Rob Friedman (baseball analyst) explained

Rob Friedman
Alma Mater:University of North Carolina (B.A.)
Emory Law School (J.D.)
Known For:Baseball Analyst/Social Media Personality

Rob Friedman (born), also known by the moniker PitchingNinja, is an American baseball analyst and social media personality known for his pitching gifs and videos on Twitter and for creating social media resources for baseball recruiting and scouting.[1] [2] He is an analyst for Major League Baseball, Peacock, Fox Sports, NESN and ESPN.[3] [4] Friedman coached High School baseball and is also a licensed attorney.[5] Friedman also founded Geolocation Software company Digital Envoy. As of July 2024, Friedman had over 500,000 followers on his PitchingNinja Twitter account and over 500,000 followers on Instagram.[6] Friedman's PitchingNinja account has been referred to as "one of baseball’s most famous social media accounts".[7] [8] Friedman also has over 210,000 subscribers on the PitchingNinja YouTube channel.[9]

Major League Baseball dispute and resolution

In 2019, Friedman was briefly suspended from Twitter by Major League Baseball and Twitter, due to a copyright dispute,[10] [11] but eventually was reinstated and hired as an analyst for Major League Baseball, in what was seen as a potential change for baseball's restrictive social media policy.[12] [13] [14] Since Friedman's reinstatement, his work has been featured on MLB.com.[15] [16] [17] [18] [19]

Pitching Analyst

Friedman creates pitching analysis videos and GIFs on Twitter and is a pitching analyst for ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, ESPN College Baseball and Major League Baseball.[20] An ESPN article previewing the 2019 Major League Baseball postseason referred to certain pitchers as "PitchingNinja Bait", meaning: "A pitcher whose pitches are so unrepentantly sexy they are likely to be turned into GIFs by invaluable Twitterer, @pitchingninja."[21]

During the 2019 season, Friedman also contributed to a weekly segment for "Changeup" on DAZN with Cespedes Family BBQ featuring each week's Major League Baseball pitching highlights and also a weekly segment for ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.[22] [23] [24] [25]

Friedman's analysis has frequently been used by journalists and media outlets to help visually illustrate the pitches of major league pitchers.[26] [27] [28] [29] [30] Additionally, his work has also been credited by Major League and Minor League pitchers in helping them develop and refine their pitches.[31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] In 2020, Jake Diekman credited Friedman with helping him develop his slider through interactions on Twitter.[37] Yu Darvish also credited Friedman with helping improve his slider.[38] Cole Irvin said he learned his cutter from watching Corbin Burnes' interview with Friedman on Friedman's PitchingNinja YouTube Channel.[39] [40]

Friedman also gave the nickname "Airbender" to Devin Williams' changeup, which was called baseball's most "absurd" pitch.[41] [42] Friedman's coverage of Williams was credited with helping Williams win the National League's Rookie of the Year Award.[43]

Friedman's pitching analysis style has been described as "combin[ing] the knowledge of someone who studied pitching to help his young son improve with the wonderment of a fan who can’t help but plotz at how major leaguers are capable of manipulating a baseball".[44]

Friedman was included in the Topps 2020 Allen And Ginter Baseball Card series due to his contributions to Baseball as a pitching analyst.[45]

Friedman's PitchingNinja Twitter account was recognized by ESPN as helping to drive change in baseball's culture by adding flair and individuality to the game,[46] and was #30 on the "67 Things Baseball Fans Can Be Grateful for in 2020" in Sports Illustrated.[47]

At the 2021 MLB All-Star Game, Friedman convinced Liam Hendriks to throw a knuckleball in exchange for a donation to charity, which was considered the sixth biggest All-Star moment.[48] Trevor Bauer's Watch Momentum company sponsored Friedman's Pitching Ninja show on YouTube for a few months during the 2021 season, before Friedman and Momentum ended the sponsorship relationship in mid-2021.[49] Friedman was awarded the "2020 Game Changer of the Year Award" from Lost Boyz Inc. for his support of their mission of helping inner-city youth through baseball.[50]

For the 2022 season, Friedman joined the Peacock MLB team as lead Pitching Analyst on their broadcasts.[51] [52] He also was named MLB Pitching Analyst for Fox Sports.[53] Friedman is a regular contributor to Fox Sports, writing about pitching, where he breaks down pitchers and their pitches, such as Shohei Ohtani and his new sinker[54] He is also the lead Pitching Analyst for FanDuel.[55] Friedman's interview with Nolan Ryan was featured on the Blu-ray edition of the 2022 documentary "Facing Nolan".

