5 Pitchers Tinkering With Their Deliveries

Pitching is a refined art. Even the most natural born aces need to constantly tweak and change their deliveries to stay elite. That's why they are professional athletes. They can't have success without learning from themselves, even after years in the league.

Every spring, with the regular slate of games and the competition for roster spots, comes the annual period of players tweaking their games. Whether that be a pitcher working on his stride or a hitter trying to keep his hands inside the ball more, adjustments are being made.

This spring is no different. Here are five pitchers who are tinkering with their deliveries in preparation for a big 2012 season:

Tommy Hanson, Atlanta Braves

Poor Tommy Hanson. The budding young superstar pitcher had shoulder surgery in the offseason, and then sustained a mild concussion on his way to spring training when his car blew a tire and skidded off the road.

Hopefully for the Braves, Hanson's bad luck ends soon and he can continue to mow down batters for the top of that rotation. Hanson has been working on improving his delivery by eliminating a slight pause before he releases the ball.

He was pretty dominant anyway, so if he makes a tweak to his release that may improve speed or accuracy, opposing batters better be shaking in their cleats. 

Andrew Miller, Boston Red Sox

Andrew Miller has been a top prospect for what seems like forever now. And just about any coach that has seen him throw raves about how filthy his stuff is and the massive potential the tall southpaw has. But this year might be the year he finally puts it all together.

Why? Because Miller and the Red Sox new pitching coach, Bobby McClure, have been working on correcting a flaw in the alignment of Miller's feet that was forcing him to throw across his body. Naturally, throwing across the body puts strain on the arm and also affects a pitcher's accuracy.

So right now, Miller and McClure are working on getting his back foot more parallel with the mound. If he harnesses that stride and improves his control to go with the high-90 MPH fastball, the American League hitters won't know what hit them.

Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds

The Reds really need Chapman to step up in the bullpen this year, because with Albert Pujols leaving St. Louis and Prince Fielder departing from Milwaukee, their road to the N.L. Central title just got a whole lot easier. Cincy has the offense, but the pitching needs to back it up if they are going to win the division.

Since the Cuban phenom signed with the Reds, he's had his ups and downs. Chapman has hit triple digits on the radar gun regularly and just absolutely shut down opposing hitters. He's also been incredibly hittable and wild in a number of other appearances.

But in spring training right now, he's trying to make some adjustments to harness his changeup and make it a bigger part of his arsenal. If he can pair a solid change with a 100-plus MPH fastball, he'll have a deadly 1-2 combo out of that left arm.

Chad Billingsley, Los Angeles Dodgers

I can tell you this from first-hand experience since I'm a Dodgers fan. Chad Billingsley is one of the most frustrating pitchers in all of baseball. He is good for 10-12 wins and an ERA around 4.00 every year. Nothing spectacular, but it keeps his name on a rotation spot.

The frustration comes from the incredible potential buried in his right arm. He's had flashes of brilliance over his career, usually quickly followed by a couple horrid starts. But in spring training right now, Billingsley is working on correcting his leg kick in order to keep his arm and body in sync.

Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt wants Billingsley to keep his raised leg under him when he's in the middle of his delivery, rather than kicking it out away from the body. Hopefully, Bills will get this adjustment down and put up some big numbers in Los Angeles in 2012.

Barry Zito, San Francisco Giants

We all know Barry Zito's story: winning the Cy Young with Oakland in 2002, getting signed to a mammoth contract across the bay in San Francisco and ceasing to exist since. He's had, to put it nicely, a not-so-good career for the Giants. 

He's constantly trying to work and adjust though, and he's shown a little more promise recently as a back-end starter. Zito is also one of the most public proponents of tinkering with his delivery in the offseason. This year, it's no different.

In 2012, he's trying to have more bend in his back leg before striding. He thinks it will enable him to hide the ball longer and keep the batters off balance. That was his bread and butter for his big years in Oakland, so the Giants will hope this helps him regain some of that magic.