Josh Flowerman

alum @VillanovaU & @IthacaCollege| 10+ yrs in pro/college baseball | Pitching Coach @FDU_Baseball & @washwildthings | former coach @valleycats & @frederickkeys

[Josh Flowerman @jflowerman13]

https://t.co/i3MDqMenZq

[Josh Flowerman @jflowerman13]

@dtisch30 Outstanding! Great hire!

[Preston Chapman @Pchap_Kares]

I’ve helped 4 independent ball guys get signed to affiliate in the last 3 weeks. I’m telling all affiliate organizations, you want this guy. He’s legit. Buy stock. Hard worker, great kid, and a very good player. Still super young as well. @keenan_005

[Preston Chapman @Pchap_Kares]

Super proud of @jaallmer27 dominating to start his career in the Red Sox organization!! #KSM

[MLB Draft League @mlbdraftleague]

The game was as good as over once Jay Allmer (@FrederickKeys '24) came out of the bullpen as one of the three all-time #MLBDraftLeague save leaders locking it down in all eight opportunities!

'24: 17 G, 3-0, 2.14 ERA, 8/8 SV/SVO, 21 IP, 17 K, 1.10 WHIP.

[MLB Draft League Data @draftleaguedata]

📊𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱 - 𝗝𝗼𝗝𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀𝗼𝗻⏮️

20 G, .352/.435/.592 (1.027 OPS), 2 HR, 2 3B, 7 2B, 17 RBI, 13 R, 6 SB

Brls/BBE% - 11.5%
Hard-Hit % - 26.2% (10.6%/Swing)
Max EV - 109.2mph
Pull/Straight/Oppo% - 9.8%/57.4%/32.8%
🆚FB - .357 AVG / .536 SLG / 4.1% Z-Whiff%
🆚SL - .500 AVG / .800 SLG / 10.5% Whiff%
🆚CH - .444 AVG / .667 SLG / 9.1% Z-Whiff%

2024 @Yankees 17th-round.

@FrederickKeys | @J_JacksonJr11

[MLB Draft League @mlbdraftleague]

Dawson Netz ➡️ #YouHaveToSeeIt

The @Cubs are signing Dawson Netz (@FrederickKeys '24) to a minor league contract!

FRE: 11 G, 4-0, 3.32 ERA, 21.2 IP, 33 K, 0.92 WHIP, .208 BAA

[MLB Draft League @mlbdraftleague]

After setting the @GtownBaseball program home run record 10 days ago, Owen Carapellotti (@FrederickKeys '24) slugged two more 💣s over the weekend for 14 on the season!

Carapellotti now has 52 career homers with 176 RBIs. He has also homered at least once in the last six weekend series.

[Frederick Keys @FrederickKeys]

Alumni Highlight: Two Former Keys Sign Minor League Contracts ✨

🔗 Read the article now! https://t.co/FYKbIvNu3s

@mlbdraftleague

[MLB Draft League @mlbdraftleague]

Jay Allmer ➡️ #TridentsUp

The @RedSox are signing Jay Allmer (@FrederickKeys '24) to a minor league contract!

FRE: 17 G, 3-0, 8 SV, 2.14 ERA, 21 IP, 17 K, 1.10 WHIP

[MLB Draft League @mlbdraftleague]

⏪𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬🌟

In his last start with the #MLBDraftLeague, @Christian_Rod00 set an all-time league record with 1️⃣6️⃣ Ks in a CG effort!

Rodriguez would then be drafted in the 10th round by the @Orioles.

@FrederickKeys | @prepbaseball

[Jamie Quinn @CoachQ_14]

@ABCA1945 Convention with the staff. Here we go!

@Coach_JH27 @jflowerman13

[Jonathan Lucroy @JLucroy20]

Game calling is an under looked and under taught part of the catching position.

TBH, I didn’t learn how to call a good game until several years into my big league career. There is a ton of instinct and experience that goes along with it.

Jason Kendall told me whenever I was in the minor leagues that it would take me until years of catching in the big leagues until I really understood how to call a game.
At the time, being naive, I thought I had a pretty good idea. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

In the big leagues, hitters get paid a ton of money to hit. With that said, mistakes and repeats within a pattern get punished.

The coolest thing about hitting when @Yadimolina04 was catching was I had a front row seat to the best ever, IMO.

No at bat has the same sequence. Different 2k pitches and mid count pitches ever at bat. Every 0-0 was different.

