Allan James "A. J." Burnett was born January 3, 1977, in North Little Rock, Arkansas. A.J.Burnett is a right-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the New York Yankees. Previously, he played for the Florida Marlins and the Toronto Blue Jays. He was drafted by the New York Mets in the eighth round with the 217th overall pick of 1995 amateur entry draft.
On May 12, 2001, Burnett recorded a no-hitter in a complete game shutout against the San Diego Padres in his second start of the season.
A.J.Burnett is essentially a two-pitch pitcher, relying on the combination of his fastball and curveball. His four-seam fastball possesses tailing movement and resides in the 93-97 mph range, while his curveball is in the low 80s. His velocity has slightly diminished in recent years after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2003.
Recently, A.J.Burnett has modified his curveball delivery from over-the-top to more of a three-quarter sidearm delivery, thus adding velocity as well as increasing the sharp movement of the pitch. He is also known for throwing the knucklecurve. A.J.Burnett also throws a change-up, but it is seldom used. He also uses the sinker sometimes to get the count going. However, while with the Blue Jays he worked to improve his change-up with the help of pitching coach Brad Arnsberg and had demonstrated some moderate success with the pitch.
Sports analysts have often cited his curveball as the best in baseball. He uses it often when ahead in the count, but he can also drop it over the plate for a called strike very effectively. Because he is a two-pitch pitcher, he will often use more breaking balls early in the count the second time through the order. However, this can also make Burnett either very hittable or virtually unhittable. Because his pitches are so erratic, A.J.Burnett is known for his wild pitches and his high walk total.
Source:wikipedia
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar