David Price has had a rough go of it in his first season with the Boston Red Sox, but he may be on his way to turning things around thanks to the help of a teammate.
Dustin Pedroia was reviewing video of himself against lefthanded pitchers in the past, which included Price, who used to be on opposing teams. Pedroia noticed that Price’s leg kick this season is lower than it has been in the past.
Price says Pedroia showed his observation to the pitcher, who concurred and was actually disappointed with himself for not noticing the issue.
“I want my hands and right leg to be connected by a string,” Price said of the mechanical flaw, via CSN New England’s Sean McAdam. “Whenever my knee goes up, I want my hands to go up; when my knee goes back down, I want my hands to go down. And my hands have stayed (waist high) and that’s not allowing me to get my full leg lift. It’s been about a half of a leg lift of what I’ve been used to. It takes away the rhythm of what I do out there on my mound. When my hands stay (lower), I have to time it up perfect to execute that pitch. There’s no margin for error because I don’t have that rhythm.”
Price thinks the leg kick issue could explain his drop in velocity. His fastball is averaging 92 mph this season, down significantly from the 94 he has averaged during his career and his high of 95.5 mph in 2012, when he won the Cy Young Award. He has allowed 31 runs in 41 innings this season, making his ERA 6.75 over seven starts — more than double his career mark.
Will this help Price turn things around? That remains to be seen. If so, then he definitely owes Pedroia more than a favor.
H/T Barstool Sports
Photo: Joon Lee