With this being said, he was super random but with a strategy to get to the pitch he wanted me to see and/or swing at.

Pitchers, work on the ability to throw 3-4 pitches for strikes in any count. In the big leagues, if you can’t do that, you will get destroyed. This same principle applies to higher levels of youth baseball, and into college/minor leagues.

Rank your pitches 1-4 by confidence of being able to execute for a STRIKE.

Throwing strikes was and always has been the best way to get hitters out.

GET AHEAD. Go look at historical batting averages in counts.

It’s a massive difference 2-0 vs 0-2.

The change up.

Unless you throw gas with a nasty breaker. While at the same time throwing strikes, master the change up. It’s the great equalizer.

I HATED facing right handers with good changeups. I couldn’t see the difference between that and the fastball. Makes a difference.

Finally, because big league hitters have the best plate discipline and vision in the world, they can pick up the ball quickly out of the hand and determine if it’s a strike or not fairly quickly.

Traditional pitching development is to develop pitches that are strike to ball. In zone, then out of it for chases. This is important to learn. However..

A development hack that isn’t talked about a lot is….

BALL TO STRIKE.

Hitters eyesight at higher levels is elite. You can use this against them. They see ball out of hand, they take, it comes back. Strike 3.

Examples include right in right front door cutter. Throw it at the hitter hip, looks like a ball, cuts in late, freezing the hitter.

Left on right front door 2 seamer. Aka, the Dick nicker. Lefty throws 2 seam at front hip, locks up hitter when it runs back.

Right on left front door 2 seamer. Same concept as above.

Back door cutter RH vs left handed batter. Catcher needs to sit out some, maybe white line away for good lane. Ball should cut over outside corner.

Back door cutter LH to RH hitter. Same concept as above.

The catchers should be setting up targets according to the pitchers preferences. All guys are different. This should be practiced and communicated in the bullpen.

Quick note: when determining who to use ball to strike pitches too, I would go look at OBP. If it was a high OBP guy, say, like Votto, I would ball to strike him all day. He never chased out of zone.

These are just a few things and thoughts. I’m going to upload some of my game calling and scouting report sheets I have from my career. We can discuss how to evaluate hitters next.

Please respond if you have any specific questions. Thanks all.

[643 Charts @643charts]

The reigning @mlbdraftleague Pitcher of the Week, Jay Allmer (@jaallmer27) has been lights out for the @FrederickKeys in August.

Allmer earned Pitcher of the Week honors after allowing zero runs and only three hits while converting all three of his save opportunities in four appearances (five innings) last week.

The @SHUBaseball product has not allowed a run in seven appearances (eight innings) in August, during which he’s lowered his season ERA from 5.68 to 2.51. The righty also owns a 1.05 WHIP, a .235 BAA and a 12-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 14 1/3 innings with Frederick.

[643 Charts @643charts]

D2 All-American Valek Cisneros (@valek_cisneros) is tearing through the @MLBDraftLeague for the @FrederickKeys.

Through 13.1 IP, the @UCOBaseball righty has a 0.00 ERA and a 36% strikeout rate.

Cisneros is baffling hitters, as evidenced by the 31% chase rate on his sinker (D1 average is 18%) and the 56% whiff rate on his slider (D1 average is 33%).

[Dawson Netz @Dawson_Netz]

Seeking UDFA Opportunity

2024 Stats (Arizona + Draft League)

ERA - 4.13
Innings - 39.2
Strikeouts - 52
Hits - 33
Walks - 9

Trackman Data

FB (90-95) IVB 19.0” HB 3.5”
SL (78-82) IVB -4.0” HB -11.0”
CB (69-72) IVB -14.0” HB -14.0”
SP (80-84) IVB 3.0” HB 10.0”

[Josh Flowerman @jflowerman13]

Had a great first half coaching in @mlbdraftleague with @FrederickKeys and can’t wait to start up again this week…

Thrilled to see hardworking, unselfish @Christian_Rod00 get drafted by @Orioles yesterday! Great working with him, and an example of hard work paying off!

[Josh Flowerman @jflowerman13]

It’s been awhile since I posted an #immaculategrid score, but a 4 is my personal best! Hours of studying 1985-95 baseball cards put this one right in my wheelhouse!

@immaculategrid x @baseball_ref

[Toronto Blue Jays @BlueJays]

Hit the lights.

Romano's back 🇨🇦

[Josh Flowerman @jflowerman13]

Lucky 13 today on the grid…
@immaculategrid x @baseball_ref
#immaculategrid