The reality is, not until you get to professional baseball will ball movement start to become an important factor and at this level you will actually have coaches who will coach this with pitch grips. I really believe that changing mechanics to enhance ball movement is not a healthy approach for a pitcher. A great example was John Smoltz, at the end of his career the Atlanta, Braves made him a closer and also dropped his arm angle to a side arm position, so he could get a more natural run on the ball. This was effective at first, then he was put on the DL with bone spurs in his elbow. I believe he cut his career short when he made this mechanical adjustment for ball movement.

In my career, I never met a scout at any level who said all they are looking for is a pitcher who can throw strikes and has natural run on the ball. During my last recruiting visit, for one of the pitchers I have been working with, the first thing the coach asked was, how hard does he throw. He then told us that he wasn’t interested in anyone that was mid 80′s or less. We were expecting this and this pitcher did well and was offered a great scholarship because of his velocity.

The Road to Pitching Velocity

The best road that a young pitcher can take, in his career, is the road towards his top velocity. This means your main focus your entire career is to develop and maintain a high velocity fastball. Ever other pitch should work to complement the fastball. If a young pitcher will take this road and never go off path, his chances of making it to the top level, is a lot greater. For example, I was watching an MLB game this past season and the announcer pulled some stats on Bartolo Colon. He said that Colon averages 85% fastballs each game. Here is a veteran pitcher in Major League Baseball, he has made it to the top level and he is still throwing fastballs 85% of the time. So if you are a young pitcher playing high school baseball and you are throwing 45% or 65% fastballs then what are the chances you will be a Bartolo Colon or a hard thrower one day? Not good! Oh, by the way, the MLB only drafts hard throwers!

If you decide to go down the road to pitching velocity then you must make time for an off-season. You need an off-season to start a velocity program like the 3X Pitching Velocity program, if you want to increase velocity. Trying to use an off-season program to increase velocity in-season will have little effect. This is why increasing velocity can be such a big challenge, you not only have to work hard through the program but you also have to make at least a 16 week commitment, 5 days a week, 2-3 hours a day. So stop going from in-season to in-season and take the time to develop a high velocity fastball in the off-season.

Location, Location, Location

Before you even start thinking about movement, after you have established a good fastball, you  must master pitch location first. This means learn to place your dominate fastball on the corners of the plate. Your fastball can work as an off-speed pitch just by moving it inside and outside of the strike-zone. An inside fastball on the hands of a batter adds 5 mph in perceived velocity to the hitters eye. An outside fastball is just the opposite. This means just throwing the ball inside and outside to the hitter, will throw his timing off and you haven’t even changed your pitch. If you can master painting the corners with your dominate fastball then you could possibly take this strategy all the way to pro ball. Just imagine what scouts will think when they have a kid throwing upper 80′s or low 90′s and all he needs is his fastball to dominate the game. This is a major plus for all scouts!

Now comes the Movement

You don’t have to throw “Side Arm” or “Submarine” to have ball movement. Greg Maddux was the master at ball movement and he did it with an almost over the top release point. The key to his ball movement was pitch grips. Once you have established your fastball and you are throwing it 85% of the time or more, inside and outside, then now you can start to work with ball movement. This doesn’t mean everyone must have the same arm slot. I believe your bone and muscular structure will establish your natural arm slot. All it means is your ball movement must come from your pitch grips. Pitch grips should be a simple process of finger placement and wrist release point. The rest is up to you to spend the time working with the feeling of the pitch, until you can get some good movement out of it.

I highly recommend that you do not spend much time at all with ball movement, until you are heading way done the road to pitching velocity. If you are a young pitcher and you are getting hit around a lot in travel ball or high school baseball then make time for an off-season and develop a fastball.

