Success Without The Velo

     MLB Network analyst Al Leiter and Harold Reynolds talks about how Jamie Moyer, 49 years old competes in the Major Leagues.  Moyer made his major league debut in 1986 with the Chicago Cubs, 25 years later he still is having success in the big leagues.  Today young pitchers are evaluated on how hard they throw a baseball.  College coaches, coaches and even parent can sometimes get caught up in velocity.  The reality is that pitching is more about location, changing speeds, and throwing strikes.
     Jamie Moyer is proof that how hard a pitcher throws is not the "end all".  Moyer tops out at 80mph with his fastball, roughly the  high school average FB at varsity levels.  By effectively locating pitches off the plate and in and out of the strike zone,  Moyer is able to make hitters uncomfortable.  Jamie Moyer throws his change-up at 73mph.  He is able to take off 7-10 mph off pitches, while having good arm action.  Moyer is still an effective big league pitcher with only really throwing two pitches.

     A great concept that a lot of pitching coaches at the professional and college level are studying is  effective velocity.  Check a look at this website where it is talked about in more detail http://baseballdebate.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=pitching&action=display&thread=1309

It is all about understanding how a 90mph fastball can look when thrown in different lanes.  Every pitcher has a tunnel they throw out of, the longer the ball is in that lane greater the deception for the hitter is created.  Understanding how to change a hitter's timing is key to any pitchers success.

Perfection

     Matt Cain (8-2) of the San Francisco Giants threw the franchises first perfect game Wednesday night against the Houston Astros.  Cain became the 22nd pitcher to ever accomplish such a feat; matching Sandy Koufax's 14k performance.  ESPN writer, David Schoenfield, writes:


"You can make the argument that this was the greatest game ever pitched. Of the 22 perfect games in MLB history, only Sandy Koufax matched Cain's 14 strikeouts. Using the Bill James Game Score method, this ties Koufax and Nolan Ryan's 16-strikeout, two-walk no-hitter for the second-highest nine-inning score at 101, behind only Kerry Wood's 20-strikeout, one-hitter that scores 105."


     In front of a packed house at AT&T ball park, those fans and the millions watching in their living rooms were once again reminded of the purity in baseball.  A total team effort was made to accomplish this.  Reading articles, watching highlights and listening to radio stations people ask, "Is this the greatest moment in SF Giant History?" The San Francisco Giants were crowned World Champions in 2010, Barry Bonds 500th home run in 2001, the 2007 All-Star Game, or David Bell's go-ahead RBI single to tie the World Series 2-2 against the Anaheim Angels in 2002.  There are so many other wonderful moments, but this is the GREATEST.  Matt Cain said in his press conference, "It felt like the World Series...but it almost felt a little bit louder, a little crazier.  Every strike [the spectators] were going nuts for.  It was really amazing.  I've never had that much excitement, every pitch, every strike, every swing."
     Buster Posey after the game told reporters that this was the most nervous he had been catching.  Giants first baseman Brandon Belt reiterated how hard he had to focus on not making that "one" mistake.  The amazing diving catch made by Gregor Blanco will be talked about forever, but let's not forget the moves made by manager Bruce Botchy.  To strengthen his defense in the late innings, Bochy  replaced Ryan Theriot with Emmanuel Burriss at second base and moved Joaquin Arias to third base.  Pablo Sandoval came out of the game and Brandon Crawford went into to shortstop. Arias could of had the toughest out ever recorded in a perfect game.  Catching a ground ball to his right from a left handed hitter, then making a throw across the diamond flat-footed.  All this after sitting on a bench for two hours with a sweatshirt on.
     Everybody contributed to the magic on Wednesday night.  Amazing plays needed to be made.  Pitches had to be executed.  Full-count calls had to go the Giants way against the Astros hitters.  Buster Posey had put down the right fingers.  Substitutes had to come in and make plays in the most tense moments.  All this said, Cain and the San Francisco Giants conquered it all.  A record in sports so scarce reminds us of the beauty of the game and the wonder of perfection.

Pitch by Pitch Awareness

     The San Francisco Giants swept the Chicago Cubs last weekend, one play in particular stood out in the series involving Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro.  With bases loaded and one out, Brandon Crawford hit a ground ball to Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney.  Barney flipped the ball to Castro at second for the force out.  Because of Crawford's speed, a double play turn was unlikely, however Starlin did not attempt a throw and started to jog off the field thinking there were three outs.  The Giants scored the go ahead run and ended up beating the Cubs 3-2.  The 22-year old Castro, an All-Star last season, has had previous instances of making mental errors during games. Earlier in the series, Starlin Castro got a poor jump while stealing and decided to not slide into second base as he was being tagged out.  

