Hey I don’t know how to start this so I’m just going to start. I will evaluate Blue Jay pitchers mechanics to determine how injury prone they are. I hear a lot of bull shit from the Toa of Steib and Drunk Jays Fans commenter’s about why pitcher get injured, blaming it on Brad Arnsberg or JP. I figured a good place to start would be the 2009 MLB Draft. We took a lot of pitchers this year and your probably wondering if this one is another future Dr James Andrews patient or Roy Hallday with a somewhat god like imperviousness to injury.
What credentials do I have? None. I have read a lot of books websites on the subject, taken a bio mechanics class and did a “papier-mâché” model of an elbow. But hey I’m as qualified as anyone else on the internet. But hey at least I will relate it to you in English (with poor grammar) instead of some arcane language.
Here are the categories I will use to evaluate these pitchers.
Tempo 101
How long it takes a player to stride and deliver the ball, the faster the better because when it’s slow player tend to lose velocity, as well as it’s easier to steal bases.
Arm action
Pitchers elbow should never go above the plane of your shoulder this puts stress on your shoulder and can lead to labrum problems. (see Mark Prior) This is called hyper abduction.
Pitchers forearm must be vertical by the time your foot hits the ground and your body starts to turn, if not it can lead to serious elbow problems. This is called Late forearm turn over or inverted L. (See BJ Ryan)
Follow through
Recoiling after your through can add more stress onto your elbow and makes you look pretty girly. (see Jake Peavy)
Pitchers should keep their glove close to their chest to help protect their heads from comebacks not doing so and letting it hand down can cause shoulder problems. (see Rich Harden)
1st roud pick: Chad Jenkins
Tempo: It takes chubby here 19-20 frames to deliver the ball, that’s pretty very good and the ideal tempo you want.
Arm Action: Chad Jenkins Arm action is a mixed bag, when he breaks his hands his elbow is way above the line of his shoulder, but by the time he plants his foot and begins to turn his body his elbow comes back down and is even the line of his shoulder. While it’s not as bad as it could be it defiantly could hurt him later on.
I’ve notice that other heavy sinker ballers tend to do the same thing Brandon Webb is guilty of this as well as Brandon league. Both of them have also had a history of shoulder problems I have no doubt the same fate is in store for Jenkins.
His arm action is not terrible but not good either I’m going to put it as a solid below average.
Follow through: Chad does a good job of keeping his arm close to his chest but he does recoil a little bit after the throw putting unnecessary stress on his elbow. Nothing catastrophic but not good either I give it a below average.
Bottom line: Mechanically while not terrible I’m concerned about the long term health of his shoulder, I give it a below average overall.
I’m working on the scouting report for the rest of the draft picks so check back later today.
