I wanted to repost this so everyone was sure to see it. I asked Ronster about Igawa's struggles before yesterday's game.
For those who don't know, Ronster is a former ball player and a current coach.
However, after looking at Igawa's mechanics last night, it appears to me that he is rushing his lower half much of the time resulting in pitch elevation. I noticed Guidry last night telling him not to rush, and to slow down. While this is certainly correctable, a bigger issue with Igawa is inability to locate, period.
He rarely puts the ball where the catcher wants it, and often misses by a wide margin. If I were his pitching coach, I would make him pitch from the stretch. That would slow his lower half. I would also stress that his head stay level throughout the delivery (his tilts). Going back to my dominant eye theory, a head tilt from a righty with a dominant left eye can change the target. I don't know if Igawa has a dominant left eye, but it seems so to me.
Finally, his demeanor on the mound. He looks defeated with every pitch. He needs to have Roger Clemens bitch slap him around until he has more of a bulldog mentality on the hill. He needs to believe he can throw strikes, and aggressively pitch MLB hitters.
Matsuzaka confirms that the Japanese strike zone is different.
I believe (anecdotally) it is narrower and taller, which matches Igawa's pitching pattern.
I wonder if his approach, his mechanics, and his attittude are too much for a 27-year old to adjust in the offseason. I think it all starts by getting him to Tampa for offseason workouts with Jeter and Hughes.