Comments on: Gomez on Russell and Mortensen http://futureredbirds.com/2007/07/03/gomez-on-russell-and-mortensen/ Baseball's Future in the Gateway City Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:30:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU hourly 1 By: erik http://futureredbirds.com/2007/07/03/gomez-on-russell-and-mortensen/#comment-3250 erik Wed, 04 Jul 2007 00:03:14 +0000 http://futureredbirds.com/2007/07/03/gomez-on-russell-and-mortensen/#comment-3250 nice. did you eat the extra fruit loops as well? don't forget, 91 they had incaviglia for a little while, though by then he sucked. i lived in MI until i was 8, then moved to the STL, that's basically how i became a card fan. i still looked at the paper everyday and checked the Tiger boxscore. big daddy was my fave...where have you gone, matt nokes? nice. did you eat the extra fruit loops as well? don’t forget, 91 they had incaviglia for a little while, though by then he sucked. i lived in MI until i was 8, then moved to the STL, that’s basically how i became a card fan. i still looked at the paper everyday and checked the Tiger boxscore. big daddy was my fave…where have you gone, matt nokes?

]]> By: Carlos Gomez http://futureredbirds.com/2007/07/03/gomez-on-russell-and-mortensen/#comment-3246 Carlos Gomez Tue, 03 Jul 2007 21:42:31 +0000 http://futureredbirds.com/2007/07/03/gomez-on-russell-and-mortensen/#comment-3246 BTW Erik, nice to see there were others who enjoyed the Fielder, Tettleton, Rob Deer lineup. To my dad's dismay, I used to copy their swings in games. Can you imagine a 13 year-old kid with Mickey Tettleton's stance? Yeah, that was me.... BTW Erik, nice to see there were others who enjoyed the Fielder, Tettleton, Rob Deer lineup. To my dad’s dismay, I used to copy their swings in games. Can you imagine a 13 year-old kid with Mickey Tettleton’s stance? Yeah, that was me….

]]> By: Carlos Gomez http://futureredbirds.com/2007/07/03/gomez-on-russell-and-mortensen/#comment-3243 Carlos Gomez Tue, 03 Jul 2007 19:44:30 +0000 http://futureredbirds.com/2007/07/03/gomez-on-russell-and-mortensen/#comment-3243 hips and core forcefully---yes and yes....I like your approach. Again, you want your pitchers to finish with a "flat back" because of the stuff that happens throughout the delivery and not something forced at the end to make a pitcher look "pitcherly." Excellent thoughts there on quantifying break. I think MLB Enhanced gameday is on the right track with that. I'd like to one day measure release point distance from home plate in order to identify "sneaky fast" guys myself. hips and core forcefully—yes and yes….I like your approach. Again, you want your pitchers to finish with a “flat back” because of the stuff that happens throughout the delivery and not something forced at the end to make a pitcher look “pitcherly.”

Excellent thoughts there on quantifying break. I think MLB Enhanced gameday is on the right track with that. I’d like to one day measure release point distance from home plate in order to identify “sneaky fast” guys myself.

]]> By: BigJawnMize http://futureredbirds.com/2007/07/03/gomez-on-russell-and-mortensen/#comment-3240 BigJawnMize Tue, 03 Jul 2007 17:25:44 +0000 http://futureredbirds.com/2007/07/03/gomez-on-russell-and-mortensen/#comment-3240 Carlos- That is kinda what I was thinking, I want to get kids to use there hips and core as forcefully as they can. I had another thought on what you are doing and I know this is going to be difficult. It seems to me that with the advancement in software (and cheaper hardware) we should be able to use frame speeds and start to get a very accurate measure of what "stuff" is. For example a curveball should break a certain distance over so many frames to be considered major league average. If we could do this with the best pitches in the game we could start to accurately measure what a "plus" vs "average" pitch is. I think the thing that is preventing people co this is getting the proper camera angles on the pitches. Carlos-

That is kinda what I was thinking, I want to get kids to use there hips and core as forcefully as they can.

I had another thought on what you are doing and I know this is going to be difficult. It seems to me that with the advancement in software (and cheaper hardware) we should be able to use frame speeds and start to get a very accurate measure of what “stuff” is. For example a curveball should break a certain distance over so many frames to be considered major league average. If we could do this with the best pitches in the game we could start to accurately measure what a “plus” vs “average” pitch is. I think the thing that is preventing people co this is getting the proper camera angles on the pitches.

]]> By: Carlos Gomez http://futureredbirds.com/2007/07/03/gomez-on-russell-and-mortensen/#comment-3233 Carlos Gomez Tue, 03 Jul 2007 15:47:25 +0000 http://futureredbirds.com/2007/07/03/gomez-on-russell-and-mortensen/#comment-3233 Hi all, BJMize--What I was referring regarding the "flat back" was this.... Many times, I hear pitching coaches mention "flat back" or "get your right knee up and over" and all that stuff. Many times, you'll see a kid throw a pitch and, because coach wants him to finish that way, the player will fake the finish. Finishing that way is largely a result of the effort put into the pitch. You want to finish with a "flat back" or "bending the waist" as a result of all the power and effort and driving down/forward through the ball instead of finishing that way in order to please coach. Mortensen seems to finish not as hard and then seems to "fake" the final few frames of his delivery. See if you can catch it. I'm also being nitpicky with that by he way... Hi all,

BJMize–What I was referring regarding the “flat back” was this…. Many times, I hear pitching coaches mention “flat back” or “get your right knee up and over” and all that stuff. Many times, you’ll see a kid throw a pitch and, because coach wants him to finish that way, the player will fake the finish. Finishing that way is largely a result of the effort put into the pitch. You want to finish with a “flat back” or “bending the waist” as a result of all the power and effort and driving down/forward through the ball instead of finishing that way in order to please coach.

