Why Pitcher's Can't Hit or Run... And Local Athlete With Bright Future!

High school football is a big deal in many communities, and rightfully so. Go to nearly any high school on a Friday night in the fall and the stands are packed and the atmosphere is sure to be electric. We all love to watch the “star” players showcase their talents on the field of play.

When it comes to high school baseball folks aren’t exactly leaving work early (except the ever-so dedicated parents) to watch a 4p.m. Wednesday/Thursday game at the local ballpark.

But if you love baseball or maybe even more generally just enjoy supporting the local high school athletic programs you need to make it a priority to check out some really talented athletes.

At Birmingham Brother Rice they likely will have the first Michigan prepped player drafted in the first round of the MLB draft since David Parrish in the year 2000. *

The interesting thing to note about Plummer is that he played multiple sports before deciding to dedicate himself to baseball as a sophomore in high school. Plummer is yet another example of a young man that developed his athleticism first and then decided to focus in one area after the essential general athletic foundation was firmly in place!**

This broad athletic foundation along with special work ethic and a never ceasing commitment to self-improvement are largely the factors that have put him in the position to be a great baseball player.

I attended the Brother Rice game against Notre Dame Prep this week and there were at least 25 professional and collegiate talent evaluators in the stands! It was a very cool atmosphere as one of the best pitchers in the state (Luke Schilling of Notre Dame) faced off against Plummer.

The high school baseball play-offs are right around the corner and the weather is making a turn for the better…  It’s a great opportunity to support some talented young athletes and catch a glimpse of the next potential Michigan born and prepped super star!

DH or no DH…

This debate has been going on for quite some time and while I’m not about to delve into the pros and cons in this space I will use a recent injury to add fuel to the “fire.” Last month St. Louis Cardinal ace Adam Wainwright tore his achilles tendon while running out of the batter’s box and is lost for the entire season.

After the injury happened the 24/7 sports news cycle provided plenty of air time to toss out the question of whether the National League should just adopt the DH rule so valuable pitchers aren’t subjected to the demands of hitting and running the bases.

Was the injury just a “freak” incident or could it have been prevented?

I am going to add an additional layer to this debate by placing the blame on “disappearing athleticism!”

If you watch a pitcher hit and/or run the bases the vast majority appear quite awkward to say the least and it begs the question, what happened to these guys? All of them were likely the “best” player on their high school team while playing a skilled position like shortstop or center field.

By the time a pitcher makes the major leagues they are so far removed from being a well-rounded athlete, because their movement experiences are very one-dimensional. They run “poles” or “bleachers” to flush their bodies to aid in recovery and to help develop endurance (both of these are flawed ideas). They also long toss; shag fly balls while also performing the occasional “lift.” For the most part all of these activities are very "controlled" and everything is performed primarily straight ahead.

Pitchers don’t prepare like athletes as much as they should. Pitchers rarely sprint, jump, or leap and as a result their bodies aren’t prepared to decelerate, plant and push-off.

Sprinting out the batters box and even swinging a bat places an incredibly demanding amount of force on the body. When a pitcher has to “bust it out of the box” their bodies aren’t trained to handle that stress.  It’s surprising more guys don’t get hurt!

This is why for young players intra-sport specialization is potentially limiting to their long-term skill development. There really shouldn’t be a 10-year old "baseball player" let alone a 10-year-old pitcher, shortstop, etc. At the youth level children should be exposed to and develop a complete package of baseball skills. While they may prefer and/or excel at one-position when they play multiple spots on the field they develop an understanding and feel for the complete game.

At the developmental stages they need general athleticism to thrive over the long-term. This will prepare their bodies to handle the demands of the sport. Even at the higher levels of youth sports (15-18 years) they still need to train like athletes… in fact it should be emphasized even more so when and if a young athlete elects to play one sport (or position within a sport). The more specialized an athlete is the more they need “general” athletic training not only to keep them healthy but it’s also essential for taking their sport specific skill to an elite level.

References:

*Brother's Rice athlete projected to be MLB 1ST Rounder Pick

**http://www.miprepzone.com/oakland/results.asp?ID=16062

Baseball Used To Be Boring...

Baseball Used To Be Boring...

I originally wrote this article in 2012. I thought it would be a good time to re-visit it especially with a couple of years to reflect and see if my theory held up: 

A new ruling by the Michigan High School Athletic Association could have a profound impact on how the game of baseball is played at the amateur level.  In my humble opinion it is a change that is in the best long-term interest of not only young athletes but also the game itself.

So what is this new rule?

