I am currently 28 years old and have been playing professional baseball since 2013. My list has completely changed over time to fit my current needs as I have gotten older and refined myself as an athlete. By no means is this a recipe for what everyone needs. The goal of the Pro’s List is to help people find the right training for them. Our bodies are all different and should be treated as such. I got to where I am now, feeling my best physically and mentally, with a great deal of understanding about what I had done well in the past and the recognition of deficiencies I desperately needed to address.
Strength Training
For most of my career, my goal was “the heavier, the better”. I wanted to get as weight room strong as possible. Most of my lifts were standard, big body, put on mass style training. Despite my continued strength gains, I was not experiencing direct velocity gains on the field. More importantly, I was having trouble staying healthy and on the field at all. My strength training has evolved to focus much more on total body movements. I still do heavy deadlift and barbell hip thrust, but most of my exercises incorporate multiple planes of movement and maintaining better posture, even if that requires less weight. This was a conscious decision because my lifting was not directly complimenting my throwing. I would train to get big and strong but with inefficient mechanics, not incorporate those big strong muscles into my delivery. I decided to train myself to be a better mover in order to be a better thrower. For me, Reidt Fitness was the right fit in finding workouts that combined my need to move weight while helping me become a better overall mover. I also added in a plyo ball and arm care routine that I learned at Beimel Elite Athletics. The use of plyo balls has allowed me to understand my arm path better and adjust my workload day to day. The addition of Crossover Symmetry, Jaeger bands, and additional shoulder exercises has kept my arm feeling consistently better than it used to feel.
Diet
Every year, I would come into Spring Training lean and every spring I would find myself hurt. Now, this is probably a reflection on my mechanics far more than it was on my diet. But anecdotally, I always felt like the very lean guys had trouble staying on the field for the whole season. Dudes with a little more bad mass always seemed to be healthy. Last year, I made a conscious decision to add a few more “bad” pounds. As a reliever who does not burn consistent calories nightly, I do have to limit snacks during and carbohydrates after games. Those few extra pounds could quickly turn into too many extra pounds. I did make a few major dietary changes though in eliminating dairy and gluten. I am less strict in season when I do not always get to choose what I eat, but those changes have definitely helped me feel better more consistently. I take a daily multi-vitamin and a fish oil. I have the occasional protein shake but my goal is to get my calories from good, clean food. I cook a lot with the focus being on a lean protein, a lot of vegetables, and high quality carbohydrates. I really like to eat and when I am strict about my diet, I can eat significantly more calories without gaining bad weight. That trade is worth it to me.
Pitching
I have never had efficient mechanics. I did not know how inefficient until recently. Biomechanical information about throwing has become so easily accessible in recent years that those who refuse to learn, are falling behind the curve. Now, making the necessary adjustments is another challenge entirely. I changed my posture completely to get into a better “hinge” position so I could keep my hips underneath me and use my lower half to drive down the slope. I had always been “tall and fall” mechanically as I struggled to not lead with my head. This would result in a crossfired lower half and becoming too rotational. Focusing on quieting my head and feet, maintaining better posture, and riding down the slope longer has significantly helped me be more repeatable in my delivery. This change has been over the course of many months. When the game speeds up, my old habits really want to come out. But in training to be more efficient, I have started to understand why I used to feel so sore after some outings and fine after others. Or why I would have great velocity one day, only to feel better the next time out and be throwing slower. A great tool for this implementation was the Core Velocity Belt. Lantz Wheeler gave me a few simple cues to help me understand what I should be feeling and the belt helped emphasize those cues. In addition to fixing my lower half, I needed to clean up my arm path. I had dealt with elbow pain and ulnar nerve decompression surgery. I knew I needed to get rid of my “stab” and find a more efficient path. I began implementing some of the pocket path drills that Dave Coggin teaches at PFA Fitness. Today, my arm path would not be described as compact, but the drills successfully eliminated my “stab” and relieved me of the unnecessary stress I was putting on my arm.
Mental Coach
While my favorite mental coach is no longer with us, there are other outstanding mental coaches available on The Pro’s List. I was fortunate to go to UCLA and get to work with Dr. Ken Ravizza. Ken taught me how to develop a routine and adjust my mindset so that I could find myself ready to compete, even when I knew I wasn’t at my best. Ken’s book “Heads-Up Baseball” is a must-read for any baseball player. Recognizing your own cues, controlling your breathe and funneling your focus are just a few of the essential skills I learned from Ken. The mental side of baseball is arguably the most important and often the least trained aspect of a player’s game. I believe it is the best way to gain an advantage over your opponent.
This is what has worked for me. While my performance has had its ups and downs, I can confidently say I have never stopped working to get better. While my own drive and desire has accounted for a great deal of my success, none of it would have been possible without the team of people that have helped me throughout my career. The sooner you start building your own list, the better. Lists can change. We have different needs at different times and any one individual who says they can fix all your problems is full of it. But by surrounding yourself with great instructors and having a solid plan, you put the ball in your court. As Dr. Ravizza would say, “control what you can control”.