If I was a high school pitcher again, this is what I would have done differently:

Sep 09, 2024

MVP #027: Building a Pitcher Development Plan from Scratch

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When I was a senior in high school, I was 6' tall and only 150 pounds. My focus was primarily on the skill of baseball. You are probably thinking, "isn't that what everyone should be doing?"

Yes and no.

The positive of this is I got really good at understand the details of pitching, strategizing against hitters, and how to compete. The problem was I didn't put enough stock into what I really needed to reach my goals.

At 150 pounds, my ceiling was limited on how strong I could be and ultimately how hard I could throw. I was able to pitch in the low 80's, which wasn't bad for that size, but it was far from where I needed to be to pitch at a high level D1 and professional baseball (my ultimate goal).

I primarily played games year round and pitched countless innings.

What I really needed to do was spend more time in the weight room and focusing on gaining weight. I lifted weights frequently and thought I was eating enough, but clearly that wasn't true.

The purpose of todays newsletter isn't to tell you not to play games.

The point I want to make is this:

You need to understand what areas need the majority of your attention to push you closer to your long term goals.

And these areas will likely change over time. Right now your focus might be to gain 20 pounds and hit the weights hard. While a year from now it might be to improve your secondary pitches and movement quality.

You're probably now asking yourself, "How do I know what area to focus on right now?"

The way I like to look at it is this:

On field performance is always king. But you also need to look at the qualities of pitchers at the level you ultimately want to get to. What works in high school might not work in college and what works in college might not work in pro ball.

It's a delicate balance of doing what makes you successful now and working towards what will make you successful in the future. The trap some players fall into is that if they are performing well now, why should they change anything?

I can tell you from first hand experience, every level requires an adjustment. Yes, some things that worked before will continue to work, but there are many areas you will have to adjust or improve to have success.

General areas to look at are velocity, stuff (off-speed/movement), and command (pitch execution).

There is a lot of public data that can show you what majority of players look like at various levels. If you want to be a D1 player, look at what a typical player at that level looks like. How hard do they throw, how big are they, how well do they execute?

There are always outliers and exceptions to the rule, but assume you aren't one of them.

I hope todays post helped you evaluate yourself through a different lens.

If you have questions about your personal situation, please reply to this email and I'd be happy to help.

That's all for today.

See you next week!

Whenever you are ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

1. Remote Training: a personalized throwing and lifting program built for you and your goals.

2. In-Person Training: Work with me in Phoenix, Arizona. Personalized training program to help you reach your goals. Trackman and edgertronic for bullpen sessions.

3. Pitch Design "U" Course: A complete blueprint for developing nasty pitches and optimizing how you use your stuff. 3+ hours of easy to follow video lessons.