1. Promote inward. In my 7th season, I had a pitching coach (Bob McClure) who spent a lot of time with us (his pitching staff) talking about how to use the inside of the plate. How it affects the hitters. How the outside opens. How it makes your other stuff better. Only a few are able to understand this concept and implement it, but for those of us who are able to understand it, this is a new breakthrough. I believe that’s what gets me another 7 years, a chance to play in the big leagues and a contract overseas.
2. Accountability. I stopped making excuses. Stop blaming my teammates. Stopping paying attention to “missed” calls by the umpires and starting to pay more attention to where I was actually throwing, how often their “misses” really helped me and my team and opened my eyes to how their “misses” played out on the field. end. I am honest with myself about my personal performance at all times.
3. Walk less. In my career, I pitched just under 1,600 innings and struck out 540 batters. Of these, about 400 occurred in the first 6 years. The rest is spread across the last 8. Maybe it’s a coincidence but the last 8 are much better than the first 6. I contributed to a few things. I switched from a stretch only position (eliminated the twist), stopped trying to swing and miss and started forcing contact if they wanted to reach base and as mentioned above, I took control of the inside of the plate.
4. Get to work quickly. Less than 10 seconds between throws. The throwing warm-up takes less than 60 seconds. The goal is to complete a 9 inning game in under 2 hours. We were able to do it once. Missed it by minutes a few times. Most hitters don’t like the fast tempo but my teammates love it, my coaches love it, and the umpires absolutely love it! It helps me get into a rhythm, keeps my teammates ready and keeps the referee in a good mood!
5. Take a break. Staying healthy and strong is a must. A long season of professional football can take a toll on anyone’s body. During the second half of my career, whenever I was in the starting rotation, I wouldn’t take the ball the day before or the day after my start. The other two days include daily long pitching and bullpen sessions. If I were a reliever, I would find a day to not take the ball. Usually after a 2-3 inning stint the night before. Although some people think I’m a little crazy for doing this, it’s something I try and find to keep me healthy and strong from start to finish.
We are all different and it is up to us to find out what helps us be our best. Above are some of the things that helped me reach the top. They won’t work for everyone and some people may find them “wrong” but that’s okay. Hopefully some of you find it useful.
Founder of Baseball Dudes. Blessed with three beautiful children and a wonderful wife. Baseball is my life, next to my family, and I love sharing what I’ve learned from it. Thank you for taking the time to check out what we have to offer here at Baseball Dudes.
