Professional Baseball Coach - Chicago Cubs
Joined December 2013
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6,645 Photos and videos
Giants Daniel Susac knocking the high ball down with karate chop action.
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Jun 12
As a catcher, you fight for every stri-ball to be called a strike. This is particularly good because it was a big target miss. The fact that it missed into the umpire’s visual tunnel helped.
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Jun 11
Solid low in move by the Cubs Moises Ballesteros. Note the slight angle in on the set up. Gives him a chance to make a more direct A to B move.
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Jun 11
Good thought from today’s Clint Hurdle’s Blog. Look in the mirror.
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Jun 11
instagram.com/reel/DXupfwYki…
GREAT TAKE ON PLAYING TO WIN & HOW IT DEVELOPS BASEBALL IQ
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Jun 10
MENTAL GAME THOUGHTS
A big part of most successful players process is their routines. That can be both good & bad. It can be bad when over an extended period of time your routines are not producing the type of outcome that you desire. In that case, you can’t be a SLAVE to your routine. Unfortunately there is no definitive indicator when the time has arrived to tweak your routine(s) to produce better outcomes. In baseball it is particularly difficult because there are so many outcomes that are out of your control. It’s often best to redefine success in terms of the outcomes that you have control over. IE., as a hitter, put a good on time swing on your pitch. Most players get the best results when they are in the present & compete with confidence, A big part of that process is breathing & being mindless. That’s the time to truly trust your preparation.
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Jun 10
These three bunts(Safety/Non directional sac/Directional sac bunt) all occurred in the 7th inning of yesterday’s game between the Reds & Padres.
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Jun 9
Nice job by the SS on this 1st & 3rd rundown to keep his head on a swivel in order to monitor the runner on 3B. One possible adjustment is to have the 1st baseman trail the base stealer (20’) to shorten & speed up the rundown process between 1B & 2B.
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Jun 8
MOVING DAY-THREE DIFFERENT LOW % STRI-BALLS CONVERTED INTO STRIKES.
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Jun 7
From Ryan Crotin’s ARM CARE weekly blog. The ideal throwing sequence to transfer energy up the chain to get the best result at release. IMO a big factor in this process is the connection(Speed of transfer) between one segment decelerating & passing energy on to the next segment.
MOVE SMOOTH & FAST
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Jun 6
New sheriff in town. Giants Daniel Susac throw out.
POP TIME 1.77
TRANSFER .60
MPH 85.5
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Jun 6
Two takeaways from this play from the Auburn-Ole Miss regional.
1) Great aggressive turn at 1B on a BH into LCF.
2) Auburn catcher trailing the play aggressively in case there is backdoor action at 1B in response to the big turn.
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Jun 6
Good thoughts on hitting with two strikes. It’s not about changing your swing, it’s about adjusting your approach. Unfortunately this is a non starter for most of today’s hitters. We don’t change our approach & we don’t practice hitting with two strikes. I know, don’t get two strikes on you. The reality is you ARE going to be hitting with two strikes in 50 % of your at bats.
When I was with the St. Louis Cardinals, we had a team meeting about hitting with two strikes.
Albert Pujols was leading it.
At the time, he was hitting something ridiculous with two strikes.
I want to say it was around .265.
Naturally, everyone wanted to know how.
So somebody asked:
"What's your two-strike approach?"
Albert's answer surprised me.
He said:
"I think fastball inside and hit it back through the middle."
That was it.
No complicated mechanics.
No secret formula.
Just:
Fastball inside.
Back through the middle.
I remember sitting there thinking:
"Why would you think fastball inside with two strikes?"
So somebody asked him.
And Albert said something I'll never forget.
He said:
"If I can hit a fastball inside back through the middle..."
"I can hit the fastball away."
"I can stay on the changeup."
"I can stay on the slider."
"I can stay on the curveball."
Then he paused.
And said:
"The ball gets deeper."
That's when it clicked for me.
He wasn't trying to pull the inside fastball.
He was using one thought to cover everything.
The more I thought about it...
The more it made sense.
So I started trying it.
And it changed the way I thought about hitting with two strikes.
Instead of worrying about every pitch...
I focused on one.
Fastball inside.
Back through the middle.
See it DEEP.
If you're struggling with two strikes, here's what I'd do tonight:
Round 1: Short Box
(Set the distance somewhere between front toss and batting practice.)
Have a coach throw only fastballs inside.
Your only thought:
"Fastball inside."
Drive the ball back through the middle.
10 swings.
Round 2: Mix Speeds
Now the coach mixes:
- Fastballs
- Changeups
- Breaking balls
- Sliders
But your thought never changes.
You're still looking:
"Fastball inside."
10 swings.
Round 3: Two-Strike BP
Every pitch starts 0-2.
Compete.
Battle.
Use the same approach.
"Fastball inside."
Back through the middle.
10 swings.
That's it.
30 focused swings.
One thought.
One approach.
One goal.
Drive the baseball back through the middle.
One thing I've learned:
Most hitters get worse with two strikes because they add thoughts.
Albert got better because he removed them.
With two strikes, simplicity is a weapon.
Thank you for reading,
Jermaine Curtis
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Jun 5
Knoxville Cubs Owen Ayers with a game ending conversion of a very low % stri-ball.
1) Smooth & fast one pieced diagonal move.
2) He catches the pitch up to the plate at extension.
4) Holds the catch long enough for the umpire to have time to make a decision. ( Fine line here)
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Jun 5
Two big takeaways on this Jonah Heim throwout.
1)!Average leg (Break Time) & a long hold from Kuhnel.
2) A VERY accurate throw from Heim.
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Jun 4
STRUGGLING PITCHER-POTENTIAL THREE STEP QUICK FIX
1) Increase your delivery tempo. Move down the mound faster.
2) Set up your catcher in the middle of the plate( even up a little) & commit to throwing the ball through the target.
3) Stabilize your head & eyes. (#1)
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