Dear Baseball Gods

In this episode, you’re getting another a sample chapter of my new book, Clean Your Cleats: Advice on Baseball and Life for Ballplayers. This chapter is about relationships with coaches. It’s now available everywhere you buy books online. Get your copy today.

In this episode, you’re getting another a sample chapter of my new book, Clean Your Cleats: Advice on Baseball and Life for Ballplayers. This is chapter 2, called Baseball is a Trap.

In this episode, listen to a sample chapter of my new book, Clean Your Cleats: Advice on Baseball and Life for Ballplayers. It’s available everywhere you buy books online. Get your copy today!

Dear Baseball Gods will be on pause for a few months – Dan explains why in this episode and what to expect. And, he goes into depth on the odds of making it to the Majors and why it’s not as big a longshot as the statistics indicate.

Sign up for Dan’s email list to stay updated on when the show returns, and be sure to subscribe to the show for notifications!

To submit a question for the Q&A segment, email a voice recording to Dan at [email protected]. Want to support the show? Buy a copy of Dear Baseball Gods on Kindle or Paperback, or listen on audiobook. Or, pick up Pitching Isn’t Complicated, his advanced-but-understandable pitching manual. Enroll in one of Coach Dan’s online pitching courses or his mental skills course. Use code BASEBALL GODS to save 20% on any course, just for being a listener. Sign up for Dan’s Email list and get a free pitching checklist, and follow up with him on the interwebs: YouTube Channel | Twitter | Danblewett.com

In this episode, Dan discusses reasons on whether throwing a football is beneficial for pitchers. Dan also gives helpful suggestions on equipment to use when working out at home.

Links: Home workout video mentioned in the episode; Try Early Work Strength Program for free here.

To submit a question for the Q&A segment, email a voice recording to Dan at [email protected]. Want to support the show? Buy a copy of Dear Baseball Gods on Kindle or Paperback, or listen on audiobook. Or, pick up Pitching Isn’t Complicated, his advanced-but-understandable pitching manual. Enroll in one of Coach Dan’s online pitching courses or his mental skills course. Use code BASEBALL GODS to save 20% on any course, just for being a listener. Sign up for Dan’s Email list and get a free pitching checklist, and follow up with him on the interwebs: YouTube Channel | Twitter | Danblewett.com

EP108 Transcript: EP108 – Is Throwing a Football Good for Pitchers? Plus Home Gym Tips

You’re listening to the Dear Baseball Gods Podcast. In this show, I help parents, players and coaches better navigate their baseball careers.

All right. Welcome back to Dear Baseball Gods. On this episode, we’re going to talk about is throwing a football. Good for pitchers. And we’re going to go into some home gym tips. So things, if you’re stuck at home, working out, what are some creative ways you can get it, you know, a little bit of workout kind of maintain your strength or maybe even get stronger.

So before we get going, make sure you check out the show notes of this podcast. Wherever you’re listening. I have my two books on baseball, my memoir, Dear Baseball Gods. Which is my story and can definitely help a young athlete or parent understand what their journey is going to look like. Also, my pitching manual Pitching Isn’t Complicated.

That’s down below. Also my online courses links to my YouTube channel. Social media handles all that stuff. And my new strength conditioning program built for ballplayers called early work. So if you’re new here or you’re a longtime listener, definitely check out the show notes, grab a book, grab some that can help you and just continue learning.

So first thing on the docket today is throwing a football. Good for pitchers. And I think the resounding answer is yes, especially if your pitcher who throws a slider. So quick thing about me. I was a curve ball, high, fast ball, like high spin rate kind of pitcher. And. Now I was never a football player. I was also never super interested in football, so I was never a good thrower of footballs.

I understand how to throw them.

In this episode, Dan discusses BABIP (batting average on balls in play) and the importance of understanding what BABIP is especially for pitchers. Dan also talks about bunting and if the run expectancy matrix (discussed in the previous episode) influences whether a coach gives the bunt sign.

Links: Run Expectancy and Bunting article mentioned in the episode; Fangraphs article on BABIP mentioned in the episode; also, Try Early Work Strength Program for free here.

