Hendricks doesn't throw his fastball 90 mph, and yet deGrom can run his changeup up to 93 mph. And, in part three, well discuss the difference in how you pitch with the modern changeup. 12? Despite ample legal trouble, Sizemore had steady film and television credits. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. 23 for '23: What is the Cubs' plan at third base? June 7, 2022 . Take a look. Required fields are marked *, I agree to the terms and conditions laid out in the Privacy Policy. Less movement begins to resembled the mythical gyroball and apparently fools MLB hitters who pick up the spin. His arsenal has included a fastball around 88 mph, a changeup at 80, a sinker to deceive between his heater and off-speed and. A left-handed pitcher's circle change will break down and away from a right-handed batter. The changeup should also sink and run, which is movement to the pitchers armside of the plate. Trying to Hit Kyle Hendricks - Cubs DNA Lay the middle and ring fingers together between the two-seams, with the thumb on the bottom pointing right at them. Either way, it is hard not to feel like Pineda is one small adjustment away from something special. Suddenly, Kyle Hendricks is a three-pitch guy, with an elite change, a good slider, and good command of a good sinker. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. Too many pitchers throw too many pitches. The odd thing about Hendricks is that his changeup actually spins more than his fastball, roughly 300 rpm more on average in 2020. "My changeup was similar, but I wasn't establishing my fastball down in the zone." Changeups that start and leave from the fingertips do not gather as much spin, and often fly too straight or flat.. Spring training is more important than you think. Major League and Minor League Baseball data provided by Major League Baseball. Hendricks rotates the ball backwards less than 90 degrees, allowing his two fingers to sit right below the horseshoe (the right side of the split screen at the 50-second mark). Even with consistency in teach methods, there will be an inconsistency in output. Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks throwing a sinker and a changeup Steele found himself forcing the fastball, his upper body getting ahead of his lower body. I hear a lot about wrist pronation and Im concerned about risks of that motion for a 12 yr old. Spiking a changeup is caused by the finger tips hooking it into the ground. One of the biggest frustrations for pitchers new to the changeup is that they bounce it too much. I had this conversation with a friend of mine who is a scout and former Big Leaguer. The grip will be the same and the arm and hand action applies just the same no matter the age of the player. The grips here will help you create action, organically reducing stress forces on the elbow and shoulder. If so, then stick with me! the arm pronates on every single throw its not possible to not pronate. best cars to camber in forza horizon 4 kyle hendricks changeup grip. Now Available! But what creates that downward movement on Hendricks changeup is, in part, his grip. Dont try to get too much backside drive and hip rotation into the pitch. Tyler Chatwood seems likely to rejoin the rotation after a year of serving in a swingman role, alongside southpaw Jose Quintana and the elder statesman of the group in Jon Lester. very good and useful article I thank you. Its an effective pitch pretty much anytime its thrown, but throwing a changeup in fastball counts is the most effective. For all other changeups, as movement decreases, speed change must proportionally increase. Looking at the most effective changeups of 2016, a trend emerges. So, we need a combination of the hand being as relaxed as possible while still being held securely. Hendricks throws a sinker and changeup within 7-8 mph of one another. And I was able to, so it was good to end on that note.. 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. As a high school pitcher under Wright's direction, Hendricks added a changeup. This is why we need a defined hand action that converts speed into spin. Id say Stephen Strasburgit has such crazy sink and armside run, Im not sure how anyone ever hits it. The incredible thing about Hendricks is that in his Game 1 quality start in Mondays doubleheader, neither his sinker or changeup were his best pitch. First, lets get it straight: a changeup does have a defined set of characteristics, and not all grips are created equal. No, Im not blowing smokeIve taught lots of pitchers over the years, and its not hard to produce a heavy sinking changeup. This second 5% is important not only in reducing the pitchs speed, but in also making the the changeup sink and run to the armside. Pressure should be from the thumb to the bottom of the middle and ring fingers. Prospect Retrospective: Kyle Hendricks, RHP, Chicago Cubs Hendricks two-seamer moves 12.7 inches from left to right. Steele and his girlfriend, Libby Murphy, are expecting their first child, a boy, in July. Kyle Hendricks and Greg Maddux also share the same nickname: "The Professor". Although other factors come into play, less spin means less resistance to the downward force of gravity, which allows the ball to drop more than expected. Hendricks, in a way, sacrifices that extra killed spin on his changeup for a nearly identical arm slot and release point to his sinker, creating a superb amount of deception. Behold the insane movement of Kyle Hendricks' changeup Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes! . 