Kazmir Turns to Peterson to Save 2009 Season
It was a shock to Rick Peterson when the voice on the other end of the phone was Scott Kazmir, his former pitching prodigy when both were employed by the New York Mets. Kazmir, on the disabled list with a strained quadriceps, needed help. He was struggling at the start of 2009 after struggling to end the 2008 season. With his career at a sort of crossroad, he made the unorthodox choice and turned to his former pitching coach. In Baseball, once a player or coach moves on to a different organization, that usually spells the end of the player/coach relationship. With teams instituting their own training methods and spending an exorbitant amount of money on coaching, it is unusual for a pitcher and coach to reunite once parting ways. When Rick Peterson’s cell phone rang that June day, he was surprised to hear Scott Kazmir, the former Mets prospect who was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in the infamous Victor Zambrano trade, ask for help to regain his delivery that made him one of the toughest pitchers to face in the 2008 season. Why would a pitcher reach out to his former pitching coach? More importantly, why would the Tampa Bay Rays, a team fresh off a miracle run to the World Series thanks in large part to their pitching development system, endorse the deal? Whatever the answers to those questions are, the results are quite clear. Scott Kazmir has returned to form as a top of the rotation pitcher since his time with Peterson. As many are finding out, the implications of Rick Peterson’s methodology are starting to reach more than just Major Leaguers.
The Methodology Summary
Peterson’s style as an Instructor of Pitching is exceptionally thorough. It led to the creation of what he calls The Peak Performance Triangle. The triangle shows the areas of importance—conditioning, pitching skills, and performance behaviors. Peterson believes that each area intersects with the other. “They all relate and need each other. In order to avoid injury and achieve his peak performance, a pitcher must be conditioned to perform the act of throwing a baseball at least 100 times a game. But, he also has to have the skills to do it properly each time which means having the mental toughness to focus on each pitch.” That latter point is often ignored in professional sports, but as seen in so many cases, a pitcher must have mental toughness in order to achieve sustained success.
At the heart of Peterson’s program is biomechanics. Biomechanics is defined as the science of the internal and external forces acting on the human body and the effects produced by these forces. For pitchers, biomechanics is paramount for sustained health considering the violent nature of pitching. Peterson believes that all pitchers should have a biomechanical analysis in order to spot red warning flags in their deliveries. Peterson prefers to utilize the analysis standards developed by the famed Dr. James Andrews of the American Sports Medicine Institute. Peterson brought over 80 pitchers to the lab while coaching and it’s one of the main reasons his pitchers have stayed healthy while under his tutelage.
Kazmir Reaches Out
In nine starts to begin the 2009 season, it was evident that something was wrong with Scott Kazmir. He had a 7.69 ERA, a 1.95 WHIP, and had given been touched up by opposing hitters to the tune of .302/.382/.504. The Rays placed him on the disabled list with a strained quadriceps. However, there was a bit more to it as Kazmir struggled with his delivery for the second half of the 2008 season and into the post season. His early season struggles showed some decreased velocity (his fastball averaged 88 MPH during last start before landing on the disabled list) and a complete lack of control. Kazmir turned to his former pitching coach for help. But, first, Peterson wanted to make sure that the Tampa Bay Rays were on the same page. “It was important to me that the Rays organization was onboard with this. They not only approved it, but they endorsed it”, says Peterson. The Rays’ decision was a bold one as it was a risk to allow someone outside of the organization to work with their pitcher who is set to make $24 million dollars over the next two seasons. But, the Rays decided to put Kazmir ahead of organizational pride in order to quicken his rehabilitation process.
Step one was to get Scott Kazmir to Alabama to visit ASMI for a biomechanical evaluation. “The first step was to have Scott return to lab. We had a baseline from 2004 when he came with me with the Mets. We did a comparison, which is model of 3P Sports program. When got the analysis back, a few measurements were now out of range. So we individualized his routine to get him back into his good habits”, explains Peterson. In other words, Kazmir’s delivery had changed at some point, causing him to lose velocity, lose the strike zone, and, most importantly, cause health issues.