The new rule requires all non-wood baseball bats to meet the Batted Coefficient of Restitution standard.  In plain terms it means the rule is disarming what had essentially become rocket launchers.  The rule has forced bat manufactures to deaden the bat to reduce exit speeds of batted balls.  Players will also have the option of using wood bats.  First let me say the most important impact this will have is on player safety.  A baseball hit with the modern high-tech bats would get back to the pitcher a mere split second after releasing the pitch.  Pitchers had essentially no time to react; it was like a game of chicken with only their reflexes to keep them from serious injury.

Another important aspect of this rule change deals with the way the game is going to be played from a strategic and developmental standpoint.  I have written many times over the years that the one quality talent scouts and recruiters are on the look out for is athleticism and speed (and yes I have asked them the question).  They know they can add strength and size once they get kids on campus or in their organization.  But the quality they can’t teach them because it’s optimally attained during early developmental stages is speed and overall athleticism.  Coaches know if a kid possesses these qualities they have a lot to work with.  If you need more reinforcement check out what former Detroit Tiger manager Jim Leyland had to say about the impact speed has on the game:

 "People don't realize how much speed affects the game," Leyland said. "When you get a guy over at first that can run it affects us, because we're worried about holding him. The pitcher knows he can run. The catcher knows he might steal. It affects the game in a lot of ways. There's no substitute for it. You can't teach it. There's something to be said for it."

I agree wholeheartedly with Leyland’s observation but allow me to clarify one phrase;  “You can’t teach it.”  Speed and quickness can be coached and developed in young athletes but it can’t be taught to the already developed athletes Leyland is working with.

So exactly how will the rule change affect the play on the field?  Based on personal experience hitting with a wooden bat or wood-like bat is extremely difficult, think swinging at a ball with a newspaper (slight exaggeration but not much of one).  The ball simply does not jump off the bat like it would when using a composite metal bat.  Game-changing homeruns will occur less often and it won’t be in a program or players best interest to rely on the long ball for success.  Players will have to develop their ability to get on base by hitting line drives or using the lost art of bunting the ball.  Once on base the skill of base stealing can and should be a weapon of choice because pardon the pun it’s an easy way to steal runs. 

With less emphasis on hitting the ball out of the park, running the bases and finding creative ways to get on base will allow athletes to show off their speed and athleticism, two qualities you likely don’t relate to the game of baseball.  Unfortunately many young athletes think baseball is slow and boring?  I think this a great opportunity to reintroduce a wonderful sport to the next generation of young athlete.  The current generation grew up watching meat heads soaked with steroids and composite weapons that launched balls with little effort into the stratosphere.  That style lead to a slower pace and station to station baseball.

Baseball coaches didn’t need this rule to change the way they develop young players but why waste a good opportunity?  What kid wouldn’t have a blast playing a game that allows them to sprint, jump, dive, slide, catch, throw, roll and even steal (in a legal way of course)?  Baseball has always been a great game in my mind but its image is in need of an overhaul.  It has been slow and boring but due to better drug testing and stiffer penalties at the professional level and deadened bats at the amateur level competitive coaches and teams will be forced to find another way to develop their team.  Speed and athleticism are an ideal place to start and the teams that posses it, just like Jim Leyland said, will drive the opposition “batty!”

Back to the here and now, given the rules changes at the college level and the cracking down of PED's at the professional level offense has experienced a precipitous decline across the board.

The "steroid era" as it is often referred to by the baseball media occurred between 1994-2009.

Runs per game, home runs per game, slugging, on-base and batting average have all steadily decline since the end of the 2009 season. Much to my chagrin the stolen base numbers have also similarly declined, though this could be due to the fact that fewer guys are getting on base consistently. But it appears organizations are still overlooking this element of the game and have not developed the necessary skills and the developmental level.

At the college Division 1 level the BBCOR bat restrictions were implemented prior to the 2011 season.  In 2010 the year before implementation the NCAA final between USC and Arizona State the score was 21-14!

The season totals at the end of 2010:

.305 Batting Average, 6.98 Runs Per Game, .94 Home Runs, 1.21 Stolen Bases

The season after implementation 2011:

.282 BA, 5.58 R, .52 HR, 1.12 SB

That is a dramatic decline across the board except of course in the stolen base category. Now some of this could have been a self-fulfilling prophecy in that the athletes knew they were essentially being "disarmed." And no question the mental side of this sport should always be acknowledged.

But given a few years to adjust the numbers from 2014 were as follows:

.270 BA, 5.08 R, .39 HR (record low!), and 1.02 SB

For further reference last year Vanderbilt beat Virginia in the championship game 3-2.