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). But over the course of 162 games, you lose weight, he said. Several MLB hitters claimed to be able to read the spin of pitches, which might be impacting the effectiveness of Pinedas changeup. At the 50-second mark in the video above, theres an example of this grip from an Edgertronic camera. His change caused more hitters to swing and miss (24.4 whiff percentage to 29.8) this season compared to last. With his pitch count climbing in the second inning, the Cubs took advantage of spring-training rules, pulling him with two outs and then putting him back in for the third inning. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Examples of fastball counts are 0-0, 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 2-1, 3-1, and 3-2. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. But his changeup looks like the exact same pitch only it comes in even slower, at 78.6. Category Baseball Content, Podcasts | Tags: Baseball Training, Chicago Cubs, Cressey Sports Performance, Elite Baseball Development, elite baseball development podcast, Kyle Hendricks, Pitching Coach, Pitching Mechanics, 2023 Cressey Training Systems, LLC Privacy Policy | Terms of use We go by spin, how it comes out of their hand, their arm action and speed, etc. Just remember: even the nastiest pitch still needs to be thrown at the right time in an at-bat to maximize its effectiveness. All UZR (ultimate zone rating) calculations are provided courtesy of Mitchel Lichtman. The change up is supposed to be. The Changeup should be 10-12% slower than a fastball. This is a key part of the changeup grip. So the answer here is kind of, but the changeup really isnt technically a breaking ball. If Michael Pineda never puts it together, no one will ever be able to say that it was due to a lack of effort from internet analysts trying to diagnose his problems. But today, well bust some changeup myths and give you all the tools to throw a great one. Itll help you a ton. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. If it can be a more effective weapon, maybe Sunday night's 14 percent usage is a sign of things to come this year. Effective circle changeups can reduce the platoon split a pitcher will experience. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. CSP Elite Baseball Development Podcast: Kyle Hendricks - Eric Cressey I know he had great stuff and his pitches had tons of movement but he constantly struggled with command his entire career. 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. Yankees 4, Nationals 2: Walk-off Wednesday, The Yankees Top 10 Prospects: No. They put up a .903 OPS against Pinedas offspeed pitch, and it didnt seem to matter if he located it down and away against lefties: Pinedas poor changeup shouldnt come as a surprise. 07/16/2013. Youll learn everything you need to know to throw one that sinks and runs with great deception and arm speed. Put your thumb on the bottom of the ball and your middle and ring fingers together. Its easy to dismiss the Cubs starter for Game Three, Kyle Hendricks. Instead, their two-seam fastball velocities are given. Kyle Hendricks assigned to Tennessee Smokies from Daytona Cubs. "I just didn't have it last year," Hendricks said. 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. Why 10%, give or take? Cubs lefty Justin made his third start of spring training against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday. Mixing in a few two-seamers might improve the effectiveness of his changeup as it is. But, we need to do this at a 100% intensity, which is difficult. This tactic is HUGE and is a major reason why the changeup is so effective. [] part one of this series on the changeup, we discussed the modern changeup, a version of the changeup that is typified by [], Your email address will not be published. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. Theo Epstein called Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks the "foundation" of the Cubs rotation. I dont use a radar gun most of the time, and they wont have access to one either. There are tons of contradictions and conflicting details in scouting reports. The mystery of Kyle Freeland's changeup - Purple Row Follow him on Twitter @enosarris if you can handle the sandwiches and inanity. His other stuff is elite. It wont matter what kind of firepower the likes of Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Kyle Schwarber, Willson Contreras and Anthony Rizzo bring to the table if this group cant keep opponents off the board. Having the thumb underneath also allows pitchers to throw the ball as hard as they can without constantly spiking it. Not only do pitchers and pitching coaches have to work on maintaining the grip, the shape and everything else that goes into throwing a pitch, but they also have to make sure pitchers have that confidence in it before they even . He also ranks second in the. 