The 2008 video looks like he isn’t getting his full body behind each pitch, he is releasing the ball a little later. I am a complete layman when it comes to pitching mechanics so my analysis is worth about 2 cents.

Think this had anything to do with Dick Pole’s firing? Although it seems to be an organizational failing if nobody in the entire organization could find a problem in Homer Bailey’s mechanics, that should have been a top priority given the resources already invested in Homer, and the potential he holds.

I’m always a bit wary about these kinds of analyses, as the writers often invoke a lot of strong claims about how things should be done when pitching or swinging with little apparent data to back it up. They basically operate by claiming authority, deserved or undeserved, and the rest of us just try to see what they’re seeing. And I’m so far from knowing enough to judge what they’re doing that there’s not much I can say about it.

Someday, I’d like to see some sort of post-hoc analysis done on (or by, even) a large sample of these kinds of analysis. I.e. take players they like, take players they don’t like, and then see whether their predictions of future success (future command, future injury, etc) are actually predictive. I’d like to think they would be, but I don’t know.

That all said, I love reading this kind of thing. It’s fascinating to hear about pitching mechanics from someone who apparently does have knowledge of this kind of thing. It’s just hard for me to know how much stock to put into it.
-j

Beckett was always a drop n drive type. Not so much with Homer, who is more arm with some backward tilt.

        I will add a couple of things that are purely conjecture on my part. One, it is a testament to the necessity of scouting and coaching that these things (i.e. Homer’s previous mechanical hinderances) are identified and addressed (not that the Reds had any part in it, mind you). I do not believe that we’ll ever be able to define the parameters of an objective study that can accurately compare mechanics be they good, bad or mediocre.
       Two, I noticed the difference in Bailey right away. It was exceptionally subtle but present. I know from my own experience what tempo does to control and velocity and subsequently confidence. I do not often contribute serious comments to this site but here’s one: Homer Bailey will be an All-Star relatively soon. He looks like a man who is discovering his confidence. When that process reaches its pinnacle he will be consistently dominant.

you can see a few differences.

he brings his front leg higher and his hands higher when he starts his motion. during his finish he keeps his glove tucked towards his body (I read the driveline mechanics post and they were calling it his glove side finish or something like that). when he finishes his delivery his head is up and he isn’t bent over as much as he was before and he just looks better balanced. He also doesn’t bend his back leg as soon, and if you watch during his older mechanics his knee opens up sooner, which could be because he was just opening up too early in general which might be the main reason for his loss of velocity.

Overall his whole motion just seems cleaner, and I remember the Reds were worried about him repeating his mechanics, and his delivery now just looks more precise and easy which should make it more repeatable. His season next year will be real interesting to watch, the teams success depends a large amount on his progression.