3 Nutrition Tips To Help Baseball Pitchers To Recover Faster From Workouts

To help your body recover from the stress of your baseball workouts, you should try to consume calories within 30 minutes of the end of your training session. It will help you trigger your body out of a state of breakdown and into a state of recovery.

When I was pitching in the Chicago Cubs organization, my post-workout meal consisted of 20 to 30 grams of protein and 40 to 90 grams of carbohydrates. We were taught to shoot for a ratio of 2:1 or 3:1 carbs to protein.

1. Shakes were my favorite because they contain protein that your body can easily digest

2. Chocolate milk is also a great, cheap option because it's got the sugar (carbs) and protein you need at a fraction of the cost of shakes

3. Any meal that balances 4 ounces of protein with a large helping of carbohydrates is good, be creative!

What MLB Stats Tell Us About The 1-1 Pitch Count -- And How To Use This Secret To Your Advantage When Pitching

The 1-1 count is the crossroads in the hitter-pitcher matchup. It's the difference between a batter moving to the edge of the two-strike abyss or getting ahead 2-1 and being able to anticipate the type and location of the next pitch.

Here are the results for all MLB hitters this season after each count.

1-1 became 1-2  BA: .188 | OBP: .241 | SLG: .283 | OPS: .524
1-1 became 2-1  BA: .263 | OBP: .398 | SLG: .423 | OPS: .821

What do the stats tell you? Get ahead of hitters in the count, get ahead of hitters in the count, get ahead of hitters in the count!

How To Avoid "Scouting Reportitis" On The Pitcher's Mound

A big mistake that I see a lot of pitchers make at the college and professional levels is what I like to call "scouting reportitis." That's when pitchers obsess over opposing hitters' reports or scouts' recommendations rather than understand what's working for them.

Always pitch to your strengths. If your off-speed pitch is normally your go-to pitch, but it's not working on a particular night, throw something else. Throw what's working.

You shouldn't worry about hitters because sometimes their strengths are also your strengths.

How To Be A Successful Relief Pitcher

As a relief pitcher, you want to make every day the same. You have to be ready to pitch every day, even though you may not get into the game. You don't want to get the call and be unprepared, so routines are important.

When I was pitching in the Chicago Cubs organization as a closer, I'd grab a glass of Gatorade in the fourth inning, do a dynamic stretching routine (my rope flex program, found here), visualize the guys I may face in the sixth inning. After that, you just want to stay loose so that if you're called to pitch, you're ready.

What makes you successful at relief pitching?

The Art Of Pitching: Hiding The Baseball From Opponents

It's important to hide the baseball from the batter and opposing team when you're pitching, especially at the higher levels of the game. Good hitters can pick up even the most subtle variations in your stance and delivery. Work on developing consistency in your delivery, no matter what pitch you're throwing, so your opponents don't know what's coming before the pitch is actually delivered.

Here are some tips to help you hide the baseball from opponents...

If you stay "closed" in your delivery to the plate, the batter literally cannot see the ball until the last moment.

The way to achieve that is to keep your shoulder and hip "closed" -- hiding the ball in your pitching hand -- until the last possible moment. That's when hitters will say the don't see the ball very well.

When your shoulder "flies open," you tend to bring the ball by your leg more, making it easier for the hitter to pick up how you are holding the seams of the baseball sooner.

Of course, please realize that we are talking about hundredths of a second, here. But, in the major leagues, that can be enough. These guys can get an advantage from even that.

So, hiding your grip on the ball is important. Even hiding your glove is important -- when you first grip the ball, that can be very important if you have a runner on base.

But, even if there's no runner on, the way a pitcher takes a grip on the ball when getting ready to throw is important. For instance, get your glove ready like you are about to throw to the plate -- then grip for a fastball. Now try gripping for a curveball. An experienced hitters will pick up on which one is coming by what you hold -- unless you are careful to disguise it.

By the way -- This is especially true with pitchers who use smaller gloves. Believe it or not, smart hitters zoom right in on that. They look to see if "more palm" or "less palm" is showing in the glove -- because that might tell them what is coming. And that can give them a edge. Any little advantage the veterans can get, they will jump on it. (Maybe that's why they are veterans.)

Let me take that further. It isn't just the batter at the plate try to catch a glimpse of that, vets do it from the dugout. They aren't in there "chewing the fat," they're studying every move the opposing pitcher makes.

Seasoned veterans pass this information along to younger teammates -- which makes a team all the better. And, if a younger player thinks he can maintain his ability to just hit a pitch, he can then make use of that info. (By the way, some guys like knowing what type of pitch is coming, and some do not. The latter just like "reacting" to what comes.)

