Key takeaways on this 1.78/.56/81.5 throw out by the Cubs Owen Ayers.
1) Aggressive transition move to gain alignment.
2) He goes out to get the ball.
3) Low transfer with ball not coming to rest in the glove.
4) Still head locked on his target throughout.
5) Compact rotational axis. Glove stays in box between hips & shoulders.
6) Fast decel with hips stopping rotation.
7) Lead leg straightening on release. Part of decel process.
THE ANATOMY OF TWO BIG CATCHER ARM SIDE MISSES THAT LAND IN THE STRIKE ZONE
CARSON KELLY CHICAGO CUBS
1) The 1st is away from a RHH. Note the extension to catch & the body stillness( No pivot or loss of contact with the umpire). This pitch was called a ball because of the big miss & it was away from the umpire’s visual tunnel. It was challenged & reversed.
2) The 2nd is in to a LHH. The intent was away. Again extension,little or no movement & adequate hold timing. This pitch was called strike because of the efficiency of Kelly’s movement but more than anything else, it was into the umpire’s visual tunnel.
An athlete takes a huge step forward when a coach doesn't have to ask them to work hard, extra, or correctly.
It's called taking OWNERSHIP.
Challenge yourself in 2026 to be that athlete.
Blue Jays Brandon Valenzuela tuns a 24% strike into a called strike.
1) Smooth & fast.
2) Quick one pieced move.
3) Good hold. Not rolling through the catch.
4) Catches the ball up to the plate working from flexion to extension.
A coach will coach your technique.
A coach will coach your game intellect.
A coach will coach your practice habits.
A coach will coach your fundamentals A coach should NOT have to coach your energy.
Ever Your energy reveals your attitude & how badly U want it.
-Darren Fenster
Construction > Destruction.
Building confidence is the harder, better path.
Tough love that builds beats easy criticism that breaks.
How do you build while demanding excellence?
You are more than your skill.
You are more than a player.
You are more than a position.
You are more than a number.
You are more than a stat.
You are more than a teammate.
You are more than an athlete.
You are more than a student.
Your athletic ability is a gift from God, which He wants you to use for His glory, so that when others see you, they see Him.
Sports are a metaphor for life, not life itself. Sports are meant to be fun, challenging, competitive, and a lesson in how to work hard and play hard. Sports give you a “brotherhood from another motherhood” a family that wins and loses together and treats both the same…understanding that the RELATIONSHIPS are far greater than THE RECORD and that wins and losses don’t define you, but DEVELOP you into all Christ wants you to be.
The life you live out before others, and TO OTHERS, day in and day out, is far greater than the game you play.
You are a CHILD of the KING, fearfully and WONDERFULLY MADE.
You are my son.
You are a student-athlete, and you are loved beyond measure. ❤️
*** This was penned from my wife to our son, @CoachTaberM his senior year of college at UNCW.
Pitching injuries & IL stints are at an all time high. There are numerous reason for that but one that is getting a lot of traction is fatigue. There are all kinds of monitors & predictors for pitching readiness,but many injuries occur during games when pitchers cross the fatigue line. There is live game data mostly velocity radar gun related. By then it is often too late. IMO if you watch the game there are some subtle indicators. One of the many is the time between pitches. Often,not always, when pitchers are fatigued they take more time between pitches. Especially with the 20 second clock, it is very subtle. It’s not so much as when they pitch within that 20 second window, but more when they start their process. This is pretty nuanced since game state has an affect on pitching tempo. It is also very individualized. It’s just another awareness factor that MAY help you avoid a fatigue related injury before a more quantifiable data point surfaces.(IE velocity/arm slot/extension etc.)
My JUCO coach would always say “On a slow roller, pump fake and backdoor the runner on third”
He also drilled into us the 3 B’s of defense—Ball, Base, or Backup.
You’re always doing one of them.
Everybody moves on every play!
Million IQ play!