Playing Multiple Sports: The Chicken or the Egg?

The best baseball players in the World also happen to be tremendous athletes.

Did they develop this athleticism because they played multiple sports as kids... Or, did they play multiple sports as kids because they were terrific all-around athletes?

There are two broad schools of thought on this topic.

There is the idea that when kids are young they should be exposed to and sample as many different activities/sports as possible. The theory is that with this broad exposure they will develop a wide and diverse base of movement skills. With this broad foundation in place it can now support more specific and highly specialized skills. If you were to start with a specific skill, say pitching, you would ultimately be capped because you're foundation is to narrow to optimize the development of that skill. This would be a kin to trying to fire a canon from a canoe in the middle of a lake... Abandon ship!

On the flip side if you first develop a foundation under that canon with building blocks such as coordination, speed, strength, power, bracing, and spatial awareness now when you go to fire the foundation is strong enough for the canon to display it's full potential.

The other element of early sampling/multi-sport participation is actually finding a sport you like and usually that's one you're really good at. If all you did was play baseball and never tried anything else you may miss out on being the next great TEAM USA soccer goal keeper or the next great American male tennis star (America hasn't had one of the latter since Andy Roddick!?!).

Then there is the school of thought that you're just born with IT! Out of the womb you are destined to be the next Mike Trout blessed with both elite athleticism and baseball skills to boot. Great athletes play multiple sports simply because they are great athletes and those opportunities present themselves. Maybe that's true but do you really want to take the risk of finding out for yourself? Because here's the thing if you guess wrong you can't go back and make up for it!

What's the reality?

The reality is that in order to be a great baseball player you first need to be a great athlete! The canon analogy from above is extremely important to understand. A broad base of athleticism gives you a higher ceiling. And the way the game is trending a high ceiling is an absolute prerequisite to compete at the highest level.

So do you have to play multiple sports as a kid to develop that athleticism?

In my opinion it is the BEST strategy for a few reasons.

1. It's the best way to ensure you are developing the athletic foundation and fundamental movement skills you'll need to develop a higher ceiling. The chances that you join a very progressive baseball organization that offers a complete athletic development experience is rare. In over 3 decades of athletic experiences as a player and coach I have never witnessed such an organization. If you find such an organization congratulations you have found the lost city of gold!
2. It's protective! This builds off point one from above. By playing sports seasonally (more on this soon) and trying many different sports you are less likely to develop "poor" motor (movement patterns) skills. I've had conversations with Division 1 coaches and when they ask me what I do they tell me- "what you do is WAY more important than what we do!" They say this because once they get an athlete in their program at 18/19 years of age if that athletic foundation is not in place it makes their job very difficult to squeeze improvement from that player. You are way better off developing athleticism and playing off of that than being plugged into a "system" and learning a style. Hitting, throwing, catching a baseball and running the bases are all propped up by athleticism. The best coaches in the World are at the Collegiate and Professional level and yet they get these athletes after the foundation has been set. It's very hard to break bad habits... Best not to develop them in the first place.
3. There is nothing like playing in a packed football stadium or basketball court on Friday nights! If you want to learn to be a "clutch" performer you need to put yourself in environments like that. It won't happen in Fall Ball or even the most competitive Travel tournament. 

Are playing multiple sports ever detrimental?

It can be IF you don't take seasonal breaks! Play baseball in the Spring/Summer stop in the Fall and play soccer or tennis. In the Winter play basketball or hockey don't just add these on top of your baseball skill work. You need an off-season from baseball to ultimately deepen your skill acquisition pool. If you absolutely don't want to play another sport or it's not an option dedicate time to upgrade your athletic capacities such as flexibility, strength, speed, power, mindset...

I could leave you with a hoard of examples of the baseball players in the World that played multiple-sports as kids but better to give you the one Elite player that did not... At least I couldn't find any evidence that he did. 

Cody Bellinger is the lone great baseball player that I could not find with a multi-sport background. That said, all you have to do is watch this guy play the game and you'll quickly come to understand he is clearly one of the best athletes in the sport. So maybe Cody can get away with it but unless you move like Cody I wouldn't recommend it!

What the two coaches who meet in the 2019 College World Series have to say about multi-sport athletes:

Tim Corbin, Vandebilt - 

"Our mission as a staff is to find multi-sport athletes that play other things besides baseball... I'm dead set against it (early specialization)."

Erik Bakich, University of Michigan - 

"It is, in my opinion, 100% the best decision a parent of a young player can do."

Is this the end of Baseball as we know it?

Today is the Major League Baseball draft. Due to the state of the world the Draft has been reduced from the usual 40 rounds down to 5. It’s also likely that the 2021 Draft will be reduced as well with the number 20 being speculated. Bottom line: 20-30 less pro opportunities per team or roughly 600-900 total (not all MLB draft picks go to pro ball as many opt for college ball instead).

