Mizzou's Aaron Crow

by joker24 on Apr 5, 2008 10:42 AM EDT

For anyone else who loves following prospects I would highly advise coming out to Columbia to see Mizzou's Aaron Crow on Friday nights he's worth the $5 price of admission. Aside from being the possible (dare I say probable) #1 pick come June, he's currently the D-I record holder for consecutive scoreless innings pitched with 42.2 and against Texas next week he goes for the NCAA record of 47. Oh and Mizzou is ranked #4.

Last night against Oklahoma State he clearly didn't have his best stuff at all....and still threw a complete game shutout on only 106 pitches. (Of course OSU lost three baserunners on terrible base running and were hitting ropes right at people the first three innings, but regardless.....) Last four games: three CG shutouts (~108 pitches per...seriously), and one 8 IP...41 Ks vs 7 walks.

So if you're a Mizzou grad or just love some baseball and/or potential record breaking you should make it out next Friday at 6:30 at home for a big conference series and see the #1 pick and #4 vs. #16 matchup.

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Its a shame that there is no chance he is around

at pick #13

...just a bit outside....

by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Apr 5, 2008 11:35 AM EDT 0 recs

Definitely

I get to go to quite a few Mizzou games I only live about 25 minutes from Columbia. Oh and if you have FSN Midwest the Mizzou game is on TV! MIZZOU RULES!!!!!!!!!!!

"when we say strength we mean kettlebell,when we say kettlebell we mean strength"

by Calhoun on Apr 5, 2008 11:49 AM EDT 0 recs

Aaron Crow's Mechanics

I'd be upset if the Cardinals draft Aaron Crow. He's got major mechanical problems. Maybe the worst in the whole 2008 draft.

by thepainguy on Apr 5, 2008 12:30 PM EDT 0 recs

curious

where have you heard/seen this? Have you seen him pitch, or is it something you've read about. (I haven't seen him pitch, I'm just wondering)

"...but If I can do some damage and help my team win, I'm going to stay in there" -Albert

by BigMOman on Apr 5, 2008 12:56 PM EDT up 0 recs

I'll fill in for what he'd say

He gets his elbow too high in his arm action (though he's actually been better about this so far this spring at least seeing him live) which can lead to shoulder issues but the he's straight filthy in the mean time. Everyone else seems to be on the "wrap" he has in the back ala Zito but I don't even think that's the issue whatsoever. Really good lower half though and a good finish but the arm action is pretty similar to a Reyes/Prior aka dicey...but again mechanics don't mean everything and don't make you good. Crow's stuff is dirty and he's gotta be the most MLB ready pitcher out there so the effect of bad mechanics is minimized.

With no evidence to the contrary, Colby Rasmus is clutch

by joker24 on Apr 5, 2008 1:34 PM EDT up 0 recs

Filthy

Filthy + Poor Mechanics = Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, etc.

"Crow's stuff is dirty and he's gotta be the most MLB ready pitcher out there so the effect of bad mechanics is minimized."

This doesn't make any sense.

All it means is that he'll be great for a while and then fall apart with shoulder or elbow problems.

Here's an analysis of Crow's mechanics that I did recently...

- http://www.chrisoleary.com/projects/Baseball/Pitching/ProfessionalPitcherAnalyses/AaronCrow.html

The hooked wrist is the least of his problems.

by thepainguy on Apr 5, 2008 4:56 PM EDT up 0 recs

You clearly didn't click the links or even read your own website

Filthy + Poor Mechanics = Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, etc.

Or Jake Peavy. Or Johan Santana. Or James Shields. Or Wainwright. You would (or have) say the exact same things about them.

This doesn't make any sense.

It means if you are a ticking time bomb say 4 years (which isn't even necessarily true...reference: Peavy, Santana, Blyleven, Jim Palmer, Webb, etc) that's 3-4 years in the majors instead of 1-2 aka "the effect of bad mechanics is minimized".

3-4 years in the majors makes a successful draft pick i.e. you hate Bonderman's mechanics: if you can draft a guy with Jeremy Bonderman's stuff for the last 4 years you do: he was a successful draft pick. You don't like Willis: Willis was a successful draft pick and helped net them 2 stud prospects on top of it. You don't like Wagner: he's been doing it for 15 years.

In the days of free agency you basically aren't going to be able to keep a pitcher 20 years anyway so if you can squeeze 3-4 you've done fine for yourself. If Matusz or whoever is currently 2nd to Crow in performance also has dirty stuff and good mechanics obviously that's the choice. The point of the previously posted links are that James Shields might have brutal mechanics, but give me him over Scott Olsen 150 times a week.

Ick. This is very Tom House and Mark Prior and will hurt both his elbow and his shoulder.

You said this about a dude who threw almost 5000 innings and topped 230 innings 14 times.

With no evidence to the contrary, Colby Rasmus is clutch

by joker24 on Apr 5, 2008 8:31 PM EDT up 0 recs

Just to clarify a bit more

I don't like Crow's mechanics. I agree with you on that. My point is that mechanics aren't the whole picture.

With no evidence to the contrary, Colby Rasmus is clutch

by joker24 on Apr 5, 2008 8:36 PM EDT up 0 recs

Well said, very well said

I should point out, painguy, that you always pat yourself on the back about predicting Carpenter's injury, but what about Curt Schilling? His shoulder is in awful shape right now, but you have video of him in .pdf form claiming he is a mechanical model. What gives? Aren't mechanics the be-all, end-all?

Crow's hyperabduction is not ideal. I will concede that point. But his elbow is level with his shoulder at the forearm-bounce point, where the arm is under a gazillion times more stress than at the down-L position (and btw, I'm not talking about the inverted-L, which as far as I can tell is a term you made up. I'm talking about the general position that his arm is in after breaking his hands, a position that all pitchers other than short armers make in one form or another after breaking their hands...Its a standard pitching instructor's term). Even so, his bounce-length (a term I use to describe the distance his forearm bounces as the shoulders turn) is not terribly severe. I've seen worse on guys who did just fine for quite some time.

BTW...I realize I'm just some nobody, and you're involved with THE Show. Congrats to you. But that doesn't mean I don't know a thing or two. If the Cards, by some miracle, had a chance to draft Crow, and then only got 4 seasons out of him, that would be absolutely fine with me. I bet Crow would be furious with the huge pile of cash he'd pull down too.

"Your Holiness, I'm Joseph Medwick. I, too, used to be a Cardinal."-Joe Medwick, to Pope Pius XII.

by redbirdnation8206 on Apr 6, 2008 12:35 AM EDT up 0 recs

Close, but not quite.

Painguy, in this case, wouldn't remark on the elbow height, he would focus more on the Inverted L position, which is the same arm action issue that Chris Carpenter has. I don't see it quite as pronounced in Crow's delivery as Chris does, but that's what he would focus on.

No Es Bueno!

by the red baron on Apr 5, 2008 4:57 PM EDT up 0 recs