Middle relief pitchers don’t get a lot of attention because they’re usually pretty interchangeable — especially those who regularly shift from Triple A to the majors in 4A purgatory — but Miami Marlins reliever Carter Capps has found a way to jump out at us all, and he’s done that by jumping out… at us all. More accurately, Capps has gained national attention for the way that he leaps towards home plate while pitching. Observe:
The Braves’ Jordan Walden has been floated as a comparable, but his is more of a hop. Capps is flinging his body into the air like Peter Pan, and he’s then throwing a baseball in the upper 90s. If you think the sight of a 6-foot-5 man jumping toward you before firing a pitch might be a bit unsettling, and that it might offer some kind of unfair advantage, well, you aren’t the only one.
Last Thursday, while pitching in relief for the Triple A New Orleans Zephyrs, Capps had two pitches declared illegal due to “disengaging the rubber,” which is apparently a real thing in the rule book, as well as a phrase that will surely inspire unfortunate comments. According to FanGraphs, that phrase pertains to pick-off attempts and has nothing to do with pitch delivery, according to the Major League rule book. Just to be on the safe side, Capps got clearance from the league to continue being the quirky reliever he was born to be, though baseball did have a few style notes.
“They just said they wanted me to make sure I dragged my foot and not get too elevated in the air, and make sure it’s more on a lateral plane,” Capps said. “As long as I do that, they have no problem with it. But it was very strange.”
So, what happens next? FanGraphs believes that copycats and a resulting rule change could be in our future if Capps finds success, but with the spotlight on serious arm injuries and with intense mechanical scrutiny, I can’t see this being more than a novelty. Capps isn’t just propelling himself toward the plate, he’s disrupting the progression of his delivery before chucking the ball toward the plate. Maybe I’m wrong, but that has to put at least a little undue stress on his arm, at least when compared to a smoother motion. I’m sure more qualified people than I have weighed in on this, and Capps clearly thinks that this motion is the one for him, so good luck to him, as well as the hitters who have to face him.
