Mark Prior is likely in for some trouble

by colintj on Jun 24, 2006 6:35 PM CDT

Note to Mark Prior fans: he's got serious mechanics issues right now. I watched his first two innings against the Twinkies today and it's no surprise to me that his velocity is down (about 4-5 mph) and his curve ball is flat.

Note to whoever owns Mark Prior. He's got serious mechanics issues right now. I watched his first inning against the Twinkies today (actually, anyone with WGN should be able to watch this game...) and it's no surprise to me that his velocity is way down (about 4-5 mph) and his curve ball is flat.

Note, first, his release point. It's very low and not very far out in front. His elbow is way too low as well. All of this leads to an inability to finish pitches out front ("pop it" as I say). Hence, you will not see his best curve or his best fastball. I can't believe the Cubs are sending him out there, as his mechanics as they are will likely lead to injury problems, possibly in the shoulder, which bears the brunt of the strain when one pitches like this. Really you can verify this yourself. Put your arm in a similar position, hand near the shoulder with the elbow down. Considering that I'd bet he's not in top physical form because of his extended layoff, they are certainly doing their best to get him injured again. Which makes no sense at all, with the Cubs so far out of contention. If I were a Cubs fan, I would be all sorts of pissed. And, even though I normally mock the Cubs mercilessly, I hate to see this sort of thing. Ugh. I just hope he doesn't start overthrowing to compensate.

If you want to assess his future starts for yourself, the position of his elbow will be most telling. It should be about even with his shoulder height, as this is where he has been in the past. Personally, I wouldn't recommend pitching this way anyway, but it is relatively effective as long as your elbow can take it. With the likelihood so high that you can come back from TJ these days, it's not THAT big a deal. Shoulder issues are death to pitchers.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

Tweet Comment 9 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

this is

like st for him and they just said his velocity goes up with more starts plus he already hit 95 where he tops out anyways

by china423 on Jun 24, 2006 6:47 PM CDT reply actions

That drop in velocity

seemed to come back pretty quickly. Do you think you might be wrong about this, I do.

by PriorandAramisfan23 on Jun 25, 2006 2:53 AM CDT reply actions

Velocity Is Not A Tell All.

He was missing high all night and his curve ball was awful. If he's able to fight his mechanics to get his fastball up to speed, good for him, but the bigger worry is injury. Also, he was in a position today where a great number of would-be hits happened to find gloves. He managed to throw his worst hanger to luis castillo, whose painful-to-the-eye approach to hitting managed to land prior an out in the form of an infield fly. Fortune and a good number 1 kept it to 3 runs. His deuce will not start breaking unless he gets on top of it, and that can't happen if he doesn't get his arm up. Feel fortunate.

by colintj on Jun 25, 2006 4:14 AM CDT up reply actions

Like you're really an authority...

Sorry colintj, but I don't know who the bloody hell you are, and I doubt you have any idea what's going on with his mechanics.

by felixfelicis on Jun 25, 2006 1:25 PM CDT reply actions

revelation!

intelligence tests not administered for commenting permission!

by colintj on Jun 25, 2006 10:56 PM CDT up reply actions

True...

but it also means that nobody is interested in what you have to say.

You have just given up the most obvious news to Cubs fans and act like you've dropped a bombshell. You also act like none of us have pitched before.

And as for what you said, you don't really know what you're talking about. The elbow was low on some pitches, causing him to miss high in the zone, yes, but that is mostly a function of him not having a ton of arm strength right now. Check back in a few starts. Out of any mechanical issues he might have, that isn't one of them (also, if you're a sox fan, you might want to check Brandon McCarthy, because he has almost the exact same arm mechanics).

As for the curveball, he actually threw a few really good ones, and the curves he hung had little to nothing to do with his elbow position. He was overthrowing them, because he's still pretty rusty. I watched his elbow the entire game, and it really was not the glaring problem you make it out to be. Like I said, check back in a few starts.

And thank you for telling us that he is going to have health problems. I'll be sure to make a note of that, so I can watch for it three years ago.

I wonder if Kerry Wood might have health problems in his career?...Naah. Surely, you jest.

by CosmicCharlie911 on Jun 26, 2006 4:35 AM CDT up reply actions

subject!

i do regret my tone, but it was copied and pasted and mostly unchecked. whatever. aside from that, i don't think it's obvious. my experieneces with baseball players (high school and some college) lead me to believe that the idea of mechanics is poorly understood. since that is the farthest extent to which the vast majority of baseball fans have played baseball, extrapolating that conclusion across the whole of the population doesn't seem outrageous to me. you're the first person who's disagreed with any sort of technical know-how, which is probably telling.

as for arm strength being a cause, i don't think it takes much to alter the location of your elbow in your motion. i also disagree that it was only a few times, as he seemed to adjust the angle of his body in relation to the ground to flatten out his fastball somewhat. nonetheless, he was still up in the zone with much regularity.

by colintj on Jun 28, 2006 5:00 PM CDT up reply actions

Looks to me

like this was copy and pasted from a fantasy baseball news letter.

And a bad one at that.

"At the end of the day, don't tell me how rough the waters are... just get the ship into port." - Stoney

by BCurt10 on Jun 26, 2006 6:21 PM CDT reply actions

sigh...

no, i wrote it. pitching isn't a mystifying art left totally incomprehensible to the layman by witchdoctor athletes. it's physics. the ideal is a matter of stringing a few acts together in concert in order to impart optimal spin on the baseball.

in the very least, i'd bet that a video slow-mo would demonstrate that he's not where he was in, say, 2003, mechanically speaking and that the changes he has made are bad. personally, i don't like his base mechanics anyway, since they're difficult to perform without strain. my main gripe is with his elbow, which is substantially bent throughout the motion. if you want an example of how to pitch in this way, watch clemens. you'll notice a number of differences, especially the location of the ball in relation to his shoulder and the rotation of his torso and shoulders. in concert and strong, he powers through the finish and doesn't drag his arm.

obviously, i've got no credibility whatsoever as a random outsider, but it doesn't mean i'm not right.

by colintj on Jun 28, 2006 12:52 PM CDT up reply actions