Thats a big step, veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks said. Condition 3: Overall hand tension must be as low as possible. The hand pronates inward, slightly, before release. The lesson was to concentrate on deception, command, and movement and accept whatever velo differential comes with it, and not to worry about it. His reliance on movement and location could, at least in theory, help him age better than someone whos sole focus on the mound is blowing heaters past opponents. Like I said, Ive came across it often so it couldnt be a typo. Hendricks' changeup became more productive alongside it. But I really wanted to find that fastball command and hone it in.. His excellent strikeout numbers and walk numbers, combined with his below average ERA have perplexed many, with a few explanations floating out there. But, a -8% changeup must have tremendous movement to be effective. 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. The Mets had a prospect in their system with a solid repertoire but he was having trouble adding an off speed pitch. And, dont forget to sign up for my free newsletter, using the form below. As for the changeup, Steele wanted a bigger drop in velocity from his fastball. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. Baseball is interesting and odd, especially . kyle hendricks changeup grip. The changeup, for no good reason, is confused. We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Among 112 pitchers who have thrown at least 50 sinkers or two-seam fastballs entering Mondays slate of games, Hendricks is tied for the fifth lowest average spin rate (1878 rpm). Controlling the Running Game: Should Young Pitchers Slide Step? He strikes out right-handers regularly with that thing. With his 70-72 mph changeup, he creates an even larger speed differential.. 10? x-mov is in inches, with negative denoting movement towards the rightys arm-side. Practice is key, but to throw a changeup really well, we want to employ some strategies. 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). If the ball is held by the thumb, it keeps it down longer, reducing the likelihood the fingers will hook it into the ground. Fellow right-hander Yu Darvish is certainly capable of making hitters look foolish, but hell need to hone in on the consistency we saw from him in the second half of last year, when he made 13 starts and ran off a 111/7 strikeout-to-walk mark. 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. Building off of last year, balls coming out nicely [and he] looks like hes healthy and going to give us some really good starts.. Theo Epstein called Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks the "foundation" of the Cubs rotation. Odds & lines subject to change. Hendricks predicts the slower changeup will throw off hitters timing even more. I wrote an article on Elitebaseballperformance.com on the same topic, so check that out as well. 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. There are many times when we pitchers get away with a changeup that was thrown a little too hard because late movement caused it to fade off his barrel at the last moment. Dartmouth's Hendricks Is Chicago's Brainy Ace. You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. Armed with his devastating changeup and an unshakable quiet confidence, the Dartmouth alum is ready to take his place as one of the games most elite aces. At the 2:09 mark in the video above, this slight grip alteration between Hendricks sinker and changeup is the only thing thats noticeable. 23 for '23: Who steps up for Cubs in wake of the Seiya Suzuki injury? Gambling problem? No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. "Going JUCO" - Is Playing NJCAA Baseball a Risky Move? very good and useful article I thank you. Heard Hendricks is thinking of changing his name. The result has caught the attention of Hendricks, who relies heavily on his own changeup. Another quick question, then Ill let you go. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. Next. In 2016, he threw his changeup 8.5% of the time, according to Pitch F/X data. He is 15-7, the third hardest-to-hit pitcher in the National League, and he ranks 2, 2 and 2 in on-base percentage-against, slugging percentage-against and OPS-against. Kyle Hendricks, left, and Alexi Pappas as Dartmouth freshmen, in a photo from Pappas. Aside from slowing the arm or hand down, or not finishing the pitch, theres no reliable way to reduce the speed of a changeup when force is applied through the center. Why 10%, give or take? Now Available! If the pitcher can develop a good change up, his fastball will appear faster and the hitters will be less aggressive. Theyll get more of the barrel to the ball than if your changeup meets that 10-12% slower than the fastball criteria that I outlined before. This LHP throws a straight change, he turns it over and it sinks away from RH batters. Whats up with this?! A circle change and a straight change are two different pitches, right?? Kyle Hendricks' Changeup . I taught myself how to throw a changeup in my junior year in college, and it became my best pitch in pro baseball. Hes done all this despite lacking the overpowering velocity that most teams aces boast. We DONT want pressure to be on the fingertips, but rather at the very bottom of the fingers. I send out great new information each week on all things baseball. The pinky and index are bystanders. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. check out my proven programs for pitchers of all ages, check out my proven programsfor pitchers of all ages. I dont use a radar gun most of the time, and they wont have access to one either. In this development stage, he wants to get ahead of hitters before mixing it in. Even with consistency in teach methods, there will be an inconsistency in output. Were excited to welcome Chicago Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks to this weeks podcast. Its not as cool-looking to throw with your buddies. Ive lost count of how many Ive read a report that says a pitcher throws a straight change and that he uses the pitch for the same effect. The changeup Hendricks threw at the time notably wasn't the same as the one he uses in the majors. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. . His slider wasnt the archetypal slider, but it still had deadly effect as shown by his season of 41 saves without a single blown opportunity. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. At the core of this was a changeup he threw almost twice as often as before, and that changeup was a very weird . But, most pitchers will develop a changeup that consistently fits the aforementioned mold. Yet, the grip is just one piece of the puzzle, as the hand action is more important. There was even a sign that once read pitch lab in progress at Sloan Park. Fosh changeup? According to Pitch F/X data, Pineda gets five more inches of horizontal movement on his changeup than on his fastball. And it was very little! Work for full arm extension to the plate on the follow through just like on the fastball. Then, let your index and pinky fingers fall gently to the side of the ball. I wanted to go back out there and fix what I was doing wrong, he said. Six miles per hour? 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. The change up is supposed to be. His change caused more hitters to swing and miss (24.4 whiff percentage to 29.8) this season compared to last. Hendricks throws a sinker and changeup within 7-8 mph of one another. A fastball count is a count when its a little more high-risk to throw an offspeed pitch (which are harder to control). Kyle Hendricks purposefully cuts his changeup sometimes. At the 50-second mark in the video above, theres an example of this grip from an Edgertronic camera. by Retrosheet. 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). The ivy league educated. Turn the hand on the inside of the ball to apply spin. Too many pitchers throw too many pitches. 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 you could call him a two-pitch guy. This article from Forbes details whiff rate for 2019 MLB pitchers, so check it out to learn about some of the best MLB changeups from last year. From there, they can decide to alter the movement profile of the pitch by tweaking its release. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. They, together, accomplish this task of applying spin and speed over and inward on the ball. 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. Still, it is something to think about going forward for Pineda. kyle hendricks changeup grip 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. Its important to understand WHY a changeup is slower. If you work hard practicing it and improving over time, yours will have similar movement to the changeups thrown by Kyle Hendricks and Johnny Cueto. I also loved Felix Hernandezs changeup and Kyle Hendricks as well. The frustrating righty could definitely use a third pitch. Learn more. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. What is an appropriate age? Hook em horns grip? RHP Kyle Hendricks assigned to SOU North Division All-Stars. And, how about some arm-side run? This counteracts the idea that killing more spin automatically means more downward movement (multiple factors go into the movement of every pitch). Sink is good, right? Which version is best? How do I throw a changeup? If they want to learn to throw a changeup well, they need feedback. Cole was sharp, and the King has returned. How can you get the same movement/action using two different grips? If the thumb cradles the ball from the bottom, the rest of the hand can be almost completely relaxed. He was a good-though-not-great pitcher . The end goal, rather, is a mis-hit or swing and miss. The Changeup should be 10-12% slower than a fastball. 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. south bend fire department news. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. All major league baseball data including pitch type, velocity, batted ball location, As you can probably tell, I love the changeup and love teaching 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. 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. Essentially, its no different than a slider or cutter Think about Noah Syndergaards extra-hard slider, and how hard it is to hit. Itll help you a ton. Its easy to dismiss the Cubs starter for Game Three, Kyle Hendricks. Learning how to maximize the effect of the pitch, and minimize its weaknesses is what takes a pitcher to the next level. Mixing in a few two-seamers might improve the effectiveness of his changeup as it is. I did it earlier today, when I called him a two-pitch pitcher. Updated: Saturday, March 4, 2023 3:30 AM ET, Park Factors I wonder why? Tuesday wasnt the day. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. That way, even throwing it to their Mom or Dad, a pitcher can feel for good and bad changeups and consistently reinforce his good habits. 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. But what creates that downward movement on Hendricks changeup is, in part, his grip. Thankfully, theyve got a stalwart anchor atop the rotation in Hendricks. You should be tinkering with this grip and any other you try and see what works best for you to produce the best possible result. So, we need a combination of the hand being as relaxed as possible while still being held securely. Most people just arent on board with this yet. Lets clear it all up. 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. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. The problem is that he doesnt throw a two-seam fastball to go along with his two-seam changeup. Edgertronic cameras can capture images at over 2,000 fps. Major League and Minor League Baseball data provided by Major League Baseball. You try to tell the difference when he tunnels those two pitches.". If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. Examples of fastball counts are 0-0, 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 2-1, 3-1, and 3-2. His arsenal has included a fastball around 88 mph, a changeup at 80, a sinker to deceive between his heater and off-speed and. FanGraphs had Michael Pineda throwing a two-seam fastball 3.7% of the time, which is more than zero. But it's not like Hendricks abandoned the contact game, either. Dan Blewett is a former pro pitcher, baseball academy owner and author of, https://elitebaseballperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/1-1.png, http://Elitebaseballperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ebp-green-transparent-horizontal-logo-300x96.png, The Modern Changeup: The Best New Pitch In Baseball. And, what grip will get him there? In part two of this changeup article series, Ill cover a step-by-step method of teaching and throwing the modern changeup. Kyle Hendricks entered his Sunday Night Baseball start on June 19 against the Pirates never having registered a double-digit strikeout game in his 57 starts. 1 ago. Kyle Hendricks' changeup. Vulcan change? 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. When a pitch is thrown harder, it flies longer along the same trajectory as a fastball. And according to Hendricks, he grips it similarly. But, breaking balls are typically the slider, curveball and cutterpitches that their primary purpose is to break by curving or cutting. 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. Effective circle changeups can reduce the platoon split a pitcher will experience. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Tension and fingertip pressure will result in the pitcher hooking the pitch into the ground more often. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. 13.1 inches. Faster changeups were more effective; slower were much more effective. In theory, getting more movement on his changeup shouldnt be a bad thing. Lets call the zone between -3 and -4 x-movement the no-fly zone. Hendricks achieved a season high in curveball usage (25%) and whiffs (5), finishing off two hitters with the pitch. Lay the middle and ring fingers together between the two-seams, with the thumb on the bottom pointing right at them. 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. By movement, it looks like a cutter almost straight, with about the same sink as his sinker. Several years before Kendrick started throwing his cut change I had came across the pitch in the Minor League Scouting Notebook. Dont set the grip until the ball is hidden in the glove just before the hand break. 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. But, this is just another iteration of his changeup, a different way for a him to manipulate hitters. The average velocity differential was 11.1 mph. Kids need to pay more attention to this stuff. It takes a lot of skill to make it to the Majors, and a great offspeed repertoire is part of that. To do this, the thumb must be on the bottom. In the meantime, subscribe to my Podcast, titled Dear Baseball Gods and find me on Instagram @coachdanblewett. From my years pitching professionally, my experience has been that the more movement a changeup has, the harder it can be thrown. We go by spin, how it comes out of their hand, their arm action and speed, etc. In this guide to throwing a changeup, well dive into the grips, the arm action, spin, hand action and much more. But, this starts with education on what a changeup is and why it does what it does. This episode is brought to you by Rawlings. There is no one way to skin this cat! He wasnt particularly bad at locating his changeup, as shown by a heatmap from FanGraphs: However, hitters were particularly good at hitting his changeup. By his mid-30s, Verlander had all but abandoned his fourth pitch. This was awesome insight thanks so much for sharing! For a veteran pitcher who throws a curveball, sinker, sinking changeup, mixing in an occasional cutting changeup will definitely confuse a hitter. Excellent explanations Dan. 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. That sounds a little better already. Sign up below to receive my beloved weekly emails updates on new videos, articles and content. The means by which Hendricks has found success is well documented. Pull the string! His arm slot and the speed at which he releases each pitch are indistinguishable. Upon release, the fingers are lifted off the ball, the ball rolls up the fingers. Two distinct clusters. But today, well bust some changeup myths and give you all the tools to throw a great one. Both his whiff rate and his Adjusted Contact Score are. He doesnt have much faith in them. However, this doesnt necessarily mean that Pineda should switch grips. After that, its up to the pitcher to put in the time and dedication honing the pitch and learning how to pitch with it. 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. I dont want my son to end up straining. But, we need to do this at a 100% intensity, which is difficult. Heres what David Adler had to say about the right-handers elite offspeed stuff. The actor suffered a brain aneurysm Feb. 18 at his Los Angeles home and died in his sleep Friday at a hospital in Burbank, California, his manager said. After a conventional changeup and a splitter didnt pan out a coach was teaching him how to throw a cut change. It was awesome. If we cut our changeup, how does it vary from a slider? 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. The fact is Hendricks and Maddux share numerous similarities - mechanics, stuff, statistics, and even a nickname. 