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Athlete Highlight – Gettysburg’s Jackson Kammen Exit Velo is up 5-6 mph

Rising College Sophomore, Jackson Kammen joined us this summer for the 3-month college hitting development program. Jackson, a catcher at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, had just finished his freshmen year. At 5’9” and 182 lbs. he is strong and physical. His plan for the summer was to increase his bat speed and exit velocity and generally improve his contact at the plate. He began his summer training in May, and needless to say, a lot has already changed since. Jackson’s bat speed has increased 3 mph while his exit velo now at 91-93, has also increased nearly 5-6 mph.

How did he do it?

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Podcast #62: Extension, Hip Bias and Creating the Script for Efficient Mechanics with Niko Leontarakis

Today we’re sitting down with Niko Leontarakis, RPP Director of Pitching, and talking about some common issues we see in pitchers and how it’s not always only about mechanics. Topics Include:

    • Incorporating anatomy into coaching
    • Understanding the athlete in front of you
    • Importance of hip bias and ultimately extension

Continue reading “Podcast #62: Extension, Hip Bias and Creating the Script for Efficient Mechanics with Niko Leontarakis”

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Athlete Highlight: Charalambous Back from Spine Injury Touching 89 mph

Presbyterian College commit Christian Charalambous finished his spring season with a 1.51 ERA touching 89 mph. Christian started his training at RPP over two years ago in November 2020, during his sophomore year at Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, New Jersey.  During the fall of that year, he was clocked at a Perfect Game event at 81 mph. Two years later and a spine fracture in between, he is now touching 89 mph.

How did he do it?

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Expanding Jose Ledesma’s Pitch Arsenal… A Game Changer

Jose Ledesma

Pro pitcher Jose Ledesma, a recent Graduate of the D1 baseball program at the University of Delaware, spent the past off-season training at RPP Baseball.  During this time, he worked on just about every aspect of his craft, from improving his velocity to expanding his pitching arsenal.  Fast forward to summer of 2023, pitching for the Sussex Country Miners of the Frontier League, he has pitched 50.1 innings with an ERA of 3.75 and 9 Ks/9. A year earlier, pitching for the Trenton Thunder of the MLB Draft League, he pitched 26.2 innings with an ERA of 5.06 and 5.1 Ks/9.

So… what changed?

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What is Stuff+ and How Can it Help You?

Stuff+
Source: http://pitchingapp.pitchingbot.com/

Over the last decade, many new pitching stats have been created, including  FIP, SIERA, CSW%, and xFIP, all with the single purpose of getting a better understanding of a pitcher’s ability beyond the ERA. Recently, a new pitching stat was created by Eno Sarris which he calls Stuff+.

What is it? and how can it be helpful?

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Podcast #61: A Deep Dive into Player Development with Duke University’s Tyler Rost

Tyler Rost

Today we’re sitting down with Tyler Rost, Duke University’s Director of Player Development. Tyler brings a great deal of experience to the table and is a great listen. Topics include:

    • The full on-boarding process for freshman
    • Merging data with “real” feel
    • Creating a great “team” environment both on and off the field

Continue reading “Podcast #61: A Deep Dive into Player Development with Duke University’s Tyler Rost”

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Podcast #60: Training Power in Rotational Athletes with RPP Director of S&C Zach Kollar

Today we’re sitting down with Zach Kollar, RPP Director of Strength and Conditioning . Zach has been a big part of what we’ve develop here on the S&C side of things during the past few years .  Join us as we’ll be discussing training “power” in rotational athletes. Topics Include:

    • Why power is the gold standard in athleticism
    • Different types of training based on the individual
    • When and how to train it (it matters!)

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Athlete Highlight: Nolan Geisler’s Journey from 77 mph to 89 mph

U. Mass Lowell Baseball commit Nolan Geisler, a rising senior at Bayonne High School in New Jersey, has been having quite a spring and summer season. Nolan started training at RPP, in September 2021, near the start of his Sophomore year.  On July 9th of the same year, his peak velocity according to a Perfect Game event was 77 mph.  Fast forward to this spring and summer, Nolan has been sitting 86-88 and touching 89.

How did he do it?

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What are the Most Common Pitching Mechanics Issues?

When you train as many pitchers as we do, often times common themes begin to emerge. One such theme is the types of baseball pitching mechanics issues that we observe most often in pitchers.  Well, here they are, along with some things we do (barring any glaring mobility issues observed in the assessment) from a corrective standpoint both in the tunnel and in the weight room to address them.
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Podcast #59: Pitch Design with RPP Pitching Coordinator Jake Lebovitch

Jake Lebovitch

Today, we’re sitting down with RPP Pitching Coordinator, Jake Lebovitch and discussing all aspects of pitch design.  This is a great episode and topics include:

    • Evaluating pitcher’s movement patterns
    • Source of pitch movement
    • Most relevant metrics
    • What’s good movement and what’s not
    • Sequencing and tunneling
    • Time it takes to see results

Continue reading “Podcast #59: Pitch Design with RPP Pitching Coordinator Jake Lebovitch”