In January 2024, MLB announced that it was officially adding a "sword" stat to Statcast in honor of PitchingNinja calling weak swings a "sword".[56]

PitchingNinja's FlatGround accounts

In January 2019, Friedman started the FlatGround app with a focus on pitchers getting recruited and scouted through social media.[57] [58] [59] Friedman's FlatGround app account has been cited as a new development in baseball recruiting and scouting.[60] [61] [62] FlatGround is followed by many MLB executives, which allows players to get free exposure.[63]

Some of the professional pitchers who have credited Friedman and FlatGround with helping them get noticed by Major League affiliated organizations include: Justin Topa,[64] Taylor Grover,[65] Chris Dula,[66] Chris Nunn,[67] [68] [69] Nathan Patterson,[70] Tyler Gillies,[71] Casey Crosby,[72] D. J. Snelten[73] and Jordan Brink.[74] [75] [76] [77] [78] [79] [80] In August 2019, Nathan Patterson's signing received coverage by national publications, where Patterson mentioned that the exposure he received due to a viral video[81] on FlatGround app and PitchingNinja assisted him in signing a professional contract with the Oakland Athletics.[82] [83] [84] [85] [86] [87] Patterson's signing has been referred to as Friedman's "most public success story."[88] In 2022, Friedman's tweet of independent league pitcher Logan Sawyer was credited with helping get him signed by the St. Louis Cardinals.[89]

Additionally, in early 2019, a young baseball player, Jax Nystrom, who was highlighted on Friedman's FlatGroundBats account was contacted by Alex Bregman to hit with him in Spring Training, which was featured on MLB.com as well as other publications.[90] [91] [92]