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. Several MLB hitters claimed to be able to read the spin of pitches, which might be impacting the effectiveness of Pinedas changeup. If the middle and ring finger are apart, they start to work against each other, causing the ball to have inconsistent spin that often cuts. When these harder breaking pitches finally do move off the fastballs path, it makes them appear to break more suddenly, sharper, which in turn makes them more difficult to square up. I hear a lot about wrist pronation and Im concerned about risks of that motion for a 12 yr old. His fastball command issues led to four walks in less than three innings. Steele went into the offseason knowing he wanted to put on at least a little weight. To add to the positive changes in his life, Steele is expected to break camp in the Cubs rotation or, as manager David Ross put it Tuesday morning, Steele has a strong chance of doing so. Be sure to make smart choices regarding your career and your development as a ballplayer! 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. Yankees Mailbag: Managing the infield and Domnguez hype. Its a small blue box, a little bit bigger than a wallet that captures images at extremely high frame rates. 07/16/2013. Twitter: https://twitter.com/cubs Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cubs/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cubs/ Snapchat: http://Snapchat.com/add/Cubs TikTok: http://bit.ly/3jRYPkM Watch the short video below to see what I believe is the modern changeup: If all other parameters are equal, a pitch that has movement is harder to hit than a pitch that is straight. The harder a changeup is thrown, the more it matches fastball arm speed, and initially fools the hitter into thinking that 90mph arm speed = 90mph output. Youd be forgiven for calling the Cut Change a slider. strength and conditioning for baseball and softball. You bet. 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 Kyle Hendricks is proving he's an above-average strikeout pitcher. With a phone full of pictures of pitchers' fingers, strange beers, and his two toddler sons, Eno Sarris can be found at the ballpark or a brewery most days. If you can just mix that in there, its gonna make his stuff even better.. Id say Stephen Strasburgit has such crazy sink and armside run, Im not sure how anyone ever hits it. 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. A tense hand also tends to force the changeup into the ground, resulting in spiked changeups that are often the signature of beginners. Pitchers who haven't reached puberty should not throw breaking pitches competitively due to their lack of muscle, ligament and bone development. Spring training is, after all, a time to work through timing issues. Pitchers who use four-seam grips need a large velocity gap between their fastball and changeup, looking at the table shown above. If you called his Cut Change a slutter, you might best get across what hes doing with the pitch. SUMMARY 2022 Career WAR 0.5 The changeup should also sink and run, which is movement to the pitchers armside of the plate. Marshall threw his two-seam fastball similar to this Edgertronic footage, but from a left-handed release. We maximize lateral spin application by forcing the ball to roll up the fingers before finally releasing off the fingertip. We prefer the 3 finger grip because we find it easier to control. Condition 1: Pressure must be at the junction of the palm and fingers, not on the fingertips. A slider has defined spin, a mixture of bullet-spin, forward and side spin that creates a visible red dot. This takes velocity off the ball and creates movement. We all know that Hendricks has a first rate changeup, but it may surprise some to learn exactly how good it is. Hes looking for closer to a 10 mph difference. Hendricks sinker achieves about 26 inches of downward vertical movement on average, roughly five inches more than league average in 2020. Rather, the pink and index finger comfortably rest on the side of the ball, as they dont have a strong role. I told him, Dad strength it happens immediately, right?. The changeup is especially hard to learn because it doesnt have an easily-observed break like other pitches. Online baseball performance training programs for youth and advanced players! The Cubs and many other teams in baseball have concocted facilities to help their pitchers with mechanics, pitch design and efficiency. When Hendricks is on, weve seen this in action. 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. Hes looked really good, Ross said of Steele. Yankees 4, Nationals 2: Walk-off Wednesday, The Yankees Top 10 Prospects: No. He started playing with changeup grips, burying the ball deeper into his hand. . What Causes A Mental Meltdown in Baseball? The middle and ring finger MUST be close together. In this free 47-minute presentation, you'll learn: Written on December 18, 2019 at 4:51 am, by Eric Cressey. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. Last year, he used the breaking ball 9.5 percent of the time. Just head to www.Rawlings.com and enter coupon code CRESSEY20 and youll receive 20% off on your order. 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. Kyle Hendricks Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com Kyle Hendricks Position: Pitcher Bats: Right Throws: Right 6-3 , 190lb (190cm, 86kg) Team: Chicago Cubs (majors) More bio, uniform, draft, salary info 2016 World Series ERA Title 28 Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. Youll learn everything you need to know to throw one that sinks and runs with great deception and arm speed. For his career, Verlander's changeup has posted a 16% SwStr% and 46% GB%. Dan, I was a Baseball Ops consultant for the Red Sox and did an analysis of changeup effectiveness.
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