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What Does It Take?
THE SEASON IS RAPIDLY APPROACHING and workouts frequencies have increased. In preparation for my March 7 departure to spring training, I have started supplementing my Monday, Wednesday, Friday strength and conditioning workouts, with hitting sessions with some former University of Tampa teammates at the University before their 2:45pm baseball practices. In addition, a baseball workout on Saturdays or Sundays will be added to most weeks.
Some may think that this is a lot of training to endure, but I have been training like this since I was 12. I do not have the natural ability that some athletes have, so I have always had to work hard maximize the most of the ability I was given. Many have asked me what my offseason training was when I was younger. I will outline this in four categories: strength and conditioning, catching, throwing, hitting. I have attempted to provide frequency and durations of this, but time may have blurred the accuracy of those figures.
Strength and Conditioning
Basics and Plyometrics-- I did not start a weight program until I was a freshman in high school. Through guidance from a former Little League coach, Joe Franchini, I did a variety of pushups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and plyometric exercises three days a week from years 12 to 14. In addition, I did speed training that composed of form running exercises and agility drills.
Winter Track--I know this is not available in all parts of the country, but in New York, we have this gross stuff called snow that flies from about November to March (and even April and May in bad years). Thus, there is winter track. While it is formally called indoor track, that is only because meets are run indoors. If it is warm enough (above 20 degrees), and any of the roads, track, or parking lots are clear of snow, practice takes place outside. No, I did not do this because I liked to run. I ran track for four and a half years to improve my speed and conditioning, which took place five days a week with meets on weekends. Ironically, I found myself on the 2001 NYS Section II Champion 800 meter relay team. Not bad for a catcher.
Weights--After the track practices got over around 4:30pm, I set off to the weight room to embark on my two-hour strength workouts, developed by our, then, high school trainer, Ron Annis. These workouts encompassed almost every aspect of weight lifting during my four years in high school, ranging from a mass building program designed for football players, to Olympic lifts, to the resistance and medicine ball exercises that are exceedingly popular today. I owe all of my strength and weight room knowledge to Ron, who now operates Top Form, Inc. (based in Castleton, NY), a company guiding youth and adults toward achieving their fitness goals.
Catching
Instruction--I received a lot of catching instruction from Norm Hayner during my younger years. Now an owner of The Sports Barn (Halfmoon, NY) with his brother, Norm guided me through drills to improve all of the skills necessary to be a quality backstop. I also started seeing Don Reed twice a year in 2001 (until I transferred to Tampa), and my relationship with him can be found in my previous Offseason Training post. After absorbing the drills from these instructors, I did them on my own for many years. During the winter months, I would do them in my basement, along with hitting drills that will be discussed later.
Bullpens--Weekly, 90-minute hitting and pitching groups took place at All Stars Academy (Latham, NY) from November to February and would pit hitters against pitchers in live situations in the batting tunnels. I would generally catch a Saturday session, then hit in the following session. This was in addition to the regular hitting session I was a part of during the week. Additionally, I caught some high school pitchers in a warehouse about twice a week once January came around to get ready for March practices.
Throwing
Long-Toss--In the neighborhood I grew up in, my house is on a long hill. I painted the road with distances for 60, 90, 128 (rough distance from home to second base), 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, and 210 feet, and would throw on the road (uphill) during the offseason with my dad, brother, or sometimes a teammate. As long as the temperature was above 30 degrees, I was out there throwing between three and five times a week.
Hitting
Basement--In the basement of my house in New York, I had a net hanging in the corner, and would do many hitting drills with tees and a soft toss machine. Most of my winter hitting was after I came home from my track and weight workouts, but I tried to take at least 75-100 swings a night. Another drill that I would do when dad came home from work was to hit golf-ball sized wiffleballs with a wood dowel. This was to develop hand-eye coordination, and I feel that this drill is a big contributor to my high propensity to make contact on any given swing.
Wood Bats--For almost all of my offseason hitting, I used a wood bat from the time I was 12. I would start taking some rounds with metal as the season neared, but using a wood bat is a great tool to determine a sound swing because metal bats can hide many mistakes.
Hitting Groups--As I explained in the bullpens part of the Catching section, I participated in a weekly hitting session where I faced live pitching almost every week from November through February. The hitting groups were led by Mike Serbalik, current owner of All Stars Academy (Latham, NY).
