Bumgarner throws from a low 3/4 quarter release, hiding the ball very well through his release, giving hitters less chance to identify a pitch type right out of his hand. He puts very little stress on his arm and shoulder. He has very clean mechanics that allow him to throw in the mid 90s with his fastball and give him a good touch with his offspeed pitches, while sustaining exceptional command. His body is built for innings as well, 6'5" 225 lbs makes scouts drool and with his mechanics we shouldn't be seeing him breakdown anytime soon while consistantly pitching 200+ innings.
His pitching arm and body clearly aren't the problem, the problem I see with him: his state of mind. It was evident in his second start against the Dodgers that it was an issue. Bumgarner was taken out after 5 rough innings allowing 5 runs, upon reaching the dugout he could not hold his composure, destroying the dugout bench and anything in his way. Bumgarner admitted to reporters after the game that he has had trouble keeping in his anger on the mound in his starts. While pitching, it's best to keep a relatively calm and enpty state of mind, not letting anything get you too angry or even too relaxed. It's better if you take the mound and not think. Bumgarner has had this thus farin the season, but also in the past. Early in the season of 2010 Bumgarner struggled mightly in spring training and lost a chance at earning a spot on the big club. His struggles continued for a few starts in the minors as well. It was later discovered that he was married in the offseason. Though he does not like to use it as an excuse, it obviously effected his state of mind, he was distracted and wasn't prepared for the season both mentally and physically. Back to 2011, Bumgarner has let his emotions get to him. Once he calms his emotions, he will be better.
Now baseball is a game of numbers, so I wouldn't be doing justice if I didn't provide some numbers that show why he's sturggling, but also why he'll climb right out of it. Bumgarner has given up a lot of hits this season, and those hits are scoring at an usually high 45% of the time. Also, his batting average on balls in play (BABIP) has been relatively high as well; this has show that Bumgarner has been rather unlucky thus far as those two number are unlikely to keep up, both based on league averages and his former major and minor league history.
So, my conclusion on Bumgarner is that there is nothing physical to worry about with the kid, just worry about the fact that he is still a kid. He is still learning the game and is still maturing. I see reason for encouragment as well. In his most recent start in Arizona, the giants just gave Bumgarner a 1 run lead after the Giants scored 4 in an emotional inning. What does he do? Go out the next inning and shut down the middle of the D-Backs lineup 1-2-3 on 10 pitches and sustains the Giants momentum. He was able to sustain his emotions and pitch a masterful inning, while he had struggled most of the first few innings.
I expect Bumgarner to settle in now and show everyone why the Giants are so high on him and solidify his spot in the rotation for years to come.
-Kevin
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