Cubs: Calendar turning to May is good news for Kyle Hendricks So, you see more MLB pitchers throwing changeups that are harder (8-12% slower than their fastball) but with lots of downward movement. Provided the speed reduction is there, anomalies in movement are okay, and to be expected no two pitchers are alike. But cutters are usually about two miles slower than a pitchers fastball, while this Cut Change is almost 10 mph slower than Hendricks fastball. Kyle Hendricks purposefully cuts his changeup sometimes. All major league baseball data including pitch type, velocity, batted ball location, 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. The changeup Hendricks threw at the time notably wasn't the same as the one he uses in the majors. This is a key part of the changeup grip. That equals 4.5mph off a 90mph much too hard to be effective. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. Pitchers who use four-seam grips need a large velocity gap between their fastball and changeup, looking at the table shown above. CSP Elite Baseball Development Podcast: Kyle Hendricks - Eric Cressey When the batter is ahead in count - 1-0, 2-1, or 2-0, When a hitter is trying to pull or is out in front of the pitches. But, the output is fine for him its different, but still exceptionally effective. Trying to Hit Kyle Hendricks - Cubs DNA 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. The thumb is the pressure point, and its location on the bottom of the ball is crucial. The fact is Hendricks and Maddux share numerous similarities - mechanics, stuff, statistics, and even a nickname. #cubs #mlb #pitching2022 MLB Strikeout Reels playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYkCwy6ah6d_xXaI7mM8OIIIr7AeW0zuA2022 College Baseball Strikeout Re. The result has caught the attention of Hendricks, who relies heavily on his own changeup. FanGraphs had Michael Pineda throwing a two-seam fastball 3.7% of the time, which is more than zero. strength and conditioning for baseball and softball. Hendricks' changeup became more productive alongside it. There is one more thing that stands out when looking at the movement of his fastball and changeup. It takes a lot of skill to make it to the Majors, and a great offspeed repertoire is part of that. Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks waves as he leaves the field following a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Monday, Sept . And it was very little! 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. I have a question for you after reading your article. This episode is brought to you by Rawlings. The Mets had a prospect in their system with a solid repertoire but he was having trouble adding an off speed pitch. Gerrit Coles first spring start comes against Detroit. Overturning the wrist to make it. Turn the hand on the inside of the ball to apply spin. Another quick question, then Ill let you go. Kyle Hendricks assigned to Tennessee Smokies from Daytona Cubs. Spiking a changeup is caused by the finger tips hooking it into the ground. Your goal as a catch partner for someone learning a changeup should be to give feedback over and over, so that they can connect how it feels and looks as they throw it. In September, Eno Sarris at FanGraphs wrote a great article entitled What Can Hitters Actually See Out of a Pitchers Hand? But, then again, does it matter? Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. Hendricks has a conventional change that gets unconventional whiffs, perhaps because he shows identical arm speed or has some deception in his delivery. If youbelieve adding velocity could be critical to your success,check out my proven programsfor pitchers of all ages. Excellent explanations Dan. With a new grip on his curve, even Kyle Hendricks can't contain his Pinedas offspeed pitch is thrown with a two-seam grip (the main photo in this post shows his changeup grip). Common theories as to why he isnt pitching at an ace-caliber level include poor fastball command, a lack of a third pitch, and not attacking the corners as much with runners on base. (Its no surprise that Zack Greinke has the lowest sinker spin in baseball this season. The velocity data doesnt help a ton, but by movement, you can see it. When learning a breaking ball, we get feedback by watching it break before our eyes, and our throwing partner gives us feedback from his point of view (that one was sharp!). There is no need to circle the fingers it provides little to no benefit. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Hendricks sets tone on Opening Day vs. Crew again - NBC Chicago Its important to understand WHY a changeup is slower. I send out great new information each week on all things baseball. Whicker: Cubs' Kyle Hendricks proves speed is overrated Kyle Hendricks displays refined curveball - MLB.com Maybe this was unique to Clement. Home/hygeia conjunct lilith/ kyle hendricks changeup grip. 1 - Kyle Hendricks (Cubs) - 19.7% Whiff rate, 62 Adjusted Contact Score For my money, Hendricks throws the best changeup in the game. Both his whiff rate and his Adjusted Contact Score are. Examples of fastball counts are 0-0, 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 2-1, 3-1, and 3-2. The Fade Change is on the left, the Cut Change is on the right. Its a little slower than your traditional slider, without as much vertical break as most sliders, but it looks a bit like a slider. If you like what you hear, wed be thrilled if youd consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving us an iTunes review. The slider doesnt really fit the Cut Change by either velocity or movement, but it is closer on velocity at least. What Causes A Mental Meltdown in Baseball? The ball should rest up against the top ridge of the palm or at the base of the fingers. 