A Lefty's journy from Canada to Dominican Republic

#1

Hey,
I’ve been coming to this site for about a year now and find it extremely helpful. I’ll give you some background to why I am starting a log:

I am a left handed pitcher, I have always been above average in pitching and I want to see where I can get. I’ve been playing ball since I was 6 and I love it to this day.

I lived in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada my whole life, my whole family is from Dominican Republic, the baseball country. My father and other family members taught me how to play baseball and advance in it. It all started around Febuary of 08, when I just turned 12. My uncle called from D.R (Dominican Republic) and talked to my dad about a baseball trainer that is looking for left handed pitchers between the ages of 12 and 14, apparently “They are like finding gold”. I happened to be in those guidelines and as soon as my dad finished explaining to me, I couldn’t wait to come. So that summer I came for a week with my dad, we went to the place where he trains and he liked what he saw. Fastforward to the next summer, last year. I spent 2 and a half months here in the summer living with my aunt and her family, she just happens to have a son and we are the same age, he decided he also wanted to go with me to the training. My other cousin who is a year and a half older also decided to join us.

 That summer, I improved a lot, better control, velocity and everything. Near the end of my stay, so early August, he brought two scouts to see some of the older guys and they brought a radar gun. They let everybody be clocked to see where we are at. In the group of  cousins and I, I am the youngest, my cousin Derlly's is 6 months older, and my other cousin Hugo is a little under 2 years older. Out of the 3 of us, Hugo was first to be gunned, he got 82, he was 15 at the time. My cousin Derlly's was next, he hit 67, he was 14. Then it was me, nervesnous filling my body but me trying to shut it out, I got 73 MPH, at 13. That was my highest my average was 70.

  That occurence made me realize that if I push myself hard enough, I can go great things with baseball. That fueled me to come and live here this year, new school, new people, new everything.
#2

Here is some information about me:

My name is Nicolas, perferably Nick.
14 years old, 5’8 and 155 pounds

I am in Grade 10, 90 average

100 yard dash: 13.07
400 yard dash: 62.23

Max pushups: 28
Benchpress: 130 pounds
Vertical: I can dunk on a 10 foot rim, with a small ball :smiley:

Velocity: at 13 was at 73 MPH. It has been a year since I have been radared but my trainer says it is around 78/79 MPH.

Repertioire: 2 seamer, 4 seamer, change up ( I know how to throw curves but, I don’t need them for now)

If there is any more info you need, just ask.

#3

Today was the first say of my 5 day vacation! I forgot to turn my alarm off so I woke up at 6 as if I were going to school. I couldn’t seem to get back to sleep so I decided to go for a run before it got really hot. I started sweating as I was walking to the Mirador, 40 degrees centigrate at 9 in the morning( around 100 farenheit). I stretched than ran 6 miles with 3 100m sprints at the end.

   When I got home, I did 3 sets of 10 pushups and then worked on my wrists. The thing looks like a walnut breaker and you use it in the same manner, I do about 100 each day, I've been doing that for a month now and see the improvment. It was a good thing I did excercise earlier because at 2 it began to pour, cancelling baseball.

  I am planning to go throw with my cousins on Saturday or Sunday so I can put it on here for everyone to see. I am also thinking of implementing weights, if it is needed, I am still not sure. I have acces to a weight room everyday except Sunday.
#4

Today I woke up pretty early, 7. I maxedout at 28 pushups, I’m going to start posting my pushups like LankyLefty.

It didn’t rain so we went to baseball. We began with the softball but after about 15 minutes, I got a pain in my left elbow. The trainer said that I’m using it more and it is not used to it and that it was gaining strength. He told me to continue to throw so I did.

Then we threw with the normal baseball, I did the excercises and pitched it maybe 15 times, after that I just threw it back to my partner normally. To finish off we threw with a weighted ball. The pain went away a little and after 30 minutes my whole arm felt fine.

#5

I havent been doing to much baseball related due to the fact I went on a homework marathon these past couple of days. I’ve been doing pushups and excercises like that, but I am going to see if my cousins want to go throw with me so we can get it on tape.

Are there any tips I should know for filming us pitching? I’ll try and get it from all angles I geuss.

#6

Hey guys

The homework onslaught is still limiting my time to practice. We have mandatory community service, mine is on Mondays and Wednsdays. My cousins ended up sleeping most of the day on Sunday so I couldn’t get nothing on video. But I asked 2 other guys if they want to and they said sure so we should meet up on the weekend or Friday.

I was able to go to practice on tuesdays and it went good. I was accurate on the most part, but my shoulder was bothering me a little bit. I think my shoulder problems are from throwing my arm back behind my head while throwing.