This has a lot to do with the trickle down theory. Most of baseball gets their education from Major League Baseball. The problem with the MLB is that they are made up of an elite group of athletes. Therefore the league does not have to spend a lot of time in physical development of their players because everyone they acquire is already developed. This is why they draft athletes over baseball players. If you want proof just look at the 2000 MLB draft when the Colorado Rookies Drafted Michael Vick in the 30th round. The last time Michael Vick played baseball was in the 8th grade. They drafted him because he is one of the best athletes in the country. The MLB would rather draft athletes than just baseball players because they know it is easier to turn an athlete into a pitcher than a pitcher into an athlete. This is why the MLB has very little knowledge and experience in physical fitness and development. So why does all the levels under the MLB look to them for guidance in physical fitness and development? Good question!

This is why sites like TopVelocity.net are popular because elite leagues like the MLB are not providing adequate information in the physical fitness and development of baseball players.  This is also why their understanding of good pitching mechanics does not translate well to a physically underdeveloped pitcher.

Velocity Specificity

If you search velocity specificity on Google, you will discover a list of case studies on the topic. The reason for the studies is because of the demand for legal performance enhancement in sports. In the baseball world we are very aware of this demand for performance enhancement because illegal performance enhancing drugs have plagued the game for decades. These studies all look to the strength and conditioning world for this enhancement mainly because it is legal and it is effective. Strength and conditioning was first developed to rehabilitate the athlete from injury but what we discovered was that it not only rehabilitated the athlete, if continued, it would enhance performance. This is why today almost every top level college baseball team has some type of fitness expert on staff.

These velocity specificity studies have discovered, which is described in detail in the 5th study from the references below, that there is a lot of opposing theory around the most effective strategy to train velocity but all of the evidence does point to resistance training or weight training as the primary factor. Studies where a weight training group was compared to a non-weight training group proved that the weight training group always increased velocity. You will also find another 3-4 studies on this website with the same results. More important than the fact that resistance training or weight training is so effective in increasing velocity, is that in all cases where velocity was enhanced, the intent to move quickly was the consistent factor. It was more important than the load used during the training. The catch was heavy loads produced a higher intent to move quickly but if you lightened the load and could keep the same intent, velocity still increased. This means if you are training with 70% of your one rep max then you must move explosive enough to where your intent to move makes up for the other 30% of your max effort. This is extremely important to understand because you may not want to go really heavy with weights, so you must make up for this loss with your intent. This means you better train explosively if you are not training heavy which is not always easy to do.

As for velocity specificity when it comes to pitching mechanics it is most effective to develop the motor coordination through the entire kinetic chain as opposed to only training a few muscle groups like the throwing arm. This is where using weighted balls to train the shoulder is not as effective as using an weight training program to train the entire body and a throwing program to develop the motor coordination to use this total body power to increase velocity to the ball.

The 3X Pitching Velocity Program takes this approach and here is an introductory video to the 3X mechanics to learn more about total body explosive pitching mechanics.

References:

1. Velocity specificity of resistance training
2. Velocity specificity, combination training and sport specific tasks
3. Velocity specificity of weight training for kayak sprint performance
4. Coordination, the determinant of velocity specificity?
5. Velocity Specificity of Resistance Training: Actual Movement Velocity Versus Intention to Move Explosively

Who cares if his career is doomed, I mean don’t get me wrong, I don’t see it but who really cares. He has made a major impact on this game. How many young pitchers out there were inspired by this little Giant? How many young pitchers copied his delivery and benefited from the results? How many young pitchers, who wanted to give up because they thought they couldn’t do it because of their size, pushed even harder when they saw Lincecum dominating in the MLB? Tim Lincecum has changed the game and it has been for the better!

The Lincecum Trap or should we say Gift!

Here is a list of factors he has changed in this game of pitching.

1. Size isn’t the determining factor!
2. There is more to velocity than just the arm!
3. Physics is almost as powerful as genetics!
4. You can pitch from little league to the MLB!
5. Asian in your blood means you could be a really good pitcher!

