Scouting Orioles Prospect Jake Arrieta
When I did the Baltimore Orioles Top-15 Prospect list, Arrieta was somebody I wanted to do a more in-depth take on. You can find the full article by clicking here as I outsourced it for the Hardball Times. Below is an excerpt:
Below is Arrieta’s draft video (left) and Arrieta during his stint with the U.S. Olympic team this past season. You’ll see in both instances, after Arrieta lowers his leg, he appears to step over an imaginary object. This step-over enables Arrieta to kick-start an aggressive hip rotation and take a longer stride into foot plant. The point of the step-over move is to add velocity.
But compare the differences… which version has the bigger, more aggressive move into foot plant? From my point of view, it’s the 2008 version. This more efficient step-over move allows Arrieta to build up more momentum heading into foot plant and in the process generate more torque.
The more forceful the hip rotation, the more torque Arrieta creates between his torso and hips. The bigger the separation between his torso and hips, the more power is transmitted to the shoulder. The more power transmitted to the shoulder, the greater the potential for velocity—as long as the kinetic chain is in sync throughout the delivery, which Arrieta’s is.
To read the full length version of this article, please click here
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