I’ve been thinking about what I want to accomplish:
Short Term (Under a year)

  • consistent pitching mechanics
  • Throw 83 mph by August
  • Gain 10-15 pounds ( for a total of 165-170)

Long Term (Over a year)

  • Develop other pitches
  • Throw 90 mph in 2- 2 1/2 years ( is this reasonable?)
  • Gain 40 pounds ( total of 195-200)

Do you think my goals are reachable??

#7

Yes, those are good goals… very attainable. It’ll come down to work ethic and dedication, which it sounds like you’ve got a lot of! Keep working hard.

#8

On thursday, I believe was my best day so far, I can’t remember throwing a bad ball. We started with a regular ball because there was no softballs left. Then we threw with the softball at long distance, and we finished of with a weighted ball.

I was thinking of going to the gym but I don’t know what stuff to fo there? I know some posters on here are really informed about that kind of stuff.

#9

Hey, sorry for not posting in a while, the elctricity is kinda crazy in this country!
I went to the gym on tuesday and it was good. I basically did everything my cousin did because I did not know what to do. He said we were going to work on our back. We did this machine weight where you sit down and you have to pull a bar down to around your chest level. Then on another side of the same machine, we sat down on like a sled, bent over and grabed to lever(or whatever you hold on to) and then you pull back till your back is erect. On a different machine there was one where you take the handle, and bend your upper body down and up. In all of these I felt the burn in my back.
We also worked on wrists and forearms. One of them was a small metal bar with a string about 3 feet connecting the bar and a weight. You turn the bar in your hand to bring the weight up and down. Another one looked like the opposite of a dumbell, weight in the middle and you hold it on the sides. The motion is like moving your knuckles up and down.
The soreness completely went away today.
I went to baseball Tuesday and Thursday, I can’t go on Mondays or Wednsdays for now because I have mandatory community service my school but I think we have around 2-3 visits left. I feel like I am improving dramatically in my mechanics and my control.
I am going to Punta Cana this weekend but hopefully can go to the gym to do cardio, but I am going to do a lot of swimming for sure!

#10

25 pushups

Wow, what a fun week. Punta Cana was great and I had a serious talk
with my aunt and uncle but I’ll tell you at the then end of the post. We also got our report cards!! I got Honours!! 90 average and everything above 80. Maybe I can get a scholarship 8) . I’m wondering if you could have half an athletic scholarship and half an acedmic scholarship then put them together??
On baseball, I feel like I keep improving, im throwin accuratly and with good velocity. The trainer said I can throw constantly around 78-79 Miles Per Hour.

So I was talking with my aunt and uncle from New York, they told me if I want to I can stay with them next year to play baseball. Now I feel really confused with what I should do :? . The high school I would go to is #1 in the region and #20 in the state of New York. They live an hour out of the city in a suburb so I dont know how the baseball is there. But here I can play technically every day of the year. I want to go to college for baseball so I can get a degree, I think it would be easier to do that in NY because college coaches can go see me easily. But in D.R college coaches aren’t going to come here but MLB scouts do.
What do you think is a good route and what should I consider?

#11

WOW I feel like shit! I havent been to baseball in over a week. All this unnecesary bull shit we have to take from the school. They force us to do community service, in Canada we had to complete 40 hours minimum by our graduation day. Here they let you pick your group and thats it, “You go to this place, these days, these times.” We also were forced to do First Aid training. Eight days, 3 hours each day. But I have one more day of community service, a presentation infron of kids about drugs. I hope my noticable “gringo” accent while speaking spanish doesn’t attract hecklers like it has in the past. I’ve been through this phase before, we I can’t go to baseball for a while, and I lose all desire to go. I lose my motivation for a time, but not my desire.

#12

Hey, havent posted in a while!
Well, I finally got the camera out and went to film me and my cousin pitching. It was on flat grounf, coming off the Christmas break. We wanted to get warmed up for our training so we didnt go full out, 100%. It was also on flat ground as there are no baseball fields unocupied within walking distance.

Some background info:
I came to the DR to play/ practice baseball to get better. I was born in Canada, my parents are from DR. I just turned 15 on Dec 30, 2009. In November I was gunned at 81, that was my average, my hardest was 83. I recently learned how to throw a change-up and I know how to throw a curve ball but I only do it for fun, I’ll throw it like 5 times a week.

The only time I get to play is on weekends becuase school and training take most of my time. I usually play with the older guys 16-18 with my older cousin. I have had little succes (Some of those guys are AWSOME!) but it helps me get better.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated, Thanks!

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