Player development is something that all coaches want to be good at—I have never met a coach who disregards player development as a necessity in their coaching. It’s incredibly valuable to all levels of coaching, but especially youth coaching. As a young coach, I have gone through an intense deep dive into what it means to truly develop a complete player, and I have found many people out there who really excel in this area. Still, I never really knew what the term “player development” really meant, specifically when it came to pitching.
As a pitching coach, I have always known that it is important to help athletes get stronger, have better spin rates, higher velocity, better tunneling, efficient mechanics, and so on. But how is that developed? Could there be one cookie-cutter way to develop all guys the same? Unfortunately, in all that I’ve found, there is no one-size-fits-all, and that is a good thing!
In all of my digging, it has become crystal clear to me that player development—especially pitcher development—is incredibly individualized. Each pitcher develops differently, learns differently, grows differently. So as a coach, I need to be able to individualize my player development. At the same time, there are certain things that everyone needs. Players need individualized player development, but coaches also need wide-spread frameworks for developing everyone on their team—both can be true at the same time.
Here are what I consider to be the 10 most important aspects when it comes to developing a complete pitcher. There is no order in terms of what is more important, but they all are general areas of development that can all be individually altered to fit each pitcher uniquely.
Attack the Zone
Throwing strikes consistently is the most important part of a pitcher’s game. We have all been part of games where we have a carousel of walk after walk. If you cannot throw a strike, you cannot be on the mound. Before we ever get into pitch types, tunneling and sequencing, we first need to make sure our pitchers can throw it over the plate consistently. For us, we require our freshman pitchers to be able to throw two pitches, usually a fastball and a changeup, for strikes 60% of the time. Now, this does not mean that the only freshmen who ever pitch are the ones that can do this, but it is our target for kids to strive for.
Not only do I want my guys to be able to throw strikes consistently, but I want them to actually attack the zone with aggression. Do not be afraid to throw strikes! Especially at the youth level, you can throw a ball right down the middle and still get consistent outs. Hitting a baseball is hard!
Deception
I like to use the word “deception,” but really what I am talking about here is tunneling and sequencing of pitches. I believe there are three major aspects when it comes to sequencing your pitches that lead to deception: speed, movement, and location. I stress to my pitchers that they do not have to do all three of these each time, but they should do at least one of them every pitch.
If you throw a four-seam low and inside, you should change one of either the speed (change-up), location (fastball away), or movement (anything with spin). Doing this is what I call the “art” of pitching.
Arm Care
The best ability is availability. You cannot be a good pitcher if you are not healthy enough to step on the rubber! There are many arm care routines out there and I tell our guys it’s never okay to plagiarize in school, but please steal ideas from others when it comes to arm care!
At the end of the day, I believe that arm care is individualized for each athlete, but regardless of what they choose to do, they need to do something every single day that activates their arm pre-throw and something that recovers their arm post-throw. Regardless of the how, there should always be a what when it comes to taking care of your arm.
Routines (Weekly and Pre-Pitch)
We all know that high-level pitchers are extremely routine-based. Pro pitchers typically follow a five-day schedule, and college guys follow a seven-day. There is something to be done every day, but what should be done when?
On top of weekly routines, I think one of the most important parts of pitching is what they do in between pitches. Whatever it is for a pitcher, they need to be able to breathe, have positive self-talk, and think about what pitch they just threw and what they will throw next.
Mound Presence
Two words: body language. As a hitter, I could always tell when the guy on the rubber believed in his stuff or not. How? By his body language. As a pitcher, you are on the highest point of the field, all eyes are on you every pitch. Do you look like you are in control?
There is an intentionality regarding your body language, and we as coaches are responsible for teaching athletes to carry themselves a certain way regardless of what is going on.
Control the Running Game
As a young player, I assumed the running game was the catcher’s problem, but I have learned that it’s just as much (if not more) on the pitcher. This is all about timing and variety of holds, picks, and a competitive time to the plate. Successful pitchers control the running game.
Be an Athlete
Once the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand, they are a fielder. The game of baseball is nine-on-one. When the ball is put in play, all nine defenders are working to get that one batter out.
Not only is there the athleticism aspect of fielding your position, but a pitcher also needs the baseball IQ to know where to back up a throw, what to do in first and third situations, and how to handle bunt defense. Being an athlete is just as much about knowledge as it is about the physical component.
Mental Aspects of Pitching (MAP)
This is something I borrowed from former Major League pitching coach Tim Colborn, who created MAP sessions. He often used movie clips to teach mental and mindset strategies. The mental game is incredibly important, and using media is just one fun and relevant way to teach it to youth pitchers.
Mechanical Efficiency and Rhythm
When it comes to mechanics, I am not one to change anything right away, and I don’t believe in a cookie-cutter approach. However, there are key components that everyone should have in their mechanics, regardless of style.
Mechanics need to be efficient and smooth. There are certain checkpoints in every throwing motion, so it’s important to allow each pitcher to be themselves while still hitting those checkpoints.
Top Step Teammate
Darren Fenster wrote an incredible article about what it means to be a “Top Step Teammate.” This is what I use to teach character. Yes, a big part of our job is to coach kids to become better ballplayers, but teaching them to grow into great men matters most.
I strongly believe that no game teaches character better than baseball.