The Real Voices of the Game Productions

Olympic Boxing

Getting a job

Tom Giradano and Bob Johnson

Honesty-Truth in coaching

John Hart- Manny- and Dombrowski

The Bureau

$$$$$$- League Minimum and Cal

Checklist of Tips and Kissle

Antebellum

Update College Recruiting - expanded number of scholarships

Intro - Larry Monroe Monroe was chosen by the Sox in the first round of the 1974 Major League Baseball draft with the eighth overall selection. After going 11-14 with a 2.91 ERA for the Knoxville Sox in 1976, he earned a late-season call-up to Chicago. He made his big league debut on August 23 against the Detroit Tigers, throwing two scoreless, hitless innings of relief. After his playing days, Monroe worked for the White Sox in various capacities. When Adrian Garrett replaced Vern Law as manager of the Denver Zephyrs in 1984, Monroe was brought in to become pitching coach. He was vice president of scouting and minor league operations from 1990 to 1994 and vice president of free agent and major league scouting until 2000. Monroe was an integral part of the advanced scouting team, which aided the Chicago White Sox in winning the 2005 World Series. More recently, he was an advisor to the baseball department through 2020. Monroe runs the personal pitching training business, Monroe Pitching, geared to young men looking to improve their talents. Monroe is the author of Best-Kept Secrets of Major League Pitching.

Scouting story - JC left-handed pitchers in Florida. The mind of a scout. Topics Baseball has been thought of as a physical, mental, and emotional development game.

Where have you seen the most changes in the areas of pitching development both positive and negative? TJ epidemic (tip of the iceberg). your thoughts and where do you see the most damage being done in your day-to-day operations?

Contributing factors: Improper rest (weekly, monthly, annually), throwing year-round. Max effort philosophy in throwing and performance

Pitch counts are adhered to in MILB and MLB but not in privatized amateur baseball Travel and Showcase baseball. Ex. 6 games on a weekend, where else does this happen? Quick story……. Jim Your thoughts on overall pitching development.

Where do you place the importance in how you teach and coach? Any thoughts on how we reverse this injury trend? What can we learn from successful pitchers in the past (ex. Mark Buerhle) Any stories on the “Kiddie Core”, Dotson, Burns, Trout, Hoyt, and Wortham and how the White Sox were able to develop quality young starting pitching? In your scouting years (various roles) what were the things you looked for in a young pitcher? Any stories that show this thought process?

One of my colleagues often quotes or shares talks given by Leo Mazzone and Don Cooper. Any personal insight on how the White Sox with Don Cooper was successful in developing quality pitchers? Mike Porzio story - how a different voice can alter a player's perception.

How winter ball was used as an aid in development. Manageable workload was a part of development, now it appears MILB is merely the safety squad, trying to keep pitchers healthy by not throwing. MLB developed the Fall League for top prospects ( I believe spearheaded by Roland Hemond), bit now the top pitchers are usually not allowed to throw due to workload concerns. Any you would like to speak about please include.

Olympics- tearing down institutions

Mike Trout- a 360

The ortho myth

The Trump PA blockage on google- the collapse

Chokeholds

Sunflower Seeds

Olympic debacle

Lebron Snoop Clark Tatum

Boxing and Gymnastics

NCAA scholarship mess

All-Time defensive team

UCONN Baseball Lineage- Mows and Throws

Olympic Contraversy

Jazz is an individual

Judge ... The right way

Extra Innings- Let it go foul- Bunt on Jazz

Gleyber and DJ

Wells and Player Development

Holiday- Knowledge of Jazz

Players to watch- Witt, Adley, Judge, Trea

The St. Paul connection

His start

Always battling perfection

The Pioneer League

MLB Spring Training and the call up

John McSherry- Doug Harvey- Ted Williams- President Bush

The 2 All-Start Games

Bobby Cox rule

Robo Ump

1 knee and stealing strikes

Charlie Green

1 knee

Cheat Thrower

Servant Catcher

Lessons as a Ragin' Cajun

USA Baseball

Separate yourself through your preparation

Having fun

It's not about me- message to parents

The odds of making it

Do the little things right

Intro to Frank's baseball journey

Decataur, IL

Leo and Charlie

World Champs

Joe D and Satchel

Next week's guest- Dave Lapoint

Whose job to keep them healthy

Yamamoto moved to 60-day IL, out until at least mid-August

Tyler Glasnow Forearm TJ Oblique Back

“It’s certainly not ideal,” Roberts conceded. “But my job is to keep this thing moving forward.”

Drew Smith Tommy John surgery

“We’re going to need guys to step up,” general manager David Stearns said. “This is not unique to us.” “Our job is to help him,” Mendoza said. “He’ll get back on the field.