I am a big fan of Lincecum but I am more of a fan of 3X Pitching. 3X Pitching is an approach to pitching that is present in pitchers like Tim Lincecum, Aroldis Chapman, Felix Hernandez, Nolan Ryan, Trevor Bauer and many more. I feel it is important in your own career to not harp on just one pitcher. We can learn from all of them. My new favorite is Trevor Bauer. He is even more explosive than Lincecum coming off the mound but Lincecum is a little more limber. My other favorite is Chapman who is currently on the DL and that doesn’t bother me. What bothers me is when they end up on the DL with a major injury like Strausburg. This is when we need to look at him mechanically and see what went wrong. He obviously was doing some things right and some things wrong. I believe pitch count is a determining factor with all of these guys. This is why I do not believe in throwing programs that make you throw tons of throws with the baseball. This is why the 3X Pitching Velocity Program uses light medicine ball throws to simulate the pitching delivery without putting the throws on the arm.

What we can learn from all this mess is that pitchers will come and go but good pitching mechanics will never change. Not one pitcher posses these mechanics. It is built around physics and classic physics is forever.

I learned quickly when I was at my first MLB tryout Camp at 16, the scout actually told us we had 6 pitches to hit 90 or we where going home early. Let’s just say I went home really early that day but it was an eye opening experience. I learned a lot about the cynicism of professional baseball. When I found myself at my next MLB tryout Camp I was now prepared for the day. I will never forget though my 3rd MLB tryout Camp. I was like 22 at the time, which makes you feel old at these tryouts and I had made friends with another guy who was my age as well. When we started warming up for the bull pens, he started bragging about his curveball to me. I just listened and then I started bragging about my fastball. I made the commit that today we better feel 90 or we will be heading home early! He looked at me and said that he doesn’t throw hard but he has that great curveball he was talking about. I then asked him if he was serious, if he realized what he was setting himself up for! I learned quickly that he had no clue. He was just like me at my first tryout. I told him the reality of these tryouts. He said I can’t break 82, so I have to show them my curverball. I said look pal, if you go up there and throw anything but a hard fastball, you are better off just turning right around and heading home. I told him if you do not hit 90 in your first few pitches, you are done. He stood strong and said that isn’t what he had to offer as a pitcher. I then wished him good luck! He stepped on the mound and throw his first pitch, it was a curveball and the scout dropped the gun and asked him what the hell was he doing. My friend told him that he was throwing his best pitch. The scout said, you better throw that thing straight and hard if you want to be around in the afternoon. This means he would have made the first cut and then played in the afternoon, with all the other guys who made the first cut. 6 pitches later the scout was asking him to leave.

It was my turn now and I was ready. I had been through 3 of these camps before and I knew what I needed to do. I threw my first pitch as hard as I possibly could and then I did it again. In 2 pitches I hit 91 and 92, and the scout told me to shut it down and get ready for the afternoon. I had finally made it and all because I knew what they were looking for, which was velocity. Velocity is king and I was playing the game. This is why ever person who finds this site must purchase the 3X Pitching Velocity Program. It will train you to pump gas and lead you to the 90mph club. Then you can walk into an MLB tryout Camp with confidence that you are going to turn some heads, like I did! The day that you hear a scout tell you that you are 90+ and you are coming back for the afternoon, you will do a back flip.

Countdown to Launch 9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 —–> 3X Pitching!

Once again, more new information that proves 3X Pitching to be not just revolutionary but a must learn approach to pitching velocity. Explosive Triple Extension is the only way a pitcher is going to increase stride distance and stride speed effectively to stand out with this new 3D Doppler Radar technology. The average stride length to pitch release is 5.10 feet and this is because these pitchers are not achieving complete 3X or Triple Extension before front foot strike. They are also not performing 3X explosively enough to finish with the maximum amount of forward trunk tilt at ball release, to allow the pitcher to finish out over the front foot, which puts his release point closer to the plate. The 3X Pitching Approach is the only way a pitcher will be able to increase their stride distance from the plate, along with their release point.