A more thorough breakdown of the offensive statistics at the NCAA D1 level can be found here.

The decline in offense at the NCAA D1 level was so significant they actually lowered the seams on the baseball in an attempt to aid the hitters.

Meanwhile despite the "game-changing" effect the running game can have on offensive baseball it has not been implemented aggressively. So I expect offensive numbers will continue to decline until a progressive organization/program makes the decision to improve in this aspect of the game. While the "deadening" of the bats was necessary to preserve the integrity of the game "messing" with the ball "seams" like a really bad idea.

For further insight into this topic at the Major League Level:

Scoring continues to plummet, but why?

Are You To Flexible?

Have you ever heard the phrase; "when all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail?"

In other words when your muscles (nail) feel "tight" you would likely assume they always need to be stretched (hammer)...

One of the biggest mistakes people make in fitness is assuming everyone should train exactly the same way. Obviously, this line of thinking is incorrect for a variety of psychological, physiological, and biomechanical reasons, but perhaps none stands out as more important to appreciate as joint hyper-mobility.

You see, some individuals have more congenital laxity than others. This essentially means their ligaments (which connect bone to bone) have a bit more give to them. As a result, they can have substantially more flexibility because of the lack of passive stiffness. As a result, the active restraints — muscles and tendons — have to work harder to create stability at the hypermobile joints.

Unfortunately, we’re naturally drawn to doing what we’re good at doing, and that’s why you see a lot of really loose-jointed folks at yoga and Pilates classeswhen a well-designed strength training program (to create good stiffness) probably would offer quicker benefits. That’s not to say that yoga and Pilates aren’t fantastic; I’m just saying that these initiatives ought to be biased toward drills that promote building stability within the joint range of motion that’s already present (as opposed to trying to become even more flexible).

In certain situations, joint hypermobility can be an advantage; swimmers and gymnasts are great examples in the world of athletics. This hypermobility predisposes these individuals up to a host of other musculoskeletal issues, however, ranging from ankle sprains to shoulder subluxations to stress fractures to hernias to early osteoarthritis. Also, the underlying cause (collagen deficiency) affects not just skeletal muscles, tendons, and ligaments, but also visceral organs (smooth muscle), skin, blood vessels, and the tissues of the eye. As a result, hypermobile individuals are more likely to have detached retinas and gastrointestinal reflux disorder, and a host of other issues.

Of course, it’s important to actually be able to identify if you’re hypermobile. How do you know if you are?

First, think about your handshake. There will typically be a lot of give in hypermobile individuals’ handshakes (pliability in the fingers and wrist), and the hands will often be cold – even when it’s really warm in the environment at hand. Your knuckles might even pop a bit.

Second, try a Beighton Hypermobility Test. The screen consists of five tests (four of which are unilateral), and is scored out of 9; a higher score is indicative of greater hypermobility:

1. Elbow hyperextension > 10° (left and right sides).
2. Knee hyperextension > 10° (left and right sides).
3. Flex the thumb to contact with the forearm (left and right sides).
4. Extend the pinky to > 90° angle with the rest of the hand (left and right sides).
5. Place both palms flat on the floor without flexing the knees.

Now, considering a sedentary population, many trainers assume all individuals are incredibly tight and need to stretch until the cows come home. With that in mind, here’s a great example of an athlete who — at 6-foot-4-inches and 240 pounds — wouldn’t appear to be hypermobile to the naked eye (especially since hypermobility is more common in females). However, when you run a Beighton test, you quickly see that he’s actually got a lot of laxity, and his programs need to focus on building stability first and foremost.

Stretch him, and he’ll get worse. Build stability, and he’ll thrive — all because you ran some simple tests ahead of time.

You can’t change your natural predisposition toward hypermobility, but you can change how you control it. Most importantly, you have to constantly remind yourself not to keep stretching an already excessive loose joint. In other words, it’s more about what you don’t do than what you do actually do.

Truthfully, with training hypermobile folks, most exercises are fair game, but you just need to make sure that they aren’t exaggerating the range of motion (ROM) on exercises; they need to stop short of where their end-range is. A great example is elbow hyperextension on pushups — this is not something you want to see!

Building on this, though, incorporating good stability training can help you overcome these common musculoskeletal ramifications. Here are a few of my favorite movements. You’ll notice that they’re all about creating stability within the range of motion that’s already present:

Identifying joint hypermobility is a quick process that can yield game-changing information to dramatically improve program design and training techniques.

Bonus- Baseball Stuff You Should Read:

How to prepare before you throw.