     Cubs manager, Dale Sveum, sent a very clear message to his young player after Monday's loss.  He said, "It's the last straw...He better start getting his head in the game, period.  It's something, obviously, that's unacceptable at any time.  Whether we could've turned the double play or not is irrelevant to not knowing how many outs there are in the most important part of the game.  It's not acceptable.  These things have to stop happening, or we're just going to stop playing him.  These kind of things are things my son does in high school, maybe."

     The message is clear, always think about how you will react as a player pitch by pitch.  It is crucial to remind yourself while on defense, "what am I going to do with the baseball if it is hit to me".  Even a base runner should think about how they will react before the ball is hit; how deep are the outfielders, where are the infielders positioned, how many outs are there, etc.. Developing a pre-pitch mental routine on defense and on the base paths is key in becoming a successful ball player.  Physical errors will happen in the game; missed ground balls, dropped fly balls, striking out, etc.  However, mental errors are inexcusable.  There are two things we can control as a baseball player, effort and preparation.  It doesn't take talent to run the bases hard.  It doesn't take talent to focus on every pitch.  A player should be able to focus for five to eight seconds at a time during each play on diamond.  Don't let mental mistakes hold you back in becoming the player you should be.  

Staying "Inside the Baseball"

A great example of staying inside the baseball is Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants and Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees.  Both do a great job of "backing up the baseball" and driving pitches to the right-center gap.  By doing this, a hitter realizes that they have more time to commit to a pitch.  This will help with recognition of pitch location and pitch type.  Staying inside the baseball is when the hands stay inside, tight to the body, as the ball approaches the contact zone.  When this happens, the barrel lags behind, allowing the swing path to stay through the strike zone longer.

If you are inside the baseball your hands are in front of the barrel at contact (retrieved from findtheswagger.tumblr.com)

(retrieved from: theepochtimes.com)

The idea of "throwing our hands" out to the baseball will keep the barrel from casting out and around the baseball.  A drill that can strengthen a hitters ability to stay inside the baseball is hitting front toss in a batting cage.  Have somebody toss balls on the outside corner of the plate and then work towards the middle; focusing on driving everything to the opposite field.  Here is a video of Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees working on this very thing.

2012 MLB Draft Preview

The 2012 MLB player draft begins on June 4th, here is a ESPN insider Keith Law's top 100 prospects.  Check it out!

Top 100

Speak Softly And Carry A Big Stick

Met's outfielder Lucas Duda

"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity".  Play the game hard, and be a good example on and off the field.  Met's rising young player Lucas Duda talks about how everything he has done has prepared him for the Major Leagues; his time in college and in the minor leagues were all valuable.  Make today important!   Be the best you can be on and off the field.

Baserunning 101

MLB Network discusses advancing to third base with less than two outs.  Harold Reynolds talks about game awareness and preparation pitch by pitch while on the base paths.  Baserunning wins ballgames; an aspect that often gets overlooked.

MLB Network: Harold Reynolds talks about advancing to third base

Hitting: Proper Contact Position

     A popular phrase that is heard in the batting cages or during BP is, "My swing doesn't feel good".  Coaches, myself included, stress the importance of good swing mechanics.  The foundation of any good baseball hitter is being able to repeat a swing.  By putting ourself in good positions to hit the baseball, our ability to drive the ball will increase.  As players progress to high levels of baseball, high school and above, they often struggle because of having a poor hitting approach.  

     I have played with and against players who have "poster-type" swings and they struggle during games.  Batting mechanics only go so far, at the end of the day it is about what you are swinging at and where do you make contact in the strike zone.  It's that simple, IT'S NOT YOUR SWING.  Players, parents and sometimes coaches get caught up in "band-aiding" kids.  Everyone wants to see and hear a quick fix that will allow them to hit the baseball properly.

     When we hit the baseball in poor positions our mechanics will break down.  Making solid contact with the baseball will reflect good hitting mechanics; no matter stance, swing type, or hitter type.  The two things constant in hitting are the hitting position (when a player strides out) and position at contact.  The hitting position and contact positions are two FUNDAMENTALS in hitting.  Everything else is just comfort and style.  Below is Albert Pujols in a contact position (retrieved from chrisoleary.com):

1. Head Position - center of body, in line with back knee
2. Strong "L" with top hand (before we extend through the swing)

3. Hands slightly in front of the barrel - inside ball creating backspin 

4. Palm up/ Palm down with top and bottom hand

5. Firm front side (cork-screwing into the ground) - all energy is driving  into the baseball 

6. Belt and back knee towards the pitcher at contact 

7. Tall position with body (meaning posture) 

8. Strong on back toe at contact 

9. Look how the handle of the bat is in his finger tips on top hand (not choking the handle) - creates whip through the strike zone