In Via Prospere

#1

In Via Prospere - The Road To Success

I have decided to start a log here in order to track my success, and failures.
9/23
Where I currently am…
Sophomore in HS
5’ 10" 150 LBS
Velocity - last I was gunned, low 70s
Pitch Arsenal: running FB, breaking ball, currently developing my change up and sinker rapidly.
Squat, bench, clean max are all unknown.
Health: two impinged hips

Goals
current season
get consistent with the sinker
Finish up change up
improve my hips, be able to go in to low amounts of hip flexion.

Off season goals:
Completely heal my hips
Use off season to develope optimal biomechanics
Get my gym numbers up, preferably having a 1.1-1.3 power/weight ratio, squat 200, bench 180
Season goals:
PITCH ON VARSITY
Velocity in the low 80s at least
Have the sinker and change up game ready

Long term goals:
play for the college I attend
Learn!

#2

9/23/16
I currently am in a weightlifting class at my school learning the basics. I’m hoping that I can use the gym after school once I’m done.

I currently have a workout that is…

5 weighted Bulgarian split squats per leg
20 shoulder presses (total)
10 weighed step ups (each leg)
3 pull ups

Complete five times without rest.

Next, with a barbell resting in the corner (my gym had a device to hold an end of it but a corner will work)
Add a weight and then…

5 single side presses
5 rows
20 anti rotation turns
12 med ball slams

Repeat 3 times

I spent much of today trying to learn the basics of the power clean, snd will hopefully have the movement mastered by the end of next week.

I also threw a pen with my friend. Not the best day, velo was a bit lower than my last few outings since I was sore from working out, and my sinker wasn’t really working… At all today. Most of them never sunk - only ran. I tried a new grip, and it worked today but on a recording didn’t look the best. Here’s the only recording I have on it that wasn’t thrown in the dirt and that moved -
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhzz7uqRuYg
Wasn’t the best but I didn’t have any good ones recorded.

Any feedback on it is much appreciated.
Also wondering if anyone could be kind enough to to give me their estimate of the speed of that pitch? Mid high 60s maybe?

#3

That bench goal is pretty high, I personally don’t do bench press at all.

#4

I suggest you not turn your shoulders so far.

#5

I thought the average person could typically bench their body weight as a beginner? We’ll see, I’ll try to get as close to my goal as I can anyway.

#6

When I try this I tend that I lose the feel for throwing, and use my arm even more than I currently do.

Do you think this is simply because I’m not used to it? If so, and I try not over rotating again, how long should I try to see if it feels natural? I tried for a stint of about a month and a half, I can’t imagine it being much longer?

Thanks for the feedback.

#7

9/25
Rough game. Really rough game.
We faced the worst team in our fall league and lost 16-6 after lots and lots of error.

I started, and threw 2 innings before being pulled. Had a lot of walks, I’m pretty sure I was facing kids for the third time when the second inning ended. I had a lot of pain in my hips today, I think that did a great disservice. Bright side was that I struck a lot of people out.

Stats: 2.0 IP, 5K, 3R, 2ER, 1H, 6 BB.

Total stats: 9.0 IP, 4R, 3 ER, 19K (wow!), 7 BB

Not sure how but so far I’ve been striking s ton of people out, which I isually never do. Think it has to do with the fact this league is for HS and middle school players for the school, so a lot of them aren’t used to HS pitching.

After that I played in the field, and managed 3 errors, and went 1-3 batting. Oof. Game on Thursday, against the best team in the league. Hopefully (although doubtfully) I’ll get the ball then.

#8

9/29

Had a workout today, I hit back, chest, shoulders, biceps, triceps, and did some deadlifts. Also did a lower body workout on 9/27, primarily things to learn how to power clean.

Also had a game today. Didn’t pitch, I’m pitching on Saturday. I played short and in the process of catching a line drive and turning to throw I did something to my left hip. Currently it’s hurting with any movement of my leg. Not sure if I should be concerned or not, I told my parents and they didn’t seem concerned since they’re already injured and have bad days. Hoping it gets better by Saturday.

#9

10/3
Didn’t really work out over the weekend, was very busy.

Got to today, worked on power clean form again. Almost got it down. Also did some Turkish get ups, planks, med ball throws, and band work for core rotation and anti rotation.

Went to throw a bullpen yesterday, but I only got about 15 pitches in before my catcher had to quit due to an issue he is having with his Knee from over the weekend. I threw 10 sinkers off the mound a a lot in warmups. I tried moving my thumb off the seam and a couple centimeters down – I got them all moving really hard down and coming in at my FB speed instead of much slower. I think I’ll try throwing them in a game on Thursday for the first time, if I pitch for my fall team.

My hip injury from my last entry has almost completely resolved. I think I just strained it.

#10

10/9
Little bit late but…
Had a game on Thursday. I was brought in as a 2 inning closer, and threw the sinker for the first time.
Wasn’t my best outing, and it had a rather odd occurrence.

