Dark Horse Pitching

Former professional pitcher, current coach, lifelong learner

[Dark Horse Pitching @dhpitching]

A lot has been made of Paul Skenes losing velocity and struggling by his standards this year. I break down what I see in his mechanics that has changed this year.
#paulskenes #mlb #pitching #pirates #skenes #pitchingcoacb

[Dark Horse Pitching @dhpitching]

Kyle Leahy is having the best stretch of his career. I dove into his data to see what’s contributed to his great results and if it is sustainable long term.

#kyleleahy #mlb #pitching #pitchingcoach #pitchingdevelopment

[Dark Horse Pitching @dhpitching]

Sometimes the best training tools aren’t expensive or even made for baseball. Here’s how you can use a four dollar pool floaty to improve your arm action.

#pitching #pitchingcoach #baseball #baseballtraining #pitchingdevelopment

[Dark Horse Pitching @dhpitching]

In honor of starting a velo phase/competition with @PitchingCoachU, here’s a breakdown of how our force plate graphs can be used to develop a program and prescribe drills and exercises.

#pitching #pitchingcoach #baseball #pitchingdevelopment #baseballtraining

[Dark Horse Pitching @dhpitching]

People often gloss over the day 3 picks when evaluating a draft class. But every year there are late round picks who turn into effective major leaguers. Here are 5 guys from this year that I am high on.
#mlbdraft #mlb #pitchingdevelopment #pitching #pitchingcoach

[Dark Horse Pitching @dhpitching]

Cormier is an elite strike thrower with good ride on his fastball. Will need to improve the rest of his arsenal in pro ball but has a great base to build on.

[Dark Horse Pitching @dhpitching]

Every year, late round picks turn into impact big leaguers. Here are 5 day 3 picks from the 2026 class that I like and am excited to see develop in the minors.

A thread (1/6)

#pitching #mlbdraft #mlb #baseballdevelopment #pitchingcoach

[Dark Horse Pitching @dhpitching]

McAnelly has a cut-carry four seam as well as a sinker from a high slot that already generates one of the steeper downhill angles in the class. Adding velocity and potentially using seam effects to add even more depth to the sinker could help him have two elite fastball shapes.

[Dark Horse Pitching @dhpitching]

Execution percentage was my favorite stat when I was playing and the only stat I would track throughout the season.

Here’s what it is, why it matters, and what number to shoot for.

#pitching #pitchingcoach #baseball #baseballtraining #pitchingdevelopment

[Dark Horse Pitching @dhpitching]

The Draft Combine is happening now. The draft is weeks away.

Teams and fans will fall in love with the prospects who light up a Trackman with huge velo and extreme IVB.

But the ones who perform best may be the ones who generate outlier ANGLES, not outlier movement.

[Dark Horse Pitching @dhpitching]

For decades, teams evaluated fastballs on one thing: velocity.
Then with pitch tracking, we learned all fastballs aren't created equal, beginning the hunt for Induced Vertical Break (IVB).
So what's next? Is IVB actually what makes a fastball work — or something else? 🧵

[Dark Horse Pitching @dhpitching]

The big takeaway: IVB in a vacuum doesn't matter as much as we thought.

It only matters insofar as it helps a pitcher generate an outlier VAA.