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 'Pitching Ninja' Rob Friedman Launches FlatGround To Help Pitchers Learn And Be Seen. Orgera. Scott. Forbes. en. August 20, 2019.
  2. News: PitchingNinja is turning Twitter into a Digital Scouting Showcase, MLB teams have noticed. Bogage. Jacob. January 14, 2019. The Washington Post.
  3. Friedman . Rob . PitchingNinja . 1111580604351594496 . March 29, 2019 . Hey look, I'm on ESPN. [And, for the record, I'm not an "It"... Matt Vasgersian] https://t.co/d4jxlkdVGq . en . June 14, 2021.
  4. News: A Regular Guy Hit 96 MPH in a Speed-Pitch Booth. A Viral Video Turned Him Into a Prospect.. Diamond. Jared. August 15, 2019. Wall Street Journal.
  5. News: Baseballs Pitching Ninja on Big Law, Spotting Talent. Smith. Patrick. August 15, 2019. American Lawyer.
  6. Web site: Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) Twitter. twitter.com. en. August 19, 2019.
  7. News: Schonbrun. Zach. March 11, 2021. The Lawyer Who Became a (Pitching) Ninja. en-US. The New York Times. March 13, 2021. 0362-4331.
  8. Web site: Cole Henry inspires confidence in his LSU teammates less than 2 months into his freshman season. Alexander. Wilson. April 5, 2019.
  9. Web site: Pitching Ninja - YouTube . 2022-06-17 . www.youtube.com.
  10. Web site: Stupid Copyright: MLB Shuts Down Twitter Account Of Guy Who Shared Cool MLB Gifs . Mike . Masnick. Techdirt.. April 18, 2018. August 25, 2019.
  11. Web site: Will Major League Baseball ever understand social media?. SI.com. April 18, 2018 . en. August 25, 2019.
  12. News: Twitter Suspends Pitching Guru, MLB Considers Loosening Social Media Restrictions. Passan. Jeff. April 17, 2018. Yahoo Sports.
  13. News: PitchingNinja is back in Baseball's Good Graces, Here's What He Learned. Bogage. Jacob. April 24, 2018. Washington Post.
  14. Web site: @PitchingNinja Vs. MLB: Lessons From A Twitter Showdown. www.wbur.org. June 22, 2018 . en. August 19, 2019.
  15. Web site: Jordan Hicks throws unhittable sliders vs. Pirates. MLB.com. April 2019 . en. August 19, 2019.
  16. Web site: Satchel Paige throws eephus pitch to batter. MLB.com. en. August 19, 2019.
  17. Web site: Comparing McHugh's 'Matrix' moves. MLB.com. April 17, 2019 . en. August 19, 2019.
  18. Web site: Edwin Diaz's fastball and slider are unhittable. MLB.com. en. August 19, 2019.
  19. Web site: Chris Sale dominates Royals. MLB.com. June 6, 2019 . en. August 19, 2019.
  20. Inside Pitch magazine . insidepitchmag . 1120673513050914816 . April 23, 2019 . We tracked down @PitchingNinja, who spends his days as a tech attorney and moonlights as a Pitching Contributing Analyst for @MLB and @ESPN, to learn how he got the nickname and find out more about his one-of-a-kind story: https://t.co/EnaSYJRDbZ https://t.co/tsGq60Ti4D . en . June 14, 2021.
  21. Web site: Your ultimate guide to MLB's October bullpens: Stars, surprises, rankings and more. October 4, 2019. ESPN.com. en. October 4, 2019.
  22. Web site: Cespedes Family BBQ duo talks Pitching Ninja, their baseball journey and 'ChangeUp' show. www.sportingnews.com. July 16, 2019 . en. August 25, 2019.
  23. Céspedes Family BBQ . CespedesBBQ . 1179129975234060290 . October 1, 2019 . THE NASTIEST PITCHES OF THE YEAR WITH @PITCHINGNINJA HIMSELF 5️⃣Oliver Drake broke physics 4️⃣Jordan Hicks brought the 3️⃣Luis Castillo ends a man ⚰️ 2️⃣Alvarado's devilish two-seam 1️⃣Gerrit Cole is the nastiest pitcher in baseball https://t.co/S8q97lSE4j . en . June 14, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191001203754/https://twitter.com/CespedesBBQ/status/1179129975234060290 . October 1, 2019 . live.
  24. Friedman . Rob . PitchingNinja . 1179557986517356545 . October 2, 2019 . My ESPN PitchingNinja segment on Manaea. https://t.co/dvbJgdUgnI . en . June 14, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191003010048/https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1179557986517356545 . October 3, 2019 . live.
  25. Friedman . Rob . PitchingNinja . 1150726067675643906 . July 15, 2019 . ESPN Sunday Night Baseball PitchingNinja Segment on David Price. https://t.co/prq52f73ry . en . June 14, 2021.
  26. Web site: 'Pitching Ninja' breaks down his favorite Giants pitchers. January 2, 2019. NBCS Bay Area. September 1, 2019.
  27. News: The PitchingNinja Gives Fans Insight into the Game and Helps Major Leaguers Steal Each Other's Grips. Adler. Lindsey. July 20, 2018. The Athletic.
  28. Web site: 'Pitching Ninja' examines his favorite A's pitchers. January 3, 2019. NBCS Bay Area. August 19, 2019.
  29. Web site: Who throws MLB's nastiest curveballs and sliders?. SI.com. June 13, 2019 . en. September 1, 2019.
