Mechanics could be key to Shaw’s durability

CLEVELAND — Bryan Shaw can often be spotted with a football in his hands. It might zip through the clubhouse to a teammate or be carried out to the field for a round of catch. This is not purely an exercise in leisure for the Indians’ setup man.

Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway noted that Shaw’s throwing mechanics for his cutter are similar to how a quarterback flings a football. Tossing the pigskin around is a way for the right-hander to maintain a feel for his signature pitch, and perhaps one of the secrets behind Shaw’s incredible durability.

“Football players don’t have a ton of injuries in their elbow,” Callaway said on Friday afternoon. “Quarterbacks — it’s not a huge issue for them. Everybody else is throwing behind the baseball, pronating it a lot. Shaw’s kind of throwing it more like a football.”

Callaway admitted his take was more speculation than anything, because no one really had a concrete answer as to what makes Shaw able to pitch so often. During Indians manager Terry Francona’s tenure, Shaw has been not only the most-used arm in the Tribe bullpen, but the pitcher turned to more often than any other in the Major Leagues.

Over the past four seasons, Shaw has piled up 297 appearances, representing the most games for a Major League pitcher in that span. The righty also leads the Majors in games (361) dating back to 2012, which was his final season with the D-backs. Shaw has notched at least 70 …

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