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Don’t Waste Your First 20 Throws

For a lot of pitchers, the first few minutes of catch play are treated as exactly that, the first few minutes. Grab a ball, find a partner, make a few throws to get the arm loose and start backing up until the “real” throwing begins.

I think we’re missing a huge development opportunity when we approach catch play that way.

As a high school coach, I want pitchers and position players to use their first 20 throws to establish the movement patterns they’re going to rely on for the rest of their throwing progression. Before we add distance, increase intensity or get on the mound, we have an opportunity to slow everything down and be intentional about how our body is moving.

And because these are some of the easiest throws we’re going to make all day, our standard for execution should be extremely high.

For me, there are three concepts I want a pitcher to establish:

Arm flow. Stable load. Timing at front foot strike.

Each builds into the next. And by the time we get through those first 20 throws, we should have created a strong foundation to start letting the athlete take over.

1. Establish the Arm Flow

The first thing I want to establish has nothing to do with the lower half.

For the first five to ten throws, we’ll take the legs almost completely out of the movement. The goal is to let the arm work through a full range of motion while maintaining good direction toward our target.

I want the arm relaxed. I want it flowing freely. And I want the pitcher to feel what it’s like to consistently get into a good throwing position without having to rush to get there.

One of the biggest things I emphasize here is giving the arm time to work.

We’re close to our partner. The intensity is low. There is absolutely no reason to rush through the movement.

Feel the arm work through its entire path. Allow it to get all the way up into a strong throwing position. Keep the shoulders directed toward the target and then accelerate through the throw.

We’re establishing a feel that we’re going to carry with us as the throwing progression gets more athletic and more intense. That’s why I don’t want pitchers mindlessly flipping the baseball back and forth just because they’re 30 feet away.

If anything, the simplicity of the task means we can demand more attention to detail.

Ten Toes Drill focused on isolating the upper half and feeling full range of motion with the arm.

2. Add a Stable Load

Once we’ve established how we want the arm to work, we can start blending it with the lower half.

Now I want the pitcher to feel full foot contact with the ground and create a stable load into the back hip and back leg. We want good posture, our shoulders working toward the target and our body in a position where we can move efficiently into the throw.

The important part is that the lower half shouldn’t suddenly make the arm rush. We still want the same relaxed arm action we established during those first few throws.

Load underneath the arm. Don’t rush the arm to keep up with the load.

This is where the pieces start syncing together. The ground gives us something to work against. We load into the back side. The arm continues through its path. And instead of thinking about the upper and lower half as two separate movements, we’re beginning to organize them into one throw.

Again, we’re still close. We don’t need to create a ton of intensity yet. The goal is to establish a position we can consistently move from before we ask the body to move faster.

Rocker Drill focused on loading into the back foot and allowing the arm to get to peak load before accelerating forward

3. Own the Timing at Front Foot Strike

Now we can start making the throw more athletic. Introduce a step. Start moving through the baseball. Let the lower half create more momentum.

But as we introduce more movement, I want the player to understand what needs to happen when that front foot hits the ground. At front foot strike, we need to be ready to throw.

The arm is up. We’re loaded. We’re balanced. Our body is organized in a position where we can accelerate through our target.

This is where the work from those first two concepts comes together. We established the arm path. Then we added the load. Now we’re learning how to time the two together. And balance is extremely important here.

At this point, we should still be at or under 60 feet. There isn’t enough distance or intensity to justify falling all over the place just to create more velocity.

Control your body.

Get to front foot strike in a good position.

Then accelerate through the target.

As we eventually start moving farther away, incorporating shuffle throws and building toward long toss, the movement will naturally become more dynamic. But the positions and timing we’ve established shouldn’t disappear just because we’re throwing harder.

Stability Drill focusing on the timing of the power transfer into front foot strike

Earn the Right to Add Intensity

This is ultimately why I care so much about the first 20 throws.

There’s going to be plenty of time to throw hard.

We’ll stretch the distance out. We’ll add shuffle throws. We’ll get into long toss. Depending on the day and the athlete, we might eventually move into high-intent throws, pulldowns or mound work. But before we ask a pitcher to move fast, let’s give him an opportunity to establish how we want him to move.

That’s the progression:

Arm flow → Stable load → Timing at front foot strike → Distance and intensity.

We’re gradually removing constraints and asking the athlete to do more. And the further we progress, the less I want the pitcher consciously thinking about every little piece of his mechanics.

Those first 20 throws are where we have the time and simplicity to be intentional. Once the intensity increases, trust what you’ve established and let yourself throw.

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Fundamentals Are the Foundation of Player Development 

Young baseball players have access to more information than ever before. 

A 15-year-old can walk into a facility and know his exit velocity, launch angle, spin rate, vertical break, bat speed and throwing velocity before he knows how to properly execute a rundown. He can work with a hitting instructor to create better launch conditions. He can visit a pitching facility to design a breaking ball. He can follow a velocity program, analyze slow-motion video of his mechanics and post the results on social media for coaches and scouts to see.

And none of those things are inherently bad.

I love this side of baseball. I’m a data nerd. I love pitch design, mechanical development, advanced data and finding ways to use information to make players better. But I think we’ve started trying to optimize baseball players before we’ve finished developing them. And eventually, baseball is going to have to rediscover the value of the fundamentals.

Think about developing a baseball player like building a house.

Fundamentals are the concrete foundation. Strength, athleticism and mechanics build the structure. Analytics, technology and specialized development are the upgrades — the great kitchen, the finished basement and the game room.

Those upgrades can make the house incredible. But if the foundation underneath it is cracked, eventually you’re going to have a problem.

How we got here

It’s not technology’s fault, it’s the culture of the game nowadays. Showcase baseball, social media, scouts, they all reward measurable, visible tools:

Velocity. Spin rate. Movement profiles. Exit velocity. Bat Speed. Home runs.

Those things are easily measured, posted, compared and recruited.

It’s much harder to make an Instagram clip out of:

  • Consistently hitting the cutoff man
  • Executing 1-1 pitches
  • Controlling the running game
  • Winning a nine-pitch at-bat
  • Playing quality catch

Yet those actions still win baseball games, but are being missed more and more often nowadays.

That’s an important distinction: the development environment hasn’t necessarily stopped valuing fundamentals because coaches suddenly became stupid. We’ve created incentives that make other skills much easier to showcase.

Advanced development isn’t the enemy

Again, I’m not some old head that’s saying we need to throw out every sort of technology, stop training velocity and tell hitters they need a flat swing to be successful. That would be moving backwards. We need to continue to embrace the advancements of the game. The answer is to make sure we’re using advanced development to build upon baseball skills rather than replace or surpass them.

Because developing a better tool doesn’t automatically make someone a better baseball player. At some point, that new skill has to translate to the situations that actually decide games.

A pitcher can have a nasty slider. Can he land it when he’s behind 2-0?

He can throw 92. Can he execute a fastball to both sides of the plate?

His delivery might look fantastic on video. Can he repeat it from the stretch with a runner threatening to steal?

He might understand his vertical approach angle. Does he understand why we’re attacking this hitter up instead of down?

What fundamentals actually means

Fundamentals are the repeatable skills that make up the foundation to allow a player’s physical tools to actually show up when the game starts. I think it’s easy to picture the boring, repetitive stuff that coaches have been doing forever simply because “that’s how baseball has always been taught.” But the way we enhance the understanding and effectiveness of fundamental-focused drillwork is by repping the meaning and purpose.

For a pitcher, the fundamentals are built with quality catch play and those fundamentals directly progress to high level execution. Can you consistently repeat your mechanics and hit your partner in the chest with the first ten throws of the day at 30 feet? Can you continue that progression as you introduce more distance and more variable pieces? Can you throw strikes from 60 feet away? Can you field your position, hold runners and execute the pitch that is called? And then when the game gets difficult, can you make conscious and quick adjustments?

