Be on second base!

You see it all the time in the big leagues on TV.  A player hits a pop-up, slams the bat down, and runs about 60% to first base.  Most of the time, the fielder catches the ball and the batter trots back to the dugout after half-heartedly rounding first base.  Until the ball drops. The […]

Pitchers and the Spotlight Effect

If you ever took a psychology course then you probably know that there are many things that can impact how we perceive the world around us.  Quite often our perceptions are flawed as a result.  Concepts like confirmation bias, the fundamental attribution error, and hindsight bias are just a few of the things that humans […]

Within three pitches

Successful pitching at any level is not rocket science.  Get ahead and force them to put the ball into play.   There are very few situations in the game where a strikeout is necessary.  2nd and 3rd and no outs would be an example.  Every other situation calls for the pitcher to force the batter […]

The good and bad of golf during baseball season

There have been several times where I have watched a batter for the first time during a hitting lesson and asked the player, “How long have you played golf?”  The response has always started with a look that said “How did you know I played golf?” and then finished with an actual answer like “a […]

Accelerate the barrel through the zone

One of the hundreds of baseball sayings my dad passed on to me growing up was, “The ball will not jump off the bat by itself.  You have to make it jump off your bat.”  I find myself saying that to many of the hitters I work with these days. Younger kids who are learning […]

Strikeouts are killing baseball

When I was in the Twins organization, I had a teammate who was a power hitter who struck out a lot.  Another teammate was kidding him about his strikeout totals and the power hitter said the following: “An out is an out.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a ground ball, a pop-up, or a strike […]

Baseball has a problem

A friend sent this photo from a game he was watching yesterday.  Yes, “TJ” stands for “Tommy John” surgery.  And this is only one team at one level. Folks, there are serious problems in the game of baseball.  Red flags should be waving and alarm bells should be sounding at every level.

Why don’t more catchers drop a knee?

Being a catcher has to be the most physically demanding job on a baseball field.  Heck, my knees hurt just warming up a pitcher for a few throws.  I can’t imagine squatting down day in and day out over the course of a 162 game schedule. This is why I can’t understand why more catchers […]

Cardinal sins of base running

If you have watched MLB highlights over the past few days then you probably have seen this play from Yadier Molina. The base runner who went to third on the walk broke three (yes, a MLB player committed THREE!!!!) cardinal sins on one single play.  Here they are: The runner rounded a base when a […]