Something still isn't right with Matusz

[Roll Tide]

Wow, could the change to Connor have gone worse? With players finishing strong in '10 was there a need to change mechanics in '11? This falls on Buck. I supported the coaching changes at the time so that he would have his own guys, but he has take responsibility for results of those he selected.

With the Orioles doing so well finishing 2010 changing pitching coaches was IDIOTIC to say the least. If its true that his velocity is coming around under the AAA pitching coach he should be the Orioles coach next season. I hope the guy can help Tillman rediscover his as well. Although I'm not optimistic as Tillman has been there longer.

[DrungoHazewood]

Wow, could the change to Connor have gone worse? With players finishing strong in '10 was there a need to change mechanics in '11? This falls on Buck. I supported the coaching changes at the time so that he would have his own guys, but he has take responsibility for results of those he selected.

Maybe all O's coaches should be forced to take the Hippocratic Oath, especially the "I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone" part.

[BaysoxFan39]

Yeah, I never trust Bowie's gun. It's all over the place.

Don't trust the Bowie gun. I think they keep it inaccurate for a reason.

[Sports Guy]

Here's a video comparison. Matusz 8/30/09 (8 K's in 7 innings) vs Matusz 6/25/11 (Reds)

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I am having a hard time comparing arm angles but one thing I notice right off the bat is his arm action is shortened and follow through not as strong this year as in the 2009 clip.

Stride is shorter.

[Greg Pappas]

Just seeing this now TGO, good job! It mind-numbing to me that the O's were not able to determine there was a mechanical difference between what we saw out of Matusz to end '10, vs. what they were seeing out of him during his rehab in May, and in the Majors in June.

The fact that he had to go back to AAA and work with Griffin for this to be determined is pathetic.

Agreed... nice job TGO.

[DrungoHazewood]

Just seeing this now TGO, good job! It mind-numbing to me that the O's were not able to determine there was a mechanical difference between what we saw out of Matusz to end '10, vs. what they were seeing out of him during his rehab in May, and in the Majors in June.

The fact that he had to go back to AAA and work with Griffin for this to be determined is pathetic.

Agreed... nice job TGO.

Maybe if the O's are unwilling or unable to do this kind of thing they could consider crowdsourcing the scouting and analysis parts of the organization. I think the Hangout would be full of volunteers willing to do this kind of thing for the good of the organization. The results would have to be better, and they could save money by not paying the underperforming scouts and analysts they have now.

Again, this is one of those posts that probably has more truth to it than I intended when I first had the thought.

[tinamodotti]

The frames are synched up to his first leg movement. Runner on second base in both.

Top is '09 Strikeout, Bottom is '11 HR

It's subtle, but if you look closely, in '09 he turned his head toward home simultaneously with his first leg movement. However, this year he starts lifting his lead leg and maintains eye contact with second base for a few split seconds and then turns toward home. Sacrificing command to keep an eye on the runner?

Note direction of gaze as heel lifts:

[El Gordo]

The frames are synched up to his first leg movement. Runner on second base in both.

Top is '09 Strikeout, Bottom is '11 HR

It's subtle, but if you look closely, in '09 he turned his head toward home simultaneously with his first leg movement. However, this year he starts lifting his lead leg and maintains eye contact with second base for a few split seconds and then turns toward home. Sacrificing command to keep an eye on the runner?

Note direction of gaze as heel lifts:

Looks like the stride is shorter.

[Sports Guy]

The stride is definitely shorter now.

It also appears that, during the windup right before he releases the ball, that he gets a little lower in 2009 than now. In 2011, he appears to be slightly more upright.

[AgentOrange]

Leg kick was higher in 09, looks like he was generating more power with his legs then. Plus following through more. Finishing lower. That might be the loss in velocity right there.

This might be due to injury this year though.

[Stotle]

The frames are synched up to his first leg movement. Runner on second base in both.

Top is '09 Strikeout, Bottom is '11 HR

It's subtle, but if you look closely, in '09 he turned his head toward home simultaneously with his first leg movement. However, this year he starts lifting his lead leg and maintains eye contact with second base for a few split seconds and then turns toward home. Sacrificing command to keep an eye on the runner?

Note direction of gaze as heel lifts:

Looks like the stride is shorter.

The stride is definitely shorter now.

It also appears that, during the windup right before he releases the ball, that he gets a little lower in 2009 than now. In 2011, he appears to be slightly more upright.

First, nice work with the video. However, the trouble with making a comparison using these clips is 1) pitchers aren't necessarily consistent with their timing to home when working from the stretch, and 2) pitchers aren't necessarily consistent with their landing when throwing different pitch typres.

His plant leg is definitely down more quickly in the 2011 clip, but that doesn't necessarily mean he is striding less (he may be). He drops from the apex of his leg lift more quickly in the 2011 clip, but he could just be working more quickly in order to disrupt the timing of the baserunner. The fact that he is giving an extra look as he starts his motion might indicate that he is focused on preventing a good jump by the runner, as well. As he gets ready to plant (it's very difficult to see from this POV) the angle of his plant leg actually looks somewhat similar. It's just near impossible to distinguish stride length from a CF viewpoint. Doesn't mean his stride isn't shorter, but I don't think this video is conclusive evidence of that.

It also looks like he is throwing a breaking ball in the 2009 clip and a fastball in the 2011 clip. It would make sense that his motion has the appearance of being "lower" in the 2009 clip if he is a pitcher that comes with a slightly softer landing on off-speed pitches than he does on his fastball (again, just a possibility, but enough reason not to draw definitive conclusions from these vids).

Again, great work, and an interesting look at Matusz in two different years. I think if someone were to really dig into the question of mechanics, you need 1) a front view, and 2) a side view, in each case from the windup.