I have received a lot of interest lately, from newbies to 3X Pitching, who want to learn how to get more extension at pitch release. This could have a lot to do with the buzz around this technology. I first tell them that the WORST thing they can do to shorten their release point distance is to pull down or even reach forward at ball release. I then open their eyes to the 3X Pitching approach of stride length and stride speed through triple extension with hip to shoulder separation and the light goes on! They learn quickly that there is no other way to develop more velocity and that “Sneaky” fastball than with the 3X Pitching Velocity Program. The data that will begin to flow from this 3D Doppler Radar will change the game and will also be the launching pad that mainstreams 3X Pitching.

This information was first brought to my attention in another great article by Tom Verducci with Sports Illustrated. I highly recommend that you read his article about this revolutionary technology. He covers it more in depth and lists pitchers who score higher on the 3D Doppler Radar. Here is the entire article.

In my last interview with the legendary guru of Speed and Strength Training, from D1 Sports in Tennessee, Kurt Hester, stated that Major League Baseball is using glorified physical therapy instead of strength and conditioning. This was a shot at the lame approach to training and rehabilitating athletes in the MLB organizations. This is coming from a guy who trains some of NFL’s most explosive athletes and who was label as Gorilla Ball, when he was training the LSU tigers in the 90′s.

Kurt says that fear is a major problem with baseball players. They train the way they do because of the fear that comes from the higher levels of the game. He also says that if young baseball players trained like Major League ball players, they would never get better. The fear is that weight training, especially heavy weight training, will make you bulky and will cause injury. Kurt says the MLB’s athletic trainers are running glorified physical therapy programs and not actually training their athletes to become bigger, stronger and faster.  This is why I believe top draft picks and big salary pitcher’s like Mark Prior leave the league with a career ending injury, after only 3 years in the show, and never make it back.

This is the reason players like Barry Bonds carried his own trainers and doctors almost everywhere he went. Kurt said what makes athletes better is increasing force production. If you can train to move more explosively in a vertical or linear direction, then you are a better athlete because of it. This force production translates into running speed, bat speed and throwing velocity. This is the same approach he used when he trained the LSU Baseball team to 5 National Championships in the 90′s and 2000. He enhanced the force production of every athlete on the team and yes, even the pitchers benefited from it. They all became so developed that they were calling the LSU style of play, Gorilla Ball. This style of training, developed by Kurt Hester, was not only revolutionizing LSU baseball but the entire game. Kurt was receiving calls from Major League Managers who wanted to know why they were hitting so many runs, stealing so many bases, and their pitchers collecting so many K’s. When he would tell them that he was focusing on force production, through heavy load and triple extension training, these Major League Coach’s wanted to use his program but everyone of them shied away from the program because of the worries that they would be scrutinized for using this type of heavy load training in the MLB. Kurt says baseball is behind Golf when it comes to strength and conditioning.

Learn More about Kurt Hester

Kurt Hester is the National Director of Training for D1 Sports Training. He is known nationally for his energetic approach to training top-tier athletes.

Kurt is D1′s primary authority on sports training and is responsible for instilling the D1 training philosophy and making sure all D1 coaches properly implement and teach training programs and techniques. In addition, Kurt oversees D1′s NFL Combine Training Program.

Prior to D1, Kurt ran and owned HS2 Athletic Performance in New Orleans for nine years, where he turned out more than 400 collegiate scholarship athletes and trained more than 50 NFL draft picks. He also trained numerous MLB draft picks, high school All-Americans, state championship teams and collegiate National Track & Field finalists. Prior to HS2, Kurt was a strength & speed coach at LSU, Tulane and Southeastern Louisiana University. In addition, Kurt is still an active strength and speed consultant at Florida State, Tennessee, Illinois, Ole Miss, Alabama, Nichols State, Grambling State and the Unviersity of Miami.

Kurt, a graduate of Tulane Unviersity, was inducted into the Strength Coach Hall of Fame and holds various certifications through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, United States Weightlifting and the Speed, Agility and Conditioning Association. Kurt learned under USA Weightlifting coach, Gayle Hatch and speed coach, Tom Shaw.

If you would like to watch the interview with the legendary Kurt Hester, it is hosted on TopVelocity.net and is also a part of the 3X Pitching Velocity Program.