Before all this hit MLB was looking to reduce the size and scope of their Minor League operations. As of the 2020 season there are 160 Minor League Baseball affiliates. I’m hearing 40 teams will be eliminated. Bottom line: 40 less teams, estimating 25 players per roster= 1000 less pro opportunities. Though my guess is unassigned players within an organization will stay in extended Spring Training as a developmental squad. But it’s inevitable that there will be a whole lot less jobs in pro ball.

College Baseball is on tenuous ground at best… Few teams actually make money, most are a financial drain on institutions. Furman eliminated it’s D1 baseball program in the aftermath of Covid-19 and Bowling Green did as well though the school later reversed course and restored the program. Top college coaches from around the country have taken notice of the “writing on the wall”… Led by UM Erik Bakich a panel made up of Power 5 coaches have rolled out what they call “ The New College Baseball Model” to ensure the long-term viability of the sport as we currently recognize it at the Division 1 level.

Division 1 programs have 11.7 scholarships to distribute among a max of 27 players. Each scholarship player receives a minimum of 25%. It should be noted that 11.7 is the upper limit. Some schools offer less than that because they are not fully funded. College Football and Basketball are big revenue sports and with the cancellation of the NCAA Hoops tournament and College Football likely playing in front of very small or no crowds at all a big revenue stream has been cut off.  Even if it’s only temporary it’s likely to have reverberations that are felt for years due to the slim operating budgets at many universities.

NYU Marketing Professor Scott Galloway said the following:

“There are hundreds, if not thousands, of universities with a sodium pentathol cocktail of big tuition and small endowments that will begin their death march this fall.”

“Universities should be doing what every other organization whose business model has been threatened by Covid-19 is doing: cutting costs.”

This leaves College Baseball especially vulnerable.

Division 2 (9 max per team) and NAIA ( up to 12 per team) do offer baseball scholarships and  may be viable alternatives. Their funding is also less likely to be impacted and may even improve as some families may not be able to justify paying a big tuition bill/student loan to attend a “Division 1” school. Professor Galloway also brings up another salient point in that you’re likely “going to have value propositions that have been rendered untenable overnight.”  In other words the Big Prestigious school is not going to be offering the value you have come to expect from it’s reputation. Zoom anyone? No campus life or college football? Exactly what am I paying for?

Circling back to baseball… There is no doubt that the landscape is changing very quickly and will likely never be the same again. With fewer athletes being taken in the draft (and capped signing bonuses for undrafted players) many college juniors will return for their senior season and push incoming freshmen and rising freshmen down the depth chart. This is likely to be the case in 2021 and 2022 because of the reduction in draft picks and altered Minor League landscape.

Independent Minor League’s like the United Shore Professional Baseball League may take up some of the “slack” from the affiliated minor leagues teams that are cut and provide those players with opportunities. So I would expect a few more Independent organizations to sprout up seeing an opportunity. Also likely is that many of the athletes in the Independent leagues will be “squeezed out” in favor of affiliated players with higher profiles and quite frankly more talent.

The bottom line is baseball is changing and it’s never going back to the way it was. Add in the absolutely distasteful back and forth between the MLB owners and Players Association regarding return to play and baseball is taking a BIG hit. The game will survive and the best players, the most talented players will still find their way to the top. But for the rank and file it just got a lot more competitive. Fewer spots, less playing time… Development is going to be at a premium and the organizations that do that well at any level (MLB, MILB, D1, D2, NAIA, High School, Club/Travel) will continue to be successful.

Parents/athletes when your athlete is young you get one real chance to do this “baseball”  thing right and it starts by educating yourself and surrounding your athlete with folks that understand how to truly develop talent. It’s not what you think because you likely haven’t experienced it yet. Especially if you’ve been involved in the current youth sports model. Out of less comes better… If you know what path to follow.


Scott Galloway’s thought provoking article on higher education post Covid-19

Train to Reign: Spring Training tips from MLB

  Spring training, particularly before the exhibition games start is my favorite part of the baseball season. The media focuses more on what players did in the off-season to improve. As a preparation coach this is what I love to hear about!

This is my annual Spring Training breakdown of stories that contain plenty of helpful lessons and tips for young athletes. Admittedly, this is their job, they are full grown men and they don't have academic commitments to worry about but there are still plenty of core principles that will serve you no matter what level you currently compete at. 

Be a Good Teammate

  Leadership comes in many forms and one of the most effective ways to build a strong team is to be a good teammate. In a sport with such a high failure rate it's tough to maintain your confidence with all of the inevitable ups and downs over the course of a long season.

If you're a veteran leader or "star player" you have a tremendous opportunity and the platform to make a difference in someone's life. Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals is a champion on the field of play and in the game of life and he goes out of his way to pick up his teammates. It's not surprising with leaders like Wainwright why the Cardinals have sustained a high level of success for well over a decade.