Once that foundation exists, we can continue building!

We can add velocity. We can use pitch design to create a better arsenal. We can use biomechanics to improve movement efficiency. We can study hitters and create better game plans. We can use analytics to understand where a pitcher has an advantage and how to exploit it.

The point isn’t that one approach is better than the other. Modern player development and fundamental baseball skills shouldn’t be competing philosophies. It’s an order of operations. The better we build the foundation, the more valuable all of those advanced tools become.

Coaches have to protect the foundation

Young athletes will naturally gravitate toward the fun aspects of the game. They want to throw harder, hit the ball farther, develop the nasty breaking ball and work on the things they see their favorite players doing. And as coaches, we should encourage them to chase those things.

But we need to focus on building a player’s floor before we become obsessed with raising his ceiling.

That’s why coaches have to continue to create environments where fundamentals matter! Pay attention and be intentional with players during their throwing progression, not just when they touch the rubber. Put purpose behind taking infield/outfield, running bases, executing bunt coverages and all of the other “boring” parts of practice. If we want players to value those things, we have to show them why they matter and then hold them accountable to doing them well.

Give a player the ability to throw, catch, compete, adjust and understand the game. Build that foundation over and over again.

Then use all of the incredible tools we have available to see just how high we can raise the ceiling.

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The Velocity Chase Has a Command Problem

Velocity has changed baseball for the better.

Pitchers are throwing harder than ever before, and that’s not a bad thing. Training methods have improved, strength and conditioning programs have evolved, and information is more accessible than at any point in the history of the game. Over the last two decades, average MLB fastball velocity has increased from roughly 89 mph to 94-95 mph. In 2008, only about 13% of Major League pitchers averaged 95 mph or higher. By 2025, that number had grown to approximately 42%. What was once elite velocity has become commonplace.

The game has evolved, and pitchers today are better athletes because of it. But somewhere along the way, the pursuit of velocity stopped being a tool and became the objective. In the process, we’ve slowly moved away from teaching the other half of pitching.

Every trend in baseball starts at the professional level and works its way down. What succeeds in Major League Baseball eventually influences college baseball, then high school baseball, then travel baseball and private training facilities. Today, velocity sits at the center of nearly every development conversation. Recruiting posts highlight velocity. Showcase events highlight velocity. Social media feeds are filled with radar gun readings, spin rates, and pitch metrics. That’s what gets attention, and ultimately that’s what gets young players to believe matters most.

The problem is that many pitchers have started to equate throwing hard with pitching well. They’re not the same thing.

I’m not against velocity development. Every pitcher should pursue physical development, strength gains, and improved velocity. There is absolutely a place for long toss, weighted balls, high-intent throwing, and other velocity-focused training methods. The issue isn’t that we’re training velocity. The issue is that we’ve become so focused on training velocity that command has become an afterthought.

As an industry, we’ve become exceptional at teaching pitchers how to throw harder. I’m not convinced we’re doing an equally good job teaching them how to pitch.

We’ve Created More Throwers Than Pitchers

One of the biggest differences I see when watching high school, travel, and even college baseball is the lack of adjustment-making. Many pitchers have developed the ability to move fast and produce velocity, but when something goes wrong, they don’t know how to fix it. When their timing is off, they struggle to recognize it. When their arm is late, they don’t know how to make an adjustment. When they don’t have their best fastball that day, they don’t know how to compete without it.

Pitching has always been a game of adjustments. The best pitchers aren’t necessarily the ones who feel great every outing. They’re the ones who can recognize when something is off and make the necessary changes before it costs them. That’s a skill that comes from understanding your delivery, understanding your body, and repeating your movements consistently. Unfortunately, those skills aren’t nearly as glamorous as a radar gun reading.

We’ve created more throwers than pitchers. We have players who can produce impressive velocity in a bullpen setting but struggle to consistently repeat their mechanics over the course of a game. They have the tools, but they lack the stability, repeatability, and command necessary to maximize those tools when it matters most.