The Difference Between Pitching Command And Pitching Control

Command can be defined as being able to throw the baseball to specific locations in the strike zone, while control can be defined as being able to throw strikes.

Illegal Pitches: A Brief History Of Trick Pitches, Spit Balls, And Rule Changes In Baseball

If you read the biographies of old baseball pitchers, you'll find all kinds of tricks they used to take that bright, white shine off a baseball.

They'd rip the hide with emery boards/nail files, sandpaper, hooks, tiny knives and even good old fingernails. Anything to take away the "perfect sphere" shape of a new ball. Or they'd just make it dirty. Scuff it up. They'd use dirt or tobacco juice.

By the end of the game, the ball was nearly black.But the most common thing you hear about is how they'd "junk it up." They'd put all kinds of slippery substances on it. Preferrably clear, so that the umpire and hitter couldn't tell without handling it. K-Y Jelly and Vaseline are the most infamous bits of goop.

No one can get away with "emery balls" and "scuff balls" anymore. They are removed from play immediately, because they are so easy to see. But the "spit ball" continues to pop up in big league play now and then.

World Series manager Dick Williams tells a little story in his book, No More Mr. Nice Guy, about the 1967 Boston Red Sox team (which defied all odds-makers and went to the Series against Bob Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals). Williams talks about all his players playing with a ferocious new intensity:

"And there was veteran pitcher John Wyatt in the bullpen, throwing like a kid again. Come to think of it, Wyatt was doing everything like a kid again. I remember one game when he had somehow reached third base, turned the corner, and promptly got caught in a rundown. While scurrying back and forth, some things dropped out of his jacket pocket. No bid deal. Just some cigarets and matches, his car keys... and a tube of Vaseline."

The last great spitter was probably Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry. There were times when the umpire would have Gaylord practically stripping down to his undies on there on the mound, searching him for stuff.

All these now-illegal pitches were once perfectly-legal in major league play.

The rule outlawing them was really created during the winter of 1919-1920. There were several reasons for that new rule -- not the least of which was when pitcher Carl Mays killed batter Ray Chapman with a thrown ball during a major league game. Chapman was hit in the head and would later die.

Whether Mays threw a "spit ball" isn't known, but the ball was definitely dirty -- and dirty baseballs are harder for hitter's to pick up when they come flying in. That was determined to have definitely been a factor in Chapman's death.

That tragedy made everyone realize pitching had to be cleaned up -- literally.

But, even then, the new rule was "grandfathered" in. That means that 17 established major leaguers who were then using the spitball could continue using it until they retired. (For instance, nasty ol' Burleigh Grimes, seen below, could keep on using it.) But no one else could.

All those new balls constantly put into play by the umpire is also believed to have contributed to the "Babe Ruth era" of the 1920s, when home runs and offensive output soared. People still refer to the pre-1920 era as the "dead ball era" -- because it isn't easy to hit homers when one ball is used all game.

In his book The Glory of Their Times, Fred Snodgrass (the New York Giants outfield from the 1910s) wrote:

"We hardly ever saw a new baseball, a clean one [in a game]. If the ball went into the stands and the ushers couldn't get it back from the spectators, only then would the umpire throw out a new one."

The illegal pitch rule was tinkered with again in 1968.

And, in 1975, a rule was added saying a pitcher was not allowed to have the various types of goop on their person, regardless if they actually used it. If a pitcher was found with a "foreign substance," he was immediately ejected. No questions asked.

Illegal Pitch Rule Book Changes

Here are the actual rule book additions and changes:

1920:

"In event of the ball being intentionally discolored by any player, either by rubbing it with the soil, or by applying rosin, paraffin, licorice, or any other foreign substance to it, or otherwise intentionally damaging or roughening the same with sandpaper or emery paper, or other substance, the umpire shall forthwith demand the return of that ball and substitute it for another legal ball, and the offending player shall be disbarred from further participation in the game. If, however, the umpire cannot detect the violator of this rule, and the ball is delivered to the bat by the pitcher, then the latter shall be at once removed from the game, and as an additional penalty shall be automatically suspended for a period of 10 days.

"At no time during the progress of the game shall the pitcher be allowed to:"        

1. Apply a foreign substance of any kind to the ball;        
2. Expectorate on the ball or his glove;        
3. Rub the ball on his glove, person or clothing;        
4. Deface the all in any manner;        
5. Deliver what is called the "shine" ball, "spit" ball, "mud" ball, or "emery" ball.

"For violation of any part of this rule the umpire shall at once order the pitcher from the game, and in addition he shall be automatically suspended for a period of 10 days, on notice from the president of the league."

