Ryan Porter

Blessed Dad | Believer | Coach

[Ryan Porter @CoachRPorter]

Facts, I mean Pujols was pretty good.

[Jermaine Curtis @JermaineCurtis]

When I was with the St. Louis Cardinals, we had a team meeting about hitting with two strikes.

Albert Pujols was leading it.

At the time, he was hitting something ridiculous with two strikes.

I want to say it was around .265.

Naturally, everyone wanted to know how.

So somebody asked:

"What's your two-strike approach?"

Albert's answer surprised me.

He said:

"I think fastball inside and hit it back through the middle."

That was it.

No complicated mechanics.

No secret formula.

Just:

Fastball inside.

Back through the middle.

I remember sitting there thinking:

"Why would you think fastball inside with two strikes?"

So somebody asked him.

And Albert said something I'll never forget.

He said:

"If I can hit a fastball inside back through the middle..."

"I can hit the fastball away."

"I can stay on the changeup."

"I can stay on the slider."

"I can stay on the curveball."

Then he paused.

And said:

"The ball gets deeper."

That's when it clicked for me.

He wasn't trying to pull the inside fastball.

He was using one thought to cover everything.

The more I thought about it...

The more it made sense.

So I started trying it.

And it changed the way I thought about hitting with two strikes.

Instead of worrying about every pitch...

I focused on one.

Fastball inside.

Back through the middle.

See it DEEP.

If you're struggling with two strikes, here's what I'd do tonight:

Round 1: Short Box

(Set the distance somewhere between front toss and batting practice.)

Have a coach throw only fastballs inside.

Your only thought:

"Fastball inside."

Drive the ball back through the middle.

10 swings.

Round 2: Mix Speeds

Now the coach mixes:

- Fastballs
- Changeups
- Breaking balls
- Sliders

But your thought never changes.

You're still looking:

"Fastball inside."

10 swings.

Round 3: Two-Strike BP

Every pitch starts 0-2.

Compete.

Battle.

Use the same approach.

"Fastball inside."

Back through the middle.

10 swings.

That's it.

30 focused swings.

One thought.

One approach.

One goal.

Drive the baseball back through the middle.

One thing I've learned:

Most hitters get worse with two strikes because they add thoughts.

Albert got better because he removed them.

With two strikes, simplicity is a weapon.

Thank you for reading,
Jermaine Curtis

P.S. - If you enjoyed this and thought it was helpful, please share it.

(When you share it, it tells me you want more content like this.)

[Ryan Porter @CoachRPorter]

@CoachRT1988 message me, I have some info you may be interested in. I’m a former Skeeter coach (2004-16) and like the direction you are taking the program. Have something that might help you.

[Ryan Porter @CoachRPorter]

@Seth_3773 Who is this guy? Never heard of him, must have been his first strikeout. Just wanna be relevant I guess. Why I don’t even watch MLB anymore. Embarrassed for his family, way to raise a winner 😂

[Randy Jackson @CoachJacksonTPW]

“We’ve got an app for everything…

So why hasn’t something like OVR existed before?”

That’s the question I answer in this short video.

The truth is:
most programs have only tracked the easy stuff.

OVR tracks what matters.

https://t.co/ertdywbjvp

@CoachStartz
@CoachSamz

#Chasing99

[Ryan Porter @CoachRPorter]

@Eman5695 I would be honored!

[Ryan Porter @CoachRPorter]

@BBGreatMoments And oh by the way, I struck his ass out! 😂

[Ryan Porter @CoachRPorter]

@BBGreatMoments

[Coach Scott @CoachScott7763]

I have 12 kids move to other schools … zero PAPFs …

See 3⭐️ and 4⭐️ QBs transferring to powerhouses

All will play, nothing will be done.

@uiltexas needs to step up or institute new rules.

It’s ridiculous out here

[Blondelady2024 @arva61138]

This is probably the best answer I've ever heard to the question, "Why did God create evil?"

A professor at the university asked his students the following question:

“Everything that exists was created by God?”
One student bravely answered:
“Yes, it was created by God.”

The professor asked :
“If God created everything, then God created evil, since it exists. And according to the principle that our deeds define ourselves, then God is evil.”

The student became silent after hearing such an answer. The professor was very pleased with himself. He boasted to students for proving once again that faith in God is a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said:
“Can I ask you a question, professor?”
"Of course," replied the professor.

