Quote Originally Posted by Really Clark? View Post
I'm sorry but anyone thinking you can pick up spin at this level is easy by simply reading the release angle and hand position hasn't ever seen high level pitching. This is not the 1980's HS with a kid who can't break 82 and has to do something different with his arm to make the ball move. The bulk of these players release at the exact same point, with same hand position, with identical arm slot and body position for all of their pitches. Look at just Landon on fastball and slider, if you are trying to concentrate on hand position to pick up the pitch and not micro-focusing on actual spin, you are absolutely dead at that speed and revs. You won't touch either pitch.

https://twitter.com/pitchingninja/st...438521861?s=21

Will Bednar, not as good of an overlay but you get the idea, same arm angle, hand position and release point

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3p0CjeGU8c
Pitching has really benefitted a lot by technology and also by I think people trying to figure out how to throw hard with location while minimizing injury. And the result is pitcher's throwing stuff like that. 20 years ago if a team in the SEC had some guys throwing 88-91 that was probably one of the more elite staffs in the country stuff wise. Now I mean you look at our recruits and they're throwing 91-93 and sometimes even harder in high school. A lot of that is mechanics focused and part of that is deception by having a consistent arm angle.

By the same token, I think hitting has regressed even though the technology is better. To me there seems to be too much focus on the swing mechanics and trying to get into that slot and pulling everything, don't worry about striking out and I think unlike pitching it seems like there is a lack of teaching hitters how to handle certain situations, maybe not enough focus on pitch recognition, and etc. And then you see these hitters getting shifted on or they get into these deep slumps because they have a massive hole in their swing and pitchers just keep attacking them in that spot. And I sometimes wonder if that's what happens to a guy like Hatcher last year and maybe even Clark this year.

It seems to me like right now in baseball the pitchers come into college way ahead and then the hitters a lot of times almost have to be completely built or rebuilt unless they have an approach like a Tanner Allen coming in which seems to be exceedingly rare.

I think hitting would catch up to pitching if there was more focus and better use of the technology on like hey maybe you can hit a home run to right field AND left field and it's going to make you a much better player. Or here's how you should try to hit with two strikes to help your team out more than striking out.