Once the analysis was complete, Peterson and Kazmir got together in New Jersey at a high school baseball field. There, Peterson went back to basics, doing shadow drills (going through the delivery without a baseball) and long toss. They were to meet in the New York City the following day for session two. “I thought we’d meet at a park, but then I thought if someone recognized us. Could you imagine someone seeing Scott and I having a catch in the park?” Peterson asks with a laugh.
“Scott had some flexibility issues in his lower extremities so we ended up in a Yoga studio. Then, we went outside and long-tossed from 300 feet with our eyes closed. With your eyes closed, you feel the movements of your body better. After, we went through routines of how to throw a changeup. Scott needs his changeup and needs to throw it often. The difference was immediate. Scott even said he felt his power again”, describes Peterson.
With those workouts and armed with his Peterson routine, Scott Kazmir went back to the Rays. The difference was, indeed, noticeable. Suddenly, he was back to throwing in the mid-90’s. Peterson describes a conversation with Rays’ General Manager Andrew Friedman, “Andrew was stunned. He said Scott gained three miles per hour on his fastball in his first bullpen back.”
Yes, the velocity is back as well as well as a plan when pitching. In his last Rays’ start against the Blue Jays, Kazmir’s fastball averaged 93 miles per hour. He also threw 15 changeups which is 11 more than he did during his final start before going on the disabled list. His stuff is back, his delivery is more consistent. The results are coming.
After working with Peterson, Kazmir made 11 starts for the Rays. In those 11 starts, he has thrown 60.1 innings, allowed 61 hits, 34 runs, 21 walks, and 56 strikeouts with a 5.07 ERA and a 1.359 WHIP. More importantly, he has started to dominate hitters again as opposing hitters have hit just .239/.313/.374. He’s still working his way back, but in his last three starts for the Rays (against Toronto, Texas, and Toronto again), he was 2-0, having thrown 19.2 innings, allowing 14 hits, 6 walks, 7 runs, and 21 strikeouts.
He was throwing so well that the Los Angeles Angels decided to give up three prospects (Alex Torres, Matt Sweeney, and Sean Rodriguez) for the southpaw. The Angels, one of the most successful teams of the decade, decided that they needed another quality pitcher in order to complete their playoff run. After surveying the trade market, they decided on Kazmir, who is signed through 2011 with $24 million dollars remaining on his contract.
The trade has been all of the Angels could’ve hoped for as Kazmir has pitched like a top of the rotation starter in his three starts. Although he is winless (0-1), he has pitched 19.1 innings, allowed just 13 hits, 4 runs, and 6 walks while striking out 14 batters. His 1.93 ERA and 0.983 WHIP are far cries from his early season trouble with the Rays. And, more importantly, he is now pitching consistently in terms of velocity and location. Matching up against the Mariners’ Felix Hernandez in his first two Angels’ starts, Kazmir averaged 92.6 miles per hour with his fastball, 93.7 MPH in his second start, while averaging 92.7 MPH in his latest start. Additionally, he continued to throw his changeup (10, 11, and 27 times respectively) and averaged 80 miles per hour, giving him that all important speed differential. His attack of the strike zone is much better as he is throwing more strikes (close to 70 percent in his Angels’ starts).
After working with Peterson, Scott Kazmir regained his velocity in a matter of days. His last six starts have been so positive that his time spent reacquainting himself with Peterson’s program was time well spent.
3P Sports
With Rick Peterson’s years of success at the Major League level and with the research of ASMI, Peterson has brought his training methods to the amateur market. Peterson explains that the goal “is to help young pitchers develop proper habits. The 3P Sports Pitching Program is what I have done with my pitchers my entire career. They’ve stayed healthy and performed well. With the program, the young pitcher can learn the proper techniques and develop the good habits that will prevent the injuries we see today at the Major League level.” Indeed, there is much data to suggest that pitching injuries that manifest themselves at the Major League level were actually developed when the pitcher was in Little League.
The 3P Sports program gives the amateur pitcher the opportunity to get a biomechanical analysis and an individualized, daily training program via a web based application. To learn more about the 3P Sports Pitching Program and to see a live demo, visit www.3psports.com
Editor’s Note: This article was first written by Gary Armida for the bizofbaseball.com. To view the article in its original form, head over to the bizofbaseball.com.
