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.

Game Highlight: Josh Dezse

     I know I did a player profile on Josh during the preseason, but I wanted to record some video and talk about his game tonight. In tonight's game at Doran Park, Josh hit the go ahead home run in the Bottom of the 7th. Then, he came in to record the save. In tonight's save, Josh dropped his ERA an entire run from 5.79 to 4.76. His WHIP was 1.71 and dropped to 1.59. Batters are hitting a paltry .200 (71.4% weakly hit average), and Josh records outs on 85.7% of the hitters he starts off with a first pitch strike. Most Importantly, Josh is 100% in his save chances.
    As for his mechanics, they are flat-out effortless. Ordinarily, It is difficult to hit a player who throws in the mid-90s with a high-70s curve. However, when the ball jumps out of the hand of the opposing pitcher, your task becomes that much more daunting. Josh takes a small step to the first base side, keeps his head above his drive foot, and uses a strong base to work into his balance point. While Josh's leg is slightly higher, than that ideal balance point that Chad Green had, he is very balanced before his delivery. Josh turns his trunk slightly to gather a little bit more momentum to the plate. I would like the viewer to notice that his hands are together and right above his raised leg. This is my preferred hand position. I know that pitchers, like Dice-K, are a little bit different, but this is what I feel best prepares the pitcher to deliver the baseball. The next step is the power position. I know it is petty to tell a guy who throws in the mid-90s that he can generate more power, but this is where I feel Josh is losing those 2-3mph on his fastball he had last year. If the viewer stops the video at exactly 0:09 seconds,or chooses to watch the slow motion side view, you can see that Josh could drive that little bit extra before delivery (see photo of my favorite pitcher Greg Maddux below). The contrast is that Maddux's leg is straight and fully extended, and that Josh's is slightly bent. You can notice that Greg's front foot is pointed because he needed that little-extra on his fastball. I feel if Josh gives that little extra push, off his back leg/foot, his fastball will EXPLODE! The next step is rotation. Josh does an excellent job of involving his core muscles in his delivery. He uses the "bow and arrow" technique and whips his entire upper body to the plate. Finally, he allows his leg and arm to come to a natural stop. I have heard from a former trainer that more damage is done to the arm while stopping than during the actual throwing motion. It is important for all young pitchers to let their body naturally finish their delivery. As for Josh Dezse, he is going to close out games and come in during pressure situations. This is expected from this flamethrower who has a bright future ahead of him. So bright that the Bleacher Report has him projected as the #11 overall pick in the 2013 Draft!

Player Profile: Justin Jones

     Last night was the debut for 6’2” 188 lb. LHP Justin Jones. In 2012 at the University of California-Berkeley, Jones appeared in 16 games (starting 15) and posted a 4.57 ERA. In 80.2 innings of work, he struck-out 50 and walked 31. In the Bleacher Report’s “Omaha Eye-Openers” they said that, “He controls his high 80s fastball very well. His curveball and changeup both have slightly above-average potential. That was enough to get him tabbed in the seventh round out of high school by the White Sox.”
         Jones fastball registered on the gun 86-89 mph, with a lot of inside tail to a right-handed batter, and his curveball sat 76-79mph. He was 1.58 seconds to 1.79 seconds with runners on, but that is because of his quirky delivery to the plate. The first weird thing Justin does is pitch from the third-base side of the mound. This is obviously something he feels comfortable in doing. Pitching from the side of the mound is common among several big-leaguers, including C.C. Sabathia (Picture and funny animated GIF Below). Justin Jones takes his “footwork” step to the third base side as well. I firmly believe that it doesn’t matter where, or how, a pitcher steps to set his feet. The important thing is that his head remains above his balance/drive foot. Jones does an excellent job of keeping his head above that drive leg. The next unusual thing, Jones does is when he kicks his leg; he curls his body to gain more momentum to the plate. Justin then kicks his leg out and swings it to the plate. Another belief of mine is that as long as a pitcher maintains balance throughout his delivery and reaches the “power position” effectively then it doesn’t matter what he does. Jones does an excellent job of driving off his back leg to reach that power position upon delivery. Rather than using the “bow and arrow” technique, he uses a straight arm tuck. Finally, Justin Jones does a very good job of allowing his arm and body momentum to finish his pitch. I really like his exaggerated finish. From the side view, I want the viewer to notice that Justin does such an excellent job of driving off his back leg that you can see that his knee has scraped the dirt. From the front view, you can see how he does an excellent job of “hiding the baseball” from the hitter. In fact, you don’t get your first look at the baseball until it is behind his head and on the way to the plate. With this being Justin Jones first appearance, I am not sure what role he is going to fill in the Braves rotation. However, I can see why this lefty, with a high-80’s fastball, was taken by the White Sox out of high school, and he garnered attention from the Bleacher Report.

