Brandon McCarthy & The Mysterious Disappearing Curveball
Joey Matschulat
Brandon McCarthy (left) pitches to catcher Taylor Teagarden (right) in Surprise, Arizona on Thursday, February 19th.On November 29th, 2004, industry publication Baseball America published the following upbeat assessment of then-21-year-old right-hander Brandon McCarthy's burgeoning repertoire:
McCarthy’s best pitch is a two-seam fastball that generally parks around 90 mph, and he has a four-seamer that hits 92-93. He also has a plus curveball. His height allows him to deliver pitches on a steep downward plane, and he throws strikes at will with an easily repeatable delivery.
After retiring from his first outing of the young Cactus League season on Saturday afternoon (a game which the Texas Rangers ultimately won by a 6-4 margin), Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram disclosed that the the most upside-laden, most tantalizing and yet most maddening hurler in the major league starting rotation had scrapped his trademark "plus" mid-70s curve -- in favor of a brand-new slider, ostensibly designed to "take load off his elbow."
My immediate reaction to this development was naturally one of confusion, namely because McCarthy's explanation did not at all conform with a personal notion that was implanted nearly six months ago by respected pitching instructor Dr. John Bagonzi in the first part of his three-part Q&A with friend and BBTiA co-writer Jason Parks:
Curveballs are less stressful on the arm than sliders because of the deceleration of the arm on release. However, one has to be aware of losing arm speed on their fastball if too many curveballs are thrown. A curveball should precede a slider in the learning business.
Full disclosure: My overall knowledge base with respect to the science of pitching and, more specifically, the assorted pros and cons of both the curveball and the slider does not even begin to compare with that of TexasLeaguers.com's Trip Somers, who did a superb job of articulating his thoughts on the potential ramifications of McCarthy's off-season decision to pack on 25 pounds back on January 30th. That said, it is my understanding that one of the inherent dangers of the slider health-wise is that so many pitchers throw it incorrectly, thus exposing themselves to a litany of potential arm problems both in the present and in the future.
Now, the upgrade in pitching coaches from Mark Connor -- who deftly spun a web of McCarthy-related contradictions in April 2007 and summarily implemented changes in his delivery that almost certainly played a role in the rapid deterioriation of his health -- to the universally respected Mike Maddux has been substantial by virtually all written and spoken accounts. Maddux arrived in Texas equipped with no preconceived notions on how to best handle the squadron of hurlers placed under his supervision, and while he has been aggressive in instituting the practice of his pitchers throwing live batting practice and adamant in his desire to see his pitchers throw more long toss, the most refreshing aspect of the Maddux acquisition has been the ensuing commitment to individually tailored pitching instruction at the major league level.
The bottom line is that I simply cannot fathom McCarthy undertaking such a dramatic alteration to his well-established fastball-curveball-change-up repertoire without Maddux first green-lighting it, and if you're a believer in Maddux's vision for this organization's latest crop of pitching talent and his knack for instilling quality instruction (and at this point, I don't think we really have any other choice but to place our faith in Maddux), then the logical assumption is that McCarthy will employ a mechanically sound slider that will not exponentially increase his acquired exposure to the injury bug.
It's also possible that there are more factors in play here than initially meet the eye; consider, for instance, that McCarthy retroactively pinpointed his curveball as an "extremely unreliable" pitch during the 2007 season last spring while flatly stating that it was an offering he had to begin consistently throwing for strikes. He eventually assimilated a "retooled" and "sharp and tight" version of the curveball into his pitching repertoire towards the end of the 2007 season, but was afforded few opportunities to employ it during live games before being stricken by severe right forearm inflammation last February; embedded below is video from McCarthy's September 20th, 2007 start against the Orioles (the last of his 2007 campaign), which showcases the curveball at the eight-second mark:
[Direct link available here.]
McCarthy threw just 374 pitches in his five starts late last season, and thus the sample sizes are not at all statistically significant, but what we can glean from the limited Pitch f/x data compiled on his work last season is that he was more reluctant to throw the curveball outside of pitchers' counts (e.g. 0-1, 0-2 and 1-2) than he was the previous year -- something which isn't necessarily reflective of a lack of confidence in the pitch, but which might well indicate that he felt he needed a second off-speed offering that he could rely on for strikes in tough situations besides the change-up. If this new slider is that off-speed offering, and if it doesn't come at the sake of his health, then why not?