3X PITCHING

A REVOLUTIONARY APPROACH TO PITCHING VELOCITY

This program is one of a kind. This is the only complete approach to pitching, that has been given a name and documented.

“This book is over 10 years in the making and this approach to pitching will teach you what it takes to reach your velocity goals, make it to the next level and dominate on the mound!”

Introducing 3X Pitching

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME!

Are you sick and tired of learning from conventional wisdom?

Are you sick of killing your self to gain velocity and all you have to show for it is a sore arm?

Are you sick and tired of beating your head against a wall when it comes to gaining velocity?

3X Pitching eBook – This is the study of this revolutionary approach to pitching. It gives you case study after case study, along with MLB examples and more to solidify the value of the 3X approach to pitching.

This is everything you need to know about Pitching Velocity in a book. I am not exaggerating here, this is revolutionary. This book is years in the making. It is ground breaking, cutting edge, Biblesque! This is all the information, backed up by case studies, scientific data and more that I used to defy all the odds to overcome major rotator cuff surgery, to play minor league ball and top out at 94mph. It is also more than just about my career. It uses examples from most of the hard throwing Major League Baseball Pitchers and proves how the 3X approach to Pitching has been the key in their successful careers.

What is in the 3X Pitching eBOOK?

3X Pitching (A Revolutionary Approach to Pitching Velocity) Outline

1. 3X Pitching Mechanics
2. The Power of 3X
3. 3X Torque
4. 3X Precision
5. The Timing Factor
6. Countless 3X Pro Examples
7. 3X Training
   
8. Speed Mechanics
9. 3X and Long Toss
10. 3X Strength and Speed Ratios
11. 3X Recovery
12. 3X Mindset

Congratulations!

Your search for the answers to why you are having a tough time gaining velocity and dominating on the mound, has come to an end. This book will change your life as a pitcher. The information in this book will burn through, crush open and destroy the conventional wisdom that you have been taught as good pitching mechanics. This is not for those who do not like to think outside of the box. This Book is not your average baseball manual. It is an explosive, mind and body blowing fountain of scientific knowledge of the skill of power pitching. This approach to pitching could make it possible for every person to reach speeds up to 90mph and more! This is why you must have this book NOW, before everyone else gets their hands on it!

This is the only book out there, that gives away the secrets that the elite pitchers hold, on power pitching.

In all of the case studies performed by some of the top institutions in the baseball world, they have shown that the key to velocity occurs early in the delivery. Specifically during the stride and at front foot strike. If you look at the hardest throwers in the game, they all have the longest strides, fastest stride speeds, and more hip to shoulder separation at front foot strike. The secret to implementing what they are doing into your delivery, and increasing your own velocity, is called 3X. You will not learn this revolutionary approach to pitching anywhere else but HERE. DO NOT HESITATE TO PURCHASE THIS EBOOK. IT COST LESS THAN BUYING A CHEAP BASEBALL GLOVE AND IT WILL TRANSFORM YOU FROM THE AVERAGE PITCHER, TO THE ELITE PITCHER.

If that isn’t enough to convince you, then I will give you my personal phone number here, in my home town in Louisiana, 985-377-9249. Call me anytime with any question!

100% Risk Free

I want you to purchase this book. I want you to also know that if it is not what you expected then you get all of your money back. It is as simple as that. I want you to buy the secrets to pitching velocity and if this isn’t the secrets then I will give you your money back like this never happened. This is how confident I am in this revolutionary approach to pitching. So, purchase 3X Pitching without the worries that you are going to get your monies worth.

Purchase 3X Pitching NOW!

If you purchase 3X Pitching NOW, you will get it for the low price of $39.99. That is an incredible price, because 3x Pitching is normally sold for $79.99. At $39.99 you can purchase the #1 Approach to Pitching Velocity on the web, for less than what it would cost you to buy a cheap baseball glove. Act now because this offer will not stand for long.

The 3X Power Stride Approach

The best example of this approach is Aroldis Chapman for the Reds. He has the longest stride length in the MLB and also is able to move through his stride at one of the top speeds in the MLB. His stride speed to stride length ratio is probably the best in the world. This and optimal hip to shoulder separation is why he has the fastest pitch in baseball.

