Big Leaguer Breakdown: Max Scherzer

Today marks the conclusion of Jim Farr's Winter Baseball Camp. A lot was accomplished by the pitcher's and position players that attended despite the tough wintery weather conditions. One of the primary topics covered in many of the mechanical breakdowns lead by Farr himself and the other coaches (myself included) was the importance of athleticism on the mound and the use of the legs, hips and core in delivering the baseball. With that in mind, I've decided to make this weeks Big Leaguer Breakdown of Max Scherzer of the Arizona Diamondbacks. I played with Max during his first professional season in Hi A with the Visalia Oaks. One of the most apparent things about his delivery is his ability to explode to the target and finish over front side...getting almost parallel to the ground on his finish.

Let's check out this video of him pitching in Arizona to see what I mean.

To get the idea, lets start from the end and work back with his delivery. Check out the 22 second mark of the video...after Scherzer has finished his pitch. What I want to point out is just how parallel his body is to his finish. Even more important is his front leg being slightly bent and able to keep his chin on target through his finish. If you back up the video just a touch (still at the 22 second mark) you can see the glove turn also being utilized to keep the body on the mid-line. This point is key because of how fast and possibly even violent his finish is. It is essential to be consistent with that glove turn to stay online.

A few more ticks backward and we see Max's elbows are positioned fully elevated and "loaded" in the power position. At the same time, if you look at his front foot...it is fully positioned at the 45 degree angle as the foot is getting ready to plant. You can see how his foot as slighlty gained ground forward, but the majority of his weight is still back and ready to fire. As many of you know, staying loaded on that back leg as long as possible is key to generating the type of velocity (95 -97) that Scherzer does. Check out pic to see what I mean.


Finally, we'll look at the 21 second mark to see how compact and poised to explode he looks in this positin. Not that this position is where he generates his power, it is, however, how he gets in position to "get athletic." I really like how he brings his front leg in and tucks his hands to the same place. It leaves little room for error as the hands can easily work up from this position.

So there is Max's delivery in reverse. As you know, the video has more than one pitch...so always study them step by step. It's difficult to recreate some of the speed and flexibility he has in his core and legs...but it will do good to try and emulate his finish and position.

Until Next time!!