It might just be one pitch, but it's also one pitch that could conceivably help or hinder one of the organization's most important players in the age-25-and-under demographic, and it's yet another intriguing aspect of the unique 2009 regular season storyline that the Rangers will begin to bring to life on April 6th.
Quick Hits: Outfielder Josh Hamilton (strained left Achilles' tendon) is currently day-to-day ... Right-hander Pedro Strop is ahead of his timetable for recovery from a stress fracture in his right elbow sustained last season, and could appear in an 'A' game this spring ... Left-hander A.J. Murray is being groomed as a reliever, with the goal of keeping his balky shoulder healthy.
Reader Comments (8)
Not a Connor apologist but, it's pretty typical for coaches to teach their taller pitchers to throw top-down so as to utilize a leverage advantage and get a pronounced downward plane on their delivery. In hindsight, to me it appears that McCarthy had begun to struggle prior to acquisition. I had seen his upside prior and had less objection to the trade than most, but the lesson here is that when Ken Williams wants to trade you some pitching, do the Nancy Reagan thing and just say no.
I would be interested in knowing how they are throwing the slider. Steve Carlton threw his by just changing his grip and release of the ball.
Could it be that the slider is simply an addition to his repertoire rather than a replacement of his curveball? Maybe he just throws less curveballs and adds the slider. A four-pitch menu to show hitters couldn't hurt with an average FB velocity of 90 mph.
I know it's early... very early! And I know the pitchers will come around... to a certain extent! I'm very concerned this piotching staff is going to struggle mightily... which isn't really going out on a limb but I was optimistic that McCarthy and Harrison would significantly improve.
I do think Millwood will be good for 12-15 wins... ditto Padilla.
But what about the 3, 4 and 5 spot? Is it reasonable to expect 30 wins from this trio?
Feldman had a horrible outing... as did Padilla... so I'm concerned this is going to be ayet another very long summer of downright terrible pitching.
Is there ANYONE that can break camp as a legit MLB starter? Benson's back is flaring up... Mccarthy is a wild card, Harrison is really young, Padilla is always a huge qwuestion mark, and Millwood is inconsistent and not durable.
Combined with young position players and shoddy defense, this team is likely to LOSE 90 games! And as far as 2010 or 2011 being the "Year of the Rise"... I just don't see the likes of Feliz, Holland, etc... making the jump to 15 game winners in such a short time span. It may take those guys 2 or 3 yrs to figure it out.
I don't know... it's Monday, the economy sucks... maybe I woke up to a half empty glass of coffee this morning.
Hmmm... If history repeats itself - and it usually does - I expect that Texas will find itself without the services of Millwood, Padilla, McCarthy, Jennings and Benson at some point during the season - hopefully not all at the same time. That means 2009 will be a huge year for the following dudes: Mendoza, Feldman, Hunter, Harrison, Diamond, Holland, Feliz, and Nippert.
AS: That style of delivery might have maximized his height advantage, but Nolan (who has taken a personal interest in McCarthy's mechanics, it seems), Hawkins and Colborn did not stall in prescribing mechanical changes last August after Connor was dismissed -- and this, in my eyes, was the pivotal quote:
I have no doubt that any changes Connor made to McCarthy's delivery were made with only the best of intentions; that, however, did not mitigate his accountability in the event that the changes backfired (which they did), and when McCarthy himself is pretty much flatly stating that Connor had completely taken the lower-body component out of his delivery, you know there's a serious problem.
Bioaggie: I would hope that McCarthy would retain the curveball, even if only as a "show me" pitch that he can keep hitters honest with, and I hope that his decision to scrap it isn't as concrete as the quote from Jeff Wilson would seem to indicate.
Joey: Can you name a "tall-and-fall pitcher" in the MLs or minors or anywhere in baseball? Also, why do I read "show me" pitch as "hanging curveball"?
JM,
I wasn't defending the top-down delivery, just saying it's teaching is fairly common particularly with tall pitchers. I'm more a proponent of the drop and drive which utilizes the legs and core much more than pure arm. Still, I agree the best coaches tailor their method to their talent and personnel. In that vein the best thing that could have happened for Mccarthy was the fresh approach brought by Ryan/Maddux.