  30. Web site: Rays-Astros: A pair of Charlie Morton pitches have Twitter buzzing. Tampa Bay Times. en. October 8, 2019.
  31. News: The 'Pitching Ninja' gives fans insight into the game.... Adler. Lindsey. The New York Times . August 21, 2019.
  32. McHugh . Collin . Collin McHugh . Collin_McHugh . 1023759137711292418 . July 29, 2018 . I saw this @PitchingNinja clip this morning and tried to emulate it. #AlwaysBeLearning https://t.co/5pfbs9f9CQ https://t.co/yE8swU1k1q . en . June 14, 2021.
  33. News: Have a dominant pitch? Trevor Bauer will take that, thank.... Rosecrans. C. Trent. The New York Times . September 1, 2019.
  34. News: Have a dominant pitch? Trevor Bauer will take that, thank.... Rosecrans. C. Trent. The New York Times . August 21, 2019.
  35. News: The Pirates have West Virginia's Alek Manoah on their draft.... Biertempfel. Rob. The New York Times . August 19, 2019.
  36. Web site: Sunday Notes: Eugenio Suárez Added Power and Sterling Sharp is a Pitching Ninja. FanGraphs Baseball. July 29, 2018. August 25, 2019.
  37. Web site: Pitcher got a nasty new slider ... from Twitter. August 31, 2020. MLB.com. en.
  38. Friedman . Rob . PitchingNinja . 1297889768622166016 . August 24, 2020 . Yu Darvish on why his slider was so good yesterday. https://t.co/sB5ymoYqFl . en . June 14, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200824134158/https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1297889768622166016 . August 24, 2020 . live.
  39. Web site: Irvin unveils new cutter he learned on social media . 2022-03-24 . MLB.com . en.
  40. Web site: Pitching Ninja - YouTube . 2022-03-24 . www.youtube.com.
  41. News: Carig. Marc. The legend of 'Airbender': Devin Williams' — and baseball's — most absurd pitch. The New York Times . September 25, 2020.
  42. Web site: September 29, 2020. Dodgers must contend with the unhittable 'Airbender' pitch of Brewers' Devin Williams. October 3, 2020. Los Angeles Times. en-US.
  43. Web site: November 10, 2020. Brewers: 3 Moments That Made Devin Williams The Rookie Of The Year. November 11, 2020. Reviewing the Brew. en-US.
  44. Web site: As Twitter suspends a pitching guru, MLB considers loosening its social-media restrictions. sports.yahoo.com. April 18, 2018 . en-US. October 21, 2019.
  45. Web site: Diunte. Nick. 'Pitching Ninja' Rob Friedman's Topps 2020 Allen And Ginter Baseball Card Gives Him A Taste Of The Big Leauges. September 16, 2020. Forbes. en.
  46. Web site: September 25, 2020. MLB players who break the internet: The most meme-worthy on each likely playoff team. September 25, 2020. ESPN.com. en.
  47. Staff. SI MLB. 67 Things Baseball Fans Should Be Grateful for in 2020. November 26, 2020. Sports Illustrated. November 26, 2020 . en-us.
  48. Web site: Hugs, homers, dives: Top 10 All-Star moments. 2021-07-19. MLB.com. en.
  49. Web site: Creators. 2021-12-02. Momentum. en.
  50. Web site: Lost Boyz Inc.. 2021-12-02. www.lostboyzinc.org.
  51. Web site: Watch NOW: White Sox-Red Sox on Peacock and NBC . 2022-05-10 . MLB.com . en.
  52. Web site: 2022-05-04 . RED SOX HOST WHITE SOX AT FENWAY PARK IN FIRST MLB SUNDAY LEADOFF GAME THIS SUNDAY, MAY 8 LIVE AT 11:30 A.M. ET ON PEACOCK & NBC . 2022-05-10 . NBC Sports Pressbox . en.
  53. Web site: Pitching Ninja ranks Five Filthiest Pitches of Week . 2022-07-06 . FOX Sports . en-US.
  54. Web site: Shohei Ohtani's new toy: Breaking down his filthy turbo sinker . 2022-09-07 . FOX Sports . en-US.
  55. Web site: FanDuel partners with PitchingNinja . 2022-09-07 . Twitter . en.
  56. Web site: The nastiest pitches in baseball end with ... a sword . 2024-01-03 . MLB.com . en.
  57. News: PitchingNinja Rob Friedman Launches Flatground to help ptichers learn and be seen. Orgera. Scott. January 4, 2018. Forbes.
  58. News: Pitching Ninja is turning Twitter into a Digital Scouting Showcase, MLB Teams have noticed=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/01/14/pitching-ninja-is-turning-twitter-into-digital-scouting-showcase-mlb-teams-have-noticed/. Bogage. Jacob. January 14, 2018. Washington Post.
  59. Web site: 'Pitching Ninja' Rob Friedman creates free twitter service to help developing pitchers. January 6, 2019. USA TODAY High School Sports. en. August 19, 2019.
  60. Web site: How Twitter changed the baseball recruiting landscape. Weiner. Eli. March 7, 2019. The RamPage. August 19, 2019.
  61. News: PitchingNinja is Turning Twitter into a Digital Scouting Showcase, MLB teams have noticed. Bogage. Jacob. January 14, 2019. Washington Post.
  62. Web site: Rob Friedman's New FlatGround Platform is Helping Young Pitchers Get Noticed and Get Better. jaivers1. February 4, 2019. Evolution Metrix. en-US. August 19, 2019.
