The PBSCCS Podcast

Jason Meredith is in his second season with the Milwaukee Brewers after joining the organization in November 2016.

Prior to working with the Brewers, he spent seven seasons in the Philadelphia Phillies organization, most recently as minor-league strength and conditioning coordinator (2014-16). He was the strength and conditioning coach at Triple-A Lehigh Valley (2011-13) and served an internship at Double-A Reading in 2009.

In 2010, Meredith worked as the strength and conditioning coach at Double-A Trenton in the Yankees organization.

Meredith earned his bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University in exercise and sports science - athletic training in 2005 and received his master’s degree in applied physiology and kinesiology from the University of Florida in 2007. While in college, he spent the 2004 summer as an athletic training intern with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Jason and his wife, Christina, reside in Chandler, Arizona with their two children, daughter, Isabella, and son, Alexander.

Topics covered in this episode:

-Best professional baseball story

-Off-season strength coaches

-Continuing education resources

Quotes:

-"Sometimes strong enough is strong enough, and anything extra is just extra" (4:14)

-"A mediocre program done consistently is better than a perfect program done inconsistently" (6:17)

-"Coach where you can coach" (8:15)

If you would like to learn more from Jason, you can read about him on the PBSCCS website:

http://baseballstrength.org/jason-meredith-cscs-rscc-milwaukee-brewers/

or by following him on social media:

Instagram:

@jtmeredith83

Twitter:

@jtmeredith83

Patrick Trainor is currently the Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coordinator for the Tampa Bay Rays baseball organization. Prior to joining the Rays in his current role, he has spent time with the San Diego Padres and Cleveland Indians, as well as a previous stint with the Rays as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at the Minor League affiliate level. Outside of professional baseball, he has held positions at the collegiate level with Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA (2007-2009) as well as Queens College in New York (2012), overseeing the physical preparation of varsity sports.

Topics covered in this episode:

-Best professional baseball story

-In-season training and micro-dosing

-Pitcher conditioning

Quotes:

-"Just when you think you know enough, you realize that you don't know anything" (29:19)

-"You can't get stuck in the weightroom and have the blinders on of what only goes on in your world" (32:49)

-"Understand the stress that you are prescribing before blindly prescribing stresses over the course of the season" (39:58)

If you would like to learn more from Pat, you can follow him on social media:

Instagram:

@p_trainor

Twitter:

@PTrainorNJ

Shaun Alexander is currently entering his 6th season (2014-2019) as a Minor League Performance Coach with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Prior to the Dodgers, he spent 2 seasons with the Miami Marlins (2012-2013).

Shaun graduated from Arizona State University in 2007 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology, and from San Jose State University in 2010 with a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology.

He was named the Strength Coach of the Year in 2017 (California League) and 2018 (Texas League). He holds a number of certifications, including: Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach, Precision Nutrition Level 1, StrongFirst Kettlebell Level 1, Functional Movement Systems Level 1, and Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization Level 1.

He currently resides in Arizona with his wife of 6 years (Cari Alexander) and their 3 children (Jillian – 4, Benjamin – 3, and Emmeline – 2 months).

Topics covered in this episode:

-Being Strength Coach of the Year multiple times

-Breathing

-Staff Continuing Education

Quotes:

-"You have to be able to adjust on the fly" (6:34)

-"Always be learning" (10:36)

-"Talk to as many coaches as you can" (15:23)

A Guilford College graduate, Logan Jones, is heading into his second season with the Arizona Diamondbacks as a strength & conditioning coach. While at Guilford, Logan earned his degree in Exercise and Sport Sciences & Health Sciences and was also a member of the Quakers’ baseball team. Following graduation, he completed strength and conditioning internships at the University of Kentucky and Wake Forest University working with a variety of sports including volleyball, soccer, track & field, field hockey, and baseball. With the Diamondbacks, he is assigned to the Rookie-Level Arizona League Diamondbacks located in Scottsdale, AZ. Logan is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the NSCA, a Sports Performance Coach through USA Weightlifting, holds a Functional Movement Screen Certification (FMSC) through Functional Movement Systems, and is currently working towards his Corrective Exercise Specialization (CES) through NASM.

Topics covered in this episode:

-Recap of his first year in professional baseball

-Training and the minimum effective dose

-Personal improvement

Quotes:

-"Gain the trust of all your players" (4:16)

-"Are you the best version of yourself?" (14:16)

-"Meet others in the field who you can learn from" (23:20)

If you would like to learn more from Logan, you can follow him on social media:

Instagram:

@logan_jones95

Twitter:

@Logan_Jones95

Ryan Crotin is the Director of Performance Integration for the Los Angeles Angels covering quality control aspects within the organization. Previous to this position, Ryan was the Player Performance Coordinator overseeing minor league strength and conditioning aspects, contributing to sport science and player procurement.