“Professor, is cold a thing?”
“What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you ever been cold?”
Students laughed at the young man's question.

The young man answered:
“Actually, sir, cold doesn't exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is actually the absence of heat. A person or object can be studied on whether it has or transmits energy.
Absolute zero (-460 degrees Fahrenheit) is a complete absence of heat. All matter becomes inert and unable to react at this temperature. Cold does not exist. We created this word to describe what we feel in the absence of heat.”

The student continued:
“Professor, does darkness exist?”
“Of course it exists.” said the professor.
“You're wrong again, sir. Darkness also does not exist. Darkness is actually the absence of light. We can study the light but not the darkness. We can use Newton's prism to spread white light across multiple colors and explore the different wavelengths of each color. You can't measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into the world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you tell how dark a certain space is? You measure how much light is presented. Isn't it so? Darkness is a term man uses to describe what happens in the absence of light.”

In the end, the young man asked the professor:
“Sir, does evil exist?”
This time it was uncertain, the professor answered:
“Of course, as I said before. We see him every day. Cruelty, numerous crimes and violence throughout the world. These examples are nothing but a manifestation of evil.”

To this, the student answered:
“Evil does not exist, sir, or at least it does not exist for itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is like darkness and cold—a man-made word to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not faith or love, which exist as light and warmth. Evil is the result of the absence of Divine love in the human heart. It’s the kind of cold that comes when there is no heat, or the kind of darkness that comes when there’s no light.”
🙏🏻❤️🙏🏻

[Clint Hurdle @ClintHurdle13]

Every player I ever coached was asking me the same 3 questions.

They never said them out loud.

It didn't matter what the lineup looked like.

It didn't matter what the scoreboard said.

They just needed to know 3 things.

And every leader, every coach, every parent is being asked the same ones.

Here they are.

Question #1: Can I trust you?

Trust isn't given. It's earned.

You earn it through transparency and honesty not when things are going well, but when things are hard.

How I built it:

• Do what you say you're going to do
• Tell them what they need to hear, not what they want to hear
• Show up the same way whether you're winning or losing

You lose trust fast. You build it slow.

Question #2: Can you make me better?

This one is on you as a leader.

They're not just asking about their swing or their stats.

They're asking: do you see me clearly enough to help me grow?

Question #3: Do you care about me?

This is the most important one. And you can't fake it.

You can't lead anybody if they don't believe you care about them beyond what they produce on the field.

Three questions. No stat tracks them. But they determine everything.

[Mayne @Tradermayne]

Oh my fucking G-d.

[Ryan Porter @CoachRPorter]

@ClayTravis @boyesgirrl Haven’t we punked our 51’st state enough 🤣

[Senator Melissa Melendez @senatormelendez]

Guess what? Your whiny-ass ain’t going to an Iran battlefield any time soon either skippy.

As the wife of a naval officer and a mom to 3 sons in the Navy, I’ve got skin in the game, you don’t.

Stick to sleeping with Chinese spies, leave the national security to the rest of us.

[Ryan Porter @CoachRPorter]

@SenFettermanPA You are a true MAN. My family was southern democrats for years and I had to make the snow hard move to the other side. THANK YOU!!!! Senator for standing up for what is right for Americans, no matter the party. If you run for president, you have my vote!

[U.S. Senator John Fetterman @SenFettermanPA]

Committed Democrat here.

I’m a hard no.

My vote is Operation Epic Fury. 🇺🇸

[Ryan Porter @CoachRPorter]

Should move Brock into the district to give them 5 teams.

[Matt Stepp @Matt_Stepp817]

No change to the 4A-D2 football alignment, 5-4A D2 will be just a 4-team district with Glen Rose, Hillsboro, Kemp and Venus #txhsfb @dctf

[Ryan Porter @CoachRPorter]

@nicksortor Next stop bucees!

[Nick Sortor @nicksortor]

🔥 NOW: President Trump picks up ORDER 47 at Whataburger in Texas, and then pays for EVERY customer’s order

“That sucker looks GOOD!”

“Burgers for the WHOLE PLACE!”

[Keegan Hicks @4keeg_]

Ran the 100m for the first time with a time of 10.14!!!! Thank you to my coaches for pushing me. I also broke the track and my school record. 🔥

[Ryan Porter @CoachRPorter]

@ImFiredUp2 Not a real sport, not a real man.