The Power of Sleep

  In the world of sport performance sleep is low hanging fruit! This is not a "talent" or a physical ability but it does require some effort. If you implement a solid sleep routine and make it a habit the payoff is huge!

The Boston Red Sox have recognized this as a potential advantage for their organization and they are looking to implement personalized sleep systems for their athletes.

"We consider sleep to be one of the most important activities we do as human beings. It is while we sleep that peak physical and mental recovery occurs. While this is important to us all, it is imperative in a sport such as baseball, where the players are required to play each and every day."

Brad Pearson, Head Trainer Boston Red Sox

Nutrition-Key Driver of Performance

  Speaking of low-hanging fruit... Nutrition like sleep doesn't require any special skill but you will need to put forth a little effort to make sure it's an asset and not a detractor of performance. You may have to learn a few basic meal prep strategies but it's relatively small investment when compared to the large payoff. 

In the past Major League teams invested little in making sure their athletes had access to food options that fueled optimal performance. But when you consider the man power lost to time on the disabled list the effort to provide quality nutrition is a drop in the bucket relative to all of the salary they pay guys to rehabilitate. I don't think it's a leap to say that a lot of that injury time could have been prevented had guys recovered optimally and nutrition and sleep, are key elements of that.

That's why it's such a big deal that now meals are all prepared by a chef big-league teams are now required to hire as part of December’s new owners-players contract.

Players realize the advantage is more than a matter of convenience: You are what you eat. And the better a player fuels his body, especially when his work hours can be so upside-down, the better he'll likely perform.

Verlander Invests in the Future

  At age 34 Justin Verlander is still on the top of his game and he's taking the things he's learned over the course of his career and he's investing in the young trio of Michael Fulmer, Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd.

Some of the things that standout:

Don't dwell on mistakes! Learn from the mistake and then move on, if you allow it to linger it will eat you alive.

Think long term! In order to sustain your skill over the course of long season and career you'll need to take care of business off the field. That means learn/develop a solid arm/body care program that works for you.

All pitchers have unique mind sets, pitches, strengths and weaknesses but there is one thing they should all have in common:

“Most of all, I see the drive to want to be great, which is one of the most important things."

Justin Verlander

Verlander Seeks Improvement

  One of the key traits that sets athletes apart from their peers is the desire to constantly search for areas to improve. Last season Justin Verlander nearly won and maybe should have won the CY Young award in the American League. While he could have been content he wasn't. Verlander looked back over his season and he tweaked things in an attempt to get of to a better start in April and May.

This is very important lesson to learn for all athletes. You can always improve your level of skill. It does require grit and determination not to mention a plan that makes sense. This plan should consider where you are at currently in your stage of development.

During the off-season Verlander talked to trainers, physical therapists, orthopedic surgeons, shoulder specialists, as well as doing his own exhaustive research.

Verlander takes bits and pieces of information from all of these professionals and then incorporates what works best for him. At this point in his career Verlander has developed a deep awareness of his unique needs. This is a critical lesson for athletes to learn! Only you know how certain exercises, practice routines, food, and sleep patterns affect you. My advice, develop a performance team to help you gather quality information. Then it's up to you to develop your own self-awareness. Keeping a journal can help, use a small notebook or your phone to take notes on everything! When you review those notes you'll start to notice certain patterns.

Train to Improve and to Maintain What You Have

  Detroit Tiger short-stop Jose Iglesias had a reputation for not being a good teammate, and as a defensive player  he was known for lots of sizzle but no steak.

Iglesias improved his defense in 2016, at least in analytic measurements, significantly. His went from minus-3 to plus-3 in defensive runs saved. According to FanGraphs, his zone rating went from 2.3 to 11.6.

Iglesias took measures this off-season to build off that improvement. 

“Absolutely, agility and quickness are part of my game and I’ve got to keep that,” Iglesias said. “But also, I am working on trying to avoid injury, to be injury-free — that was the goal of my off-season training."

Strength and conditioning for baseball should be multi-faceted.

Iglesias incorporated agility, strength and conditioning training, neuromuscular training, rotational power training and a nutrition program. He also monitored his sleep patterns.

“It doesn’t matter how old you are, you’ve got to be careful about what you put into your body. And how hard you train." 

Best Spring Training 2017 Quote:

“Without struggle, there is no progress. Without failure there is no progress.”

Los Angeles Dodgers LHP, Rich Hill

PLAY BALL!

  There is a resounding theme with all of these Spring Training stories. All of the elements discussed are related to behaviors that are well within your control. They don't require any special physical talent or skill. That said they are all essential for maximizing your performance on the field of play and in the game of life.

There are so many thing in the game of baseball that are not within your direct control likes statistics, wins and losses, even playing time. But it should be noticed that all of the results and outcomes tend to take care of themselves if you focus on executing the behaviors that you are able to control.

Happy Baseball 2017!