Wiffleballs-- During the fall, I would go out three times a week and hit wiffleballs solo. I did three rounds, one each of tossing it to myself normally, another one where I would throw it up high to myself and hit it on the way down, and the third where I would put my arm straight out and drop the ball, hitting it before it hit the ground.
I know there are some things I left out, but those are the major components of my offseason training as a younger player. Yes, of all the professional sports, the most opportunities are in baseball. However, getting a coveted spot in an organization requires more than desire. While the hunger for making a team is a good start, execution of a solid plan to work toward that goal is required to have a shot. "Hard work doesn't guarantee success, but without it you don't have a chance."
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Hardest Part of Minor League Baseball
I RECENTLY RECEIVED an email from a 13-year-old Watertown Wizards and LA Angels fan. Marcus saw me play during the summers of 2004 and 2006, when I played with the Watertown Wizards of the New York Collegiate Baseball League. Marcus wrote me inquiring as to what the toughest thing is about playing minor league baseball.
The easy answer to this question is to say that everything is tough about playing minor league baseball. This is not the glamorous life that most perceive it to be, and most people only truly understand if they take the time to learn, have been through it themselves, or know someone who has been through it. There are many long hours away from home making an unlivable salary (in most cases). However, we are voluntarily putting ourselves through the rigors of the minor league system with the hopes that one day, we will be able to achieve the dream of playing Major League Baseball. This is what drives most players: the hopes and determination of ultimately playing in the Majors.
Now, the complex answer to Marcus's question. The hardest part about minor league baseball is that there are no guarantees. What I mean by this, is that tomorrow is never guaranteed; you never know if you will have a job tomorrow, nor can you even be certain where you will be and who will be around you. I alluded to these shortcomings in a post last June, "Comings and Goings," where I discussed how the relationships you develop with players, staff, and fans could be short-lived. In an attempt to reduce the impact of sudden changes, you try to keep these relationships at a professional level and minimize any emotional attachment.
It is unfathomably hard to invest so much time and energy into something that can be gone without warning. Playing baseball is such a fickle profession where knowing the right people and being in the right place at the right time can be just as important as performing well on the field. However, the love of the game keeps most going during the long bus rides, minimal pay, unjust personnel decisions, and time away from home. It is the dream that most of us have had since we were young of playing in the Big Leagues that gets us through the setbacks to face another day.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Happy New Year
I KNOW there has been a bit of time since my last post. However, I have been consumed with a lot of nothing. I have been in Cancun on a family vacation and have been doing many non-baseball related activities. Aside from a few workouts at the gym, I have used this time to become detached from baseball and clear my mind. This will enable me to begin the last two months before leave for spring training with an eager and fresh outlook for the 2009 season.
As brief aside to the non-baseball world, I will be taking two classes this spring as independent studies to finish my MBA degree. My Advanced Business Forecasting class is entirely self-paced, while my Database Design, Development, and Administration class will be taken regularly for the first six weeks, then I will finish it independently after my departure for spring training. Yes, I am sure those classes seem scintillating to most, but they satisfy the final two electives I need for my Management Information Systems concentration. I am looking forward to completing my MBA and will attempt to find a part-time job with a company in the financial services industry during next off-season. If anyone knows anyone who would want to hire an MBA part-time in the Tampa area, feel free to let me know. Most often, it comes down to whom you know and not necessarily what you know.
In addition, in response to a comment I received last week about my Offseason Training post, I felt that both pitchers were throwing very well. Joe Torres was looking very fluid and had good velocity and command before his departure for Puerto Rico. Joey Eischen was also throwing the ball with authority, and I am confident that one Major League team will give him an invite to spring training.
I want to wish everyone a very happy and successful New Year. I feel that 2008 will be remember mostly for is tumultuous times, particularly the devastating flooding and downtrodden economy. However, the bright spot about being at the bottom is that up is the only place to go from there. I am always confident at the start of a new year that the upcoming year will be better than its predecessor. Happy New Year.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Offseason Training
I TRAVELED HOME to New York this past Tuesday, and will be here until my return to Tampa on Monday. For Christmas, I will be meeting my family in Cancun for weeklong vacation. While on these trips, I will be continuing my workout programs, which have been going on since mid-October. There has been considerable interest among several readers as to what comprises my offseason training regimen. It has been a combination of weight training/conditioning and baseball specific work, which I discuss in detail.
