Right. There are tons of mind-facts with pitching mechanics / injuries. There are tons of "truths" that just keep getting repeated by pitching coaches. I'm not sure if a study has ever been done on the subject, and I'm very curious.
Verducci said the same thing about body types on MLB Network, and that's why I jumped all over your post. I've been wondering about this for the past week or so. I'm not sure if Verducci has any evidence that big bodied pitchers can overcome his "Verducci Effect" or if he is just guessing. Size didn't help Chris Carpenter, Stephen Strasburg, Josh Johnson, Kerry Wood, Francisco Liriano and others from needing TJ surgery.
Maybe I'll write Verducci and ask him why he thinks the body types will save the pitchers from injuries and if he has any data to back it up.
Doug Thorburn had a great read on Oswalt and Lincecum earlier in the year when Lincecum was struggling. He says that pitchers with small body types have to generate more power to throw hard. Because of this, they need to be in better physical condition to be able to repeat their mechanics pitch after pitch, game after game. Otherwise, their mechanics will slip and leave them vulnerable to injury. (DT is also the one that I have cited talking about Strasburg and the "injury cascade" from the shoulder to the elbow, basically blaming his injury on altered mechanics compensating for his shoulder... so he definitely values mechanical repetition).
With Lincecum battling through his funk, fellow 5’11” right-hander Roy Oswalt recently offered some sage advice. The newest member of the formidable Phillie rotation stressed the importance of conditioning, an aspect of pitching that often goes overlooked. The implication was that Lincecum could greatly benefit by taking a long look at his commitment to preparation.
What really caught my eye about the story was not the advice itself, but rather the source. Mechanically, Roy Oswalt is probably the closest comp in the major leagues to Lincecum’s “Freak” delivery. Both pitchers absolutely explode out of the setup position, generating crazy momentum to more than compensate for any disadvantage in height and wingspan. This requires tremendous lower body strength, which Oswalt made a point to address in terms of conditioning.
Physical maintenance forms the foundation for mechanics, timing, and stamina. Lincecum’s issues with postural stabilization and consistency of timing are directly linked to his conditioning, and the high level of athleticism it requires to reap full advantage of his mechanics.
Oswalt credits Roger Clemens for instilling the competitive drive to never get outworked by an opposing pitcher. Nolan Ryan also had a similar mantra when it came to preparation for competition at the highest level.
Mechanical efficiency is supported by functional strength and flexibility. Athletes rely more heavily on physical conditioning as they get older and the body slides further from its peak ability to recover. Players of slight build face an even greater challenge. Lincecum would be wise to follow the words of his predecessors, and consider an adjustment to his off-season priorities.
http://www.baseballdailydigest.com/2010/08/22/raising-aces-os-mosis/BTW, the Bauer article reminds me of another Verducci article on Lincecum (
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/tom_verducci/07/01/lincecum0707/). I'd love to take a "chance" on Bauer.
