Felix Hernandez 90 MPH Changeup Grip
According the Clayton Kershaw, probably the best pitcher in baseball right now, the best pitch in baseball belongs to Seattle’s Felix Hernandez.
It’s not his high fastball, sharp curveball or slider but rather his 90 mph changeup, which most hitters are not able to recognize even after sitting down in the dugout trying to figure out what he threw that made them another one his K victims. They just don’t know.
It looks like a fastball out of his hand, has the movement of a two-seam fastball and moves down like a splitter. No wonder most hitters have no idea what they just struck out on.
Felix Hernandez is only 28 but it seems like he should be 35 having been so dominant so long.
His fastball no longer hits the upper 90’s or 100 but is more in the 92-94 mph range.
What about the speed of his changeup?
The rule of thumb always said a change-up should be at least 10 mph off the fastball and to be dominant maybe 15 mph is better. But King Felix brings it in at near 90 mph…just a 2-4 mph differential to his fastball. So much for baseball beliefs.
Another belief about the changeup is that RH pitchers should not throw it to RH hitters. I never bought into that and as a professional pitcher it made no sense to me.
Apparently King Felix started playing around with that changeup in spring training in 2009.
A teammate, Cesar Jimenez, a fellow Venezuelan, encouraged Felix to play around the grip.
“Then one day it happened: He took his index finger and thumb on the right hand side and made them a circle, positioned his middle finger inside the two seams and – magic. That the grip felt right was one thing. The way the ball moved, and how dramatically? That was something else. “Use that, Jimenez told Hernandez. “You’ll be unstoppable.” Sept 15, 2014 / Sports Illustrated by Greg Bishop
I have said for years that “pitchers are made in the off-season.” I learned that from veteran junior college coach Charlie Green. It always made sense that a pitcher would have to get away from competition in order to fully improve his mechanics.
So besides improving mechanics, every pitcher can take the time to develop his own dominating pitch.
I have always been very partial to the changeup as it was what I always threw off my fastball. My grip was a no-seam grip that created a lot of movement.
Felix Hernandez grip is one I would seriously play around with. Not everyone is going to get it just the way King Felix does but who knows it might be just enough to create your next big out pitch.
I looked closely as Felix Hernandez grip and saw some potential to develop another grip from his. Instead of making the circle I would put my index finger and thumb on a seam which would allow you to put added pressure by pulling down with the index finger and thumb.
All it takes is experimentation and lots of practice to find that grip that can turn your game completely around…whether it’s a changeup like Pedro Martinez, a cutter like Mariano Rivera or a slider like Clayton Kershaw. Or the next best sinker ball ever.
Who knows you might just come up with the next dominating pitch that could take you and your game to the next level fast.
Don’t waste the off-season – Why Not Create A Dominating Pitch
Use it to improve your mechanics so you can improve your velocity. Use the off-season to get functionally stronger and explosive. And finally use it to develop the next dominating pitch.
Here’s a great article with more on Felix Hernandez changeup.
The Nine Things To Know About The Best Changeup In Baseball
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