In this guide to throwing a changeup, well dive into the grips, the arm action, spin, hand action and much more. We go by spin, how it comes out of their hand, their arm action and speed, etc. "Hendricks sits at 86.7 mph with his two-seamer (slower than some of the other changeups picked here). He can locate his sinker well, though, and has a good change. The best changeups feature the following: James Shields is one of the best examples. Hey, thanks for the article! And, how about some arm-side run? Required fields are marked *, I agree to the terms and conditions laid out in the Privacy Policy. Were ecstatic to announce a new partnership between Rawlings and Cressey Sports Performance, and theyve set up a 20% off discount code on select products for our listeners. So technically, it does break. 1 - Kyle Hendricks (Cubs) - 19.7% Whiff rate, 62 Adjusted Contact Score For my money, Hendricks throws the best changeup in the game. My pitchers dont spike changeups very much. His repertoire made him more of a pitcher than a thrower, making Wright wary whether pro scouts eventually would. The odd thing about Hendricks is that his changeup actually spins more than his fastball, roughly 300 rpm more on average in 2020. He also ranks second in the. 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. Steele went into the offseason knowing he wanted to put on at least a little weight. A sinking two seam fastball does that, except its usually moving inside on a RH batter, not away. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. He limits baserunners (both via hit and walk) and home runs, leading to a solid ERA. 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 average movement of 3 to 3.5 was least effective. The test is, the ball is still held in place with all four fingers straightened. Okay, so once you learn this shiny new pitch, itll be important to understand when and why you should throw a changeup. Releasing the ball too much from the side caused by turning the hand over too much. We all know that Hendricks has a first rate changeup, but it may surprise some to learn exactly how good it is. 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. RHP Kyle Hendricks assigned to SOU North Division All-Stars. My All-Time favorite was Johan Santana, though his relied more on greater speed change (15% or so) than movement. Hendricks has a conventional change that gets unconventional whiffs, perhaps because he shows identical arm speed or has some deception in his delivery. He started playing with changeup grips, burying the ball deeper into his hand. This was awesome insight thanks so much for sharing! 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 table below shows the qualified pitchers with the 10 highest pitch values for changeups, in terms of FanGraphs Pitch Values metric. Kyle Hendricks assigned to Daytona Cubs from Tennessee Smokies. 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. Why 10%, give or take? The goal is to not make the hand tense by stretching the pink or index down the ball this is why making a circle with the index finger is detrimental, at least on this grip, as it will make the whole hand tense. The finger tips and pads are raised slightly and the finger pressure is between the first and second finger joints. But his changeup looks like the exact same pitch only it comes in even slower, at 78.6 mph. The ball comes out in a unique way, with a tumbling spin rather than an angled axis. The ivy league educated. And when they did hit his changeup, they hit the ball on the ground more often (39. . Pressure should be from the thumb to the bottom of the middle and ring fingers. MESA, Ariz. Cubs lefty Justin Steele came into camp 20 pounds heavier and with a new changeup in his arsenal. 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. 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 hand pronates inward, slightly, before release. There are tons of contradictions and conflicting details in scouting reports. To do this, the thumb must be on the bottom. He then provides tips and tricks for how to throw a changeup and make it an effective part of your pitch mix.Tickets for all 2022 regular season games are on sale now: https://www.cubs.com/tickets Follow us! The slow-motion setting on an iPhone captures at 240 frames per second (fps). Copyright - EliteBaseballPerformance.com, Part of The Advanced Continuing Education Institute -. Hendricks runs his fastball up to 94 MPH, mixing in a slider, curve, and changeup. This allows coaches like Tommy Hottovy or Craig Breslow to examine the minutia of how a pitcher releases a pitch. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. It takes a lot of skill to make it to the Majors, and a great offspeed repertoire is part of that. And technology like Edgertronic cameras can help us appreciate his success more than ever. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Kyle Hendricks changeup How to grip a change up The ball is gripped deep in the hand, balanced and held loosely. Although other factors come into play, less spin means less resistance to the downward force of gravity, which allows the ball to drop more than expected. For all other changeups, as movement decreases, speed change must proportionally increase. Thankfully, theyve got a stalwart anchor atop the rotation in Hendricks. Cubs Spring Training Notebook: Hayden Wesneski states his case for Opening Day rotation, why Lesters loss Sunday comes with multiple positives, Marquee Sports Network - Television Home of the Chicago Cubs and Sky. Pull the string! 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. If youbelieve adding velocity could be critical to your success,check out my proven programsfor pitchers of all ages. NYY vs. DET: Gerrit Cole vs Michael Lorenzen. I searched for extreme examples of each so that we could best see the difference, so the one on the left had 11 inches of arm-side fade, while the one on the right had two inches of glove-side cut. Hendricks' grip is one of the factors that allows him to kill as much spin as possible and achieve this above-average sink. But, thats much more of a thing Big Leaguers do to stay effective, and much less the rule we teach an amateur or minor leaguer who needs consistency more than anything. Thats always a plus. That sounds a little better already. Yankees Mailbag: Managing the infield and Domnguez hype. We get about 5% from the grip itself, and 5% from the hand action. Yet, there is no best changeup grip. Learn how your comment data is processed. We also create a reliable movement pattern for the hand, creating relatively equal parts sink and lateral movement. If it can be a more effective weapon, maybe Sunday night's 14 percent usage is a sign of things to come this year. 