Behind the Seams Baseball Podcast

This past week I was down at Wake Forest University presenting at the Bridge Seminar which is an annual event assembled by the Wake Forest Pitching Lab.  Similar to last year, this week's podcast is a review of some of my favorite presentations at the event, including: Mike McFerran - Creating Winners Emily Ferree - Inputs vs. Outputs Dr. Michael Freehill - SLAP Tears and Repair Procedures Ji...

I’m flying solo today talking about a much needed topic. When to train strength in the weight room and when is an athlete strong enough?  Discussion Includes: What does “strong enough” mean? Testing Protocol When to train for power? How do we apply initial strength assessment to training / programming Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experience...

Today, we're sitting down with Brandon McDaniel, VP of Player Development with the Los Angeles Dodgers, to discuss the many considerations when training the Elite / Pro athlete. Topics Include:  Considerations when Assessing Pro athletes on day 1 Training Strength / Power vs. Maintenance The importance of creating a common language within the organization The need to wear a lot of hats Ready...

Today we’re sitting down with new Pitching Coordinator Matt Hartshorn. This guy shows up with a plethora of knowledge on pitching, assessing and movement. Topics Include: Rib cage positioning and rotation Back leg mechanical options Individualized core work based off of architecture Most recently, Matt worked for Cressey Sports Performance in Palm Beach Gardens, FL as a Pitching Development and St...

Today, we're sitting down once again with Mike McFerran, Head of Player Development at Wake Forest University, to discuss his process for creating efficient throwers. Topics include: Designing guys individually to get outs consistently Improving the capability to move through wider ranges Movement patterns to enhance strengths or improve on weaknesses Combining objective and subjective feedba...

With the fall upon us and the never ending questions about “Shut-Down” vs. ”No Shut-Down”, I thought it would be a great time to get my buddy Alan Jaeger on the podcast again to help break down this never-ending dialogue… Alan is the founding partner of Los Angeles-based Jaeger Sports, where some of the most talented baseball players in America go to improve their game. He is most famous for his t...

This week we’ll finish up our "Best of 2022" podcast series with past discussions featuring: SF Giants Pitching Coach Brian Bannister on pitch design Dr. Casey Pierce discusses TJ repair and rehab Boston College S&C Coach Will Franco on motivation in the weight room Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting...

Today we're sitting down with Adam Moreau.  Adam and his father Darryl are creators of the Flex Pro Grip, a device being well-received in the baseball community in regard to strengthening the pronator mass, the muscles responsible for grip strength as well as protection against fatigue of the UCL’s first responders. On its website Flex Pro Highlights the following benefits: Increase Spin Rate...

Today, I’m flying solo and talking a bit about how we use the weight room to help address data from our motion capture reports. I’ll be reviewing 5 of the “big players” we see in our mocaps: Pelvic Rotation at Foot Plant Knee Extension Angular Velocity Pelvic Tilt @ Max ER Early Trunk Rotation Scap Load Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experien...

Today we're sitting down with Liberty baseball Assistant Coach Tyler Robinson. Topics Include: 3 game changers for producing big arms Overcoming mental challenges Assessing an athlete’s potential for development Prior to joining the Liberty Flames this year, Coach Robinson had completed eight season as a member of the Campbell baseball coaching staff, most recently as Pitching Coach.  Since 2...

Today we’ve got another one in the "Best of 2022" series, featuring : Corey Muscara (Wake Forest) Jerry Weinstein (Colorado Rockies) Jeremy Sheetinger (Georgia Gwinnett) Lots of knowledge in this one including: Non-negotiables for Freshman pitchers on Day 1 Breaking through egos with young college athletes How to developing the “best version of yourself” Ready to take your game to the ne...

Today we sit down with Ron Wolforth, founder of the Texas Baseball Ranch and consultant to many collegiate and MLB Organizations. Topics include: Origins of the ranch Creating the famous ranch model  The Dura-throw system Off-season shut downs (or not!!) Since 2003, 121 of Coach Wolforth’s clients have been drafted, including the 2011 #3 overall draft pick, Trevor Bauer. He is considered the world...

