The New and Improved Josh Beckett - 美國職棒

(之前很仔細的翻到一半，然後p1大當機　囧
沒想到修好之後竟然連暫存檔都不見了 現在生氣要亂翻了XD)
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/the-new-and-improved-josh-beckett/

The New and Improved Josh Beckett
by Carlos Gomez
May 30, 2007

In case you've been away for awhile, Josh Beckett is having a pretty decent
season so far.
Many have tried to explain why. Is it his mechanics? Pitch selection? Better
command? Confidence? Better velocity? Luck?

Beckett今年投那麼好，為什麼呢？　投球動作改變嗎？配球策略改變嗎？
還是更好的控球？更多的信心？或是更快的球速？
甚至...只是運氣..?

Today, we examine his mechanical changes as a possible reason for his strong
start.

來來，今天我們來看看，他投球動作上的改變是否可能是優秀表現的因素呢？


TEMPO

給我一點Tempo

If you have read my work here at THT, or at Baseball Think Factory, you know
that I love to talk about tempo. I wrote about how Mark Prior's tempo changes
may have had an adverse effect on his arm action.

如果你有看過我在THT或是棒球想法工廠的著作，
你就會知道我有多愛談論投手的節奏，我寫過Prior投球節奏上的改變，
可能對他的手臂動作有不良的影響。

"For Prior however, the more deliberate pace has altered his arm
action....His arm action has gotten longer because it has to compensate for
his slowed down pace."

Prior的手臂揮動速度變慢，以配合他減緩的節奏


My Mark Mulder analysis also includes a healthy dose of tempo talk.

關於探員的分析，也差不多

You get the idea, I like to talk about it a lot.

你得到他了，我愛談節奏


I prefer pitchers who maintain a quick tempo to home plate and keep their
momentum going without interruption or hesitation. As a rough measure of
tempo, I measure (in frames of video) the time it takes a pitcher from the
time he's at the top of the knee lift to the time he releases the ball.
Some have suggested that Beckett has slowed down his motion in order to be
more "in control" of his body. In Beckett's May 8 start against the Blue
Jays, NESN treated us to a split screen showing how, in fact, Beckett is
indeed more deliberate to home plate than the 2006 version of himself.

我喜歡投手維持一個快節奏，在動作之中不要有停頓，
我從投手抬腿到最高點(這讓我想到Arroyo)到出手那段時間去計算，
有些人建議Beckett減緩他的節奏，以取得「對他身體更多的控制」
在Beckett五月八號的先發中，NESN作了以下的擷取畫面。
從（原文中的畫面）可看到，Beckett在去年的投球動作，
其實是花費比較久的時間去投向本壘的。

I needed to find out for myself

找答案

The following clip shows Beckett throwing six fastballs, all clocked between
94 and 96 mph. All but one were glove side (outside corner to a RH). The
first three clips from left to right are from 2006. The last three are from
2007. All the clips start from when Beckett begins lifting his left heel on
the way to lifting his left leg. By the way, I realize that the third clip
has a few missing frames. It's not a big deal in this case, as you'll see.

六個分割畫面中，Beckett投出六個快速球，每個都在94~96之間，
只有一個沒投到捕手要的位置，（投到右打者外側)
左邊三格是去年的畫面，右邊三格則是今年的。
都是從他抬腿至最高點開始擷取，
然後第三格有少掉其中幾個畫面，但問題不大。


Disclaimer: I was surprised too.

我也很驚訝

As you may have noticed, the 2006 clips are from the end of last year. Like
many pitchers, Beckett tinkered with his mechanics during the season last
year. Consider this clip comparing Beckett in May of 2006 to May 2007.

也許你已經注意到了，
以去年來說，
Beckett和許多投手一樣，在投球動作中有許多多餘的部份。

As you can see in this clip, the speed of Beckett's entire delivery (from
heel lift to release) is almost identical.

整體投球動作速度差不多

I don't know which clips NESN used to do their comparison, but in my
analysis, I could come to the conclusion that Beckett is actually quicker
with his entire delivery this year. In other words, he is less deliberate.
OK, so I'm right and everyone else is wrong and that's that. He's quicker
this year, so that makes him better, right?......
NOT SO FAST

在我的分析看來，Beckett今年的揮臂速度較快，
所以說，其他人（建議他放慢節奏）都錯了？只有我對？
是這樣嗎？


Although I believe that how a pitcher gets to the top of his knee lift is
important, tempo to me (generally speaking) is from "top of the knee lift to
release." That's where it counts, to a certain degree. That's really where a
pitcher should start picking up his speed to home plate. This clip, comparing
Beckett late last year to this year, is synchronized to release.

雖然我相信，
一個投手將腳抬至最高點這個動作很重要，
節奏對我來說，就是從抬腿最高點至釋放瞬間，
這才是投手該開始加速的瞬間，
而就去年和今年，他幾乎是在相同瞬間釋放。

You could argue that since the '06 version is starting with a slightly higher
leg lift, he has to be quicker than the '07 version in order to "catch up" to
him at release. At most, '06 might be half a frame faster than '07. From
frame seven on, both Becketts are nearly perfectly in sync. Even though he
breaks his hands a tad earlier in '07, notice how his arm action is nearly
identical. Unlike Mark Prior, his slightly slower tempo has not affected his
arm action or the way his body drives forward in a significant way.