Topics covered in this episode:

-Characteristics of successful strength and conditioning coaches

-Advice for others in the field

-Reading research

Quotes:

-"I think we have to have a general openness to learn" (4:28)

-"Learn from as many people as possible" (8:14)

-"If you want to be successful, you have to have gratitude" (8:41)

If you would like to learn more from Ryan, you can follow him on social media:

Instagram:

@ryancrotin

Dallas Lopez just completed his fourth season with the Chicago Cubs organization and second-straight with the Eugene Emeralds. He spent 2015-16 with the rookie league Mesa Cubs after graduating from Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota with a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice.

Topics covered in this episode:

-Working the Arizona Fall League

-Difficult training sessions

-Newest trends and topics

Quotes:

-"We're in a constantly developing field of practice" (15:14)

-"The day of just writing programs and getting guys to workout is no more" (18:48)

-"If it's been proven to have some sort of benefits, then you gotta give it a chance" (20:15)

Mike Schofield is currently the Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coordinator for the Atlanta Braves. He is a registered strength and conditioning coach (RSCC), licensed manual therapist (LMT), and Postural Restoration trained (PRT). Prior to working with the Braves, Mike spent 8 seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He attended Colorado State University where he completed his degree in Exercise Science.

Topics covered in this episode:

-Adjusting to both a new role and a new organization

-PRI in professional baseball

-Ideas and advice on how to be successful

Quotes:

-"I view myself as another piece to help push the program forward" (2:19)

-"Recovery is king in this game" (12:08)

-"Good training is good training - it's all encompassing" (21:13)

If you would like to learn more from Mike, you can follow him on social media:

Instagram:

@mschofield3

Todd Kubacki just completed his 11th season in the Cleveland Indians organization. He spent 5 years as a minor league strength and conditioning coach, with stops in Low-A (1 year), AA (1 year), and AAA (3 years). He was also the Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coordinator for 4 years and a Performance Coordinator for 1 year. He now currently works as an Analyst, with a focus on performance domain metrics.

He completed his undergraduate work at Youngstown State University in 2007, and received his Master’s degree in Performance Psychology in 2014. He currently lives in Phoenix with his wife, Phuong.

Topics covered in this episode:

-Todd's journey through professional baseball

-The future of strength and conditioning in professional baseball

-Todd's "craziest" beliefs

Quotes:

-"I think the biggest lesson is meeting the player where they are at" (6:28)

-"The basics are the basics for a reason - it's because they work" (10:40)

-"Great coaches are generally pretty great people" (16:27)

If you would like to learn more from Todd, you can follow him on social media:

Instagram:

@tkub1114

Twitter:

@tkubacki11

Esteban Doria just completed his 2nd season in the Houston Astros organization, working primarily with rehab and DR Academy operations.

Prior to joining the Astros, Esteban was at the University of Maryland, working as the strength and conditioning coach for baseball, wrestling, and golf. During his two seasons there, there were 9 players drafted and 4 NCAA qualifying wrestlers. He was also the internship coordinator.

Esteban also has experience with the St. Louis Cardinals organization (2015 GCL Cardinals), LSU (GA 2014-2015), Gayle Hatch Weightlifting (2013-2014), and FSU football as an undergraduate intern. He holds a number of certifications, including: CSCS, USAW-1, FMS-2, and TPI-1.

Through his various experiences, he has worked with champions in professional sports, collegiate sports, and Olympic weightlifting.

Topics covered in this episode:

-Rehabilitation Process

-Power Development

-Aerobic Conditioning/Max Aerobic Speed

Quotes:

-"It's not what you do, it's how you do it" (4:12)

-"It's my goal to always help you get to where you want to be even when you don't want to be there" (22:44)

-"Control what you can control" (24:39)

If you would like to learn more from Esteban, you can check out his video below from the PBSCCS website:

http://baseballstrength.org/clean-grip-pulls/

or by following him on social media:

Twitter:

@Coach_eDoria

Brian Buck is a former St. Louis Cardinals draft pick now going on his 8th year in Physical Performance. Brian currently serves as a Performance Analyst at Sparta Science, but had previous stops as a Strength Coach in the MLB and the Boras Sports Training Institute. Brian is a native of Portland, OR and now resides in San Francisco, CA.

Topics covered in this episode:

-Sparta Science

-Brian's best professional baseball story

-Thoughts on lifting and conditioning in-season

Quotes:

-"Transparency can be so big for buy-in with athletes" (11:53)

-"It's just having a plan and executing based off what you think is right" (25:54)

-"At the end of the day have the best interest of the player in mind" (34:06)

If you would like to learn more from Brian, you can check out some of his blog posts on the Sparta Science website:

https://spartascience.com/resources

or by following him on social media:

Instagram:

@brianbuck6

Twitter:

@brianbuck6