A Pitching Mechanics Breakdown: "King" Felix Hernandez

Felix Hernandez  Starting Pitcher  Seattle Mariners

Height: 6-3

Weight: 228

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Apr 8, 1986 - Valencia, Venezuela

College: None

Draft: 2002 - Undrafted. Signed by Seattle

Positives:

Age…  fairly young & has 3 years in MLB with 200+ IP (last 3 seasons)

Ease of motion

Body used in a coordinated delivery as a power pitcher

The big three:

Leg Extension

Good push with good leg extension. Balance seems to be an issue though and can lead to physical problems. -5

Hip Rotation

Not so much of a hip rotation as he steps and lands open. The turn is after the pitch is released and is a result of the momentum from his body in his delivery style. There’s potential for scar tissue to build up over time in the rotator cuff group which will lead to a decrease in velocity without correct hip rotation. -7

Follow Through

Slight secondary fall away follow through after a fairly decent follow through. Could be deeper in his primary follow through to keep his pitches down and provide more leverage with his breaking pitches. Also affects his durability. -1

Other factors to consider:

Minus: Knee a little too high in delivery from stretch as he seems to be not so concerned with the runner as he is with generating power. 0 points for injury potential

Plus: Excellent deception as he fully rotates in the power position in full windup. Turns his back to the hitter…all you see is his jersey number. Difficult to pick up his pitches. 0 points for injury potential

Conclusion

Overall Injury Probability (2013)

23%

Contract Validity:

7 years/$175…  Maybe for a pitcher with a 10% Injury Probability (as most pitchers with great mechanics still have a 10% chance of injury during the season), but it’s a pretty big gamble with his pitching mechanics and OIP.

Caveat, etc. :

50% of MLB starting pitchers are injured during a season. I’ve developed a subjectively, objective method to help determine the pitchers that have a greater potential to be injured due to mechanical flaws in their delivery. With the Injury Probability Pitching Mechanics Evaluation Chart for pitchers from Little League to the Major Leagues, I can approximately determine a pitcher’s OIP (Overall Injury Probability).