Elite Baseball Development Podcast

Kolten Wong second baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals talks about the culture of Hawaiian baseball and how his father has influenced his baseball career, how understanding his strengths and remaining versatile as a defender have allowed him to find continued success in baseball, how players can improve their defensive skills and manage the details of the game to develop an edge defensively, and how he prepares physically and mentally to remain one of the best defenders in baseball.

Join Eric Cressey and CSP-FL pitching coaches, Mark Lowy and Brian Kaplan, as we sit down with Corey Kluber, Blake Treinen, Adam Ottavino, Brandon Kintzler, Mike Soroka, and Steve Cishek to discuss the nuances of throwing an elite two-seam fastball.

Head of Athletic Performance and Science for the Irish Rugby Football Union Nick Winkelman discusses his interest in the art of coaching, how coaches can better train both the physiology and psychology of athletes, how professionals can maximize interventions with clients through their use of language, how coaches can leverage analogy, an athlete’s language, and emotional hashtags in the learning process to enhance memory, and where internal and external cueing fit in an athlete’s movement development.

NY Yankees Quality Control Coach and Catching Coordinator Tanner Swanson highlights the key competencies of elite catchers and how new data is redefining the significance of receiving, why coaches should prioritize teaching catchers to block and throw from their best receiving position, how catchers can find balance between comfort and functionality in their stance, why blocking should be emphasized as an extension of receiving, and how catchers can better command the bottom of the strike zone.

Mitch Haniger, outfielder for the Seattle Mariners, hops on a call to talk about why smart guys struggle to be good hitters and what he's doing to simplify his swing and hitting approach, what are the common philosophies and characteristics of the hitting coaches he has worked with, why he prioritizes controlling the controllables and what ways he practices attention, focus, and mindfulness in his daily life, and what defensive skills he emphasizes mastering to ensure he is contributing to stopping runs.

John O'Neil sits down with speed development specialist Lee Taft to discuss the 7 movement patterns for speed and how coaches can effectively teach these actions to their athletes, how stance and set up can be exploited to optimize speed as a base stealer and defensive player, the concept of a false step when starting a sprint and how we can truly evaluate if a player is accelerating properly, and how and where baseball can be better at training speed from the youth to professional level.

Head Baseball Coach at Auburn University Butch Thompson discusses what the nonnegotiable skills are that make up a great pitcher and how he works as a coach to develop the best collegiate talent, how do roles and responsibilities evolve as coaches progress through the ranks of collegiate baseball, what is fear and what are five principle for overcoming fear, and how athletes and parents alike can better relate to coaches and navigate the recruiting process more effectively.

Renowned physical therapist and co-owner of Conte Sport Performance Therapy Stan Conte highlights the rehabilitation process from Tommy John surgery and how players can best manage their return to throwing program, how long it takes a UCL graft to transform from tendon to ligament, and his role in the integration of MLB’s first injury surveillance system (HITS).

Mark Lowy, strength coach and pitching coach at CSP-FL, talks about how the CSP-FL staff went about creating personalized pitching reports for their pitchers this offseason, how he balances using analytics and preserving the human element of coaching, how understanding individuals' specific movement profiles and diverse pitching arsenals sets the stage for providing effective feedback and intervention as a coach, and why synergy amongst staff is vital for creating the best experience for your athletes.

Private Hitting Coach Doug Latta discusses why he has been a pioneer for hitting the ball in the air and what misconceptions have evolved from this belief, why having balance in a swing is crucial for the success of hitters, and where the future of hitting is headed as we progress into the new decade.