To submit a question for the Q&A segment, email a voice recording to Dan at [email protected]. Want to support the show? Buy a copy of Dear Baseball Gods on Kindle or Paperback, or listen on audiobook. Or, pick up Pitching Isn’t Complicated, his advanced-but-understandable pitching manual. Enroll in one of Coach Dan’s online pitching courses or his mental skills course. Use code BASEBALL GODS to save 20% on any course, just for being a listener. Sign up for Dan’s Email list and get a free pitching checklist, and follow up with him on the interwebs: YouTube Channel | Twitter | Danblewett.com

EP107 Transcript: EP107 – BABIP (Batting Average on Balls in Play) Plus Is Bunting Good or Bad?

You’re listening to the Dear Baseball Gods podcast. In this show, I helped parents, players and coaches better navigate their baseball careers.

All right. Welcome back to Dear Baseball Gods. On today’s episode, we’re going to cover. Two main topics. Both are a little on the nerdier side. First one is going to be batting average for balls in play. And this is a statistic that you may not have heard of, but it’s important to understand, especially as a pitcher.

And secondly, we’re gonna talk about bunting and we’re going to talk about whether bunting makes sense, and we’re going to talk about run expectancy and the run expectancy matrix, and how. That should influence or can influence, or maybe you should not influence a coach’s decision to give the bunt sign.

So before we get going, just a reminder in the show notes of this podcast, you’ll find links to my books. You’ll find links to my online courses and you’ll find links to my online strength conditioning program for baseball players. So if you’re interested in upping your game, finding a new resource for your son or for your players on your team, And definitely check out the show notes below where you’ll find again, all my resources and links to my YouTube channel, my social media handles all that other stuff.

So if you’re new here, thanks for listening.

In this episode, Dan gives a rundown of run expectancy in baseball, along with different scenarios on how run expectancy plays out according to the RE24 matrix. Dan also gives helpful nutrition tips for middle school athletes.

Links: Run Expectancy and Bunting article mentioned in the podcast; Try the Early Work Strength Program for free here.

To submit a question for the Q&A segment, email a voice recording to Dan at [email protected]. Want to support the show? Buy a copy of Dear Baseball Gods on Kindle or Paperback, or listen on audiobook. Or, pick up Pitching Isn’t Complicated, his advanced-but-understandable pitching manual. Enroll in one of Coach Dan’s online pitching courses or his mental skills course. Use code BASEBALL GODS to save 20% on any course, just for being a listener. Sign up for Dan’s Email list and get a free pitching checklist, and follow up with him on the interwebs: YouTube Channel | Twitter | Danblewett.com

EP106 Transcript: EP106 – Run Expectancy Plus Nutrition for Middle Schoolers

You’re listening to the Dear Baseball Gods podcast. In this show, I help parents, players and coaches better navigate their baseball careers.

All right. Welcome back to Dear Baseball Gods. In today’s episode, we’re going to talk about first run expectancy and second nutrition from middle school ballplayers. So obviously nutrition is a part of being good athlete. It’s something that can be really tough, I think for parents to control and it’s tough for younger kids to understand and buy into.

So we’ll chat a little bit about some of the do’s and don’ts for that. So before we get going, obviously it is the holiday season. So if you’re listening here in 2020, and you’re looking for a gift for someone in your family. Who’s a baseball nerd. Just remember that in the show notes of today’s podcast, you’ll find my two books.

You’ll find my online courses. And you’ll find also links to my strength conditioning program called early work. So if you’re looking for the baseball fan, your family, the athlete, and your family, or friend, definitely check out the show notes with lots of my other content that’s giftable and is going to keep giving as you go.

So first here on the docket today is run expectancy. So if you haven’t heard this term run expectancy, is it sort of, I wouldn’t really call it a sabermetrics stat, but it’s something in the whole realm of right. Advanced stats, which make a sabermetrics, but run expectancy basically means this it’s how many runs can be expected on average in a given.

In this episode, Dan discusses pitching velocity ranges and peaks and how they interact with each other. Dan then talks through the general breakdown of offseason weekly throwing for pitching. Lastly, Dan gives advice on knowing and figuring out what kind of player you are.