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 according to Hendricks, he grips it similarly. You can do so HERE. The version I threw in college and pro ball moved as much as both of these accomplished MLB pitchers. However, this doesnt necessarily mean that Pineda should switch grips. The velocity data doesnt help a ton, but by movement, you can see it. Kyle Hendricks' changeup. Its a little slower than your traditional slider, without as much vertical break as most sliders, but it looks a bit like a slider. 23 for '23: Who steps up for Cubs in wake of the Seiya Suzuki injury? Lets call the zone between -3 and -4 x-movement the no-fly zone. At the core of this was a changeup he threw almost twice as often as before, and that changeup was a very weird . "Going JUCO" - Is Playing NJCAA Baseball a Risky Move? 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. RHP Kyle Hendricks assigned to Iowa Cubs from Tennessee Smokies. At the 50-second mark in the video above, theres an example of this grip from an Edgertronic camera. Two Common Curveball Mistakes Pitchers Should Avoid, How to Throw the Modern Change Up - Elite Baseball Performance, Excellent arm speed that appears identical to the fastball, Speed reduction of 8-12% (miles per hour value varies depending on fastball velocity). The breaking pitches create more stress on the elbow joint and bicep in young pitchers may not be developed enough to properly decelerate the forearm. He throws strikes and has a sense on how to pitch, and looks like a sleeper prospect to me. All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com. I don't view the change up as a strike out pitch, but a pitch that is miss timed causing weak contact. Cubs Spring Training Notebook: Swanson's winning mentality, Lester's mark on Steele, Cubs make some spring history. A fastball count is a count when its a little more high-risk to throw an offspeed pitch (which are harder to control). And technology like Edgertronic cameras can help us appreciate his success more than ever. 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!). If youbelieve adding velocity could be critical to your success,check out my proven programsfor pitchers of all ages. Chicago Cubs: Kyle Hendricks, his changeup and his ascension to ace The test is, the ball is still held in place with all four fingers straightened. 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%). Josh Breaux becomes the latest Yankee catcher to go down to injury; the Yankees are on the lookout for replacements behind the plate; a profile of super-prospect Anthony Volpe; how players react to becoming Yankees. By pronating the hand onto the inside of the ball just before release (think pouring out a can of soda), we accomplish two things: And with that, we have given the changeup a reliable set of characteristics just like any other pitch. The ball should rest up against the top ridge of the palm or at the base of the fingers. The grip helps us remove speed from a changeup while simultaneously applying spin to it. A slider has defined spin, a mixture of bullet-spin, forward and side spin that creates a visible red dot. 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. How To Throw a Changeup with Cubs Pitcher Kyle Hendricks The thumb is the pressure point, and its location on the bottom of the ball is crucial. As a side note, my students rarely bounce changeups while they learn them, because the grip I teach provides a relaxed hand. Where he separates himself is with the Cut Change, which has a combination of movement and velocity that makes it hard to classify. 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. The speed difference is significant, but the difference in their running action is nearly zero. 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. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. *This article may contain product links which pay me a small commission if you make a purchase. Circle change? 1 ago. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. Hey, thanks for the article! Thats always a plus. Love the video. Its time we all start learning this same type of pitch. This week, MLB.com had a team of writers pen a piece on the games nastiest changeups and you can be sure Hendricks name showed up on said list. You want something with different speed, Marshall said. Your email address will not be published. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Gerrit Coles first spring start comes against Detroit. Several years before Kendrick started throwing his cut change I had came across the pitch in the Minor League Scouting Notebook. The middle and ring finger do the job of turning the ball inward (pronating over it), and the thumb holds it in place. Lawmakers and others should not seek to undo laws meant to protect people from gun violence. For his career, Verlander's changeup has posted a 16% SwStr% and 46% GB%. MLB's Most Effective Changeups: Hamels, Hendricks And deGrom - Forbes I also loved Felix Hernandezs changeup and Kyle Hendricks as well. The changeup is especially hard to learn because it doesnt have an easily-observed break like other pitches. 