Bullpen Three

Third bullpen of the year in the books.  Yesterday the schedule got thrown off and I threw a touch and feel pen to a high school kid.  It is interesting to see how a few years can make a difference.  When I was in high school, I was tall, but not very muscular.  I think the hardest I ever threw off the mound was 85.

That is why when I played with high school kids this summer it was eye opening to see how good a high school kid can be.  Anyways, we pushed the bullpen back to today but I think it went well. Below are three pitches from the bullpen.

Fastball

Changeup

Slider

My fastball command improved since my bullpen on Thursday and I think my slider is getting better the more I throw it.  My velocity was again in the mid to upper 80s with my fastball, which should increase in the next few weeks.

I still am unsure when minor league spring training starts, but based on my bullpen schedule I should throw about 10 more bullpens before the real deal in the spring.

At this point in training I’m focusing on mechanical cues on the mound like driving my hips or keeping a tight arm angle.  If I can nail down some mechanical stuff now, and through the bullpens, when I get into the spring and start chucking it the mechanics will already be there.  The best way to get the reps I need is going full speed off the mound, which is what my throwing partner, (and my awesome catcher), will be doing in the upcoming weeks.  I’m planning on getting some more slow motion side shots so I can see how my legs are working from a different angle. The catching angle is great for me to see how my pitches move while also looking at my arm angles and such.  More to come soon.

Two Bullpens Deep

The first week of throwing bullpens is in the books. I didn’t record this session with the GoPro glasses but overall it was a good session.

On Monday I felt like everything was moving in hyper drive. It honestly felt weird to be on the mound doing a bullpen, but also comfortable at the same time. On Thursday, the bullpen felt much more comfortable.

The velocity was the same on the fastball but I felt like I wasn’t trying to throw as hard. I would take that as a plus. On Monday, after I threw I felt like I couldn’t do anything because of how tired I was. Thursday, I was tired, but it felt better than Monday.

At this point, that is my schedule until I hear about when spring training starts. Apparently nobody knows, but hey it keeps me on my toes. The big league guys are Feb 20. and Feb 25. My estimation would be sometime in March, so I have a couple weeks of bullpens to get ready. I will have more videos going forward, hopefully some cool slow-mo stuff and some more GoPro action. Just very excited to start throwing and be back in Florida.

First Pen of 2015

The first bullpen of the new year is in the books!

It felt great to be back on the mound. What is cool about the mound I was throwing off is that it was built from the ground up. I tamped many bags of clay to form this mound and make it the mound it is today. The dirt indoor mound is sweet because getting the real bullpen feel indoors will help going into the spring.

As promised, there were many videos taken.

http://Instagram.com/p/yDAaOvpuBp/

This is a quick look into the action but tomorrow I can review the rest of the footage and make some edits. The GoPro video is a good look into what my pitches look like as far as movement goes.

At first, my arm felt tight but when I started throwing it loosened up well. As the video said, that pitch was around 89 mph which was the high for my fastball on the day. Fastball was 86-89, not bad for a January bullpen. I didn’t feel like I was airing it out but I definitely was trying to see where my arm is at.

Besides the fastballs, my change up felt much more comfortable out of the hand than during the season. I had a slider working as a cutter but as I throw more Im sure it will begin to take shape.

It was just the first of many bullpens, but I am pleased with how it went. Going forward I’m looking to have a more consistent mix of pitches and have the velocity up by the time I am going into spring training (if I ever find out when spring training starts).

I am looking forward to posting more bullpens and videos. Seeing the progress can’t hurt.

2017 Revisited

Hello again, it has been a bit since I last wrote but I was waiting for a good topic to chime in on.  I have already wrote about how I picture myself being on the big league team by 2017, but the Braves have also made it clear that they are aiming to rebuild.  With the recent trade of Evan Gattis this became more apparent.  In return, the Braves received a few players and one player I sort of know, Mike Fultynewicz.  He is a year younger than me, and his Minooka High School team was in my junior year regional.

I never faced him, but if you were talking Illinois high school baseball at the time then you knew who he was.  I am 100% sure that he has no idea who I am or even that we were at the same ballpark years ago, but it is cool to have another Illinois guy in the system.

I think now that the Braves have made it clear their plans, I will have to make my clear plans on how I can progress through the minors to eventually be a help in 2017. Obviously I am thinking very far into the future, and should be focusing on the present day, but it is nice to think about the future and where I want to be.  I am going to start throwing bullpens on Monday which I have been thinking about all off season.  I’m looking forward to seeing the progress with pitches that I have worked on this off season, primarily the change up and slider. Another person who has their eyes set on becoming a Major League contributor by 2017, is my friend Chad Hinshaw.  Chad and I played together throughout high school and have known each other from Junior High.

A recently read a good article about him and thought I would share it with everyone who might be interested.

http://monkeywithahalo.com/prospects-countdown/la-angels-prospects-chad-hinshaw.html

I think it would be sweet to have someone, even a blogger or whoever, say that I have an estimate date of arrival to the MLB and the skills to go with it.

Anyways, I’ll be back here Monday with an updated bullpen report to reflect how the first one of the off season went. Maybe I’ll have some cool video to show off.

2015

Hello and greetings from my first post of the new year. I hope everyone had a good holiday and new year. As I am writing this, it is 0 degrees and snowing. It is not the best baseball weather but lucky for me a trip to Orlando is around the corner.

I apologize for not updating this as much as I should but I thought writing more frequently would get boring. My schedule everyday is basically the same and writing about it everyday would get old.

However, I think I am on track to throw my first bullpen at the end of the month and then throwing more in February. I plan on getting video footage of these bullpens for my own use and I can also upload them so you guys can see the sweet dirt mound I have been helping build.

Besides the usual weight training and throwing I haven’t had much to talk about. High school starts this week which means I will be back in the classroom when opportunities present themselves.

This is going to be a great year and I am looking forward to chronicling the adventure.