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. Looking at the table, most of the pitchers who (I think) throw their changeups with a two-seam grip also happen to throw two-seam fastballs. All UZR (ultimate zone rating) calculations are provided courtesy of Mitchel Lichtman. Pingback: How to Throw a Curveball - The Definitive Guide, Pingback: Here are The Best Pitching Drills for Young Players in 2021. Thegrip, shown below, is really a hybrid between the circle change and other grips. Excellent explanations Dan. RHP Kyle Hendricks assigned to Iowa Cubs from Tennessee Smokies. Rather, that arm speed and velocity is lost into the baseball by spinning it. This second 5% is important not only in reducing the pitchs speed, but in also making the the changeup sink and run to the armside. Heard Hendricks is thinking of changing his name. In 2016, he threw his changeup 8.5% of the time, according to Pitch F/X data. It gets confusing. Thats an 8-mph differential between two pitches that follow the same trajectory. 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!). nhs covid pass netherlands; clash royale clan recruitment discord; mexican soccer quinella A changeup should be slower than a fastball by 10-12%, which means if you throw 70mph, a changeup should be 7-8 miles per hour slower (62-63mph). But today, well bust some changeup myths and give you all the tools to throw a great one. 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. The dawn of the tech era has increased what we can take away from spring training. His arsenal has included a fastball around 88 mph, a changeup at 80, a sinker to deceive between his heater and off-speed and. This usually happens for a few reason: Watch the video below for some more great troubleshooting tips related to bouncing it. There is one more thing that stands out when looking at the movement of his fastball and changeup. Pitchers who use four-seam grips need a large velocity gap between their fastball and changeup, looking at the table shown above. Make sure youre throwing a repertoire that fits your body, your arm slot, your pitching style and age level. 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. 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. Last season, his changeup was 88 mph on average, about 5 mph slower than his fastball. If you called his Cut Change a slutter, you might best get across what hes doing with the pitch. Your email address will not be published. We reduce speed because less force is applied to the center of the ball; we are converting speed into spin just like a breaking pitch. This is not to say they miss up the in zone; rather, they are able to control the ball in the strike zone most of the time, with the same frequency as their fastball, with fewer egregious misses. Or, if all else fails, we can just say screw it and just throw a splitter; thatll work as a poor-mans changeup. Hendricks rotates the ball backwards less than 90 degrees, allowing his two fingers to sit right below the horseshoe (the right side of the split screen at the 50-second mark). By Alexi Pappas. We prefer the 3 finger grip because we find it easier to control. 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). Kyle Hendricks, Cubs Hendricks leaned on his changeup heavily and threw it 932 times, nearly double Scherzer's 548. 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. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Both his whiff rate and his Adjusted Contact Score are. When thrown the above way, we will reliably achieve a 10% (plus or minus) speed reduction that can easily be repeated at any intensity. The thumb is the pressure point, and its location on the bottom of the ball is crucial. His changeup? This is likely the only thing changeup throwers all agree on. The grip will only account for a 5% speed reduction when force is applied to the center of the baseball. I recently discovered that the same principle seems to work for slider movement, which is actually hugely important. Provided the speed reduction is there, anomalies in movement are okay, and to be expected no two pitchers are alike. 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. You can do so HERE. 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. The ball is held deeper by the middle and ring fingers, which are less powerful as a combination than the index and middle. Though a straight change perhaps looks exactly like a straight fastball (thus making it very deceptive), pure deception isnt the end goal. A few of my high school pitchers threw to the Rapsodo device and turned in spin-efficiencies of 90% or better, indicating a very clean diagonal spin axis on their changeups, confirming that what I believed was happening. The middle and ring finger MUST be close together. Love the video. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. I filtered out the changeups over 85 mph because they are most likely slow sinkers. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. 1 Anthony Volpe, The 25 Most Surprising Seasons in Yankees History. Steele found himself forcing the fastball, his upper body getting ahead of his lower body. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Part of the reason Hendricks achieves this much drop is due to his ability to kill spin. Hendricks achieved a season high in curveball usage (25%) and whiffs (5), finishing off two hitters with the pitch. Steele and his girlfriend, Libby Murphy, are expecting their first child, a boy, in July. I told him, Dad strength it happens immediately, right?. This is the first article in a 3-part series on throwing the modern changeup. The changeup should also sink and run, which is movement to the pitchers armside of the plate. His change caused more hitters to swing and miss (24.4 whiff percentage to 29.8) this season compared to last. 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. If the pitcher can develop a good change up, his fastball will appear faster and the hitters will be less aggressive.