To develop an average to above average stride speed to stride length ratio you must first learn the importance of triple extension. Triple extension increases both stride length and stride speed. To learn more about Triple Extension or 3X read this article here.

To implement the 3X Power Stride into your delivery you must follow these 4 key steps.

1. Lead with your hips. (View first pic below)
2. Load on your drive leg. (View second pic below)
3. Keep your front leg closed until just before front foot strike. (View third pic below)
4. Triple extend your drive leg just before front foot strike.(View fourth pic below)

The 3X Power Stride ends at front foot strike and then you must efficiently and effective transfer that energy into the ball to take advantage of the 3x power stride. If you fail to transfer this energy through hip to shoulder separation and front leg stabilization, you will see no increase in velocity and you could cause arm injury. Notice Chapman has achieved optimal triple extension and hip to shoulder separation at front foot strike.

Before you attempt to implement the power stride into your delivery you must first determine that you have the leg power to perform the movement. Here is a quick drill you can use to test your leg power.

3X Power Stride Strength and Speed Test

1. Stand in a full stride that is at least 90% of your height. If you are 6 feet tall then your stride should be roughly 5 feet 4 inches.
2. Make sure that both of your feet are facing forward in a straight line.
3. Make sure that you are on the ball of your drive or back leg foot.
4. Keep most of your weight on your drive or back leg.
5. When you are ready to perform the test lift your front foot and at the same time fire and triple extend your drive or back leg. Triple extension is the extension of the ankle, knee and hip flexor.
6. MAKE SURE THAT YOU TRIPLE EXTEND YOUR DRIVE OR BACK LEG BEFORE YOUR FRONT FOOT LANDS.
7. You also want to hear the drag of your back foot just before front foot strike.

If you can perform this drill by getting triple extension before front foot strike, with a 90% and up stride length, then you have the leg power necessary to implement the power stride into your delivery. For more drills and information on learning the 3X Power Stride see the Ace Pitcher Handbook and the 3X Velocity Camp. If you would like to submit a video of you pitching for video analysis to determine your stride speed to stride length ratio please submit it in the forums here:

Mechanics and Analysis Forum

The article on TopVelocity.net that has been getting a lot of attention and the one that Jaeger is not happy with, is the article called Long Toss and the Placebo Effect. You can view it by selecting the title. The comments are below the article. Everyone thinks that I am against Long Tossing and the truth is that this isn’t true. I believe in Long Tossing up to about 120 feet. What I DO NOT agree with is “Extreme Long Tossing” like Jaeger promotes which can exceed distances of 350 feet. I feel that this is reckless because if you do not have efficient throwing mechanics you are taking a big risk with the health of your arm at these levels. This is why I preach against Jaeger’s Long Toss program because he does not work intently on correcting mechanical flaws before pushing his pitchers to these extreme distances. A great example is Joel Zumaya. This is Jaeger’s claim to fame whom he has put all over his website. Just this past MLB season Joel Zumaya broke off his shoulder bone. This is a major mechanical flaw that caused Zumaya’s shoulder bone to snap and you would hope his pitching coach could have prevented this major shoulder injury. If I was his pitching coach I would have at least taking responsibility for his injury.

Another reason I do not support this “Extreme Long Tossing” is because I like many other pro pitchers did not use this in my professional career. Actually before I tore my rotator cuff in college, I would perform extreme long toss. I am not saying that this is why I injured my arm. What I am saying is I never used it again and was able to add 8 mph on my fastball which got me into pro ball.

The day I broke 90+mph post surgery, which I had at 18 years old when I was throwing 86 mph with horrendous mechanics, is because of a new program I was on for about 6 months to a year. The day I found this program was the day I decided to stop making this stuff up and seek professional help from those who I felt knew what they were talking about. I found Tom House who is a well known pitching coach and Doctor and Kurt Hester who is a nationally recognized strength and conditioning specialist. Tom House taught me about hip to shoulder separation, which I had none and Kurt taught me speed and strength like you wouldn’t believe. With this combination I experienced an 8 mph increase in velocity.

