March 05, 2009
Long on the Hip
Kevin Long discusses how A-Rod's hip injury hurt his swing:
Kevin Long, the Yankees' hitting coach, said he knew Rodriguez had a hip problem last June or July. Long noticed subtle changes in Rodriguez's hitting, notably in his right foot, the back one in his stance.
The foot was not pivoting fully, Long said, and as a result, Rodriguez could not fully turn his waist and clear his hips. This caused his bat to drag and prevented him from driving through the ball and generating maximum power.
"Speed-wise, to catch up to 95, 96 mile-an-hour pitches, you've basically got to get your hips through," Long said. "It affects bat speed, power, balance. From a technical standpoint, it affects quite a few things. But he's so gifted and so talented that he made due with what he had."
It's going to be interesting to see how Utley and Lowell come back from their hip operations. It may tell us how worried the Yankees should be about Rodriguez long term.
Posted by David Pinto at
03:10 PM
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Injuries
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