The baseball life of a knuckleball pitcher is truly unique. Survival is predicated upon the success of a single pitch type, one that is rooted in randomness and whose effectiveness is sensitive to everything from mechanics to grips and even weather conditions. A knuckler's approach is based on the notion that batters know what pitch is coming, but not where it's going. The knuckleball was a recurring theme in my inaugural chat with BP, with many suggesting that washed up minor leaguers should adopt the pitch to re-forge a career in the bigs, though it is easy to underestimate the difficulty of harnessing a knuckler to the degree necessary to succeed at the highest level. Mercurial performance patterns have become par for the course of knuckleball pitchers, but R.A. Dickey's recent run of dominance is changing the way that we perceive this rare and exotic breed.
The rest of this article is restricted to Baseball Prospectus Subscribers.
Not a subscriber?
Click here for more information
on Baseball Prospectus subscriptions or use the buttons to the right to subscribe and get access to the best baseball content on the web.
Certainly. The low level of kinetic energy flowing through the system will minimize the kinetic toll - as Dr. Glenn Fleisig illustrated in Ben's Q&A, harder throwers generally have higher-stress deliveries: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17520
This helps to explain why knuckleballers can seemingly pitch forever.
The Stats Go Marching ... (06/29)
2 comments have been left for this article. 
Weekly Planner: Week 14
Surprise Me!
Doug,
Does Dickey's mechanics lead himself to less strain on his shoulder/elbow? Is he putting less stress on those parts of his arm?
Obviously Dickey doesn't need torque like conventional throwers, but does his lack of torque give him an edge durability wise?
Certainly. The low level of kinetic energy flowing through the system will minimize the kinetic toll - as Dr. Glenn Fleisig illustrated in Ben's Q&A, harder throwers generally have higher-stress deliveries: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17520
This helps to explain why knuckleballers can seemingly pitch forever.