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. Simply head to www.Rawlings.com and use the code, CRESSEY20, at checkout and youll save 20% off your order! And, what grip will get him there? Whats the best way to start throwing this critically important pitch? First, definitely check out this video below, as it delves deep into the philosophy of throwing a changeup behind in the count. The changeup was traditionally just a pitch that was slowerit was straight and slower, that was it. I would like to know how an 8-year-old childs arm can be strengthened, help me on that, thanks. From there, they can decide to alter the movement profile of the pitch by tweaking its release. Pull the string! So, you see more MLB pitchers throwing changeups that are harder (8-12% slower than their fastball) but with lots of downward movement. Not so much. Learning how to maximize the effect of the pitch, and minimize its weaknesses is what takes a pitcher to the next level. 07/31/2012. Hendricks rotates the ball backwards less than 90 degrees, allowing his two fingers to sit right below the horseshoe (the right side of the split screen at the 50-second mark). Kyle Hendricks had an April surprise ready for fans who braved the frigid conditions at Wrigley Field. Condition 4: To accomplish the above, the thumb must be on the bottom of the baseball. Hendricks is predominantly a sinker (42.4 percent of his pitches in 2019) and changeup (27.8 percent) pitcher, mixing in the four-seamer and curve as well. The pinky and index are bystanders. Gambling problem? Straight changeups are sooooo old-school. Heres what David Adler had to say about the right-handers elite offspeed stuff. All of which is a lengthy preamble to guide you to the point of this whole piece, which was Hendricks' changeup usage and results from Wednesday. How can you get the same movement/action using two different grips? Hendrick's curveball elevates 'foundation' of Cubs rotation - RSN 1 Anthony Volpe, The 25 Most Surprising Seasons in Yankees History. Pitchers want to create as many variables as possible to prevent the hitter from getting barrel to ball. 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. Provided the speed reduction is there, anomalies in movement are okay, and to be expected no two pitchers are alike. This actually makes sense if you realize that MLB hitters pick up the changeup spin more often than not. Hendricks sets tone on Opening Day vs. Crew again - NBC Chicago Condition 2: The ball must be held stable with as little pressure as possible. This is the first article in a 3-part series on throwing the modern changeup. Excellent explanations Dan. An Introduction to Seam-Shifted Wakes and their Effect on Sinkers The hand pronates inward, slightly, before release. Fold your other two fingers down the sides, and turn the ball inside as you release like youre pouring out a can of Coke. Pingback: How to Throw a Curveball - The Definitive Guide, Pingback: Here are The Best Pitching Drills for Young Players in 2021. The table below shows the qualified pitchers with the 10 highest pitch values for changeups, in terms of FanGraphs Pitch Values metric. Its a small blue box, a little bit bigger than a wallet that captures images at extremely high frame rates. Hendricks has a conventional change that gets unconventional whiffs, perhaps because he shows identical arm speed or has some deception in his delivery. Steele went into the offseason knowing he wanted to put on at least a little weight. The main criticism. We tilt the axis of rotation of the ball to a diagonal axis, which will result in angled downward movement a mix of both arm-side lateral movement (run) and sink. Most people just arent on board with this yet. A circle change and a straight change are two different pitches, right?? I told him, Dad strength it happens immediately, right?. 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. The Mets had a prospect in their system with a solid repertoire but he was having trouble adding an off speed pitch. MESA, Ariz. Cubs lefty Justin Steele came into camp 20 pounds heavier and with a new changeup in his arsenal. But, most pitchers will develop a changeup that consistently fits the aforementioned mold. With a new grip on his curve, even Kyle Hendricks can't contain his In the meantime, subscribe to my Podcast, titled Dear Baseball Gods and find me on Instagram @coachdanblewett. Be sure to make smart choices regarding your career and your development as a ballplayer! Odds & lines subject to change. They, together, accomplish this task of applying spin and speed over and inward on the ball. Rather, the pink and index finger comfortably rest on the side of the ball, as they dont have a strong role. A curveball has defined spin, topspin moving in a 12-6 or 1-7 orientation with as true a spin axis as possible. There was even a sign that once read pitch lab in progress at Sloan Park. If we cut our changeup, how does it vary from a slider?