So there is this Meisel article over on the Athletic today about Civale, but more so the ever present Ruben (Niebla) in the background. Ruben is the unsung hero (IMO) in Cleveland's current success in the pitching development area.
theathletic.com
Rueben has always been eager to learn, smart enough to understand the value of listening, of thinking through what he is told, then looking for and at practical application of what others have brought to the org. It has allowed him to acquire a really really good skill set over the years. When others in the org didn't listen Rueben was.
Rueben is the guy, behind the scenes, that has the knowledge and ability to turn water into wine when it comes to producing pitchers.
The particular excerpt that indirectly talks about Rueben for those that don't have a subscription
All season, Niebla had tracked Civale’s ball flight. He examined how Civale could cut and sink the baseball but had a “tough time squaring up the hand behind the ball with success.” Civale demonstrated he could throw an effective curveball, which blossomed into his best swing-and-miss pitch. Niebla thought he needed a complement to that offering, something traveling in the opposite direction: a four-seam fastball.
Niebla was thinking in grander terms than just the implementation of another pitch, though. He had an idea that would require a significant undertaking, one that could enhance the timing of Civale’s delivery, keep his arm in sync with his lower half and benefit him health-wise.
Before Niebla even finished his sales pitch, Civale jumped on board. Niebla was his pitching coordinator when the Indians drafted him in the third round in 2016. They’ve worked together throughout Civale’s five years in the organization. Civale trusted him.
They were going to reconstruct Civale’s throwing motion, creating a shorter arm action that would demand he relearn how to throw all of his pitches. Starting from scratch on a new project? That’s Civale’s dream.
Niebla didn’t sugarcoat his message. This would be an involved, painstaking process. There would be daunting moments when Civale would feel lost and resort to second-guessing. They engaged in regular dialogue from opposite coasts, Civale submitting video from his training sessions in Massachusetts and Niebla providing feedback from his Southern California home. Niebla believed the transformation could work because Civale had a firm understanding of his body, his strengths and his delivery limitations.
“Arm action changes aren’t for everyone,” Niebla said. “It has to be a special person.”
The intention was to place Civale in a more efficient position when releasing the baseball. Niebla said when Civale reached back at the peak of his motion last season, as he planted his front foot, his torso would “arch out” and his arm tended to veer toward the first-base dugout. With the new delivery, he has less time to surrender to undesired movements — and he’s essentially pitching from the stretch.
“The delivery is all about timing,” Niebla said. “It’s about being in strong positions while gathering ground forces through the backside first and eventually through the front side. If you find yourself in these positions that are efficient, that are stronger, it should lead to not only a healthier arm action, but it also should lead to better angular force, which is basically a force of rotation of the body. In other words, the kinetic chain.”
That results in better action on the four-seam fastball and curveball, and they figured they could rebuild his arsenal around that combination. Civale tossed only a football for the first week of the offseason so he could practice the arm action and grasp how different it felt.
****************************************
Hats off to Rueben, a self made guy who has paid his dues.
Rise of The Chemist: How soft-spoken Aaron Civale remade himself and started making noise in the Indians rotation
He's quiet. He's smart. And he's been Cleveland's staff anchor after overhauling his motion in the offseason. Meet The Chemist.
theathletic.com
Rueben has always been eager to learn, smart enough to understand the value of listening, of thinking through what he is told, then looking for and at practical application of what others have brought to the org. It has allowed him to acquire a really really good skill set over the years. When others in the org didn't listen Rueben was.
Rueben is the guy, behind the scenes, that has the knowledge and ability to turn water into wine when it comes to producing pitchers.
The particular excerpt that indirectly talks about Rueben for those that don't have a subscription
The overhaul
Assistant pitching coach Ruben Niebla called Civale last October to debrief after the 2020 season. He knew Civale harbored frustrations about how his year unfolded. Civale deemed it a sophomore slump, with periods of lackluster pitch execution, and he vowed to “learn from mistakes, failures and losses.”All season, Niebla had tracked Civale’s ball flight. He examined how Civale could cut and sink the baseball but had a “tough time squaring up the hand behind the ball with success.” Civale demonstrated he could throw an effective curveball, which blossomed into his best swing-and-miss pitch. Niebla thought he needed a complement to that offering, something traveling in the opposite direction: a four-seam fastball.
Niebla was thinking in grander terms than just the implementation of another pitch, though. He had an idea that would require a significant undertaking, one that could enhance the timing of Civale’s delivery, keep his arm in sync with his lower half and benefit him health-wise.
Before Niebla even finished his sales pitch, Civale jumped on board. Niebla was his pitching coordinator when the Indians drafted him in the third round in 2016. They’ve worked together throughout Civale’s five years in the organization. Civale trusted him.
They were going to reconstruct Civale’s throwing motion, creating a shorter arm action that would demand he relearn how to throw all of his pitches. Starting from scratch on a new project? That’s Civale’s dream.
Niebla didn’t sugarcoat his message. This would be an involved, painstaking process. There would be daunting moments when Civale would feel lost and resort to second-guessing. They engaged in regular dialogue from opposite coasts, Civale submitting video from his training sessions in Massachusetts and Niebla providing feedback from his Southern California home. Niebla believed the transformation could work because Civale had a firm understanding of his body, his strengths and his delivery limitations.
“Arm action changes aren’t for everyone,” Niebla said. “It has to be a special person.”
The intention was to place Civale in a more efficient position when releasing the baseball. Niebla said when Civale reached back at the peak of his motion last season, as he planted his front foot, his torso would “arch out” and his arm tended to veer toward the first-base dugout. With the new delivery, he has less time to surrender to undesired movements — and he’s essentially pitching from the stretch.
“The delivery is all about timing,” Niebla said. “It’s about being in strong positions while gathering ground forces through the backside first and eventually through the front side. If you find yourself in these positions that are efficient, that are stronger, it should lead to not only a healthier arm action, but it also should lead to better angular force, which is basically a force of rotation of the body. In other words, the kinetic chain.”
That results in better action on the four-seam fastball and curveball, and they figured they could rebuild his arsenal around that combination. Civale tossed only a football for the first week of the offseason so he could practice the arm action and grasp how different it felt.
****************************************
Hats off to Rueben, a self made guy who has paid his dues.
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