Fixing Brandon McCarthy ... Again
Joey Matschulat
Pitching coach Mike Maddux observes Brandon McCarthy during a throwing session in Surprise, Arizona on February 19th, 2009.It's strange, but not entirely unexpected. Dating all the way back to 2007, Brandon McCarthy has, without fail, been one of the Rangers' principal spring training storylines; once upon a time, this pre-season fascination with the lanky right-hander mostly derived from the enormous expectations that arose the moment that the John Danks-to-Chicago deal went down, but more recently it's been about season-crippling injuries -- injuries which have entailed a whopping 289 days on the disabled list over the last three years -- and unfulfilled promise and the implementation of different strategies as a means of attempting to "fix" him once and for all.
Last spring, this manifested in McCarthy dropping his trademark "plus" high-70s curveball in favor of a brand-new slider -- or, as ESPN.com's Keith Law described it, a "hard slurve" -- designed to alleviate stress on his right shoulder; McCarthy eventually softened on this position and fully reassimilated the yakker into his arsenal of pitches, ultimately throwing both his slider and the curveball around 11-12 percent of the time in 2009. This spring? Try another eschewal of the curveball, the espousal of the two-seamer and cutter and more Mike Maddux-endorsed reworking of his delivery, as illustrated in this video shot by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News:
[Direct link available here. Writes Baseball Time in Arlington mechanics guru Trip Somers of McCarthy's new delivery, which Maddux deemed "more fluid" than anything McCarthy has utilized to date: "I don't really trust standard frame rates for video analysis, but I like what I see. McCarthy's follow-through is considerably cleaner than before. I think he's got a good chance of having his healthiest season to date, but given his history, I'm still in show-me mode.]
From a pure pitching-repertoire perspective, McCarthy would appear to be doing his best to emulate sinker-hurling counterpart Scott Feldman; he's dropping the 88-89 mph four-seam fastball in favor of the two-seam fastball as his weapon of choice against same-handed batters, then going cutter/slider/change-up, which is interesting in the sense that (a) industry publication Baseball America once identified McCarthy's two-seam fastball as his "best pitch" before he dropped it (albeit some five years ago), and (b) the cutter is becoming even more popular under the Maddux regime, with McCarthy joining the ranks of Feldman, Tommy Hunter and Colby Lewis v. 2.0 as cutter-brandishing Rangers.
This latter point, in particular, fascinates me to no end. It seems ineluctably clear that Texas values pitchers capable of throwing the cutter (as evidenced by this latest overhaul and the Lewis signing), but why? Well, beyond the lefty-neutralizing powers of the cutter, it turns out that it also wields power-neutralizing capabilities (per Sky Kalkman's research), and it can be thrown for strikes at a similar rate to conventional fastballs while still producing a greater rate of swinging strikes. Yet, cutters are still remarkably scarce in the modern game; Baseball Info Solutions-supplied pitch data indicates that fewer than one out of every 20 major league pitches thrown in 2009 was classified as a cutter.
I'm understandably hesitant to climb atop the nearest available roof and begin loudly proclaiming that the Rangers have identified -- and are actively exploiting -- some sort of new market inefficiency, because I don't necessarily think that's what happening here, and if it is, this "market inefficiency" isn't going to last very long; rather, the growing ubiquity of the cutter in Texas strikes me as more of a well-coordinated counteraction against the Rangers' own ballpark, which hasn't been nearly as hostile towards its pitching inhabitants in recent years, but nevertheless remains advantageous for lefty-swinging sluggers.
Can't change your ballpark? Adapt at a roster-wide level by acquiring and/or manufacturing pitchers equipped with the requisite tools to neutralize the largest ballpark-amplified threats. In other words, convert an inherent home-field weakness into a strength. That's what smart, perceptive organizations do; they also uncover and employ the best strategies for extracting maximum value from their players, and I would like to think that this is the year Texas finally manages to perform that feat with McCarthy, but I'm also not going to begrudge anyone a healthy, well-placed dose of skepticism either.
Quick Hits: Derek Holland (right knee strain) has been medically cleared to resume baseball activities, while Doug Mathis (blister) and Omar Beltre (sore right shoulder) threw bullpen sessions for the first time on Tuesday ... Manager Ron Washington still intends to bat Chris Davis in the six-hole ahead of Nelson Cruz, although this arrangement will remain contingent on how Davis performs offensively.
Reader Comments (14)
How many cutters does CJ throw?
I'm no genius but I have often wondered why the Rangers haven't employed more cutter pitchers - for reasons you mentioned.
I wish the best for McCarthy, either for Texas or his stint with another team when he's included in a trade sometime soon.
An irony of the BMac evolution is that when the Danks-BMac trade happened, one of the criticisms of BMac was he wasn't coachable, in particular he was unwilling to consider adding a cutter. The White Sox might be as famous for having their pitchers add cutters as any team in baseball.
Pitching mechanics is my weakest evaluation skill but I do like what I see with BMac. This delivery seems to emphasize his lower half more, thereby reducing stress on arm and shoulders. Very smooth. It appears to neutralize his height advantage but I would say so what, as previous mechanics emphasizing such were less than effective. In the video he's compact, he's on top of the ball, and I particularly like that he lands toe first, which will help him with command.
With all the Wilson, Lewis, multiple candidates et al going on with the rotation I must admit I'd pretty much back-burnered McCarthy but if his pitches have anything at all on them, and the video won't translate that, then he has to be considered a legitimate candidate. Also, while my analysis is somewhat rudimentary I would really look forward to something in depth from Mr. Somers.
