Really? Seriously? Those two popular buzz words seem to fit this story. Warning: You'll need a pair of boots or keep your feet elevated when you read this story on Yahoo.
My conclusion:
Well, as the old saying goes, there's good news, and there's
bad news. The good news is that he still has a fairly live arm, and the Yankees
have a shot at signing him, but the bad news is that he he has some mechanical
issues that causes him to fatigue and lose arm strength before he reaches a 100
pitches in his starts.
In the evaluation of his big three of pitching
mechanics...leg extension, hip rotation, and follow through. Matt shows a minus
25 hip rotation which means he's using his arm almost exclusively in his
delivery when he steps open after his leg extension and throws before there's
any hip rotation at all. Pitchers with this flaw usually develop scar tissue in
the rotator group of their throwing shoulder which in turn reduces their
velocity. You can add an inconsistent follow through to his mechanical woes, as
well...though not as severe as his lack of hip rotation. He only loses 5 points
in this category. To sum it up, Matt will have a 30% probability of injury this
next season with a year or two left in his arm before scar tissue catches up
with him.
Leg Extension: Zero Points Deducted
Hip Rotation: -25
Follow Through: -5
OIP (Overall Injury Probability): 30%
The Yankees would be better served if they could trade for David Price. He enters into an arbitration year with the Tampa Rays, and they will not be able to afford the financial arbitration hit and be able to sign him when he enters his his free agency year.