I wasn’t long tossing past 250 feet plus. I wasn’t using weighted balls. I was performing the Olympic lifts, plyos, and sprint work, 1 hour a day, 5 days a week while I was playing for a travel team in the summer. If I pitched on a day of a lift, I would not change my program. I would lift at full intensity and then pitch a 7-9 inning game one hour later. This is because the lifting program was lower body dominate. I wasn’t pounding my arms. I was pounding my legs. I also was working on good hip to shoulder separation during practice and before the games. I thought at this time, that with the lifting intensity and the pitching of 7-9 innings that my body would give out and it did the opposite. I would finish a 9 inning game with higher velocities than in the first inning. I continued this program and it is what I believe put me into pro ball after doctors told me I would never be able to compete again.

The program I used is now the Ace Pitcher Handbook. I am aware that this program isn’t for everyone and that just because it worked for me, doesn’t mean it will work for you. I understand this but you will never know if a program like this will have the same effect on you if you don’t give it your best.

I also believe that the reason arm injuries have increased by 700% in the past ten years is because pitchers are training outside of the mechanics of the pitcher. Extreme long toss mechanics is a lot different than on the mound mechanics. I explain this here

The Proper Research on Why Long Toss is Bad for your Arm

This is also the case in the weight room. This is why I believe the Olympic lifts are the only intense lifts you should use because they have a lot of similarities in mechanics to pitching. You can read more about this point in the first article I wrote on this site.

Olympic lifting Increases Pitching Velocity.

I am glad that “Extreme Long Tossing” is getting this much attention with this site and Jaeger’s but I hope that those who are using this approach are educating themselves on the dangers. I also hope those who use my approach are educating themselves on the dangers as well. Which are, just like learning good throwing mechanics before you try to throw your arm off you must learn good lifting mechanics  before you try to move a house. Be smart, work hard and always listen to your body!

Frequently Asked Questions About MLB Open Tryout Camps.

*Note: The information below comes from Major League Baseball at MLB.com. Please read the frequently asked questions below before posting a comment or sending us an email.

Q. “Who is in charge of your tryout camps?”

A. Territorial scouts from the Major League Scouting Bureau sponsor the tryouts. They work for Major League Baseball and all 30 major league organizations.

Q. “Are there any age requirements as to who can tryout?”

A. All players must be at least 16 years old to participate.

Q. “What should I bring to the camp?”

A. Bring gear that you would practice or play a game in. (Hat, cleats, glove, baseball pants). Bats and balls are provided at the workout. Catchers may want to use their own catching gear.

Q. “Is there any cost involved to tryout?”

A. The tryouts are free of charge. Transportation costs are those of the participant.

Q. “I’m a center fielder and a pitcher. Can I tryout at both positions?”

A. No, a participant will be asked to choose their best position.

Q. “Can I go to other MLSB Open Tryout Camps?”

A. Yes, participants can attend as many of the tryouts as they wish.

Q. “Do I have to register for the camps?”

A. Registration cards will be passed out prior to the beginning of each camp to identify each participant.

Q. “Who watches the players at these camps?”

A. All thirty major league baseball organizations are invited to the tryouts.

Q. “If a team is interested in me after seeing the tryout, can they sign me to a professional contract on the spot?”

A. No, the tryout camp must be finished and the participant cannot sign until he leaves the facility.

Q. “What are the chances of a baseball player signing a contract out of a MLSB Tryout?”

A. About 1 out of 1,000. This is a rough estimate made by TopVelocity.net

If you have any questions that you would like to add to this MLB FAQ, please post your questions below.

DO NOT GO TO THE CONTACT PAGE AND SEND AN EMAIL OF YOUR QUESTION.

If you would like more information on what to expect at a MLB Tryout then read this article on MLB Tryout 101. It is important to be prepared before attending the event. The MLSB runs every tryout the same and you will look stupid if you do not know what is going on.