CN Pitching Performance

The first deGrom Day of the second half 😳

Are we about to see Jake go on an absolute tear?

This AB to end the game was filthy!

Look how he sets up that back door cutter 🫪

All front-side extensions are different, but the concept is universal!

The front side isn’t the engine, it’s the steering wheel. It helps create direction, not velocity. ➡️👀

I believe the front side plays a key role in allowing the lower half to maximize energy and sync up with the upper half. A common issue we see is pitchers whose lower half lags behind, causing them to overuse the upper body. When that happens, adjusting the front side can help shift more engagement to the core and lower half, improving efficiency and power.

A tight, overactive front side can disrupt sequencing, while a relaxed, controlled front side allows everything to flow.

A cue I like to think of with the front side is bringing our chest to the glove once extension occurs rather than forcing the glove to let’s say the arm out which can cause for that early rotation.

Keep that front side loose and it’s almost like we’re rotating into the front arm rather than it initiating rotation.

How do you know if your front side is hurting your mechanics?

Look for these red flags:
✅ Arm-side misses (late release, poor direction)
✅ Flat changeup (less depth, less deception)
✅ Flat breaking balls (early pronation, no bite)
✅ Velo drops (inefficient energy transfer)
✅ Yanking the glove (compensating for poor timing)

If the lower half is out of sync ➡️ either leading too soon or lagging behind ➡️ these issues tend to show up. The goal is proper timing, where both halves complement each other to create effortless power.

This small adjustment could be a game-changer for pitchers struggling with upper-body dominance. The key? Unlock the lower half and let it do the work.

Another day to deGrominate! 🔥

Our middle finger is the longest finger on our hand. It typically is the last finger to touch the ball at release.

If you have the middle finger away from the center of the ball and emphasize pressure on the inside of the finger, it’ll prevent you from creating backspin causing the ball the lift and be harder. At release, our ring finger is off the ball and just the inside of the middle finger will be left lightly spinning the ball off the inside of the finger changing the direction of spin to favor side spin. Creating a UFO like spin.

You’ll see often how the middle finger is in the center and lifts the ball. Not what we want with the CH.

Let your fingers slow down the ball!

Our grip avoids our dominant fingers like our index and middle fingers from being in command (like the fastball). When we trust the grip for our Changeup, we tend to see the fingers find a way to the inside of the ball rather than staying behind it and creating backspin and lift. That will create a high velo and flat Changeup.

I like to show guys initially in the grip to shift the middle finger to the inside of the center of the ball. Whether that’s on a lace or not, it’s whatever is comfortable to start.

The ring finger will help get that middle to the inside so we try to shift that finger closer to the center. It is much weaker and will slow the spin and force into the ball down.

The goal here is to tilt the spin axis!