Lance McCullers TJ/ Flexor Tendon surgery shoulder issues

The team has “pulled back” on McCullers’ rehab progression with what manager Joe Espada described as “soreness in his arm,” intensifying Houston’s need for rotation help at the July 30 trade deadline.

“He’s just not feeling well after his bullpens and his throwing programs,” Espada said on Tuesday. “He’s going to be no-throw for a few days until we sit back down and re-evaluate how we’re going to move forward.”

Ben Joyce

ANAHEIM -- Don’t blink. You might just miss one of Ben Joyce's fastballs.

Joyce has been lighting up radar guns yet again this season, including uncorking a 104.5 mph fastball in a scoreless seventh inning of the Angels’ 6-5 win over the Mariners in 10 innings on Friday, the hardest pitch thrown by any pitcher this season.

“I've been feeling really good, but I didn't really think anything of it at the time,” Joyce said. “I was trying to go out there and get some outs. But yeah, overall, the body felt great and everything felt really good.”

There’s no doubt about it,” Washington said. “He’s growing, man. He’s starting to believe in himself and his ability to throw the ball over the plate. If he can do that, he’s going to be a real good one.”

Whitely #1 to #21

MLB.com Feb 2024

Whitley, the 6-foot-7-inch right-hander who was Houston’s first-round pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, has thrown only 267 innings in his Minor League career thanks to a suspension, a series of injuries, including Tommy John surgery two years ago and a lat injury last season.

Whitley said the TrackMan data collected Friday provided promising information about his arsenal.

“Everything looked really good,” he said. “[Pitch] shapes were good. I threw a slider with almost 25 inches of horizontal break [Friday]. I don’t know how accurate that is, but it was good to see. Yeah, stuff’s right back to where it was. Got up to 98 [mph] in November, so velocity is still there and I’m bouncing back health-wise and not getting too sore.”

“I’ve gone through so much the last three years,” he said. I feel like I’ve attained so much knowledge on the pitching side.

Last year Whitley pitched for Triple-A Sugar Land and went 1-2 in eight appearances with a 5.70 ERA. He posted a solid strikeout rate, fanning 32 batters in 30 innings. But he missed the back half of the season with a lat strain.

The towering righty revamped his routine this offseason, hoping an off-the-mound overhaul would make him a regular at Minute Maid Park.

Connecting the MLB Dots

River Ryan Dodgers

Dot #1: MLB teams are purchasing damaged goods. Whether college coaches can’t teach /do not wont to teach, doesn't change reality. These 2 hurlers are doppelgängers for what MLB is purchasing.

Dot #2: MLB takes these damaged hurlers, places them on minor league teams for purpose of Development (see Damon Oppenheimer quote). But just like college, there is no teaching /no development to repair the damaged goods, only focus - Velo /Spin.

Dot #3: Takes us to the Show, see Dodgers analysis below - absolute mess. As there is also no teaching/development in the Show, only focus - Velo/Spin, the hurlers remain

damaged goods

Dot #4: To solve any problem one needs to understand what caused the problem. If they do not recognize they’re purchasing damaged goods, they’re wasting their breath. More to the point, if they all believe - Wake Forest to Dodger Land - this throwing motion is the only way to maximize velocity they're sadly misguided and misinformed.

Waldrep elbow injury braves #2 prospect

Waldrep has made two starts in the big leagues in 2024, giving up 13 runs over seven innings, so he'll look to find a groove with Gwinnett in order to potentially get another shot with Atlanta down the road.

Pitchers are better than ever

MLB Team ERA

2024

#1 3.21

50% teams 4.00 +

29th Dodgers 4.67 $700mm Oh

2014

#1 3.03

30% teams 4.00+

1984

#1 3.11

31% 4.00+

1974

#1 2.95

4% 4.00+

1353 pitchers during a July stretch: 45% 3.80+

Severino:

The right-hander had a rough start in Pittsburgh near the close of the first half that caused his ERA to balloon, but otherwise was consistent for the Mets in providing both length and quality. Severino has pitched to a 3.78 ERA and logged 109 ⅔ innings.

Phil Mushnick

Saturday, the Mets beat the Marlins, 1-0, despite Carlos Mendoza, who was mentored by Boone. After six, Mendoza pulled Luis Severino who had allowed just two hits.

On SNY, Gary Cohen offered a weak explanation: Severino was about to face the decisive “third time through the order.” As if both Cone, 25 years ago, and Don Larsen, in 1956, should have been yanked after six.

Besides, with a lineup loaded with .215 batters, the Marlins all become Rod Carew come the seventh inning

.203 .239 .230 .214 .213 .231 .249 .243 .245

Bigger Stronger ?