你也許會說，去年的抬腿較高，
所以他比較有更快的加速以趕上釋放瞬間，
去年的畫面中，Beckett的動作幾乎比今年的畫面快了半格，
今年的動作略慢了一些，
不過跟Prior不同，節奏上的減緩並沒有影響他手臂的揮動

My point is that I believe Beckett's "tempo," "speed of his delivery," or
"being more deliberate" have not had any significant effect on his mechanical
efficiency this year. I'm sorry to those readers who were expecting me, a
tempoholic, to come up with a better conclusion than that. Beckett's tempo,
when it counts, is nearly identical. I know, I know. You just spent several
minutes of your life reading about something that I believe is not a factor.
Hopefully, I haven't lost you yet.

靠盃，
作者的結論是整體來說，釋放點相同，節奏快一些，
但這些其實沒有造成太大影響，
然後他為讀者花時間看這篇廢文道歉..

（靠，那我花那麼多時間翻是衝啥...~"~
一直覺得他上面講話根本是互相矛盾)

Let's get to what I do believe is making a difference.

Here's a still picture of the first frame of the most recent clip:

好，讓我們來看看還有什麼不同


1) Note his hand and glove positions.

注意他手套的位置

2) Check out how his left leg and foot "wrap around" his right thigh in '06 a
la Duaner Sanchez (You know I'm a mechanics geek when I can point to Duaner
Sanchez's mechanics). Go ahead, stand up. Lift your leg and attempt these
body positions yourself. Which one is easier to accomplish? In which of the
two positions do you believe that your body is more "together"?

站起來抬腿看看，
去年和今年，哪一個動作比較容易作？讓你的身體動作hold住看看

3) The angle from where these clips were taken are not completely identical.
However, they are pretty damn close (which is why I chose them in the first
place). That said, can you see how '06's upper body is tilted more towards
the first base side?

你可以看到，去年投球時，
Beckett的動作是比較朝向一壘側的嗎？


What am I getting at?

If I could group these adjustments into one central idea, what I would say is
that Beckett is doing a better job of keeping everything closer to his center
of mass. You might hear the baseball term that he's "gathering himself"
better. By keeping his torso, his hands and his legs closer to his center of
mass and staying more "compact," Beckett is able to control his body better
into an aggressive forward drive into release.

Beckett今年在控制他的投球動作中，
將力量留住，重心保持　這部份做得很好
這使他更能控制自己的身體，
並在釋放球的瞬間更有侵略性。


Other Changes

其他改變

1) Beckett has also significantly simplified his mechanics. While I admit
that I like the May 2006 version of Beckett the most (refer to the second
clip), it appears that eliminating excess movement (specifically, the hands
over the head windup) has simplified his delivery. Fewer moving parts means
fewer things that he needs to coordinate. In theory, it should translate into
better command of his pitches.

動作簡化，減少出錯機會，控球更好

2) While I need to do more research on this, it appears that Beckett is
employing a slightly higher arm slot on his two-seamer. As I explained in my
Carlos Zambrano article, a slightly higher release point on a two-seamer
generally results in a sinker that has less lateral movement but sharper,
later, and "heavier" sink. I'm not sure if John Farrell, the Red Sox pitching
coach, is an advocate of higher arm slots or not. However, based on what I've
read about him, I am fairly certain that he advocates that pitchers use a
more north-south approach ("throwing downhill") which is generally consistent
with a higher release point.

二縫線的出手點更高，下沉效果更佳
（可參考作者之前分析大Z的文章)


A quick look at his stats shows the highest GB/FB rate of his career while
maintaining a healthy strikeout rate and low walk rate. I would love to have
a handy chart that shows me Beckett's pitch selection this year. I don't, but
I would guess that the best GB/FB rate of his career correlates to him using
his sharper and more ground ball friendly two-seamer more effectively.

滾球比增加（別再叫他全壘打王..話說之前還為了這事在MLB板上跟人筆戰XD)
K/BB值也進步，
我猜是因為他今年用更多角度更銳利的二縫線

Final Thoughts

結論

There's countless reasons for Beckett's strong start this year. Pitch
selection and location are certainly a factor. However, we shouldn't
understate the impact that improved mechanics can have on a pitcher. By
keeping himself more "compact" (lower hands, leg closer to his center of
mass, his body not leaning back), simplifying his delivery and slightly
altering his arm slot, Beckett has been able to improve his command while not
affecting his "stuff."

Beckett今年的進步有很多理由
投球策略變好，還有投球動作更緊密，簡化過程
都讓他的stuff進步

I'd like to make one more very important point. As I pointed out at the
beginning of the article, I don't believe that "being more deliberate" and
"slowing himself down" have had any effect on his mechanics. As a matter of
fact, I could probably make a better case that he's actually faster this year
with his delivery. Tempo, in Beckett's case, is a non-issue since he appears
to be very similar in that department this year. That said, if Josh Beckett
thinks that he's being slower, and this mechanical cue helps him think that
he's more in control, then I'd encourage him to continue with this thought
process. For some reason, it reminds me of a quote by the great Yankee,
George Costanza:

"Remember Jerry. It's not a lie if YOU believe it."

最後還是要強調，
我不相信投球節奏變慢對投手是好的，
撒克斯隊講的話不想翻..

Sometimes what a pitcher thinks is happening is more important than what is
actually happening.

這段不懂..投手想的比做的重要？

Good luck the rest of the way Josh.

希望他接下來也能表現良好



後感：
感覺是翻了篇廢文，花了我一小時多還沒得到什麼...
剛初看到這個標題還很高興的想翻出來給大家看...
浪費大家時間了...抱歉


--