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. This is why we need a defined hand action that converts speed into spin. Cole was sharp, and the King has returned. Not so much. Cubs facing a bleak situation with the luxury tax in 2020. dark. Ive read hundreds of scouting reports on pitchers and I had never heard of that pitch. Building off of last year, balls coming out nicely [and he] looks like hes healthy and going to give us some really good starts.. The wrist and hand are pronated a little early which stops the wrist from popping forward. We need 90mph arm speed with a 79-83mph output. He wasnt particularly bad at locating his changeup, as shown by a heatmap from FanGraphs: However, hitters were particularly good at hitting his changeup. Dont set the grip until the ball is hidden in the glove just before the hand break. His changeup? But for the second time in three seasons, Hendricks helped the Cubs start off on the right foot with a good performance against the Brewers at Wrigley Field in the season opener.. Not to mention both starts followed a strange set of circumstances: the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020 and an . Same scenario but different pitch. So I wanted to come into this season with a little extra weight on me, so that when I start losing weight throughout the season, Ill be ready for that.. 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. Valley News - Dartmouth's Hendricks Is Chicago's Brainy Ace Kyle Hendricks: Cubs starter improving strikeout rate - Sports Illustrated document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. This usually happens for a few reason: Watch the video below for some more great troubleshooting tips related to bouncing it. When thrown the above way, we will reliably achieve a 10% (plus or minus) speed reduction that can easily be repeated at any intensity. When you have a successful changeupyoure not trying to slow down your body at all.. Casey Sutherland may have just 12 games of experience with the Red Sox, but he has already shown dominance while fulfilling a childhood dream. 10,000+ people already dosign up now! From there, they can decide to alter the movement profile of the pitch by tweaking its release. Entering his second season, Steele is lined up to pitch third in the order to start the year while veteran Wade Miley continues to ramp up. I dont use a radar gun most of the time, and they wont have access to one either. Where you place your middle and ring fingers is VERY important they work together to apply the proper spin, to get the pitch to rotate much like a discoball does. How To Throw a Changeup with Cubs Pitcher Kyle Hendricks But with a changeup, the feedback I give while playing catch with a pitcher is different. When the hitters brain must deal with both speed change and movement away from the initial trajectory of the pitch, the likelihood of weak contact increases. 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. Hendricks throws a sinker and changeup within 7-8 mph of one another. Mixing in a few two-seamers might improve the effectiveness of his changeup as it is. If his two-seamer and changeup come out of the hand and tunnel the exact same way, youve got little chance of doing damage off him. Upon release, the fingers are lifted off the ball, the ball rolls up the fingers. A four-seamer that cuts slightly and works best against right . Essentially, its no different than a slider or cutter Think about Noah Syndergaards extra-hard slider, and how hard it is to hit. Fosh changeup? The way I teach the modern changeup in this article, it will produce movement to the armside, with sinking action as well. A slider has defined spin, a mixture of bullet-spin, forward and side spin that creates a visible red dot. In my years as a baseball academy owner and professional pitcher, Ive taught this pitch with equally great effect to 11-year olds and 25-year old pros. The hand action provides the second 4.5mph, and that action is the same as a sinker, and somewhat opposite of a slider: pronating the hand on the inside of the ball just before release. We all know that Hendricks has a first rate changeup, but it may surprise some to learn exactly how good it is. A combination of arm-side movement, known as run, and sinking movement. If a changeup is dead-straight, being closer to a 12% reduction is ideal (79mph off a 90mph fastball). But what creates that downward movement on Hendricks changeup is, in part, his grip. But, we need to do this at a 100% intensity, which is difficult. You bet. Yet, there is no best changeup grip. Its just gonna be a game-changer for him, Hendricks said. 04/02/2013. By looking at a combination of Google Images and the disparity in horizontal movement between their four seam fastballs and changeups, I tried to guess what grip each pitcher was using: *Cubs ace Kyle Hendricks has two changeups. He throws strikes and has a sense on how to pitch, and looks like a sleeper prospect to me. "That's a big step," veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks said. As a side note, my students rarely bounce changeups while they learn them, because the grip I teach provides a relaxed hand. Even change ups out of the strike zone can be effective because it effects a hitter's confidence that he can sit on the fastball. The ball is held deeper by the middle and ring fingers, which are less powerful as a combination than the index and middle. June 7, 2022 . Youd be forgiven for calling the Cut Change a slider. Copyright - EliteBaseballPerformance.com, Part of The Advanced Continuing Education Institute -. Itll help you a ton. Max Scherzers slider is the poster child. Hendricks achieved a season high in curveball usage (25%) and whiffs (5), finishing off two hitters with the pitch. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Straight changeups are sooooo old-school. I recently discovered that the same principle seems to work for slider movement, which is actually hugely important. This is likely the only thing changeup throwers all agree on. If the ball is held by the thumb, it keeps it down longer, reducing the likelihood the fingers will hook it into the ground. Updated: Saturday, March 4, 2023 3:30 AM ET, Park Factors Not to mention he has a baby on the way. Hendricks runs his fastball up to 94 MPH, mixing in a slider, curve, and changeup. 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. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Despite ample legal trouble, Sizemore had steady film and television credits. The Cubs and many other teams in baseball have concocted facilities to help their pitchers with mechanics, pitch design and efficiency. Focus on leading your release with your index finger. Pitches that got more arm-side run went into the Fade basket, and the everything that got more glove-side movement than -3 went into the Cut basket. Kids need to pay more attention to this stuff. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. This converts some of the arm speed into spin, which reduces the balls speed in the same way as a curveball or slider (except the spin is applied to the opposite side of the ball). Behold the insane movement of Kyle Hendricks' changeup Hendricks two-seamer moves 12.7 inches from left to right. Cubs manager Ross says Hendricks' stuff is better than ever - Daily Herald He doesnt have much faith in them. But I really wanted to find that fastball command and hone it in.. Just email elitebaseballpodcast@gmail.com. If you called his Cut Change a slutter, you might best get across what hes doing with the pitch. But, this starts with education on what a changeup is and why it does what it does. Marshall threw his two-seam fastball similar to this Edgertronic footage, but from a left-handed release. Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes! We go by spin, how it comes out of their hand, their arm action and speed, etc. As you can probably tell, I love the changeup and love teaching it. Design by DAYO, *I hate spam too, only the best for my subscribers, CSP Elite Baseball Development Podcast: Kyle Hendricks, I will never spam you or share your email, Why different athletes need different approaches to power development, Why its essential that you learn to train outside the sagittal plane, Which medicine ball and plyometric variations I use with baseball players, Why not all throwers have identical deceleration patterns or training needs, How your arm care programs can be improved to reduce the risk of injury and improve throwing velocity, Why Kyle chose to move across the country out of high school and attend Dartmouth College, How Kyle has developed his ability to manipulate the baseball to create movement, How Kyle worked diligently to develop his changeup and how players can better develop this feel pitch, How throwing a quality changeup actually helped Kyle learn to throw a two seam fastball, How grip, specifically pinky position on the baseball, impacted the effectiveness of his changeup, What Kyles thought process is when throwing his changeup and how late hand speed out front trumps early, forced pronation with the pitch, How Kyle developed a cut changeup, which is differentiated from his regular changeup, How Kyle approaches attacking hitters and why he emphasizes throwing first pitch strikes and controlling counts against hitters, Why Kyles four seam fastball usage increased in 2016 and why this change allowed him to have more margin for error and improve the effectiveness with his fastball, How Kyle learned to read swings and bat paths in pro ball and how this has influenced how he competes against hitters, How Kyle prepares by utilizing coaches scouting reports along with video to develop a plan for success against the opposition, Why Kyle has always been intrigued by the mental side of baseball and how he has used it to develop an edge in the game, How simplification has revolutionized Kyles ability to master his mentality, control the game, and play to his highest ability, Why Kyle works to find a balance between using analytics and relying on his intuition, What pitch clicks in the bullpen when Kyle is set to have a great game and how Kyle knows when he is locked in, How Kyle attacks throwing his various pitches in his daily throwing progression, How individuals who lack elite velocity can identify their strengths and learn to separate themselves from the competition, Avoid the most common deadlifting mistakes. Cubs' Kyle Hendricks: Justin Steele's new changeup will be a 'game