TBR Instant Classic: Ask Applejack

I hope you guys stay as interested as you are now.
I know I'm not suppose to be soliciting but I have a plan in the works for the last two years that will be of great benefit to not only players but coaches and parents.
Possibly in September of this year I will be bringing to Charlotte some former major league players, coaches and scouts for one weekend.
You will receive professional instruction on the mechanics of baseball in most all facets of the game and scouts will get a bird's eye view to evaluate talent.
There will also be some college coaches and scouts there.
When it all unfolds I will announce it here.
Braves, I know I have not talked to you about this but I will definitely need your help.
I'll keep you all posted.

 

Thanks AJ...this sounds great!

 

AJ, you are talking about conducting a clinic.

I have a son who is currently a sopohomore at a D1 college; he's been told that he should be starting weekday games.

My question is, is it appropriate for a player to get coaching outside his program? I wonder if there might be a conflict if the outside coach has a different philosopy about mechanics and conditioning.

I know that my son had some coaching at a local clinic his senior year of high school. When I went to his college to see him pitch for the first time, I noticed that his current coach, a former major league pitcher, had changed his mechanics quite a bit. It took him until mid summer season to regain the velocity he had as a high school senior. However, it must have had a benificial effect on his arm, for he never experienced any pain at all. During his summer team's playoffs, he pitched 14 strong innings over a period of 18 hours.

Comments?

 

Great question fatman. AJ is usually not here on the weekends. He's escorting his family around the State doing volunteer work. The man is a Saint

 

Can you tell us what life was like living and traveling in the minors? Do you have any good stories that you could share?

 

Hello Fatman and sorry for the late response.
My philosophy on this matter is like this.
Pitching coaches and instructors will differ in opinion from time to time.
The way I go about my work is to suggest and not demand whatever I see is needed and if it does not work for the individual then go another route.
Example is I once had a pitching coach on the professional level that wanted everybody to have the Tom Seaver delivery. Good form and fundamental delivery with everyone throwing over the top. This was absolutely useless for me because it took away from some of my strengths and flattened out my fastball. You see I'm lefthanded with a 3/4 delivery and throw somewhat across my body creating a good hard natural sinker with a two seamer.
I'll even tell you his name is Claude Osteen.
But another instructor, Sandy Koufax, in the same camp taught me to keep the same delivery and how to throw a CUT FASTBALL to offset the sinker. This method worked very well for me in that you may get smart hitters who recognize fastball counts and sit on the sinker away to a right handed hitter and drive the ball to the opposite field. But with the cutter in my arsenal it allowed me to keep the hitters honest because I would bust them in on those counts and create a lot of firewood.
The answer is go with what works best for your son and gather as much information as possible.
I said in another thread that Dave Stewart once told me to try it, if it don't work for you go with what got you here.

 

Living in the minor leagues is no bed of roses. At the lower levels traveling was terrible. I remember once when I was in Lodi California the bus was so bad that there were times we would literally have to get off the bus and push it up the hill, no joke.
We would take turns sleeping in the luggage racks. Meal money was like 6 or 7 dollars per day.
My first year I was in Lethbridge, Alberta Canada. 19 years old, first time away from home making $600.00 per month before taxes and paying $150.00 per month to live in the basement of a family's home.
I have so many stories that I could tell but I will get around to some of them later.
My favorite places that I played in the minors were Vero Beach Florida and believe it or not Buffalo NY.
One story I will share with you is I was in big league camp with the Pirates and pitching against the Cardinals at ST.Pete.
This is when the Cards had all the speedsters in Coleman, Ozzie, Mcgee, Oquendo etc...
Coleman's on first, one out and I'm facing Ozzie. He slaps a ground ball between 1st and 2nd and instinctively when a ball is hit to a pitcher's left he habitually goes to cover 1st (force of habit).
I take 3 hard steps towards 1st when the ball goes through and I wheel to go backup the throw to 3rd because Coleman is going to try a 1st to 3rd on the single to right.
As I turn I realize I've got a lot of ground I have to make up to get into position for the backup so I'm sprinting to get there. I cross the mound and look back to see how the play is developing and to check Coleman, meanwhile, Eric Greg who is umpiring 3rd base is caught out of position is sprinting to wards me , yes his 300 plus pounds was sprinting, to get into position to make the call.
OK Greg weighs 300 + lbs and my playing weight was at 170. We're both sprinting and he's looking towards right field and I'm sprinting towards 3rd looking back and we're on a collision course.
All I can remember is him standing over me dropping sweat on me and saying these profound words, " You aight bro?" It was not pretty but I sustained the massacre and proceded to finish pitching but I have not been hit that hard since I ran into a brick wall while playing basketball in high school.

 

Fantastic Post

AJ...

You should write posts like that all day and just let the rest of us just enjoy........(and write a book too!)

Fantastic post, thanks for sharing and keep it up!

 

Sorry, a little off topic but what are the jobes exercises that everyone is talking about and what are they designed to do?

 

Jobes exercises...named after Dr. Frank Jobe. Some coaches call them rotator cuff exercises, done with 3 lb dumb-bells.

Basically, the Jobe exercises are arm insurance for pitchers. They strengthen and protect the shoulder and elbow from the violent stresses inherent in throwing a baseball.

Most good pitching manuals have the full set in them. Get one. Do them.