RME JICO Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 http://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/1056261/detail.html SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Barry Zito unveiled a different delivery on his first day with the San Francisco Giants, making at least one of his new coaches a little nervous. Pitching coach Dave Righetti went as far as to say the tweaks Zito made this winter -- seen by the team for the first time Thursday -- could cause him to lose his dominant curveball and wear down his body. Zito has never missed a start in his seven-year career. "He's gone from one extreme to another from a pitching standpoint," Righetti said after San Francisco's pitchers and catchers finished their initial workout. "His ball flight is going to be different, no doubt about it." .... With his feet shoulder width apart and legs bent, Zito now bounces slightly before taking a big step backward at the beginning of his delivery. He said that creates a longer stride, and his motion is more fluid. "That'll wear him down. He's going to over-stride," Righetti said. "It's going to be tough on him. He's a good athlete and he got himself in shape for it. Maybe it's all tied in together and he felt he had to do something. To me, it'll be about making his pitches. If he loses the curveball, which he could because he'll be throwing from a different angle now -- we'll see how sore his groin is tomorrow." .... I thought this was pretty odd to tinker with your delivery to this extent, especially if you are an established pitcher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Can the Giants claim this is a different Zito and get a refund. That said I am not about to make a big deal about it, but it is odd considering his track record. I say why mess with a good thing. But it could also be a bunch of nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 It's because he put some weight on this off-season I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
santo=dorf Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 With that home ballpark, pitching in Petco and Dodger Stadium, and the NL to AL translation I think Zito will put up some solid numbers this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iWiN4PreP Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 IF he did put on some weight, and is tinkering with his delivery, then best to him, he'll prolly do well in the NL as stated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsideirish71 Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Over striding also has one other side effect, you have a propensity to leave the ball up more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 His motion was looking weird. The high leg kick was completely gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsideirish71 Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Feb 16, 2007 -> 11:03 AM) His motion was looking weird. The high leg kick was completely gone. His velocity might take a drop with the leg kick gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan101 Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Dontrelle Willis has had a lot of success since he turned his Fernando-esque leg kick into a more normal leg kick, however he's younger and has more velocity than Zito, while releying less on a curveball. But hey, he just signed a deal for 126 million dollars guaranteed, so he can do whatever the hell he wants. Be interested to see how this actually works though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Feb 16, 2007 -> 10:55 AM) Over striding also has one other side effect, you have a propensity to leave the ball up more. You can lose some control and have more side to side break on the ball other than over the top. I believe that Gavin had the same overstriding problem as did Thorton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RibbieRubarb Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Ohhhh I thought he was switching from UPS to FedEx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptatc Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Over-stridng will decrease his follow through and as someone said earlier tend to leave the ball up more. Righetti has a valid concern also. If you don't complete the follow through, throwing the curve with the big break is much more difficult. He may compensate and lower the arm angle and completely change his best pitch. My guess is he was starting to have some shoulder discomfort. This type of of biomechanics will take stress off the proximal structure (shoulder) and transfer it down the chain to the next point (elbow). It will be interesting to watch. I haven't seen or broken down video yet. When I see it I'll run it through the computer and and check the stresses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsideirish71 Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 (edited) QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Feb 16, 2007 -> 11:27 AM) Dontrelle Willis has had a lot of success since he turned his Fernando-esque leg kick into a more normal leg kick, however he's younger and has more velocity than Zito, while releying less on a curveball. But hey, he just signed a deal for 126 million dollars guaranteed, so he can do whatever the hell he wants. Be interested to see how this actually works though. A crazy kick or crazy turn sometimes causes a pitcher not to focus on the target until the ball is about to be released. This will cause some control issues on its own merit. He can do what he wants to do, however you cant say that the giants will be too happy. Its about how I felt last year, when Freddy started this BS that he wanted to become a control pitcher and was "choosing" to be a soft tosser. My guess is he was starting to have some shoulder discomfort. This type of of biomechanics will take stress off the proximal structure (shoulder) and transfer it down the chain to the next point (elbow). You probably hit it on the head. Hopefully his release and follow through still leaves his left hand around his right knee with the follow through. When you throw a 12-6 type curve like Zito, the key is to keep ontop of the pitch and pull down like you are pulling on a window shade and not to stop it abruptly. If he starts a side to side motion with it, he will get more left to right action on it and he will put more stress on his arm. Edited February 16, 2007 by southsideirish71 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxFan562004 Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 wow, whatever the reasons are, I'm sure the Giants are freaking a little bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goober Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 QUOTE(RibbieRubarb @ Feb 16, 2007 -> 12:43 PM) Ohhhh I thought he was switching from UPS to FedEx. I chuckled Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Pratt Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 Oh baby, I think even my wallet shivered a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 I think Peter McGowan needs to change his shorts right about now. He just signed Kevin Brown from the sounds of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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