Davis Martin’s Mechanical Journey: How a Baseball Pitcher Fixed His Delivery During the All-Star Break

The Tale of Two Innings

Imagine you’re a baseball pitcher. You throw the ball for a living. Some days you’re amazing. Other days… not so much.

Davis Martin, a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, recently had one of those "not so much" days against the New York Yankees. He gave up four runs in the very first inning. Ouch! His season ERA (that’s Earned Run Average — basically a scorecard for how many runs a pitcher allows) jumped to 3.61, its highest point since April.

But here’s the twist: Martin calls this game one of his top three favorites of the entire year.

Why would a bad game be a favorite?
Because after that terrible first inning, Martin pitched five perfect innings with zero runs. His team ended up winning in 12 innings on a walk-off hit. That’s called resilience — bouncing back when things go wrong.

The Numbers Don’t Tell the Whole Story

Since the All-Star break (the mid-season vacation for baseball players), Martin’s stats look a little scary on paper:

• 4.68 ERA over 3 starts
• But a 14-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio (K-BB ratio)

Translation: He’s striking out lots of batters (14) and barely walking any (4). That’s actually really good — it means he’s throwing strikes and missing bats.

Martin’s Take:
"Over 17 innings, only two innings went wrong. The other 15? Crisp. Clean. Striking guys out. Getting ahead. Staying ahead. Throwing multiple pitches exactly where I want them."

The Real Problem: Fatigue and Mechanical Drift

Before the All-Star break, Martin had thrown over 100 innings in the first half of the season. That’s a lot of throwing. He admitted the fatigue was messing up his delivery (that’s the fancy word for how a pitcher moves their body to throw the ball).

But he insists fatigue wasn’t the problem in that bad sixth inning against the Astros last month. He says those issues were already fixed.

The Secret Weapon: The All-Star Break "Vacation"

When Martin said he was going home to Oklahoma to go fishing with his son Doak, he left out the best part.

He also visited PitchingWRX — a private training facility in Oklahoma City run by his former teammate Lane Ramsey. This is where Martin trains in the offseason.

Why does this matter?
During the regular season, pitchers can only throw short bullpen sessions (practice throws) between starts because they need to save energy for games. But during the All-Star break? No game in two days = time to actually fix things.

The Lightbulb Moment: A 35-Pitch Bullpen

Martin threw a 35-pitch bullpen session where he could:

• Take his time
• Talk through adjustments
• Try different "cues" (mental tricks to change body movement)
• Not worry about pitching in two days

He worked with coaches Alex Marney and Lane Ramsey. Near the end, they said: "Hey, try this feel."

Martin’s reaction: "That’s it. Bam, bam, bam, bam — executing pitches, feeling back in sync, not having to think about it."

The Mechanical Puzzle: Too Much of a Good Thing

Here’s where it gets really interesting (and relatable for anyone who’s ever tried to fix a habit).

The Original Problem

Martin tends to over-rotate — his body spins sideways too much when he throws. Think of it like a top spinning out of control.

The First Fix

His cue was: "Get tall." Stand up straighter. Stay vertical. This worked amazingly well for most of the season.

The Over-Correction

But here’s the trap: He kept doing it. And doing it. And doing it.

Martin’s Description:
He went from too hunched over → to forcing himself upright → to almost leaning backward.

"The fix was get tall because I was getting too far forward. And then I was too tall, and I’m still trying to get too tall. So it was like two ends of the spectrum, and I was just pushing one side too far."

Pitching Coach Zach Bove explains it simply:

"It’s the setup of the posture — just making sure he’s vertical, upright. That gets him in that north-south plane, more linear. If the setup, the first move is good, that sets up the rotation that we get."

Translation: Stand tall → move straight toward the target (north-south) → rotate properly. Don’t lean back. Don’t hunch. Just… balanced.

The Bigger Lesson: Drift Happens to Everyone

This applies to EVERYONE, not just pitchers.

Mechanical drift happens slowly over thousands of reps. It can be caused by:

• Injury or pain (obvious)
• Struggle (trying too hard)
• Even success (getting comfortable and lazy)

Martin has known about his over-rotation tendency for a while. He had a cue that worked better than ever… until it didn’t. Now he’s fixing the fix.

The Veteran Mindset: Year 4 Wisdom

Martin is in his fourth season. Here’s his mature take:

"It’s just one little change, and then it just keeps snowballing a little bit, a little bit, a little bit, and you think everything’s going fine, and then all of a sudden you’re just out of luck. The more you can log it and get experience, you’ll be able to nip those things in the bud faster and faster and faster as the years go on."

Translation: Small habits become big problems. Experience = catching them sooner.

Summary

FAQ

What is "mechanical drift" in baseball?

Mechanical drift is when a pitcher’s (or hitter’s) movement patterns slowly change over time — like bad posture creeping in after months of sitting at a desk. It happens from thousands of repetitions, fatigue, injury, or even success making someone complacent.

What’s a "cue" in pitching?

A cue is a simple mental phrase or feeling a player uses to trigger the right body movement. Examples: "Get tall," "Stay back," "Drive the mound." Good cues are short, personal, and don’t require thinking mid-pitch.

Why does velocity matter less than command?

Velocity = how fast the ball goes. Command = putting the ball exactly where you want it. Martin’s velocity dipped slightly (93-94 mph vs 95 mph in May), but his command improved. A 93 mph pitch on the corner beats a 98 mph pitch down the middle every time.

What is the "north-south plane"?

Imagine a line from the pitcher’s mound straight to home plate. That’s north-south (linear). East-west is side-to-side rotation. Coaches want pitchers to move toward the target first (north-south), then rotate. Martin was rotating too early (east-west), then over-corrected by leaning back.

How does the All-Star break help pitchers?

It’s the only mid-season window where starters aren’t on a strict 5-day routine. They can throw longer bullpens, experiment with mechanics, work with offseason coaches, and reset physically and mentally without worrying about their next start.

Final Thought: Davis Martin’s story isn’t just about baseball. It’s about any skill you practice repeatedly — coding, cooking, parenting, playing guitar. Good habits drift. Fixes become new problems. The pros don’t avoid this cycle — they just recognize it faster and correct it sooner.