6 Tool U

So much to learn from the career of Greg Maddux!

Coaches & Players take note:

Maddux was 1 of the most successful pitchers in MLB history. (4 Cy Youngs, 18 Gold Gloves & 8 Time Allstar before the days of 96-100mph as norm)

Lessons to learn:

1) Velocity: He threw 91-93mph to get to the league but realized 2-3mph faster was only 1 foot of reaction time so he decided 1 foot of movement would make him more effective & became a pitcher at 88-89mph with nasty movement. He would talk about percentage of pressure on the ball to manipulate grip & spin rate before it was fashionable as a talking point. The results were his balls moved more than any pitcher in the game

2) Location: He had a laser focus for locating within the catchers frame & rarely had the catcher have to move his glove or wrist accounting for more strikes then almost everyone in history as this image illustrates.

3) Importance of Catchers: His regular season record & stats far outweigh those from his playoffs but many don't realize the main factor that in the regular season he had a personal catcher who he was able to dissect hitters & strategize with between each start but in playoffs his manager went with better bat as his catcher which inevitably showed with them not being as fine tuned as regular season battery

4) Fielding your position: as an 18 time gold glove recipient he was never going to lose a game due to inability of fielding his position or making errors in the field. He knew errors lead to extra opportunities & extra pitches which was not something he wanted to have occur

THE GREATEST TRUE PITCHER OF ALL TIME