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Sean Newcomb seems to waste a lot of power potential..

WCDawg

I know his mechanics were deliberately dialed back by our minor league pitching coaches, but I just don't understand why he doesn't drive off his left leg.
The kid is built to pitch like Roger Clemens, but he collapses is support leg and loses a ton of the kinetic force that should come through his hips. In the long run he's likely to wear his shoulder and arm as well.
Has anybody else noticed this ?

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WCDawg

@dbrown7494 said:
Maybe he can’t control his 97 mph fastball like his 93 mph because control is much more important than mph in my opinion.
The other thought is maybe he is not trying to throw 100% percent like most guys do on every pitch in today’s baseball. Where pitchers used to only throw the ball at 70 to 80% which wasn’t his max speed but when he needs the 100% he can get to it.

Using the back leg to drive through should actually be beneficial to control.
Just youtube any great power pitcher from Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan to Clemens, they all used similar mechanics.

Bankwalker

That's the guy's whole problem. His mechanics are still a bit of a mess. His walk rate and strike rate are among the worst in baseball, and his release point on breaking balls is quite a bit different than on his fastball. His changeup is vastly improved for one reason - he brought his release points together for both pitches. Hitters know if the pitch is a breaking ball as soon as he lets go of the ball, and are able to let pitches tail out of the strike zone. He has amazing stuff. If he can bring his release points ts together then he will be unhittable.

donm

Is lazy the same as “smooth” or “effortless” ?> @judasdurant said:

@donm said:
Is lazy the same as “smooth” or “effortless” ?

Eh not really. He doesn’t really follow through or push off with his back leg that hard. That’s the difference between 93/94 where he is now and 97/98 where he could be with his size

The radar gun often shows him throwing in the 96-98 range. I thought I heard the announcers say he's working on throwing "slower" to help his control.

judasdurant

@donm said:
Is lazy the same as “smooth” or “effortless” ?> @judasdurant said:

@donm said:
Is lazy the same as “smooth” or “effortless” ?

Eh not really. He doesn’t really follow through or push off with his back leg that hard. That’s the difference between 93/94 where he is now and 97/98 where he could be with his size

The radar gun often shows him throwing in the 96-98 range. I thought I heard the announcers say he's working on throwing "slower" to help his control.

I mean control got maddux into cooperstown

WCDawg

@judasdurant said:

@donm said:
Is lazy the same as “smooth” or “effortless” ?> @judasdurant said:

@donm said:
Is lazy the same as “smooth” or “effortless” ?

Eh not really. He doesn’t really follow through or push off with his back leg that hard. That’s the difference between 93/94 where he is now and 97/98 where he could be with his size

The radar gun often shows him throwing in the 96-98 range. I thought I heard the announcers say he's working on throwing "slower" to help his control.

I mean control got maddux into cooperstown

Very true, but so did durability. He was on The DL just 15 days in his 23 years in MLB.
Good mechanics often = durability, Glavine was 42 years old before he spent a day on The DL, he was similar to Maddux mechanically.
Newcomb puts a crap load of stress on his shoulder and arm because his support leg collapses to where power doesn't transfer well from the ground to his release point.

donm

I wonder why no one in the Braves or his previous organization has told him this.

WCDawg

@donm said:
I wonder why no one in the Braves or his previous organization has told him this.

They have.
His mechanics have been tinkered with several times.
Organizations often tolerate odd deliveries because they sometimes create weird action on the ball that coaches are hesitant to risk losing. The down side is those mechanics often lead to injuries.
Hitting on the other hand has become much more uniform in it's approach. Most of the great hitters use very similar mechanical approaches today.
I was noticing how good Albies' approach is, obviously it's working.

PTDawg

@WCDawg said:

@donm said:
I wonder why no one in the Braves or his previous organization has told him this.

They have.
His mechanics have been tinkered with several times.
Organizations often tolerate odd deliveries because they sometimes create weird action on the ball that coaches are hesitant to risk losing. The down side is those mechanics often lead to injuries.
Hitting on the other hand has become much more uniform in it's approach. Most of the great hitters use very similar mechanical approaches today.
I was noticing how good Albies' approach is, obviously it's working.

Aren't some of these issues why the Braves were willing to trade Tommy Hansen several years ago? I seem to recall a lot of discussion about his mechanics and the organization believing that it would lead to injury.

christopherules

Weren't these some of the same problems that John Smoltz had?

WCDawg

@christopherules said:
Weren't these some of the same problems that John Smoltz had?

Not that I'm aware of.
As hard as it is to fathom Smoltz had a bad case of nerves early in his career though.
He credits a sports psychologist who helped him get past it.

orlando

Don’t go changing stuff right now, the kid is pitching very good. Locate that heater a little better is all that’s needed.

WCDawg

@orlando said:
Don’t go changing stuff right now, the kid is pitching very good. Locate that heater a little better is all that’s needed.

Don't go chasing waterfalls.

andrews1253

@donm said:

@WCDawg said:
I know his mechanics were deliberately dialed back by our minor league pitching coaches, but I just don't understand why he doesn't drive off his left leg.
The kid is built to pitch like Roger Clemens, but he collapses is support leg and loses a ton of the kinetic force that should come through his hips. In the long run he's likely to wear his shoulder and arm as well.
Has anybody else noticed this ?

If he fails as a pitcher he can always play safety. Doesn't develop enough kinetic force through his hips to play CB.

Ouch!

andrews1253

@christopherules said:
Weren't these some of the same problems that John Smoltz had?

Smoltzy had one of the most sound windup and deliveries I ever saw.

christopherules

@andrews1253 I was referring to the injuries. That was my confusion. The GREAT John Smoltz (later on in his career) had a series of injuries that both Greg Maddux, & Tom Glavine seemed to somehow avoid. I was wondering if it his motion, or his style of pitching had anything to do with all of the unfortunate injuries that Smoltz suffered. Maddux was a master of changing speed and location, location, location. Glavine lived all day long (as a leftie) on the outside part of the plate, & then as the game wore on he went further outside, & then a little further outside, & then just a touch further.... While, John Smoltz (to me anyway) was a POWER pitcher. That was what I was wondering??