We recently had the pleasure of taking a trip down to the University of South Carolina to assess and evaluate their entire pitching staff. Today we’re sitting down with Bill Anderson, Director of Sports Performance at the South Carolina and revisiting the process. Topics Include: What is strong enough Plyometrics, the missing link Mobility and its relationship with mechanics Coach Anderson has bee...

Today we’re sitting down with Matt Swope who was recently appointed Head Coach for Maryland Baseball. Coach Swope is no stranger to the “Terps culture”.  Topics include: Using caution when making mechanical adjustments When to use tech and when not to use tech Key points when examining “character” during recruiting He has been a part of the Maryland Baseball staff in various coaching positions for...

Today, I’m going to start pulling apart a few gems from some of the best received podcasts to-date. The first of this series includes gems from some of the best in the business: Randy Sullivan - Owner Florida Armory Nate Yeskie - Pitching Coach at LSU Zach Dechant - Strength Coach at TCU Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and...

Today I have an “Ask me Anything” round where I answer questions on: The differences between strength and stability and how to train it Anaerobic conditioning for baseball players The Importance of having systems in place Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball takes the guesswork out of p...

Today we’re sitting down with DPT David Schwartz from Blue Iron Physio. Topics include: Strength vs Stability - What’s the difference? Getting athletes back-to-sport How to select the right PT David is the owner and primary operator of Blue Iron Physio in Tenafly NJ. He earned his Bachelors of Science degree in Kinesiology from the University of Maryland and following his undergraduate studies, he...

Today we're sitting down with Niko Leontarakis, RPP Director of Pitching, and talking about some common issues we see in pitchers and how it's not always only about mechanics. Topics Include: Incorporating anatomy into coaching Understanding the athlete in front of you Importance of hip bias and ultimately extension Niko graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 2022 with a Masters D...

Today we’re sitting down with Tyler Rost, Duke University’s Director of Player Development. Tyler brings a great deal of experience to the table and is a great listen. Topics include: The full on-boarding process for freshman Merging data with “real” feel Creating a great “team” environment both on and off the field Tyler joined the Duke Baseball coaching staff as the Director of Player Developmen...

Today we’re sitting down with Zach Kollar, RPP Director of Strength and Conditioning . Zach has been a big part of what we've develop here on the S&C side of things during the past few years .  Join us as we'll be discussing training "power" in rotational athletes. Topics Include: Why power is the gold standard in athleticism Different types of training based on the individ...

Today, we're sitting down with RPP Pitching Coordinator Jake Lebovitch and discussing all aspects of pitch design.  This is a great episode and topics include: Evaluating pitcher's movement patterns Source of ball movement Most relevant metrics What's good movement and what's not Sequencing and tunneling Time it takes to see results Jake Lebovitch is Pitching Coordinator and Re...

Today I’ll be talking in some depth about the most recent version of our in-house assessment, what we test and how we use it to create the ultimate programming for our athletes. Topics include: Individualizing strength / power training Using it to make mechanical adjustments Going after the lowest hanging fruit Reducing injury risk Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and d...

My guest today is Will Franco, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Boston College, where he has been overseeing the baseball program for the past 2 years. I’ve known Will since his tenure with Maryland as well as the Orioles affiliate the Aberdeen Iron Birds. Today we will shed some light on: What’s Expected of College Freshman in Strength and Mobility In-Season / Off-Season Periodization...

This week’s sit down is with long time comrade Eric Supplee, recently appointed  Assistant Coach at the University of San Francisco. Today we’ll be discussing: The challenges of playing and coaching in a new environment Building trust with a new group of athletes Characteristics of a great competitor Eric Supplee is the Assistant Coach at the University of San Francisco. He came to the Hilltop in...

We’re sitting down today to discuss the ins and outs of playing Division 1 baseball with Villanova Pitching Coach Jabin Weaver.  Topics Include: Fastball usage in the game today Year 1 struggles for some incoming freshman  Some common adjustments lifestyle-wise that can help acclimate Jabin Weaver first joined the Villanova coaching staff as a volunteer assistant during the 2019 season. After depa...