And that’s where the command problem begins.

I Don’t Care How Hard You Throw Ball Four

I don’t care how hard you throw ball four. I need you to throw strike one.

College baseball provides a good example of this trend. While velocity continues to rise across all levels of the game, NCAA walk rates remain elevated, hovering around 11-12 percent nationally. There are certainly multiple factors contributing to that number, but it raises an important question: Have we become so focused on developing velocity that we’ve neglected developing pitchers?

[Insert NCAA walk rate data and trend graph]

Hitters have adjusted to velocity. Ninety-five miles per hour isn’t nearly as rare as it once was. What remains rare is a pitcher who can consistently execute, command multiple pitches, and make adjustments throughout an outing.

At some point, every pitcher reaches a level where everyone throws hard. When that happens, command becomes the separator.

The answer isn’t to stop training velocity. Velocity matters and always will. Pitchers should continue to get stronger, throw with intent, and pursue physical development. However, velocity cannot come at the expense of stability, repeatability, arm timing, and command. If a pitcher can move fast but can’t consistently repeat those movements, command will always be difficult to achieve. If he doesn’t understand how to make adjustments when things begin to break down, velocity alone won’t save him.

The Pendulum Needs to Swing Back

Baseball doesn’t need less velocity. It needs more balance.

The pendulum has swung heavily toward velocity over the last decade, and for good reason. But command deserves a seat at the table again. Pitchability deserves a seat at the table again. Mechanical consistency deserves a seat at the table again.

The next step in pitcher development isn’t choosing between velocity and command—it’s learning how to develop both.

Because eventually everyone throws hard.

The pitchers who continue advancing are the ones who can actually pitch.

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You’re Not Missing the Zone—You’re Missing the Process

If you’re struggling to command the zone and feel lost on what to adjust, it’s probably because you’re too focused on the result. Throwing strikes, not missing, not walking the next guy—you’re locked in on what you want to happen instead of what actually produces it. And that’s where things start to spiral. Command isn’t about trying harder to hit the zone, it’s about having a process that consistently gets you there.

You don’t fix command by aiming the ball better. You fix it by tightening up your mechanics. When things are off, that’s where your attention needs to go. Are you stable through your motion? Are you getting to full range of motion with your upper half? Are you loading properly? Is your arm on time when your front foot hits? Those are the real adjustments. Because when your delivery is clean and repeatable, the strike zone starts to show up a lot more often without you forcing it.

A lot of guys want to skip ahead to moving the ball around, hitting edges, and executing off-speed pitches, but you don’t get to do that until you can consistently control your body. If your mechanics aren’t in sync, trying to locate specific spots is just guessing. You earn the ability to manipulate the baseball by first proving you can repeat your delivery.

So next time you’re on the mound and you can’t find the zone, don’t let your thoughts go straight to “I need to throw a strike.” I know that’s easier said than done (and a coach might be yelling at you frustrated that you’re not throwing strikes), but that mindset usually makes things worse. Instead, shift into being solution-oriented. Lock in on one or two cues. Go back to a feel that’s worked for you before—something you’ve felt in the bullpen or in a good outing—and commit to it fully. One thought, full intent.

Because the fastest way to lose command is trying to guide the ball. The moment you slow your body down or start aiming it, you lose the rhythm and timing that make everything work. Good command doesn’t come from being careful…it comes from being free and flowy. Full speed, full range of motion, and full confidence in whatever you’re doing.

If you take anything from this, here it is: stop chasing strikes and start owning your delivery. The strikes will take care of themselves.

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Mental Reset: How to Bounce Back After a Bad Start

Picture this: You walk the first two batters of the game. The next hitter ropes a double into the gap, then you give up a single, and before you know it, you’re down 3–0 in the first inning. The mound feels smaller, you’re questioning that next pitch and every mistake feels magnified.

Sound familiar?