Tanner Houck

The All-Star pitcher finished the first half with a 2.54 ERA through 19 starts. On Tuesday in Arlington, Texas, he pitched one inning in the All-Star Game, Before the break, manager Alex Cora suggested they would reorganize the rotation to give Houck extra time off,

Houck’s Monday start means he won’t have pitched more than an inning since July 11, giving him 10 days between starts. Houck is already at 117 innings, but Cora said they think Houck’s physicality puts him in a good spot to carry him through the season.

Garrett Crochet

Max Fried: MLB Facts

“Because obviously, it scares you or alarms you,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “That’s why he wanted to get in front of it and make sure it wasn’t anything big.

2 forearm injuries successive seasons: MLB’s MO is to play wac-a -mole.

“Definitely a relief to know it’s just a little bit of a freak accident. Just going to let it calm down for a little bit, and it should be good to go with no issues.”

Not a freak accident, Fried’s throwing motion maximizes the forces on his shoulder/elbow

Fried, 30, was limited to 14 starts in 2023, when he was out for three months with a forearm strain

FACT: MLB hurlers will not make adjustments to their throwing motion.

FACT: MLB Pitching coaches do not encourage pitchers to make adjustments

FACT: Minor league pitchers will not make adjustments to their throwing motion

FACT: Minor league pitching coaches do not encourage prospects to make adjustments

FACT: The Analytic’s experts have re-defined and reduced the art of pitching to Velocity and Spin from the 4 tenets of pitching Command, Change of Speed, Movement, Velocity

REALITY: With all due respect to the experts who have been quoted in the numerous articles, unless they start teaching/developing in the minor leagues nothing will change.

FACT: This throwing motion, i.e phase movements and lower half /ball timing maximizes the forces on the shoulder and elbow. They’re not willing to address, nothing changes

Yes, The game has changed - Phil Mushnick

We’ve lately tuned in to Mets telecasts to hear that their bullpen is exhausted, as if that’s a matter of bad fortune as opposed to managerial design.

So Thursday, the Mets led the Nationals, 5-0, after six, when Carlos Mendoza brought in new guy Phil Maton, who made one, two, three with two strikeouts on 10 pitches. And then he was pulled. In a 7-0 final, Mendoza used five pitchers. Why? I’ll hang up and listen to your answer.

Whose job to keep them healthy

Yamamoto moved to 60-day IL, out until at least mid-August

Tyler Glasnow Forearm TJ Oblique Back

“It's certainly not ideal,” Roberts conceded. “But my job is to keep this thing moving forward.”

Drew Smith Tommy John surgery

“We're going to need guys to step up,” general manager David Stearns said. “This is not unique to us.” “Our job is to help him,” Mendoza said. “He'll get back on the field.

Lance McCullers TJ/ Flexor Tendon surgery shoulder issues

The team has “pulled back” on McCullers' rehab progression with what manager Joe Espada described as “soreness in his arm,” intensifying Houston's need for rotation help at the July 30 trade deadline.

“He's just not feeling well after his bullpens and his throwing programs,” Espada said on Tuesday. “He's going to be no-throw for a few days until we sit back down and re-evaluate how we're going to move forward.”

Ben Joyce

ANAHEIM -- Don't blink. You might just miss one of Ben Joyce's fastballs.

Joyce has been lighting up radar guns yet again this season, including uncorking a 104.5 mph fastball in a scoreless seventh inning of the Angels' 6-5 win over the Mariners in 10 innings on Friday, the hardest pitch thrown by any pitcher this season.

“I've been feeling really good, but I didn't really think anything of it at the time,” Joyce said. “I was trying to go out there and get some outs. But yeah, overall, the body felt great and everything felt really good.”

There's no doubt about it,” Washington said. “He's growing, man. He's starting to believe in himself and his ability to throw the ball over the plate. If he can do that, he's going to be a real good one.”

Whitely #1 to #21

MLB.com Feb 2024

Whitley, the 6-foot-7-inch right-hander who was Houston's first-round pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, has thrown only 267 innings in his Minor League career thanks to a suspension, a series of injuries, including Tommy John surgery two years ago and a lat injury last season.

Whitley said the TrackMan data collected Friday provided promising information about his arsenal.

“Everything looked really good,” he said. “[Pitch] shapes were good. I threw a slider with almost 25 inches of horizontal break [Friday]. I don't know how accurate that is, but it was good to see. Yeah, stuff's right back to where it was. Got up to 98 [mph] in November, so velocity is still there and I'm bouncing back health-wise and not getting too sore.”

“I've gone through so much the last three years,” he said. I feel like I've attained so much knowledge on the pitching side.

Last year Whitley pitched for Triple-A Sugar Land and went 1-2 in eight appearances with a 5.70 ERA. He posted a solid strikeout rate, fanning 32 batters in 30 innings. But he missed the back half of the season with a lat strain.

