Player Profile: Ryan Donahue

Ryan Donahue is a 6’4” 200lb. LHP from La Salle University. He made 24 appearances for the La Salle Explorers this past year, including 9 starts. He pitched a total of 65 innings and posted a 2.91 ERA. He struck out 62 batters and walked 34 of them. He ranked third on his team in ERA, second in wins, third in total appearances, and third on his team in strikeouts.

I know the first thing people are going to ask themselves is “How does a guy like this, who doesn’t put up the best statistics for his small-baseball school, pitch in the Cape Cod Baseball League?” The question becomes reinforced when I talk about how Donahue throws 84-85 mph with a 70-73 mph breaking ball. I am going to pile on to the argument when I talk about how he is below-average (1.53-1.55) to the plate with runners on base. I will defend his ability to keep the running game in control by telling you that he led his team at La Salle in pickoffs, and I will defend Ryan as a pitcher by talking about how unique his mechanics are. I have never seen a pitcher with an arm slot/motion like Ryan’s. He has an extremely deceptive delivery, and that delivery comes from a left-handed arm. As for the 5 points of emphasis used in assessing pitching mechanics, Donahue does everything well. His footwork, balance position, power position, rotation, and follow-through are solid. After watching the video you notice he has strong, yet unique, mechanics. I would not support any youth pitcher trying to emulate his pitching form, but Ryan is successful because his throwing motion creates so much deception. He is not going to blow the ball by anyone in this league, but he will keep hitters off-balance. One of my favorite things about his motion is the step to the first base side, and throwing back across his body. That action creates a lot of movement on his baseball and confuses the hitter. This is evident because he is averaging 14.2 strikeouts per 9 innings. He is going to work exclusively out of the bullpen throughout this 2012 season. Ryan is going to throw the ball funky for the remainder of the year. In doing so, he is going to confuse most hitters and make every left-handed hitter uncomfortable in the box.