  63. Web site: Former Giants prospect using social media to make comeback. November 26, 2019. NBCS Bay Area. November 30, 2019.
  64. Web site: Lesniewski. Kyle. 2019-04-05. Milwaukee Brewers sign minor league pitchers Johan Belisario, Justin Topa. 2021-07-19. Brew Crew Ball. en.
  65. Web site: Taylor Grover's 'Perfectly Crazy' Year Ends With Baltimore Orioles. Cooper. JJ. December 14, 2018. Baseball America.
  66. Web site: Throw 102 and Need a Contract? @PitchingNinja Can Help You. December 20, 2018. SportTechie. en-US. September 18, 2019.
  67. Web site: How Chris Nunn's quest to go viral with 99-mph video helped him earn a shot at MLB redemption. CBSSports.com. January 31, 2019 . en. September 1, 2019.
  68. Web site: Los Angeles Dodgers Sign Twitter and Flatground sensation, Chris Nunn. Sanders. Ryan. April 18, 2019. Call to the Pen. en-US. September 18, 2019.
  69. Web site: Rangers sign lefty after 99-mph video 'blew up'. MLB.com. en. December 14, 2019.
  70. Web site: I can't thank @PitchingNinja and @FlatgroundApp enough for help on getting me exposure and on the map! Rob is changing the way players can be seen and get opportunities!. Patterson. Nathan. August 2, 2019. @npatterson_12. en. August 29, 2019.
  71. Web site: Milwaukee Brewers to sign Canadian pitcher Tyler Gillies. Lesniewski. Kyle. March 2, 2019.
  72. Web site: Dodgers Sign Intriguing Left-Hander Casey Crosby. December 5, 2019. Dodgers Nation. en-US. December 7, 2019.
  73. Web site: Ex-Giants prospect using social media to make comeback. November 26, 2019. NBCS Bay Area. December 31, 2019.
  74. Web site: Throw 102 and Need a Contract? @PitchingNinja Can Help You. December 20, 2018. SportTechie. en-US. September 1, 2019.
  75. News: A Regular Guy Hit 96 MPH in a Speed-Pitch Booth. A Viral Video Turned Him Into a Prospect.. Diamond. Jared. Wall Street Journal. August 8, 2019. en-US. September 1, 2019.
  76. Web site: Pitching Ninja on helping A's Patterson gain attention. August 2, 2019. NBCS Bay Area. September 1, 2019.
  77. Web site: Chris Nunn and his 99 mph fastball are the latest success.... Weaver. Levi. The Athletic. June 5, 2018 . September 1, 2019.
  78. Web site: Rangers sign lefty after 99-mph video 'blew up'. MLB.com. en. September 1, 2019.
  79. Brink . Jordan . jordanbrink_ . 1162180806929838081 . August 15, 2019 . Words cannot express how grateful I am for @PitchingNinja! On the last limb of my baseball career he did all he could to get my videos seen by the right people. Thank you, Rob! I owe you an unpayable debt! What you are doing for the game of baseball is absolutely incredible! . en . June 14, 2021.
  80. Web site: Rangers pitcher, viral sensation Chris Nunn inspired by mother's fight. WFAA. March 3, 2019 . August 19, 2019.
  81. News: Blue Valley grad Nathan Patterson's deal with the A's involved more than a viral video. Grathoff. Pete. August 8, 2019. The Kansas City Star.
  82. News: A Regular Guy Hit 96 MPH in a Speed-Pitch Booth. A Viral Video Turned Him Into a Prospect.. Diamond. Jared. Wall Street Journal. August 8, 2019. en-US. August 20, 2019.
  83. Web site: A 23-year-old who was working as a landscaper 3 years ago describes the whirlwind journey from going viral in a pitching booth to signing an MLB contract. Davis. Scott. Business Insider. February 12, 2019 . August 20, 2019.
  84. Web site: Fan who hit 96 on stadium radar gun signs MLB contract. SI.com. August 2, 2019 . en. August 21, 2019.
  85. News: 'This is real': How A's Nathan Patterson went from sales to slinging fastballs - SFChronicle.com. August 13, 2019. San Francisco Chronicle. en-US. August 21, 2019 . Ostler . By Scott .
  86. Web site: Dream come true for A's golden-armed phenom. August 3, 2019. The Mercury News. en-US. August 21, 2019.
  87. News: A's 'roll the dice' with minor-league signing Nathan.... Lockard. Melissa. The New York Times . September 18, 2019.
  88. News: A Regular Guy Hit 96 MPH in a Speed-Pitch Booth. A Viral Video Turned Him Into a Prospect.. Diamond. Jared. Wall Street Journal. August 8, 2019. en-US. October 21, 2019.
  89. Web site: Guerrero . Daniel . Independent ball success, advice from wife leads Logan Sawyer to opportunity with Cardinals . 2023-01-06 . STLtoday.com . December 8, 2022 . en.
  90. Web site: 'Great swing': 9-year-old flies to Florida for hitting tips from Alex Bregman. February 23, 2019. USA TODAY High School Sports. en. August 20, 2019.
  91. url=https://www.mlb.com/cut4/alex-bregman-gives-hitting-tips-to-young-player/c-304311122
  92. Web site: 'Great swing': Bregman tweet thrills young fan. MLB.com. en. August 19, 2019.

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