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December 18, 2006

Prospectus Q&A

Craig Breslow

by David Laurila

Craig Breslow has both a major league resume and a biochemistry degree from Yale. Originally a 26th-round pick by Milwaukee in the 2002 draft, the 26-year-old lefthander made his big league debut in 2005, appearing in 14 games for the Padres. Signed by Boston in January as a minor league free agent, the native of Trumbull, Connecticut, saw action in 13 games out of the Red Sox bullpen last year, going 0-2 and posting a 3.75 ERA in 12 innings. David Laurila sat down with Breslow for BP to talk about how an Ivy League graduate views pitching philosophy, mechanics, and the genetic predisposition of arm-slots.

Baseball Prospectus: You studied molecular biophysics at Yale. Can you make a good analogy between that and baseball?

Craig Breslow: Boy, probably not. Biochemistry is such a specific science -- it's so analytical and methodical, and that kind of mentality can actually hurt in baseball. The specificity of what you do in the lab is something you can’t take to the mound with you. Maybe it's similar in the preparation, but on the mound you need to make adjustments and don’t want to be too predictable. You can’t do that it the lab.

BP: What about finger-placement, and finger-pressure on the seams when you release the ball? How precise do those need to be on each pitch?

CB: Well, in terms of repeating pitches and particularly movement on pitches, then of course pressure must be precise and consistent from pitch to pitch. Finger pressure impacts the spin of the ball which translates into breaking pitches breaking, sliders sliding, etc. I know from experience that I rarely throw two pitches identically, but that tends to help me in that some pitches move earlier, some later, more, less, etc.

BP: You often hear pitchers talk about how the ball comes out of their hand. What does that actually mean?