Here’s the truth: every pitcher, at every level, has had a bad start. MLB aces, college studs, and that kid who punched out 15 in a travel ball game last week have all had games where nothing seemed to click. What separates good pitchers from great ones isn’t avoiding bad starts altogether, it’s knowing how to reset and bounce back.

Baseball is a game of failure. Pitchers will make mistakes, hitters will capitalize, and sometimes nerves just get in the way. For high school pitchers, common causes include but are not limited to:

  • Rushing their mechanics
  • Nerves in a big game
  • A bad warm-up routine
  • Letting one mistake turn into two or three

But here’s the key: it’s not the first inning that defines you—it’s how you respond from there. When pitchers don’t reset, things often spiral. Frustration turns into loss of focus. Mechanics break down. Body language slumps. And suddenly, a rough first inning becomes an early exit.

Think about it from the other side: hitters and coaches can see when you’re unraveling, especially at the younger levels because a lot of athletes let their negative emotions show. Shoulder drop, eyes roll, pace quickens and general frustration kicks in. That body language tells everyone you’re beaten, even if nothing really bad has even happened.

That’s why a mental reset plan is so important as soon as possible. Here are four tools you can use to hit the reset button, even when the game feels like it’s slipping:

  1. Breathing routine/taking an intentional breath
    To slow the game down, you first must know how to slow yourself down. A deep, intentional breath in and out slows your heart rate down, recenters your focus and enables you to “check in” with yourself to see if you are in control, and helps release negative thinking
  2. Body language check
    How is your posture? Shoulders back, chest out, head tall. Even if you don’t feel confident, faking and acting confident will put you in a better position to be confident.
  3. Return to a pitch-by-pitch mentality
    The past is the past…lock in on the next pitch and focus on executing one pitch at a time. The task directly ahead of us is the most important. If you don’t win that pitch, focus on winning the next one.
  4. Implement your own personal reset/release
    Develop a routine to symbolically “release” negative thoughts or feelings…pick up dirt and throw it away, relax your arms and throw the ball in the air, wipe away dirt with your foot. That simple act can break the cycle of frustration.

MLB pitchers face this all the time. Max Scherzer has given up four runs in the first inning and still battled through six. Tarik Skubal has had games where his command wasn’t sharp early, but he adjusted and gave his team a chance to win. The difference isn’t mechanics, it’s mentality. They refuse to let one inning or a bad day dictate the game.

If pitchers at the highest level can bounce back in front of 40,000 fans, you can bounce back in front of a high school crowd.

Every pitcher will face bad starts. What separates you is how you respond. The best pitchers compete through adversity, use reset tools, and learn from the experience instead of spiraling. So next time things aren’t going your way, try one of these reset strategies. Breathe, reset, and attack the next pitch. Bouncing back isn’t just about saving one game, it’s about proving to yourself, your team, and the hitter in the box that you’re never out of the fight.

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How to Set the Right Summer Goals for Real Development

Summer is one of the best times to make big jumps as a baseball player. You’ve got more flexibility, more game reps, more chances to train on your own — but just having the opportunity to get better doesn’t guarantee you will. If you want to actually maximize your development, you need more than just a busy schedule. You need a plan. You need a goal. And you need to know what success actually looks like.

It all starts with setting the right goal. A good goal is something that’s Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound (SMART). You’re not just saying “I want to get better.” You’re saying what you want to improve, how you’ll measure it, and you’re setting a realistic timeline to get there. A solid, realistic summer goal might be gaining a few miles per hour, developing an off-speed pitch you can trust in games, or improving your in-game mental approach and confidence. If you’re going into your summer season without that level of clarity, how do you even know what you’re trying to accomplish? You might get a little better just from showing up and competing, but your progress is capped without real direction. It’s like taking swings without aiming for a target — you’ll hit something eventually, but you probably won’t hit what matters most.

Your goal doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does need to be specific and focused. Once you know what you want to accomplish, you can actually define what success looks like and start building toward it.