With the exception of some sporadic running, I took four weeks off to rest and recuperate after the season's conclusion. During this time, I went through a strength evaluation given by Larry Mayol, former athletic trainer for the New York Mets, at his training place in Largo, about a half hour drive from Tampa. Next week, I will start my eleventh week of strength and conditioning training, which I do Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. All of these workouts begin with 15-20 minutes of cardio on a bike, elliptical, or treadmill, and take between two and three hours to finish. Workouts are a combination of machine-based and functional-based exercises, and are designed to promote muscle strength, flexibility, and endurance.
My workout location has several minor and major league players coming in and out, some rehabbing and some preparing for the upcoming season. During or after a workout, I have been playing catch outside of the facility and catching bullpens. During the first few weeks, I was catching Joe Torres, a former draft pick of the Angels who pitched for the AA affiliate of the Chicago White Sox last season, while he prepared to play winter ball in Puerto Rico. Recently, I have been catching for Joey Eischen, a nomadic left-handed reliever with ten years (324 appearances) of major league service with four different organizations (he has played with Montreal and Washington - I count this as one organization). His last major league appearance was in 2006, and he is looking to pitch one more season. So, I have been catching his bullpen workouts and his showings for scouts.
As for the baseball specific workouts, I have been consistently been hitting, throwing, and doing catching drills on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Coach Don Reed in St. Petersburg. Coach Reed is the winningest coach ever in the Cape Cod Collegiate League and I have been working out with him since 2001 (when I would make trips twice a year to St. Petersburg during my high school years and first two years at the University of Rochester). I have put emphasis this offseason on my throwing and hitting mechanics, trying to quicken the throwing and keep my weight back hitting, as well as keeping a firm front side. Those workouts are generally three hours, and will start taking place on Saturdays as well after the New Year.
I will also begin mixing in at The University of Tampa Baseball practices, to get extra hitting and drill work when I need it. Overall, I workout five to six days a week, and this is anywhere from two to five hours a day. Occasionally, I run on my own, just to further my conditioning for the upcoming season. This working out has occurred amidst taking three courses this past semester. I will delve into the academic side of things at a later time. Putting in the hard work in the offseason is what leads to longevity in this game, both during a season, and a career. Our hitting coach from this past season told us toward the end of the season, when we were discussing offseason plans that, our hitting coach, Damon Mashore said something to the effect, 'Every day you spend not working on one aspect of this game, you slip one day farther away from making it to the top.' Fortunately, I grasped that concept at an early age, but it still holds true today and I will continue to utilize this in my offseason training approach.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Congratulations Cedar Rapids
I AM AT IT AGAIN. Season two of the blogging has commenced, just as my second-to-last semester in the MBA program has ended. At the request of some, I have decided to start blogging for the 2009 season a little early to give people insight on what goes on during the offseason. I will get into that in upcoming posts; however, I felt this post needed to made first and foremost.
I want to congratulate the Cedar Rapids Kernels organization for being named Minor League Baseball's top franchise. Cedar Rapids was awarded the John H. Johnson President's Trophy, the top MiLB award, at the winter baseball meetings last week in Las Vegas. This award is described as follows: "The President's Trophy is presented annually to honor the complete baseball franchise--based on franchise stability; contributions to league stability; contributions to baseball in the community; and promotion of the baseball industry."
This award signifies a tremendous accomplishment for everyone involved in the organization, from the front office to the fans. It is a true testament to the dedication to excellence and service that I admired and respected during my 2008 season in Cedar Rapids. Without the tireless hours of work invested by Jack Roeder and the front office and support staff, and Jesse Roeder and the grounds crew, and most importantly, the support provided by the fans, this award is not possible.
The fans. Without them, the team is nothing. The strength of the Cedar Rapids community was given the greatest possible test during the devastating floods of 2008. The city could have easily succumb to the destruction and given up on the hopes of recovering. However, the human spirit prevailed, and I was able to witness a community aid one another and build itself back up. The Kernels tried to help where possible, and the city responded through their continuous support of us and propelled us to the city's first playoff series win in eight years.
This award symbolizes more than the greatness of a minor league baseball team. It represents a city that persevered during trying times and will grow stronger in the future. It represents a community that is proud of its history and supportive of its teams. While this award was presented to the Cedar Rapids Kernels, it is also commending the city and surrounding area of Cedar Rapids for its greatness and being the city the Kernels are very proud to call home.
