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Tacoma Rain favors us with the following interesting "transcription." Thanks Rain.
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I have not seen anyone comment on this, and my apologies for the tardiness of this...BUT...
After yesterday's game on MLB network, the round table had Pedro Martinez and Harold Reynolds on it... and they were commenting on the Mariners, which is mostly common basic stuff. Until Pedro is asked about Taijuan, and is there anything Pedro would like to see Taijuan do differently. Pedro went off. I do not recall EVER hearing Pedro giving such detailed and specific suggestions.
Pedro said that Taijuan looked a bit stiff, and Pedro believes that Taujuan needs to lengthen his stride, to let the true Taijuan athlete out. Further, Pedro thinks the over simplifed delivery is making Taijuan much too hittable. If Taijuan would hide the ball more, Taijuan would be an elite pitcher immediately.
Lastly, and most surprising... Pedro said that he was surprised about how little that Taijuan uses the rubber. Per Pedro, Taijuan pushes off the rubber using his toes. Per Pedro, the proper way to push off the rubber is with the entire foot, which then fully engages the lower half of the body which then takes pressure off the arm, elbow and shoulder... AND could add velocity to Taijuan's pitches as well.
I know we all love Taijuan, but this dissection of Taijuan was more than unique. It was harsh, and very to the point.
- See more at: http://baseball.seattlesportsinsider.com/blogs/pregame/taijuan-vs-surkam...
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1) Taijuan's motion was indeed super-simplified because he's a converted basketball player. For the amount of time he's been pitching, his command relative to his velocity, and his level of performance is quite remarkable. Like DiPoto says, there are a whale of a lot of guys in A and AA ball who are younger than him.
Learning to hit a target 6" square, from 20 yards, with as high a "free throw percentage" as these guys do, is typically 10-12 years' work.
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2) The super-simplified motion is to Taijuan's extreme advantage when he pitches from the stretch.
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3) Pedro was an extreme drop-and-drive pitcher and is selling his own style. There are a fair amount of RHP's with very high release points, such as Chris Young.
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4) All that said, I basically agree with Pedro. Aiki mechanics are based on having a fluid, stable center of gravity -- the lower the better, provided you're still agile. Matt Thornton, for example, had a sky-high CG and the White Sox fixed him in 2 innings by just getting him to flex at the knees a little. He didn't become a drop-and-drive pitcher; he just sunk his CG a couple inches, more a question of mental intention than physical arc.
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I'd love to see Taijuan lower his CG a bit into "base." The M's wouldn't have to overhaul his delivery; it's just a question of thinking about "Keep Weight Underside," like a baby when it doesn't want to be picked up. Would love to see what Mel Stottlemyre said about this.
Taijuan wouldn't have the slightest problem adapting. Playing defense in basketball, for example, carries over.
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5) Hiding the ball would be good, but not sure what specifically Pedro would have Taijuan do to accomplish this. It would be too much change for him to try to use a high front side, but maybe just glove in the release area is what Pedro is talking about? Does anybody in the Think Tank have any suggestions about this? RockiesJeff? Just for discussion purposes, I'd be fascinated to hear.
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Great discussion,
Dr D
Pedro on Taijuan - VERY HARSH