After you set your goal, you need to map out appropriate benchmarks to track your progress. Let’s say you want to develop a curveball this summer. Your first benchmark might be the shape of the pitch — are you getting the movement profile you want? Next, you might focus on location — can you consistently throw it for a strike or spot it to a specific quadrant? Finally, you’ll want to track execution — can you actually throw it effectively in game situations? Without those benchmarks, it’s easy to feel like you’re working hard but not really know if you’re getting anywhere.

And this is where most players — and even some coaches — fall short. Setting the goal and tracking progress is one thing. But the most important part is realistically assessing where you’re at and adjusting as you go. The summer can fly by so fast that you can lose track of where you’re at. I recommend players assess their goals at least every other week. This gives you enough time to see real progress, but still keeps you on pace to make meaningful adjustments to your process and training when you need to. A simple self-check format works: “What’s going well? What’s not? What needs adjusting?”

One of the best ways to track this is by journaling. When I was training in the summer, I would write down everything I did — tracking the type of day it was (gameday, bullpen, recovery day, etc.), what I did well and why, what felt off and why, and what I needed to adjust going forward. Keeping a journal helps you stay honest with yourself, gives you a clear picture of your process, and lets you look back at what actually worked.

And this is the hardest part — the part a lot of players struggle with. It’s frustrating when things don’t click right away. It’s discouraging when progress stalls. But development is not supposed to be a straight line. There are going to be setbacks, rough outings, and days where you feel like you’re going backward. The key is understanding that if your plan is solid, and if you keep showing up and adjusting when needed, you will work through it.

The summer is full of opportunity. You can play more games, you can train on your own schedule, and you can focus on what you really need. But if you’re just hoping to “get better” without defining what that actually means, you’re leaving a lot on the table.

Set a clear goal. Track it. Adjust when you need to. Journal it. Stay honest with yourself. That’s how you win the summer.

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Learn to Pitch with Your Fastball

I’ve been working with high school pitchers for the last five years, and the one thing I see over and over again—especially in bullpens or games when things start getting competitive—is guys reaching for their offspeed way too early. We all love a nasty slider or a big 12-6 curve, but here’s the truth: if you want to be a legit pitcher, not just a thrower, you’ve got to learn to pitch with your fastball first.

Let’s be real. Most of you have maybe one or two offspeed pitches that you feel good about, and even then, they don’t always show up every game. So why are we so eager to toss them right away? You get ahead 0-1 or 0-2, and instead of doubling down with intent, you go straight to the breaking ball. That might work against weaker hitters but against good lineups? They’ll sit offspeed, foul it off, or take it—and now you’re back in a battle.

Here’s the thing: your fastball can be your best offspeed pitch. Let me explain.

When you move your fastball around the zone—away, in, up—you’re changing the look, the timing, and the hitter’s comfort. That’s effective velocity. A fastball at the letters might be the same mph on the radar gun as one at the knees, but it plays quicker. A fastball in might jam a hitter even if they’re on time. Throwing inside, especially in 0-1 counts, is one of the most underused weapons in high school baseball. Most hitters are diving over the plate, looking for that outer-third cookie. Show them something in, and you change their approach for the rest of the at-bat.

That said—there’s a time and place to break out the offspeed, and knowing when is what separates dudes who are just throwing from guys who know how to pitch. If hitters start to time up your fastball and get their swing off early, you’ve got to mix it up. You might need to break the rhythm if you’re in a high-stress situation or facing an absolute dude. And sometimes, when you’re absolutely overpowering a hitter, that’s the perfect moment to flip in a breaker to lock it in and mess with their timing even more. Offspeed is a weapon, but it’s only really sharp when used at the right time.

Next time you’re on the mound, challenge yourself. Ride your fastball as long as you can. Pitch with it. Command it. Move it around. Make it your go-to. Because the guys who learn to do that are the ones who separate themselves when everyone else is spinning sliders in advantage counts.

Trust your stuff. Ride the heater. Be the guy who pitches with purpose.

