This LHP throws a straight change, he turns it over and it sinks away from RH batters. Whats up with this?! Thegrip, shown below, is really a hybrid between the circle change and other grips. My All-Time favorite was Johan Santana, though his relied more on greater speed change (15% or so) than movement. Though this works quite well for him, its not the standard version for most pitchers, for one main reason: pitchers need a pitch that breaks away from opposite-handed hitters. Kyle Hendricks purposefully cuts his changeup sometimes. Hendricks throws a sinker and changeup within 7-8 mph of one another. The power finger, or [index finger], is off the ball, Marshall said. 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. 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. The mailbag zeroes in on the infield jam with a particular solution being pitched. Milwaukee starter Corbin Burnes won the NL Cy Young last year and was supposed to be the. Next. This is basic, but needs to be addressed in any good changeup article. Kids need to pay more attention to this stuff. At the 50-second mark in the video above, theres an example of this grip from an Edgertronic camera. Not only do pitchers and pitching coaches have to work on maintaining the grip, the shape and everything else that goes into throwing a pitch, but they also have to make sure pitchers have that confidence in it before they even . Forcing the fingers down the sides of the baseball are one of a few culprits that cause undue hand tension. 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). 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. As a side note, my students rarely bounce changeups while they learn them, because the grip I teach provides a relaxed hand. He wasnt particularly bad at locating his changeup, as shown by a heatmap from FanGraphs: However, hitters were particularly good at hitting his changeup. 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. Dropping the hand and elbow and short arming across the body. The ball comes out in a unique way, with a tumbling spin rather than an angled axis. Others choose pitch types that just dont make sense, which I cover in the video below. He also ranks second in the. "Going JUCO" - Is Playing NJCAA Baseball a Risky Move? 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. Six miles per hour? The Professors sparkling career continues to improve. So you could call him a two-pitch guy. Hendricks' focus on the mound is utilizing his below-average velocity in conjunction with the excellent movement on his pitches, specifically his elite changeup. 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. If it can be a more effective weapon, maybe Sunday night's 14 percent usage is a sign of things to come this year. I wrote an article on Elitebaseballperformance.com on the same topic, so check that out as well. 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 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 . 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. ""Hendricks sits at 86.7 mph with his two-seamer (slower than some of the other changeups picked here). "Hendricks sits at 86.7 mph with his two-seamer (slower than some of the other changeups picked here). Its critical to remember that early on in the learning process, bouncing your changeup will be somewhat normal. 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. Most people just arent on board with this yet. 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. Here are Kyle's career wRC+ allowed for his four main pitches (in order of use . On the follow through, collapse the body slightly. Mixing in a few two-seamers might improve the effectiveness of his changeup as it is. I taught myself how to throw a changeup in my junior year in college, and it became my best pitch in pro baseball. At the core of this was a changeup he threw almost twice as often as before, and that changeup was a very weird . To do this, the thumb must be on the bottom. This is a key part of the changeup grip. All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com. The changeup should also sink and run, which is movement to the pitchers armside of the plate. 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! It was his sparingly used curveball that stole the show, a pitch he altered the grip on during quarantine and has seen improved results compared to last season. You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. The grip helps us remove speed from a changeup while simultaneously applying spin to it. Before leaving to join Team Israel, Cubs prospect Matt Mervis shared why this WBC means so much to him. This usually happens for a few reason: Watch the video below for some more great troubleshooting tips related to bouncing it. Despite ample legal trouble, Sizemore had steady film and television credits. The Changeup should be 10-12% slower than a fastball. The grips here will help you create action, organically reducing stress forces on the elbow and shoulder. If the thumb cradles the ball from the bottom, the rest of the hand can be almost completely relaxed. You try to tell the difference when he tunnels those two pitches.". Rather, the pink and index finger comfortably rest on the side of the ball, as they dont have a strong role. I have a question for you after reading your article. This tactic is HUGE and is a major reason why the changeup is so effective. Where he separates himself is with the Cut Change, which has a combination of movement and velocity that makes it hard to classify. But, the output is fine for him its different, but still exceptionally effective. Well, we have some good news for you. kyle hendricks changeup gripinchkeith house mental health team Consultation Request a Free Consultation Now. Hey, thanks for the article! by Retrosheet. Or, if all else fails, we can just say screw it and just throw a splitter; thatll work as a poor-mans changeup. Throwing a changeup when a hitter expects fastball is a great way to get a quick rollover ground ball for an out. If a changeup is dead-straight, being closer to a 12% reduction is ideal (79mph off a 90mph fastball). Kyle Hendricks had an April surprise ready for fans who braved the frigid conditions at Wrigley Field. Mine would sink so much that from the dugout (side view) it was often mistaken for a slider or curveball by teammates (atta boy, nice curveball!). 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. youve got little chance of doing damage off him. RHP Kyle Hendricks assigned to SOU North Division All-Stars. 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. 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.