Two thoughts:
First, I thought that all teams designed their team to take advantage of their own ballpark since 50% of the games are played there. I recall talk about when maris hit 61 the combination of his swing and the Yankees stadium were significant contributing factors (along with the longer season of course).
Second, I would think that everyone is tired of BMac's annual resurgence. If Maddux ever gets this guy to perform at a high level for an entire season Maddux ahould be pitching coach of the year. I for one will glad when BMac is pushed aside by the up and comers and this reminder of the failed Danks trade is no longer on the roster. Maybe we can include him (and CJ) as trading pieces for a solid catcher?
Another great article Joey. I can't help but have some optimism for B Mac but I unfortuneately have strong feelings that his ceiling is only high when he pitches from a dangerous angle. Moving a pitchers release point makes him start over from scratch. I know he is 6'7 or 6'9, something crazy, and has a whole lot of talent, but how about stretching out this guy with his new delivery in OKC?
I also want to say that I am a beliver in Spring Training and if he shows he earned it then by God he must be in the rotation. Our rotation looks strong, and plus we have plenty of plus-plus ability pitchers in our system that can come up for relief duty for a pennant race. I really doubt they would do it, but how would you like to see someone like a Wilmer Font getting their feet wet in the pen later this year after they have put in their season in the minors as a starter?
The reason I brought up Font is because the obvious similarities between him and Neftali being fireballers, and look how well Neftali did for us down the stretch..... plus I really think it helps the team seeing a guy carry a pink Dora backpack out to the pen every game. I get a good laugh out of it atleast.
Well written Joey. These days it's not often I come across a word I don't know, but when I read you articles it's almost ineluctable...
I would be shocked if BMac makes any significant impact on this team.
There was just something strange when watching him pitch last season. To me, it always felt like the other team's line up was struggling... rather than BMac dominating.
What the heck do I know... JD and co. evidently saw something in this kid that they didn't see in Danks (if memory serves, JD made this trade because he felt BMac could contribute much sooner than Danks... correct?).
Bottom line is JD has built an awesome stable of young pitchers, providing the most SP depth in the AL West...
To me, if any 1 of the 5 SPs struggle... or gets injured... there will be 4 or 5 oher guys that you can plug in without sacrificing too much quality, and that doesn't include pitchers in AA (or even lower) that may be able to throw a game here and there, if needed. There's always 1 kid each season that blasts through the system... and I don't think it's a stretch that maybe 3 or 4 do it this year.
Good times ahead... indeed!
Cutters for EVERYONE! Cutter class, 10am, field 4, everyone bring your glove!
Can't quantify "feeling strange" be careful on this site
"An irony of the BMac evolution is that when the Danks-BMac trade happened, one of the criticisms of BMac was he wasn't coachable, in particular he was unwilling to consider adding a cutter. The White Sox might be as famous for having their pitchers add cutters as any team in baseball."
Yep -- Keith Law has talked about the efficacy of the cutter before, as well as how the White Sox have made teaching the cutter an "organizational core competency," which is reflected in the fact that Chicago pitchers threw the cutter nearly 12 percent of the time last season -- the second-highest mark in baseball, just a smidgen behind the Diamondbacks. Don't know if that organizational espousal of the pitch predates the McCarthy/Danks deal or not, though.
"I really doubt they would do it, but how would you like to see someone like a Wilmer Font getting their feet wet in the pen later this year after they have put in their season in the minors as a starter?"
Don't have a problem with the general premise, but Font has no business being in the majors this year -- he'll start at either Hickory or Bakersfield and may not even see Frisco this year, and unless things go horribly awry and the Rangers are out of the pennant race come September, 40-man roster spots are going to be extremely valuable. Can't expend one on somebody who would only be remotely usable in mop-up situations and would likely post a 6.00+ ERA in whatever limited exposure he received.
Something else in the EG article that, I think, merits highlighting ... McCarthy's apparently on a more aggressive long-toss program now, following the example set by Feldman and the philosophy pushed strongly by Nolan. One of the big proponents of this long-toss model is independent coach Alan Jaeger, who ended up connecting with Nolan/JD in Surprise last spring and ultimately held some coaching sessions with the Rangers' pitching prospects, and this long-toss movement appears to be gaining some traction within the game, but more than two-thirds of major league teams apparently continue to resist this course of action:
"I think 300 feet is extreme; I don't see any sense in it," says Kansas City pitching coach Bob McClure, a former big league reliever. "When I played, I'd go out to 200 or so and work back, and when I was with the Angels, Mark Langston and Chuck Finley liked to throw long; Finley would practically go foul pole to foul pole. We have some guys here and at Triple-A, older guys who came from different organizations, who'll go out to 200 feet or so, but not for long. I keep a pretty close eye on it.
"We actually do very little flat-ground throwing at all. Most of the work we do is on the mound. I mean, suppose you let a kid stretch it out to 300 and he comes up with a bum shoulder? It's an individual thing.
"For some guys, long toss hurts."
So, basically, the Rangers are one of the experimental guinea pigs of professional baseball in that this long-toss regimen -- which most teams remain reluctant to adopt -- is becoming more prevalent throughout the system ... and here, again, we're seeing it come into effect at the major league level, this time with McCarthy. Will be interesting to see if this approach continues to yield positive results.
Watch some of Jaeger's stuff on youtube. It's pretty impressive to watch. My sons both do long toss, but the oldest only gets out to 15 for now-more as he gets older. I think the Braves(Maddux, Smoltz, Glavine. et al) all went out to about 300 feet in their heyday.