Big Leaguer Breakdown: AJ Burnette

Well, unfortunately, I was correct in predicting the New York Yankees would claim their 27th World Series crown. I was also correct when I proclaimed that it would all come down to pitching and the Yankees had the advantage in that category as well. Since we've already looked at the mechanics of both CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte, (two of the three starters used by the Yankees) I thought it'd be fitting to finish the trifecta by making this week's Big Leaguer Breakdown, AJ Burnette.

Check out this video on youtube of AJ Burnette pitching for the Yankees vs. the Tigers in July 2009.

The first thing to notice is the rhythm that AJ maintains throughout the entire motion. He's extremely fluid from start to finish and never rushes, never jumps, and never appears to be out of control. The "Intelligent Pitcher" should always strive to be like AJ in this aspect. It goes hand in hand with my "Less is More" philosophy.

So lets take our first look in this video at the 15 second mark. What you should notice is that Burnette's entire body has rotated inward, showing his back to the batter and effectively creating some deception in his delivery. It's important to note here that although this does hide the baseball, it also requires extreme focus to maintain a consisten release point. You can really notice this if you view AJ from behind. Watch the video a few clicks past (still on the 15 second mark) and you'll notice his hands break in a circular motion as is leg drops down and kicks out. Again, this contributes to AJ's deception and low-arm slot sinker he throws.

So how does AJ throw strikes with so much rotational movement in his delivery? Take a few more clicks on the video and notice the most important aspect of the Less is More Pitching philosphy... the elbows. His elbows explode up from his low hand break postion to an absolutely perfect "power position." His foot is just about to hit the ground and his hips have started to rotate. Notice (and this is key) his elbows have not yet cleared or opened yet. This position exemplifies how the hips (and hip turn) generate power to the arms to THROW THE BALL HARDER.

Another frame to exam is another one of my favorites. At the 29 second mark, Burnette has just released his second pitch in the sequence. Note the slight bend in his front knee and extention his throwing arm gets out over the leg. There is a significant bend at the waste that helps take the movement of his pitches closer to the pitch, so the hitter has less time to recognize and react to the pitch.

Go ahead and watch the rest of the video and study his mechanics again. His mechanics are not exactly textbook and they are defintely 'advanced' by most standards. For this reason, he does fall victim to some erratic performances from time to time. But when he is on, he is unhittable.

As always, leave comments and/or questions.

Until next time!