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Get It Done: The Difference Between 0-2, 1-2, and 2-2 Counts

If you’ve ever had a hitter down 0-2 or 1-2 and somehow still managed to walk him, you know the feeling: it sucks. It’s frustrating. You did the hard part, but you didn’t finish the job. That’s why it’s so important for high school pitchers to really understand the differences between 0-2, 1-2, and 2-2 counts — and how to attack each one.

You’re in the driver’s seat when you’re ahead 0-2 or 1-2. You’ve already beaten the hitter. Now you just need to finish the job. But here’s where many young pitchers go wrong: they think finishing the job means throwing their nastiest pitch as hard as possible. Slider in the other batter’s box. Fastball above the umpire’s head. “Maybe he’ll chase it,” they think.

No. That’s not pitching with intent — that’s hoping for a result.

When you’re ahead 0-2 or 1-2, your mindset should be about executing the pitcher’s pitches, not chasing strikeouts. Expand the zone slightly, change speeds, show something that looks hittable but isn’t — but stay under control. Have some pride — if you’ve gotten a guy into a 0-2 or 1-2 count, put him away by executing real pitches with real intent. Don’t let a good at-bat slip away because you got greedy and tried to be a highlight reel. Executing a pitcher’s pitch will get you the result you want.

One thing I like to track with pitchers is how many batters you retire within two pitches after getting to 0-2 or 1-2. You’re dominating the game if you’re finishing hitters quickly and efficiently. If you’re dragging out at-bats, you’re missing opportunities and running up your pitch count for no reason.

Now, when you get to 2-2, the mentality shifts a little bit. You still have a buffer before ball four — but you’re flirting with trouble if you get too fine. At 2-2, we’re not out there hunting strikeouts anymore. We’re trying to get the batter out right then and there. If it results in a punchout, awesome. But the goal is an OUT. Weak contact, flyout, strikeout, whatever. Just don’t fall into the trap of thinking, “Now I have to make the nastiest pitch I’ve ever thrown,” and end up walking the guy because you missed badly.

At 2-2, you need to trust your stuff in the zone. Attack. Make the hitter earn his way on base; don’t hand it to him with a full count and a walk. The best pitchers are the ones who can consistently get outs at 2-2 without letting the at-bat get away from them.

The bottom line is this: pitching isn’t about looking nasty or throwing the sickest pitch you can imagine. It’s about being smart, being in control, and finishing when you’re ahead. Next time you get a hitter to 0-2 or 1-2, have some pride and get your strikeout, or you’re out right then and there. And if you’re at 2-2, lock in, attack, and finish the at-bat before it gets ugly.

If you want a simple way to hold yourself accountable, start tracking how often you get hitters out within two pitches of getting to 0-2 or 1-2. See where you’re at after a few starts. You’ll be surprised how much better you’ll pitch when you focus on dominating those counts instead of just surviving them.

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Experience is a Benefit but Not a Requirement: The Role of Preparation in Building Confidence

Confidence is often tied to experience, but past success isn’t always available, especially when trying something new. For athletes, this is clear during the offseason when they develop new skills and push their limits. Without prior success to lean on, preparation becomes the foundation of confidence, proving that while experience helps, it’s not a requirement for success.

Past success can be a powerful driver of confidence. When you’ve accomplished something before, it reinforces your belief in your ability to do it again. For example, a pitcher who has consistently struck out batters in the past will naturally feel more confident taking the mound. However, there are times when you’re faced with situations where there is no track record to draw upon—perhaps you’re trying a new pitch or playing at a higher level of competition. In these cases, past success, while helpful, becomes irrelevant.

Preparation fills the gap when past success isn’t available. It’s about deliberate effort—putting in the time to practice, refine skills, and plan for success. Preparation builds confidence by ensuring that, even without prior experience, you’ve done everything possible to be ready. It’s the steady work behind the scenes that creates a foundation for trust in yourself when the pressure is on.

Every offseason, athletes face a unique challenge: they’re working on new skills, but those skills are untested in live game situations. Maybe they’ve spent months perfecting a swing adjustment or developing a new pitch. While they’ve trained hard, they haven’t yet seen results under real-world conditions. This can create doubt, as they have no past success with these improvements to fall back on.

