Pace University Baseball commit catcher Chris (CJ) Orrego recently finished his final spring season at Wayne Hills High School in NJ. After 62 ABs, he batted .435 (vs .226 LY) and had a .774 slugging average (vs .339 LY). He finished the year with 3x as many hits for extra bases vs. the prior year.
How did he do it?
We’re sitting down today to discuss the ins and outs of playing Division 1 baseball with Villanova Pitching Coach Jabin Weaver. Topics Include:
Developing elite hitters from a young age is about developing not only intent, but sound hitting mechanics from early on. Let me start by saying this. Due to the fact that young athletes are not proficient enough in body awareness and movement at this age, it’s important to begin with a basic / reduced set of disconnects before expanding it to more complicated movement patterns later on. Below are the disconnects / topics you should make sure you get right from a young age. Let’s get into it…
Continue reading “Developing Elite Hitters from a Young Age (10-13 year olds)”
Right-Handed Pitcher Connor Darling (Class 2024) recently completed an outstanding spring season at Northern Highlands High School in New Jersey. Connor has been training at RPP since November 2019. At the time of his assessment last summer, he was 6’3” and 185 lbs., topping out at 82 mph. Fast forward to this spring, Connor is now over 200 lbs., and has improved his peak velo by nearly 9 mph, touching 91 mph. This past spring he finished with a 2.07 ERA, 1.7 K / IP and 40.2 IP under his belt.
How did he do it?
Continue reading “Athlete Highlight: 6’3″ RHP Connor Darling Velo is Up 9 mph”
Today we’re sitting down with Jimmy Buffi, CEO of Reboot Motion. During the episode, Jimmy helps break down motion capture to players and coaches in more understandable terms and talks about how he gathers information to help create a blueprint for success. Topics include:
Helping young pitchers develop into the best versions of themselves requires an understanding of their physiological development and capabilities at any given age. Asking a 13-year old pitcher to post-up may be a complete waste of time, if he doesn’t have enough lead leg strength to create a good block. With our more developed and older athletes, we may review as many as 50-60 potential disconnects. But when it comes to the younger guys, you have to be aware of what they may or may not be capable of performing. Consequently, we generally begin with a reduced set before expanding what we look for in their youth pitching mechanics. We have listed them here on a priority basis.
Continue reading “Helping Young Pitchers (ages 10-13) Develop into Elite Throwers”
Today I’m flying solo, answering questions regarding playing summer ball (or not). And if so, how to train properly during the hot summer months in order to maintain athleticism. Topics will include:
Villanova Baseball commit Jake Francis is having another exceptional spring season. Jake started his training at RPP almost 2 years ago, in August of 2021. At the time he was 6’ tall and 160 lbs., coming off a PBR event where his velocity was sitting 80-82 mph. Fast forward to this spring, Jake is at 180 lbs., sitting 88-90 and recently touched 91 mph. His velo is up nearly 10 mph. This spring, in 51.1 IP, he has a 0.82 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP. He has only given up 6 earned runs in over 51 innings.
How did he do it?
Continue reading “Athlete Highlight: RHP Jake Francis Velo is Up 10 mph Since Joining RPP”
Today we’re sitting down with Mental Performance Coach Michael Huber. Mike is the founder of “The Freshman Foundation Podcast “, where he prepares and guides athletes and families through the mental side of performance through their athletic career / journey. Today’s topics include:
Continue reading “Podcast #52: Attacking the Mental Side of Performance with Mike Huber”
Most often, pitchers and position players associate their pitching velocity or exit velo with their mechanics. As our understanding of the body and technology has improved over the years, it is now more apparent than ever that your velocity ceiling, whether it’s pitching or hitting, is limited by your physical ability more than anything else. Whether you’re a position player or a pitcher and your velo is stuck… let’s find out why.
Continue reading “Profiling Pitchers… The RPP Pitching Assessment”