1968:

"The pitcher shall not:        

1. bring his pitching hand in contact with his mouth or lips. Penalty: for violating this part of this rule the umpire shall warn the pitcher and if this action is repeated the umpire shall immediately disqualify the pitcher;        

2. apply a foreign substance of any kind to the ball;        
3. expectorate on the ball, his pitching hand, or his glove;        
4. rub the ball on his glove, person or clothing;        
5. deface the all in any manner;        
6. deliver what is called the "shine" ball, "spit" ball, "mud" ball, or "emery" ball.

"The pitcher, of course, is allowed to rub the ball between his bare hands. Penalty: For violation of any part of this rule the umpire shall immediately disqualify the pitcher.    

13 Tips To Improve Your Baseball Pitching Mechanics

I get a lot of questions about pitching mechanics. Here are 15 points of what good pitchers should be thinking of.

1. Keep your eyes on the catcher.

2. When lifting your leg during your windup, DON'T STOP in the "balance position." Lift your leg up with your knee (letting your foot hang below) to a comfortable height that allows you to maintain your directional balance and rhythm.

3. Bring your front foot down, then out, when starting your body's momentum toward home plate.

4. When your front foot starts down, your hands should be breaking (down, back and up).

5. When your front foot lands your front elbow should not be open, it should be in line with your catcher.

6. When your front foot lands the trunk of your body should be following through straight to your catcher

7. Keep your front elbow and shoulder closed long as possible.

8. When following through, your front lower rib (glove side) should be touching or close to your front thigh (glove side).

9. Allow your throwing hand a good path to throw and follow through.

10. Let your back foot peel of the mound naturally, don't think about it.

11. Create a consistent point of release.

12. Finish balanced, ready to field your position.

13. One out of your two pitches thrown should be a strike. Two out of your three pitches should be a strike.

Step By Step How To Pitch 4 Different Kinds Of Fastballs

At the big league level, baseball pitchers throw four variations of the fastball, depending on the situation and game plan. Here's a simple overview of what they are, and why they're thrown.

Four-Seam Fastball For Power

Throwing across four seams is a power pitcher's fastball grip. Biomechanically, it maximizes force through the center axis of the ball and imparts a reverse spin on the ball that works in the airflow to minimize the pull of gravity. The ball appears to hop. Actually, it drops less than the other type of fastballs.

Two-Seam Fastball For Movement

Throwing across two seams is a traditional grip leading to throwing with two seams. Both of these grips are for location pitchers who want to run or sink on the ball. The middle finger will impart rotation that works with gravity in the airflow to get movement horizontally or down. At the release point the arm should snap straight to full extension, with the wrist firm behind the ball and the middle finger imparting force through the center axis of the baseball.

Cut Fastball For Movement

A cut fastball or cutter is a type of fastball that breaks slightly just as it reaches home plate. This pitch is somewhere between a slider and a fastball, as it is usually thrown faster than a slider but with more motion than a typical fastball. A common technique used to throw a cutter is to release a fastball with slight pressure from the tip of the middle finger.

Split-Finger Fastball For Sink

A split-finger fastball, or a splitter, is named after the technique of putting the index and middle finger on different sides of the ball, or "splitting" them. The split in the pitcher's fingers allows the use of the same arm speed as a regular fastball without generating the same velocity. The reason the pitch does not travel as fast is because the two "power fingers", which are typically on top of the ball at release, are now on the side of the ball, causing a degree of slippage and thus depriving the ball of about 5-10 mph in velocity. The movement caused by using the split grip is often described as the ball "dropping off the table," which can be attributed to the more pronounced effect of gravity as the pitch speed decreases, but is also helped by the degree of slippage upon release.

Pitching Strategy: Using Batting Statistics To Your Advantage On The Mound

Research conducted by the National Pitching Association in San Diego discovered the following statistics with regard to batting average per count in Major League Baseball. A similar study by some high schools in California found these numbers to be very similar, especially when it came to the statistical spreads between counts.

It is clear that the statistical advantage is always in favor of the pitcher, even at 3-0. In the "Don't ignore the obvious just because it's obvious" department, a pitcher should never feel at a disadvantage because they never really are. I regularly tell pitchers to watch batting practice and count how many legitimate hits a guy might get in a 10 pitch round, even when the same speed fastballs are thrown. Hitters always have, and always will, get themselves out more than we can get them out. It's just a fact.

One notable observation with these numbers is the statistical jump after 1-1 in each direction. The most significant increase or decrease in batting average - nearly 50 points each way - takes place going from 1-1 to 2-1 and 1-1 to 1-2. Because of this, the 1-1 pitch count is arguably the most important count in baseball.