the baseball by spinning it. I have a question for you after reading your article. Kyle Hendricks had an April surprise ready for fans who braved the frigid conditions at Wrigley Field. If you like what you hear, wed be thrilled if youd consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving us an iTunes review. That sounds a little better already. Eight? This allows the ball to roll farther off the fingers as its released, increasing spin. There is no one way to skin this cat! To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. I use a simple step-by-step approach to teaching the pitch the cornerstone of which is watching and giving constant feedback on ball spin. And, in part three, well discuss the difference in how you pitch with the modern changeup. Sign up below to receive my beloved weekly emails updates on new videos, articles and content. 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.