Strasburg hampered by arm issue?

Uh oh.

QUOTE(#3):

Originally posted 08:54 AM ET  05.25 by Prayin' Utleys

I think all he needs is a little self-inflicted damage, it worked for Bryce Harper - he should throw a hissy fit and bludgeon himself with a flailing bat or something...............

I'd watch that.

QUOTE(#5):

Originally posted 09:09 AM ET  05.25 by Prayin' Utleys

So would I, nothing better than punk-on-punk violence, especially when the punk's are one in the same............I loved the way the bat went "old school" on Harper..........

I liked the blood dripping down his face in the outfield.

It amazes me that he has gotten through each level and pitching coaches refuse to make him change his delivery. His arm motion puts too much pressure on his elbow at release point, and he will continue to have arm problems throughout his career (already having Tommy John surgery.) There is a proper way to pitch a baseball and so many guys who make it to the majors have terrible mechanics that they pay for somewhere down the road during their career. If you look at Roy Halladay, he has the perfect motion as he doesn't put too much stress on his shoulder or elbow and has never had any arm trouble throughout his career.

I was a pitcher my whole life playing at various levels of baseball (I couldn't throw 90 miles in a hour so I had no shot at the pro's), but I studied different motions and came to realize how many pro's had bad mechanics, and still do to this day.

QUOTE(#7):

Originally posted 09:14 AM ET  05.25 by Flyers1986-87

It amazes me that he has gotten through each level and pitching coaches refuse to make him change his delivery. His arm motion puts too much pressure on his elbow at release point, and he will continue to have arm problems throughout his career (already having Tommy John surgery.) There is a proper way to pitch a baseball and so many guys who make it to the majors have terrible mechanics that they pay for somewhere down the road during their career. If you look at Roy Halladay, he has the perfect motion as he doesn't put too much stress on his shoulder or elbow and has never had any arm trouble throughout his career. I was a pitcher my whole life playing at various levels of baseball (I couldn't throw 90 miles in a hour so I had no shot at the pro's), but I studied different motions and came to realize how many pro's had bad mechanics, and still do to this day.

He has the same mechanical flaws that doomed Prior and Wood - the 'upside down W'. When he separates, instead of getting his hand and the ball up and behind him, he pinches his back to gain velocity, and leaves his hand below his elbow, then snaps it into place. I cringe every time I watch him throw, and, unfortunately, there's a really good chance his elbow won't hold up.

QUOTE(#8):

Originally posted 09:19 AM ET  05.25 by eskay09

He has the same mechanical flaws that doomed Prior and Wood - the 'upside down W'. When he separates, instead of getting his hand and the ball up and behind him, he pinches his back to gain velocity, and leaves his hand below his elbow, then snaps it into place. I cringe every time I watch him throw, and, unfortunately, there's a really good chance his elbow won't hold up.

Well - Lincicum lasted a few years with his herky jerky.... wonder how long will this last....

Besides - if the coaches start to twick too much - he may lose his "edge" - so it will be interesting.

Good point. Do you want a lights-out Strasburg for 5 years, or a solid pitcher for 10.

QUOTE(#11):

Originally posted 09:40 AM ET  05.25 by JPritch

Good point. Do you want a lights-out Strasburg for 5 years, or a solid pitcher for 10.

for 50 mil. I'd be making adjustments.

QUOTE(#8):

Originally posted 09:19 AM ET  05.25 by eskay09

He has the same mechanical flaws that doomed Prior and Wood - the 'upside down W'. When he separates, instead of getting his hand and the ball up and behind him, he pinches his back to gain velocity, and leaves his hand below his elbow, then snaps it into place. I cringe every time I watch him throw, and, unfortunately, there's a really good chance his elbow won't hold up.

You are 100 correct about Prior and Wood, and AJ Burnett has the same motion (underwent Tommy John surgery earlier in his career. The coaches/management are so focused on the pitch count, and thats not the major reason why these guys are having arm trouble. As long as you throw between starts (as many older pitchers did) you should be able to throw more then 125 pitchers a game as that seems to be the cutoff point these days. In saying all of this, there is always going to be pitchers who develop arm trouble whether they have perfect mechanics or not, because its just not normal to throw a ball THAT much in a person's life, but to Strasburg throwing motion, I am sadly waiting for Tommy John Surgery #2.