This is where preparation becomes crucial. Trusting the process—the hours of practice, the repetitions, the discipline—helps bridge the gap between potential and performance. A great example is a high school player making their varsity debut. They have no experience above JV or travel baseball, but their preparation during practice and scrimmages gives them the tools to succeed. Even without past success, their preparation allows them to believe in their ability to perform.

There are a few practical strategies that athletes can use to trust their preparation. The first is shifting your mindset to embrace discomfort and view it as a part of growth. Confidence doesn’t always come from knowing you’ll succeed; it comes from trusting that you’re prepared to give your best effort.

Another strategy is focusing on the controllables. Preparation is entirely within your control. You can’t predict the outcome of a game, but you can control how much effort you put into workouts, drills, and mental preparation. This focus builds internal confidence, independent of external results.

Lastly, visualization and mental imaging is a powerful tool for bridging the gap between preparation and performance. Athletes can mentally rehearse game situations, imagining themselves successfully using their new skills. This not only builds familiarity but also creates a sense of readiness for when the real moment arrives.

Experience is valuable, but it’s not always necessary. Confidence doesn’t have to come from having done something before; it can come from trusting the preparation that got you ready. Whether you’re an athlete facing your first game of the season or anyone stepping into a new challenge, success comes not from the past but from the work you’ve put in to prepare. When the moment arrives, trust the process, and let your preparation pave the way.

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Building the Foundation in the Weight Room: Stability and Range of Motion

When most people think about the weight room, they picture heavy barbells, big lifts, and chasing personal records. And while strength is important, there’s a deeper, often overlooked element of training when high school/younger athletes are first introduced or attack the weight room with minimal structure: stability and range of motion (ROM). If you want to unlock your potential—as a baseball player and in building strength—focusing on these two elements can make all the difference.  

The weight room is about more than moving heavy weight, it’s about moving weight efficiently. Your body is capable of more than you think, but poor mechanics and limited ROM often hold you back. Many athletes struggle with balance and lose connection between the weight, their body and the ground. 

The fix? Commit to improving your movement! Range of motion isn’t just about flexibility or mobility. It’s about teaching your body to move through its full potential while maintaining control. Stability ensures that no matter how deep or explosive the movement, you remain balanced and connected. The greatest opportunity to improve your movement is through a proper, focused warm up that emphasizes these two points.

The ultimate goal in the gym isn’t just about how much weight you can move. It’s about how fast, explosively, and efficiently you can move it. Think of your training as a foundation:  

  1. Stability comes first. Before chasing a deeper ROM, ensure you have the stability to control the movement. Staying connected to the ground at all times is key.
  2. Range of motion maximized through control. Don’t sacrifice stability for depth. Controlled, full-range movements set the stage for power.  
  3. Explosiveness ties it all together. Once you’ve built a stable and efficient foundation, you can focus on generating speed and power. This is what turns weightlifting into game-changing performance. 

Stability + Full ROM = Explosiveness

Here’s the thing: baseball demands stability and efficient movement too! Every pitch and swing relies on your ability to have perfect balance through the entire motion with no imbalances or counterbalances. Sound familiar? These are the exact skills you’re refining when you focus on stability and ROM in the gym. 

The mechanics you’re developing in your lifts—balanced, controlled, and explosive movements—translate directly to your game. It’s no coincidence that the same areas where many athletes struggle in the gym (balance, control, efficient ROM) are also weaknesses on the field. If you can learn to move well here, you’ll carry that movement quality into every aspect of your baseball performance.  

The time you invest in mastering stability and ROM now, in the winter, will pay dividends come spring. Every lift, every rep is an opportunity to refine your mechanics, improve your efficiency, and lay the groundwork for better performance on the diamond. So next time you’re in the weight room, don’t just think about the weight on the bar. Think about the quality of your movement. Think about how what you’re doing today will translate to your next swing, throw, or sprint.