One of the most dominating lefties in the HISTORY of professional baseball is without a doubt, Randy Johnson. Pitching for the Expos, Mariners, Diamondbacks, Yankees, and Giants, he is one the tallest pitchers in the game as well at 6' 10". He throws in the mid 90's from a low three quarters armslot and throws a slider that looks like its coming out from behind a lefties head. That pitch is known as one of the most devastating pitches in the game, this side of Mariano's cutter. That's why this week's Big Leaguer Breakdown is Randy Johnson.
Check out this video to really study the Big Unit's delivery.
This video operates in super slo-mo which is definitely one of my favorite videos to show. So, if we watch the first minute and five seconds of the video, we will see Randy finally get to the highest point of his leg lift. Notice how little body movement occurs in his upper and lower half as he lifts that front leg. There is a small amount of body tilt but for the most part, he is loaded and ready to stay tall through out the delivery.
The next thing I want you t do is watch the video from the 1.05 to 1.11 mark and watch how his front knee and glove stay connected in its movement. This is a great way to stay "timed" up so that the elbows are at their highest point as the front foot hits the ground. From the same clip, we do notice that as his hands break, the throwing arm wraps some behind his back. This works well for Randy as he utilizes that lower three quarters arm slot to create sink and get extension from the release point. In the middle of this sequence, the 1.09 mark, you will see how tall RJ is in the lower half. He gets the most out of his tall frame and really utlizes the leg for leverage.
At the 1.12 mark, you can see that his hips have cleared and his glove has turned directly under his chest. The glove turn is key because it isn't yanked off target. By turning it straight down, as he does in this video, his hand break and low arm slot come together perfectly to allow for perfect extension and a very repeatedabl delivery. Also notice, at the same time in the video, his front knee is slightly bent (think Roy Oswalt's video) making his front side extension even better.
Finally, his finish keeps his head on target and fully finishes his 95mph fastball.
Continue watching the video to see how compact and repeatable his video is. He was born with exceptional height and has created a delivery that perfectly makes the most of his assets.
Keep studying and post any questions!!
Until Next Time!!
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