Driveline Mechanics has a full breakdown of one of my favorite pitchers — Justin Duchscherer of the A’s. Funny enough (or lamely enough depending on your point of view) one of the big reasons I’ve always liked Duchscherer is because he often slips in fantasy drafts. This year I was able to get him at the very end of two drafts and he’s a pretty decent, if oft-injured, starter. I also like him because he’s a junkballer and was once an unheralded middle reliever.

Duchscherer has one of the best curveballs in the game when it’s going right, and according to this breakdown, his mechanics are (mostly) also a thing of beauty. In the following quote we get a comparison to a motion I wouldn’t ordinarily consider when thinking about Duchscherer:

The Duke points the Pitching Arm Side (PAS) shoulder at the target after release and sets himself up for a good follow-through phase. Furthermore, the Duke “yanks” his head out of the way at the last minute as he delivers the ball from a high 3/4 arm slot, much like Tim Lincecum. This will add to the deception and make it harder for the batter to pick up the pitch on time - giving the Duke a few more mph in perceived velocity. His ball release phase is Excellent.

The review also gets into Duchscherer’s injury history, suggesting that his problems probably stem firstly from genetics, and secondly from supinating (over turning or rotating his arm) when throwing his overhand curve, cutter, and slider.

The piece has several GIF files showing different aspects of Duchscherer’s motion along with a number of statistical breakdowns.