The Sock Puppets

The Flyboys are on a two game losing streak, what? The Sock Puppets, you heard that right, are traveling to Greenville for a two game set. In an article from mlb.com, it is written that the team from Burlington now has an identity that embraces the history of the community as well as one that is unique. The identity was created by Dan Simon of Studio Simon. The name Sock Puppets, gives homage to the rich textile tradition of the Burlington area by featuring two different sock puppets inside the primary logo.

The Flyboys pitchers have been working hard before each game. The team of seventeen pitchers is a good group. The players all are religious with their arm care. The Greenville team has supplied the fellas with bands for daily warmup and strengthening. The band routine is something every pitcher should do on a daily basis. We have several sets of bands that clip on to any chain link fence. The club also has plyo balls. These pliable throwing balls are of different weights. Driveline is the manufacturer of these balls. There are a series of throwing drills the pitcher can do every day as well. Generally, one would choose a maximum of four throwing drills to complete every day. There are seven basic movements to do with these “skittles” as some call them because each ball is a different color. Driveline not only makes the weighted balls, it provides education for throwers as well as research to back the benefit of each throwing drill. What I like most about the drills is that they should be unique for each pitcher as everyone has different needs, The idea of the drills is to make the user better at pitching, not good at the drills. So each throwing drill has a purpose and needs to be completed with the purpose of the drill in mind. The Appy League also uses the latest tracking technology, Rapsodo and Trackman. These simply track the flight and spin of the ball. It will tell us how fast the baseball is moving, the direction it is moving, how much spin is on the ball. These devices can also give the user some metrics about the pitcher. How high from the ground he lets go of the baseball, what the pitchers’ arm angle is at release, the angle of the ball when it is released. So, fun stuff. This data that is collected can be used to help the coach and player script an individual development plan for every athlete .Something as simple as the pitcher’s arm angle is different on each type of pitch the pitcher may throw. So, along with video, we can assist the pitcher release his fastball, curveball and changeup from the same window. This way, everything looks the same to the hitter when the pitch is released. Hey, every competitive edge we can get we use here with the Flyboys. However, with all the technology available, the pitcher must cross that white foul line and compete. The pitcher must plan his work( pregame) and work his plan during the game. That is a simple formula for a high percentage of success on the mound.

Game one of the series goes to the Boys. The bats were rolling tonight and an eighth inning bomb off the scoreboard in left field sealed the deal. The bullpen was not clean tonight but each pitcher managed to make a pitch to escape the big inning. Game two was hampered by lightning delays but the Flyboys tossed their second shutout of the young season. More importantly, two of the four pitchers in this game made adjustments from their previous games. Dawson Gause worked two shutout innings. Zach Fruit,’of Easter Michigan, worked two exceptional innings showing a huge gain in control of his pitches and quality of his slider. Zane Robbins finished the shutout with two strikeouts in final frame. Zane, has developed since joining the beginning of the season. He has seen a significant jump in velocity, throwing efficiency and quality of breaking ball spin. Remember how we measure pitch metrics? Many fans and coaches can be intimidated by the new way of collecting data. But the truth is, baseball has always quantified a player’s tools. The days of just using a stopwatch, a hand held radar gun and a vhs recorder are over. We are quantifying player performance at a new level. When used correctly this information can help a team sign the best player available, it can cut the learning curve down for players of all ages as well.

Flyboys earned a day off Monday. The team went 4-2 on the week including sweeps at Bristol and at Pioneer Park against Burlington. The team heads East Tuesday for the longest road trip of the season to date, a five game trip starting in Pulaski and ending in Johnson City with a stop in Burlington in the middle

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Velocity is baseball’s hot commodity .

Velocity in baseball has become paramount, necessary and much sought after. Teams from travel baseball, travel softball, to high schools., colleges and of course, professional baseball. The athlete is also chasing improved . Everyone knows that velocity has become the top dog, the big attraction. The data supports the fact regardless of what some coaches may be spewing out. Velocity is very important.

Following our velocity training, plus 10 mph!⚾️🌶

The data shows us that the average fastball in the major leagues continues to climb each year. Analytics has shown us that when velocity goes up your value as a pitcher goes up. The question is why is velocity trending upward, is it better genes, non GMO foods, what? The answer lies within sports worldwide. Why do Olympic records fall each year? Athletes are running faster, jumping higher, swimming faster at every world event. In 1954, Roger Bannister did the unthinkable, he ran a mile in less than four minutes. The four minute barrier is now the standard for those running the mile, over 1.400 male athletes have broken the four minute barrier.

I have been involved in professional baseball for 34 years. The standard for the fastball has dramatically increased over the years. Regardless, why are these pitchers throwing harder than ever before. Well, the first reason is in the strength and conditioning field. For years, baseball was slow to adapt to these principles, thinking pitchers would get too bulky to perform well. The author of a major league record 7 no hitters, Nolan Ryan, wrote that he used to “sneak” from the Angels facility to the football facility to lift weights. Sounds like he was on to something (this was in the 70’s), he arguably has the best fastball ever. I can tell you that when strength coaches were introduced in to baseball clubhouses there was push back, resistance. Let’s just fast forward, today every major league team has two strength and conditioning coaches, each minor league team has a strength coach. The training plans have gone from ” don’t get any one hurt” to an aggressive plan individualized for each player based on specific needs and the position each athlete plays. I used to hear the risk/ reward phrase thrown out all the time, not any more. It is all about the reward.

The use of pitching labs, wearable devices that measure movements, extreme high speed cameras have also aided in better instruction. The slow motion footage of an athlete throwing is more accurate than any human eye, regardless of how well that eye has been trained. The wearable monitors have helped researchers and coaches better understand how the human body moves most efficiently and most powerfully. Research has taught those people in player development( coaches) that arm action can be changed successfully and coaches must address this subject for athletes who want to throw hard . The new age pitcher is learning how his body should move during a throw, what each body part is responsible for and when everything should happen. Sequencing, is a new word for baseball but it can be easily explained to any 10 year old. If we ask them what did they put on first, socks or shoes? If they did it in reverse order- well that just doesn’t work that well, right?

Velocity is being taught, this is a newer concept developing over the last decade. If you have a young athlete, check the facts and program out before you commit. There are NO short cuts. Elite throwing is a toe nail to finger nail movement. Strength, power, range of motion and direction are necessary to get the velocity gains one is looking for. It also takes time and a commitment. Do not allow short term obstacles get in the way of long term goals.

Effect of a 6-Week Weighted Baseball Throwing Program on Pitch Velocity, Pitching Arm Biomechanics, Passive Range of Motion, and Injury Rates – Michael M. Reinold, Leonard C. Macrina, Glenn S. Fleisig, Kyle Aune, James R. Andrews, 2018

Effect of a 6-Week Weighted Baseball Throwing Program on Pitch Velocity, Pitching Arm Biomechanics, Passive Range of Motion, and Injury Rates – Michael M. Reinold, Leonard C. Macrina, Glenn S. Fleisig, Kyle Aune, James R. Andrews, 2018
— Read on journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1941738118779909