Elite Baseball Development Podcast

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.

Eric Cressey sits down with Dakota Herman to discuss how bullpen arms should be lifting in season to optimize their performance both at the professional and collegiate level, how hitters can mitigate the stressors placed on the lead shoulder of their swing, what recent history and research says about bicep tenodesis and recovery and what baseball players should be aware of when considering this procedure, and what high school coaches can do to best prepare their pitchers for week one of spring season.

Starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians Aaron Civale discusses how he has developed and differentiated a 6 pitch arsenal, how the spike in strikeouts across major league baseball doesn't have to come at the cost of missing the strike zone, and what process-oriented mindset he has adopted to find continued success throughout his baseball career.

Relief Pitcher for the Colorado Rockies Tim Collins discusses how dialing in his strength training and managing the details of his lifestyle allowed him to maximize his undersized 5'7" frame and develop into a mid-90s arm out of high school, how developing a changeup in AA gave him the edge he needed to become an MLB mainstay, and how fixing a nagging hernia injury after the Royals 2014 World Series run evolved into back to back Tommy John surgeries that sat him out of the '15 and '16 season.