The towering righty revamped his routine this offseason, hoping an off-the-mound overhaul would make him a regular at Minute Maid Park.

Connecting the MLB Dots

River Ryan Dodgers

Dot #1: MLB teams are purchasing damaged goods. Whether college coaches can't teach /do not wont to teach, doesn't change reality. These 2 hurlers are doppelgängers for what MLB is purchasing.

Dot #2: MLB takes these damaged hurlers, places them on minor league teams for purpose of Development (see Damon Oppenheimer quote). But just like college, there is no teaching /no development to repair the damaged goods, only focus - Velo /Spin.

Dot #3: Takes us to the Show, see Dodgers analysis below - absolute mess. As there is also no teaching/development in the Show, only focus - Velo/Spin, the hurlers remain

damaged goods

Dot #4: To solve any problem one needs to understand what caused the problem. If they do not recognize they're purchasing damaged goods, they're wasting their breath. More to the point, if they all believe - Wake Forest to Dodger Land - this throwing motion is the only way to maximize velocity they're sadly misguided and misinformed.

Waldrep elbow injury braves #2 prospect

Waldrep has made two starts in the big leagues in 2024, giving up 13 runs over seven innings, so he'll look to find a groove with Gwinnett in order to potentially get another shot with Atlanta down the road.

Pitchers are better than ever

MLB Team ERA

2024

#1 3.21

50% teams 4.00 +

29th Dodgers 4.67 $700mm Oh

2014

#1 3.03

30% teams 4.00+

1984

#1 3.11

31% 4.00+

1974

#1 2.95

4% 4.00+

1353 pitchers during a July stretch: 45% 3.80+

Severino:

The right-hander had a rough start in Pittsburgh near the close of the first half that caused his ERA to balloon, but otherwise was consistent for the Mets in providing both length and quality. Severino has pitched to a 3.78 ERA and logged 109 ⅔ innings.

Phil Mushnick

Saturday, the Mets beat the Marlins, 1-0, despite Carlos Mendoza, who was mentored by Boone. After six, Mendoza pulled Luis Severino who had allowed just two hits.

On SNY, Gary Cohen offered a weak explanation: Severino was about to face the decisive “third time through the order.” As if both Cone, 25 years ago, and Don Larsen, in 1956, should have been yanked after six.

Besides, with a lineup loaded with .215 batters, the Marlins all become Rod Carew come the seventh inning

.203 .239 .230 .214 .213 .231 .249 .243 .245

Bigger Stronger ?

Tanner Houck

The All-Star pitcher finished the first half with a 2.54 ERA through 19 starts. On Tuesday in Arlington, Texas, he pitched one inning in the All-Star Game, Before the break, manager Alex Cora suggested they would reorganize the rotation to give Houck extra time off,

Houck's Monday start means he won't have pitched more than an inning since July 11, giving him 10 days between starts. Houck is already at 117 innings, but Cora said they think Houck's physicality puts him in a good spot to carry him through the season.

Garrett Crochet

Max Fried: MLB Facts

“Because obviously, it scares you or alarms you,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “That's why he wanted to get in front of it and make sure it wasn't anything big.

2 forearm injuries successive seasons: MLB's MO is to play wac-a -mole.

“Definitely a relief to know it's just a little bit of a freak accident. Just going to let it calm down for a little bit, and it should be good to go with no issues.”

Not a freak accident, Fried's throwing motion maximizes the forces on his shoulder/elbow

Fried, 30, was limited to 14 starts in 2023, when he was out for three months with a forearm strain

FACT: MLB hurlers will not make adjustments to their throwing motion.

FACT: MLB Pitching coaches do not encourage pitchers to make adjustments

FACT: Minor league pitchers will not make adjustments to their throwing motion

FACT: Minor league pitching coaches do not encourage prospects to make adjustments

FACT: The Analytic's experts have re-defined and reduced the art of pitching to Velocity and Spin from the 4 tenets of pitching Command, Change of Speed, Movement, Velocity

REALITY: With all due respect to the experts who have been quoted in the numerous articles, unless they start teaching/developing in the minor leagues nothing will change.

FACT: This throwing motion, i.e phase movements and lower half /ball timing maximizes the forces on the shoulder and elbow. They're not willing to address, nothing changes

Yes, The game has changed - Phil Mushnick

We've lately tuned in to Mets telecasts to hear that their bullpen is exhausted, as if that's a matter of bad fortune as opposed to managerial design.

So Thursday, the Mets led the Nationals, 5-0, after six, when Carlos Mendoza brought in new guy Phil Maton, who made one, two, three with two strikeouts on 10 pitches. And then he was pulled. In a 7-0 final, Mendoza used five pitchers. Why? I'll hang up and listen to your answer.