Mortensen seems to finish not as hard and then seems to “fake” the final few frames of his delivery. See if you can catch it. I’m also being nitpicky with that by he way…

]]> By: BigJawnMize http://futureredbirds.com/2007/07/03/gomez-on-russell-and-mortensen/#comment-3229 BigJawnMize Tue, 03 Jul 2007 15:02:34 +0000 http://futureredbirds.com/2007/07/03/gomez-on-russell-and-mortensen/#comment-3229 If Carlos stops by I have a question on the flat back comment. I teach pitching mechanics quite a bit and haven't ever taught "flat back" but do advocate kids getting to that position by bending their waist to drive the shoulders over the front knee (slightly bent); towards the target; and through the release. The goal is to have a release closer to home. If you do this you end up with a flat back. The way I understand it is that he is commenting on Mortensen releasing first then getting to a flat bac finish instead of having a flatter back at release. Carlos if you stop by could you elaborate on the comment. If Carlos stops by I have a question on the flat back comment. I teach pitching mechanics quite a bit and haven’t ever taught “flat back” but do advocate kids getting to that position by bending their waist to drive the shoulders over the front knee (slightly bent); towards the target; and through the release. The goal is to have a release closer to home. If you do this you end up with a flat back. The way I understand it is that he is commenting on Mortensen releasing first then getting to a flat bac finish instead of having a flatter back at release. Carlos if you stop by could you elaborate on the comment.

]]> By: azruavatar http://futureredbirds.com/2007/07/03/gomez-on-russell-and-mortensen/#comment-3227 azruavatar Tue, 03 Jul 2007 13:57:20 +0000 http://futureredbirds.com/2007/07/03/gomez-on-russell-and-mortensen/#comment-3227 I could watch Kyle Russell swing the bat all day. He reminds me of Mather in how lanky he looks rather than just big. I do think the swing plane needs to be addressed or he's going to swing under some fastballs on a regular basis. I like Mortenson's mechanics but I'm just exhausted by the low-upside college pitcher pick that the Cardinals continue to make. I'm not sold on his stuff given his mediocre results in college. Andrew -- I wouldn't worry too much re: signing Russell. I don't think he will sign until August. The talk that's going around about him and Kozma is all a lot of posturing still. If Kozma or Russell don't sign, we'll have a good old fashioned witchhunt for the reason why. But it's going to be a while... I could watch Kyle Russell swing the bat all day. He reminds me of Mather in how lanky he looks rather than just big. I do think the swing plane needs to be addressed or he’s going to swing under some fastballs on a regular basis.

I like Mortenson’s mechanics but I’m just exhausted by the low-upside college pitcher pick that the Cardinals continue to make. I’m not sold on his stuff given his mediocre results in college.

Andrew — I wouldn’t worry too much re: signing Russell. I don’t think he will sign until August. The talk that’s going around about him and Kozma is all a lot of posturing still. If Kozma or Russell don’t sign, we’ll have a good old fashioned witchhunt for the reason why. But it’s going to be a while…

]]> By: Andrew http://futureredbirds.com/2007/07/03/gomez-on-russell-and-mortensen/#comment-3226 Andrew Tue, 03 Jul 2007 13:35:20 +0000 http://futureredbirds.com/2007/07/03/gomez-on-russell-and-mortensen/#comment-3226 With each day that goes by, I fear the Cards' likelihood of signing Russell diminishes. I'm still hopeful, though--I can't make sense of their willingness to pick him if they didn't intend to sign him. It's not like they're dealing with a high schooler who hasn't competed against top competition and is therefore an unknown. They like college kids. I still think they get it done. It's certainly reassuring to hear a good report from Gomez on Mort. That pick was panned widely (as was Kozma)--makes me curious about the proprietary methods the organization uses to analyze players. Maybe with QC's piggyback effort over, they will now move Degerman and Herron along and make some room for Mort there. He should move quickly, right? With each day that goes by, I fear the Cards’ likelihood of signing Russell diminishes. I’m still hopeful, though–I can’t make sense of their willingness to pick him if they didn’t intend to sign him. It’s not like they’re dealing with a high schooler who hasn’t competed against top competition and is therefore an unknown. They like college kids. I still think they get it done.

It’s certainly reassuring to hear a good report from Gomez on Mort. That pick was panned widely (as was Kozma)–makes me curious about the proprietary methods the organization uses to analyze players. Maybe with QC’s piggyback effort over, they will now move Degerman and Herron along and make some room for Mort there. He should move quickly, right?

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