Q.  Does Pineda's timing lag?

A.  SSI puts a lot of credence into the "high elbow" factor that national blogs talk about so much.

But it doesn't put much credence into the claim that one pitcher's timing is "correct" and another's "incorrect."  The pundits that I have seen, nationally, don't seem to have a good handle on the subject.

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Q.  In a nutshell, what is SSI's opinion on "timing"?

A.  Simply that some athletes -- golfers, pitchers, hitters -- "wind the spring tighter" than others, and that this often deceives the observer into thinking that the athlete is "late" to pull the arm through.

To be sure, a pitcher's release point can be early or late.  This is reflected in the location of the ball in the strike zone, not in DL time.

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Q.  What is healthy timing?

A.  Water flows downhill, grasshopper.  :- )  In its path of least resistance.

If, playing long toss, Tim Lincecum can launch a baseball 300 feet from position A, but he can launch it 325 feet from position B .... which position is the natural one for his body? 

The "correct" position was the one from which leverage max'ed.  His body wasn't getting in its own way, when he threw it 325 feet.   His body was getting in its own way, when he lost 25 feet on his throw.

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It's very tough for me to watch a pitcher scream a baseball at a catcher at -- literally -- 100 mph, and then say his timing was bad.  Something in that human sports motion was very, very right.

Tiger Woods gets (got) extra length on his drive precisely because his pullthrough was "late."  Ichiro's bat release is "late" in terms of his wrist angle.  Michael Pineda's throughstroke is "late" because it's building torque longer.

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Q.  For example?

A.  Check out these comparative photos:

Watch a slo-mo of Felix -- say, Lonnie's -- and you'll see that his left foot, and leg, swing through very easily and smoothly.  It's beautiful to watch, like watching Katarina Witt glide backwards through a long circle on ice.

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Michael Pineda's left foot and leg, by contrast, have vicious intent:

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Max effort doesn't mean you're on a 50-inning countdown to the DL.  It probably does mean that you're not going to pitch for 20 years, like Felix is.

My basic thought with Pineda would be, six years and out, Billy Beane style.  That thought could be wrong.

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Cheers,

Dr D