Player Profile: John Murphy

   
     John Murphy is a 5’11” 175 lb. Junior infielder from Sacred Heart University. He enjoyed an extremely impressive season in Fairfield, CT. On top of being named to the 2012 New England Conference All-Tournament team, John ranked among the top 10 statistically in batting average (3rd-.347), slugging (9th-.476), on-base percentage (3rd -438), runs scored (7th-38), triples (2nd-4), walks (7th-25), and stolen bases (2nd-24). He led his team in runs-batted-in with 36, and hits with 61, as well. If that is not impressive enough, Murphy was second on the team with a .965 on-base plus slugging.  While playing for the Bourne Braves this year, he has attracted a lot of attention. Most recently an article titled “The Braves man in the middle” was written about him. My favorite notation from this article is that: “He has been making the action happen as he ranks in the top three in every major offensive category on the team while also leading the team in runs scored with six and stolen bases with four through the first eight games.”
    John has very quick, soft hands as a fielder, and he turns an excellent double play. He has plus speed, meaning he runs well-above average. I have timed him 4.07 down to first, and I will not be surprised if he breaks 4.00 before the end of the season. I would describe his hitting approach as a slap-hitter who does a very good job of turning on a fastball (while not a direct comparison think Ichiro or Wade Boggs during batting practice). John’s hitting mechanics are slightly unorthodox, but with his statistics, why fix what isn’t broken? He stands upright in the box with his hands at ear level. He keeps his hands over the “hitting slot” and then takes a huge stride. In the process of his stride his hands slide into that hitting slot with his elbow down. He then pre-bends his back leg and turns his hips into the ball. In fact, when he takes a pitch, you can see his back knee bending and turning before the ball arrives. Regardless how he gets there, John has a very strong base and good balance at the point of contact. Moments after striking the baseball, he supplants his back foot and begins running towards first base. This is very common among leadoff hitters, and is a great way to “leg-out” infield hits. I slowed down two different hits that John had in the Hyannis game. The first is a 3rd inning ground out to the pitcher. I hope the viewer notices that John plants that left foot and runs directly up the line to try for an infield hit. The second hit is a 1st inning double to right-centerfield. Murphy hits the ball, plants his left foot, takes two steps, and immediately takes a wide turn. This is an example of great situational base-running. A popular baseball cliche is “Triples are hit out of the box” or “thinking double after the ball is hit.” John Murphy follows that popular cliche, but why should I be surprised? This “man in the middle” makes the action happen!

Player Profile: Chad Green

     Chad Green is a 6’4” 215lb. He is a Sophomore, RHP from the University of Louisville. He was drafted in the 37th Round by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2010. In 2012, Chad was 5-0 with a 2.70 ERA. He appeared in 22 games and started 6. He recorded 42 strikeouts in 46.2 innings pitched and walked 23 batters.
    Chad Green pitched 3.2 innings last night before the skies opened up. Chad threw very well. He threw 64 pitches and 67.2% of them for strikes. He struck out 5 of the 11 batters he faced and he retired every single batter he threw a first-pitch strike to. When the ball was hit, 87.5% of the batted balls were weakly hit (fly balls and ground balls). After seeing Chad twice this season, I made these observation: Chad has very nice mechanics. They are slow and deliberate, which allow him to possess a nice 3/4 arm motion. Chad shows a slight shoulder turn while coming to his balance point. A minor adjustment Chad has made to his mechanics is viewable on the front view in slow motion. The adjustment is that he steps ever so slightly to the third base side. I noticed this during his first appearance of the year when his fastball was sitting 89-91mph. Unfortunately, I was unable to attain any velocities last night due to the inclement weather. From the side view, you can see Chad using the “bow and arrow” technique I posted about in the Mike Mayers Player Profile. From the front view, I hope the viewer notices that Chad Green comes to an ideal balance point.  While every pitcher’s mechanics are like fingerprints (no two the same), and every pitcher is comfortable with different leg kicks, ideally, you want a leg kick where you can balance a tray at its peak.

Player Profile: Logan Norris

 
     Tonight’s Reliever was Logan Norris a 5’10” 175 lb. RHP from Bossier City, LA. He pitches at LSU-Shreveport, an NAIA school. This season Logan compiled a 3.50 ERA going 9-1. He pitched 3 complete games, including 1 shutout. He pitched 64.1 total innings and struck-out 57 batters while allowing 27 walks. Last year he pitched 10 innings for the Braves and struck out 5.

     Logan Norris does not possess the typical major-league pitcher’s body. It is safe to say that he is on the small side. With this being true, he needs to do some unorthodox things with his mechanics to throw an 87-89 mph fastball. In the wind-up, he uses a huge leg kick to gain a lot of momentum towards the plate. His fastball shows a lot of late action; riding in on a right-handed batter. His curveball is a nice compliment to the tailing fastball he throws. He gets every ounce out of his 175 pound frame by staying closed and whipping his upper body around. A lot of pitching coaches would not advise throwing off your front foot, but I feel like Pedro Martinez (another small pitcher) pitched like that throughout his career. In the video, you notice that Logan uses his front leg the same way Pedro did. I posted a picture below of Tim Lincecum (yet another small pitcher) spinning off his front leg. In Logan’s first outing at Falmouth it looked like his front shoulder was swinging open, and I felt like that led to his control issues. However, you can tell in the video he keeps his front shoulder tucked-in and threw first pitch strikes to 91.7% (11/12) of the batters he faced. At Falmouth he threw only 32.4% strikes. He was very successful today, throwing 75% of his pitches for strikes. In the video, I would like to point out that Logan utilizes the slide step, when in the stretch, to control the running game. The slide step is when a pitcher does not lift their leg as high and their front foot sort of “slides” towards the plate before the release point.

Game Highlight: Mason Robbins

 

      Tonight, I would like to talk about how Mason Robbins played an excellent all-around game, In tonight’s 9-3 loss against the Chatham Anglers, Mason was 2 for 4 with a double; He increased his batting average from .250 to .292; and increased his slugging from .400 to .458. Out of the 4 times he came to the plate, he produced 2 quality at-bats. He used the entire field to hit (had a base-hit to left and then hit a double to right). Not only did he have a good day at the plate, Robbins gunned out Aaron Brown at second base when he attempted to stretch his 7th inning single into a double. Robbins has had a hit in every game except the game Monday against Orleans. I noticed that in his spray chart, he has 4 hits to the left side of the field while creating only 3 outs. When hitting to the right side of the field, Mason has 4 outs with 3 hits. I firmly believe that Mason's power is based on his ability to drive the ball to Right-Center, but I wonder if he will continue to find more success hitting the ball the other way throughout the season.