Videos mentioned: Velocity Tips video & Throwing Program Video

To submit a question for the Q&A segment, email a voice recording to Dan at [email protected]. Want to support the show? Buy a copy of Dear Baseball Gods on Kindle or Paperback, or listen on audiobook. Or, pick up Pitching Isn’t Complicated, his advanced-but-understandable pitching manual. Enroll in one of Coach Dan’s online pitching courses or his mental skills course. Use code BASEBALL GODS to save 20% on any course, just for being a listener. Sign up for Dan’s Email list and get a free pitching checklist, and follow up with him on the interwebs: YouTube Channel | Twitter | Danblewett.com

Is core training for baseball overrated? Dan discusses what core training does and doesn’t do for an athlete. Also in this episode, Dan talks about what garbage time in the weight room is and if it is useful.

Try the Early Work Strength Program for free here.

To submit a question for the Q&A segment, email a voice recording to Dan at [email protected]. Want to support the show? Buy a copy of Dear Baseball Gods on Kindle or Paperback, or listen on audiobook. Or, pick up Pitching Isn’t Complicated, his advanced-but-understandable pitching manual. Enroll in one of Coach Dan’s online pitching courses or his mental skills course. Use code BASEBALL GODS to save 20% on any course, just for being a listener. Sign up for Dan’s Email list and get a free pitching checklist, and follow up with him on the interwebs: YouTube Channel | Twitter | Danblewett.com

Transcript: EP104 – Is Core Training Overrated? Plus, Garbage Time in the Weight Room

Hey there, Dan Blewett here. Thanks so much for tuning in before we get started, I want to share a little bit about a new project of mine. Early work is an online strength training program created as a collaboration between myself and one of my good friends, coach Andrew Sacks. So in the early work program, obviously my YouTube skills are coming in handy here.

You’re going to get 4k quality videos. Great audio of me and coach Sacks, teaching every exercise in the program, workouts change monthly, and he and I collaborate to build each new month as the program changes and evolves in season off season. Just trying to make sure players peak and are at their best at every point of the year.

So between the two of us, we have 20 plus years of experience training baseball players. I was a baseball Academy owner strength coach. Andrew’s still. A strength coach owns a facility here in the Baltimore area, and our program has three different plans, one for individuals, one for families. So that includes your extended family and one for teams.

So no matter who you are and who you’re looking for a program for, we’ve got a plan for you. So if you want to try the program out, we offer a 14 day free trial, so you can sign up. Get to work, try it out in your local gym. See if it fits your life and your goals and all that good stuff. Obviously we stand by it.

We’ve been doing this a long time, so give it a shot today. Try the early work strength program. We know you’re going to love it.

Having trouble locating a pitch? Dan gives helpful tips on how to locate each pitch. Also in this episode, Dan discusses which type of cleats are best and which type of shoes you should wear based on the surface you are playing on.

Links: Mound visit video mentioned in the podcast; Try the Early Work Strength Program for free here.

To submit a question for the Q&A segment, email a voice recording to Dan at [email protected]. Want to support the show? Buy a copy of Dear Baseball Gods on Kindle or Paperback, or listen on audiobook. Or, pick up Pitching Isn’t Complicated, his advanced-but-understandable pitching manual. Enroll in one of Coach Dan’s online pitching courses or his mental skills course. Use code BASEBALL GODS to save 20% on any course, just for being a listener. Sign up for Dan’s Email list and get a free pitching checklist, and follow up with him on the interwebs: YouTube Channel | Twitter | Danblewett.com

Transcript: EP103 – What to do When You Can’t Locate a Pitch; Plus, What Type of Cleats are Best?

You’re listening to the Dear Baseball Gods podcast. In this show, I help parents, players and coaches better navigate their baseball careers.

All right. Welcome back to Dear Baseball Gods. I’m Dan Blewett and this is episode 103. And in today’s show, we’re gonna talk about two main topics. Number one. What do you do as a pitcher when you can’t locate a certain pitch or any of your stuff, for that matter. And secondly, I’m gonna talk a little bit about cleats because I think as a parent  it’s good to have a perspective on what cleats do now.

There’s different models. That’s really what I’m gonna focus on. There’s metal, there’s TPU, which is like the hard plastic, there’s rubber, and there’s also turf. So obviously cleats are not made of turf, but turf fields are their own animal and there’s more and more of them. And I really battled to get the information out to my parents when we had our Academy and our teams, because every year there’s just look, we got to make sure we’re prepared equipment wise to really compete, especially if it rains, et cetera, et cetera.

So I think a little bit of a discussion about cleats is important. Before we get going. I do want to mention again, my new strength conditioning program for baseball players i...