QUOTE(#10):

Originally posted 09:36 AM ET  05.25 by Lex-LOU-thor

Well - Lincicum lasted a few years with his herky jerky.... wonder how long will this last....Besides - if the coaches start to twick too much - he may lose his "edge" - so it will be interesting.

It's not the herk-jerk motion, it's the specific movement of the arm and the stress on the elbow that it causes. Anybody's arm at that level can just blow at any time, don't get me wrong. But this one spot that he gets to is almost a guaranteed chronic elbow problem. It's the difference between using your body to generate velocity and snapping your arm to generate the velocity. It is way too late to fix it now, to be honest, because it would mean a completely new throwing motion. You can't 'tweak' and fix this one.

QUOTE(#13):

Originally posted 09:46 AM ET  05.25 by Flyers1986-87

You are 100 correct about Prior and Wood, and AJ Burnett has the same motion (underwent Tommy John surgery earlier in his career. The coaches/management are so focused on the pitch count, and thats not the major reason why these guys are having arm trouble. As long as you throw between starts (as many older pitchers did) you should be able to throw more then 125 pitchers a game as that seems to be the cutoff point these days. In saying all of this, there is always going to be pitchers who develop arm trouble whether they have perfect mechanics or not, because its just not normal to throw a ball THAT much in a person's life, but to Strasburg throwing motion, I am sadly waiting for Tommy John Surgery #2.

THe overhand throwing motion is not natural to the physiology of the human frame. THere are no perfect mechanics - only mechanics that might minimize strain - but since each person is different - it could be different for each one. And like you said - no matter what happens - strain is strain - some will hold up - some don't....

QUOTE(#10):

Originally posted 09:36 AM ET  05.25 by Lex-LOU-thor

Well - Lincicum lasted a few years with his herky jerky.... wonder how long will this last....

Lincicum is an interesting case, as I remember reading an SI article about him his rookie year and his father developed his pitching motion. I can't remember the specifics but his dads reason for that strange motion was to make sure he had a perfect delivery without putting stress on any part of the arm, elbow or shoulder. I personaly think Lincicum's motion is fine, but I just think he is a small guy and his body isn't holding up to 30+ starts every year. Most great pitchers (not all as there are exceptions) are big guys that are 6'3" or 6'5" who can hold up to 250+ innings a year. I will interested to see where his career goes in the next few years.

QUOTE(#15):

Originally posted 09:49 AM ET  05.25 by eskay09

It's not the herk-jerk motion, it's the specific movement of the arm and the stress on the elbow that it causes. Anybody's arm at that level can just blow at any time, don't get me wrong. But this one spot that he gets to is almost a guaranteed chronic elbow problem. It's the difference between using your body to generate velocity and snapping your arm to generate the velocity. It is way too late to fix it now, to be honest, because it would mean a completely new throwing motion. You can't 'tweak' and fix this one.

That is 100% incorrect.

QUOTE(#8):

Originally posted 09:19 AM ET  05.25 by eskay09

He has the same mechanical flaws that doomed Prior and Wood - the 'upside down W'. When he separates, instead of getting his hand and the ball up and behind him, he pinches his back to gain velocity, and leaves his hand below his elbow, then snaps it into place. I cringe every time I watch him throw, and, unfortunately, there's a really good chance his elbow won't hold up.

Exactly right. It's like a chain reaction really that ends up causing arm lag that stresses the elbow and shoulder quite a bit. You can still pitch very well for a while, and nobody wants to correct the flaws when the results are great but eventually the arm fails.

QUOTE(#18):

Originally posted 09:51 AM ET  05.25 by Atro SYB

That is 100% incorrect.

He's right about what is causing the problem, but I think it's never too late to correct your mechanics. It's not really all that much different from a pro golfer changing his swing at the pro level....sure it's hard and it's a big adjustment but it can be done.