Better Men, Better Ballplayers

88 - Veronica Alvarez: USA Baseball & Oakland A‘s

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Bio

  • USA baseball women's national team head coach since 2019
    • 2019 team of the year and coach of the year
  • Been a part of the 12U baseball ID series, task force, and trials staff.
  • Served as an assistant coach for one year prior to her time at the helm
  • first woman to be named the USA Baseball Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year
  • Played 2008-2015 as a catcher on the US National team
  • ​​Team USA finished its tournament with a perfect 7-0 record and the program's first gold medal since the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games and was voted USA baseball team of the year that year
  • 2019-2020 served as a coach with the Oakland Athletics at Minor League Baseball Spring Training
  • 2021 Oakland A’s roving catching instructor for minor league baseball

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    Notes

    • MLB breakthrough series - all girl event for high school girls
  • The Trailblazer series for 12-14 year olds
  • USA baseball develops
  • USA baseball website for future events
  • Veronica’s events on Instagram
  • The softball and baseball swing should be more similar than they are
  • Prepare for the highest level by tearing things down before we build them up. 
  • Attack your weaknesses and think more long term
  • One knee down (OKD) has gotten out of control, 
  • If you don’t know why you are doing something then it can go by the wayside
  • Capitalize on adjustability
  • Receiving is about our feet, hips and have adjustability based on pitch location
  • Adjustability when a pitcher misses so you don’t move too much
  • Change to a knee when pitcher is missing up
  • Pitcher throws down constantly and you need to receive low pitches more
  • Be able to be balanced and have it all in your versatile.
  • Keep strikes, strikes, make balls, strikes
  • Blocking balls, making plays helps the pitchers mental capacity
  • Catchers need to keep the mentality of the pitcher strong
  • If pitcher is working fast, you need to keep them working fast
  • Pitcher is working slow, slow them up - calling time, calling outs, talking to umpire, giving the pitchers extra seconds to think and take deep breaths
  • bench/role players know their roles to keep the energy up and keep everyone engaged
  • Catchers can call their own game and have that experience
  • Target practice for throwing
  • Blocking competition 
  • Receiving - thumb under technique
  • Use 3 joints to help with framing - shoulder, elbow and wrist
  • Less movement the better, lets make this look as sneaky as possible.
  • Strike zone awareness - knowing where it is and how much I need to move my glove to get a strike
  • Use markers on my body to know the zone (top of the catcher knee is the knee on hitter)
  • Receiving starts in the middle of the strike zone, use your joints, and then catch the angle as it tries to go away from the strike zone
  • Pre pitch movement - glove down to the ground to then come up and receive it (flex to firm); start with a neutral elbow
  • Sneaky receivers done with good timing
  • Tracking the ball is also pre pitch movement
  • Exaggerate movements with youth level
  • How can I explain the same things a million different ways
  • I want them to have success
  • All about the team, if it does not help the team, we are not doing it!
  • Staying in touch with the players and have a personal relationship with each person
  • Everyone is a leader in some way on the team
  • Instagram @veronicaoalvarez

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