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Saturday, August 22, 2009

MASN: Dibble: Forget age - Great mechanics should dictate a promotion to the Bigs

Dibs introduces his Danny Almonte Carlo method…

One thing that has bothered me since I retired after the 1996 season is the way pro baseball pitchers have been handled--or should I say mishandled.

Not many people will ever be blessed with the skills necessary to pitch at the Major League level. When the Washington Nationals drafted and signed Stephen Strasburg, it marked a new beginning for them and the start of Stephen’s pro career.

He is a very special young pitcher, just like Tim Lincecum, Tommy Hanson, Mark Prior and Kerry Wood.

Some of the hype surrounding those players has been expected, but some of these pitchers, I feel, were pressed into big league action before they were ready. I truly believe that pitch counts are way overrated and great mechanics, not throwing across your body, repeating your delivery and protecting your arm are way too overlooked in today’s game.

Were Kerry Wood and/or Mark Prior rushed to the bigs? Were they too young, or were they not taught properly? We may never know that answer.

...I don’t think age should dictate when you are ready to pitch in the Major Leagues, but I’m quite certain great mechanics should.

Let’s give Stephen Strasburg and every other young pitcher the tools necessary to last as long as Nolan Ryan or Greg Maddux - That way we can all enjoy them all for a very long time…

Repoz Posted: August 22, 2009 at 09:25 AM | 19 comment(s)
Related News: General, History, Sabermetrics, Projections, Washington

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1. Teal & Black Posted: August 22, 2009 at 08:45 AM (#3301907)

So after SS blows out his arm in his third full season, will everyone be on board the whole "inverted W is a bad idea" thing?

Not that I'm rooting against the guy. I just think there's been a pretty decent case made against the I-W. Of course, getting, say, 2 and a half good years out of Strasburg would probably be worth the signing money.

2. Jim (jimmuscomp) Posted: August 22, 2009 at 08:56 AM (#3301908)

I think that Dibble might be worthy of the "dumber than 10 dogs" meme - even more so than Lasorda. Tommy is just senile, Dibble is a mouth-breather.

3. ellsbury my heart at wounded knee Posted: August 22, 2009 at 10:23 AM (#3301939)

I think that Dibble might be worthy of the "dumber than 10 dogs" meme - even more so than Lasorda. Tommy is just senile, Dibble is a mouth-breather.

4. snapper Posted: August 22, 2009 at 10:28 AM (#3301942)

What's so dumb about this article? Not only is it not dumb, it makes some sense. I can see that there might be a case that we don't exactly know what good mechanics are, and that the study of pitching mechanics is more an art than a science, but you're not making that case. The reflexive Dibble-bashing seems a little over the top.

I agree. While we don't quite know what good mechanics are, we know that we want a pitcher to be able to repeat/maintain throughout his 100-120 pitches.

I makes total sense that varying your mechanics when tired will lead to injury.

5. Jim (jimmuscomp) Posted: August 22, 2009 at 11:13 AM (#3301967)

Sorry, I misread the intro and thought he said that good mechanics will give each pitcher the "tools to be Nolan Ryan or Greg Maddux." Apologies.

Obviously repeatability of mechanics is a huge key to pitching and maintaining command.

I was looking for dumb-Dibble and this doesn't seem to be that.

Color me surprised.

6. STEAGLES came to play Posted: August 22, 2009 at 11:21 AM (#3301976)

the inverted W hype is ########. yes, it's bad mechanics, and yes, it leads to injury, but it takes a half second to fix, and there's absolutely nothing to it.

i say that as someone who screwed up his arm having been taught the inverted W in little league. it's seriously hilarious how quick and easy to fix it is.

7. Eric J Posted: August 22, 2009 at 11:35 AM (#3301985)

Danny Almonte Carlo method…

This is either madness, or brilliance.

8. Miss Remember Posted: August 22, 2009 at 11:53 AM (#3301992)

So after SS blows out his arm in his third full season, will everyone be on board the whole "inverted W is a bad idea" thing?

Jake Peavy's 1300 innings say hi

9. Tripon Posted: August 22, 2009 at 11:56 AM (#3301994)

If you're a young pitcher, you're going to get protected no matter what.

10. A Surfeit of Peaches Graham (SdeB) Posted: August 22, 2009 at 01:07 PM (#3302029)

Well, Prior supposedly had the best mechanics ever, so I don't see how Dibble can call him a victim of mishandling.

11. Tripon Posted: August 22, 2009 at 01:10 PM (#3302032)

But he was a victim of mishandling. Dusty Baker loves to kill young pitching.

12. 8ball Posted: August 22, 2009 at 04:09 PM (#3302168)

Peavy hasn't exactly been the picture of health.

13. RayDiPerna Posted: August 22, 2009 at 04:21 PM (#3302172)

Well, Prior supposedly had the best mechanics ever,

Yes, that's what we kept hearing at the time, but there's been some revisionist history on this point.

14. Orangepeel Posted: August 22, 2009 at 08:27 PM (#3302273)

the inverted W hype is ########. yes, it's bad mechanics, and yes, it leads to injury, but it takes a half second to fix, and there's absolutely nothing to it.

I don't know what level you played at. Little League? That would explain why you think it's something easy to fix. When a professional pitcher has thrown thousands of pitches and practiced his motion over and over again, it's foolish to think you can change, and completely ignorant to say it would be easy to change.

Of course, the other idea that Dibble seems to be getting at, that all pitchers should be taught to throw like Maddux or Ryan to keep them healthy, is illogical. Not only does it contradict what I said above, about changing a pitcher's mechanics, but it also assumes that all people have the same amount of success with all types of mechanics. If Strasburg threw like Maddux, would he throw 100 MPH? Likely not. Would he have the control Maddux has? Not necessarily. You can't just change mechanics willy-nilly, especially if it's only to put them in line with someone else's mechanics.

Professional pitchers use mechanics that will help them become professionals. Therefore, they are good mechanics.

15. ValueArbitrageur Posted: August 24, 2009 at 02:36 AM (#3303102)

Well, Prior supposedly had the best mechanics ever,

Back in the stone ages he did. Todays modern analysts use him as an example of what not to do.

16. OsunaSakata Posted: August 24, 2009 at 12:28 PM (#3303467)

Wasn't Dibble reputed to have really bad mechanics on his throwing motion?

17. AROM Posted: August 24, 2009 at 12:33 PM (#3303477)

What is the inverted W? Is it explained if I click on the link?

18. Gonfalon Bubble Posted: August 24, 2009 at 12:37 PM (#3303483)

It's where Smiler Grogan buried his money.

19. billyjack Posted: August 24, 2009 at 12:47 PM (#3303508)

Actually, Al Leiter over the weekend had a feature on mechanics-- he showed Edinson Volquez's delivery, and pointed out the unnecessary extra torque/strain he puts on his arm by doing a Messersmith type wiggle as he rears back. Pretty interesting stuff.

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MASN: Dibble: Forget age - Great mechanics should dictate a promotion to the Bigs

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