I went 1.1 innings, and blew the game. We were tied and I walked a guy to start the second inning I pitched, then threw a ball in the dirt (the runner got to third somehow) and then the catcher just missed a ball I threw and he scored. I struck out the batter at the plate, walked the next and my coach came out with the hook.

yhe stats I remember: 1.1 IP, 0H, 2BB, 1 HBP 1 R (not sure if it was earned or not).

Now the funny/odd occurrence.

In the first inning I pitched, a hit a kid who dropped to the ground screaming (it hit his back, I’m not sure why). His dad was the coach, and came running out and gave me an absolute death stare and continued to hold it for a good 90 seconds. The umpire, ended up yelling at the coach He got really mad over it. Found out the coach thought i was laughing at his kid after I hit him for some reason. Oh well.

Now the funny part that I thought I should mention:
I came up to bat to start the next inning the coach was talking about me, and the umpire heard and then told me to try to put it out and to “Jose Bautista it” by staring at it for while and throwing their bat at their dug out. Don’t know why but I found that halarious, and I think I’m alone in that. Just thought I’d share with you guys.

#11

10/12

Came in out of the bullpen today. Defense wasn’t pretty, I was at close to 60 pitches before I got yanked, and I should have had multiple (God knows how many) outs but our defense, myself included on a play, couldn’t keep it together. Once my count got up I started throwing a little everywhere, hit 2 people and was pulled. Not sure what the stats were. I do know my strikeouts are calming down now.

I tried pitching sidearm today. I was throwing a good 6-8 MPH harder than I was from high 3/4, and had a great change up. I didn’t try my sinker, but I think it’s more a try from a low arm slot. I may keep this for now. I also got crazy movement. On a kid I hit, the ball started out over the plate (it was almost down the middle) and just ran in until it hit the batter. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s crazy movement.
I thin my season may be done for my fall team because of the fact I’ve now hit 3 batters in the last 3 innings pitched somehow. I usually never hit people.

#12

I tried benching the other day, and tha goal is WAAAAYYYYYYYYY too high. I did like 8 reps with 70 pounds. I’m hoping that’s a form thing that will improve, but 180 is, as you said, a “tad” high.

#13

Ha yeah bench can be hard, but form will definitely make it a lot easier. As good form increases weight increases

#14

Hopefully. Yesterday my gym teacher really went over form with me, and said that the reason my shoulders were activated so much is because my scaps were not in the right spot, and gave me something to do every day to fix it. hopefully that, and as you said with better form, it’l go up.
Not sure if I wrote it on here yet, but my chest never felt taxed after bench press, only my shoulders.

#15

3/19/`17

I recently got into journal keeping after being nudged to do it, and decided to come back to here.

Tryouts (officially) begin tomorrow - the team has been practicing for months now.

Looking at my goals it looks like I failed almost across the board. I kept working out over the winter, although I could have done more. I still have trouble with my hips, and I’ve been training under a PT at a baseball gym for a couple months; he’s baffled by them, although they have greatly improved. I no longer feel pain in daily life, and experience very little when I’m pitching this year. Its not where I wanted to be, but it is a start.

On Monday, I was debating quitting because of this, thinking how I would get nowhere. However, by Wednesday, I found myself signing up for an under the table job I’d wok at every day to raise money for the summer, so I could get myself to a gym and do only lifts as well as biomechanics. I refuse for my playing career to end early.

For the goals, they’re currently my goals for the fall season. I was lucky enough to have an invitation to play for an AAU team by someone I know in the fall if I can improve. This team has college scouts at most of its games, and is for the better varsity players. I acknowledge this will be a hard hill to climb, considering how I failed miserably at these goals over the off season, but I am going for it.

My currently velocity is somewhere in the 70s still.
I do have a game ready change up, and an inconsistent sinker; some days its an amazing pitch, other days it doesn’t move at all. I can bench around 135, I haven’t benched in a while, and definitely squat close to 200. I’m struggling with deadlift form, but have managed to lift 325. I do not know what my power/weight ratio is, but would guess its around .7 or .8. I have gotten my weight up to 170, and I’m the same height – sadly my growth plates are closed. I think I may be given some innings for varsity, as they don’t have a great deal of pitching this year. i’ll see. I have a long road ahead.

this is what I looked like pitching yesterday -

Front leg is opening too early, although I’m not dragging my arm horribly like I was when I first started pitching this year.

#16

Had first day of baseball today, and I threw 20 pitches.

Not sure how I did, but the catcher saw me after and said I did good, so I’m hoping I did; and that he didn’t just say that to be friendly. I threw a few pitches in the dirt and sailed a few more in the beginnig, and then found my control… Not that it’s excellent.

Didn’t get a chance to show the sinker, and when I do in hoping it’s not one of the days I can’t throw it.

#17

Aaaaand couple months later and I see you were 100% right on that.

#18

I think you could add some velo by trying to push your trunk forward at release. Yours is fairly vertical and think this would help.