Strength Coach with a nasty Knuckleball

Dayton Dragons Strength and Conditioning Coach Nigel Price was looking for an edge in the game of baseball as a youngster. He was 12 years old growing up in Fort Myers, Florida and wanted something to set himself apart from the rest of the kids his age. He was sitting around the house one morning watching a television morning show when the opportunity came to him.

Major League pitcher Tim Wakefield was a rookie sensation with the Pittsburgh Pirates and threw a pretty good knuckleball, a pitch with an erratic and unpredictable motion. The ball is thrown so as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight towards the plate. It becomes a great challenge for the hitter to hit, and even the catcher to catch. Wakefield was on a national morning talk show showing viewers about this pitch, and Price studied intently.

“I wanted to copy what Wakefield was doing,” Price said. “I thought if I could develop it early maybe it was my key to the big leagues.” Later that week in a little league game, Price used the pitch and quickly became known as “The Knuckleball Kid.” Price said he used the ‘trick pitch’ every once in awhile, and did not rely on it as heavily as Wakefield and other knuckleball pitchers do.

Price continued his baseball career up through club baseball at Ohio State University, using his knuckleball on occasion for some success. The thing about a knuckleball is that some days it is hard to get a feel for it and hit the spot. “Some days it just isn’t there,” Price said. “It is hard to explain, but you just need the feel and timing of it.”

Keeping the wrist locked is what Price says is the key to throwing a good knuckleball. Although some pitchers use a three finger grip, Price has found more success with a two finger grip. “You have to make sure you use the tips of your fingers and don’t dig your nails into the ball,” Price commented.

Most of the professional baseball players that Price works with in the Cincinnati Reds organization are impressed that their strength coach knows how to throw a knuckle. Most will ask how he holds the ball and how he throws it, but Price does not feel comfortable trying to teach them the pitch. “I am definitely not a pitching coach,” Price said. “Strength and conditioning is my specialty.”

While working in Asheville, North Carolina for the Colorado Rockies Single-A affiliate, there was a knuckleball pitcher on the staff who Price played catch with quite often. He said they would make it a game between the two of them, throwing the knuckle to each other and trying to get the other person to drop it. First one with three drops lost that round.

After leaving Asheville, Price worked for the Milwaukee Brewers Triple-A team in Nashville. There, the Sounds had a pitcher with Major League experience who throw a knuckleball, R.A. Dickey. Dickey worked with Price and helped him learn more about the knuckleball.

For the past two seasons, Price has been asked to throw some batting practice for the Dragons, but has yet to mix in a knuckleball. He does practice it daily while throwing with other players or staff members on the team. Earlier this season, he was playing catch with Athletic Trainer Tyler Steele and seemed to throw a perfect knuckleball. “The ball had a late break and went right between Steele’s legs. He had no chance to even touch the ball.”

When time allows, Price plays in a men’s baseball league in Columbus, but he has not been asked to pitch yet. When he does get that chance, it will be a sure thing that he will try to sneak in the trick pitch.