Name: Cody Hebner
Report Date: 2011 NWL Season (Rookie Level)
Age: 20
Birthplace: Auburn, WA
Height: 5’11
Weight: 175
Bats: R
Throws: R
Overview: Hebner was the Padres’ 4th-round pick in the 2011 Rule IV Draft. He is undersized compared to an average pitcher’s frame, which may have hurt his draft status. He is a student of the game who treats pitching as a science and does everything from an elaborate warm up routine to intense video analysis of his delivery after the game.
Physical Attributes: As mentioned above, the first thing that you notice about Hebner is that he is actually 5’11” and 175 pounds. Diminutive though he is, he is very athletic. This is apparent from Hebner’s delivery to how he carries himself off the field. He could add some weight to his athletic frame, but nothing more than 10-15 pounds. It’s easy to imagine that if Hebner were 6’3” he would be generating much more buzz.
Delivery: Hebner is fun to watch. In the age of cookie-cutter mechanics he breaks the mold. He has a big leg kick and turns his body enough during his delivery that his numbers are clearly visible to the batter. Hebner uses a long stride to help get everything out of his 5’11 frame. He has great pace throughout his delivery, never rushing and keeping his body in sync. Even though there are a lot of moving parts to the delivery, it is all done in a very smooth and controlled fashion. While there is some effort in the delivery, it is far from a max effort situation like you’d see in most undersized pitchers. Hebner has great arm action; long, loose and repeatable all from a high 3/4 arm slot. The delivery is deceptive, and compounding this deception is the fact that he keeps the same arm action for all four pitches. Because his arm action is so consistent, Hebner is exceptional at keeping hitters off balanced.
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