This past off-season, we had the pleasure of working with Lodi High School’s Ryan Reynoso here at RPP, and the early results have been extremely encouraging. Ryan came into the winter at 5’9”, 178 pounds, with 15% body fat, giving us a strong starting point from a body composition standpoint. From there, our goal was to identify the areas that would most impact his athleticism, movement quality, and ability to transfer strength into performance both in the gym and at the plate.
Strength and Mobility
Our baseline assessment showed that Ryan’s bilateral strength was already in a solid place, so the greater opportunity for improvement was elsewhere. We placed a major emphasis on lower-half mobility, particularly hip external rotation, while also developing more single-leg strength.
Lead Leg Deceleration
Lead-leg deceleration became a key focus because improving his ability to stabilize and absorb force on the front side would allow him to control his movement pattern more efficiently. We also targeted upper-half power and elasticity, along with core strength through exercises such as wide-stance cable rotations and bear crawls, all with the goal of creating a more connected and explosive athlete.
Swing Mechanics
When we evaluated Ryan’s swing, we felt those physical limitations were clearly showing up in his mechanics. Limited lower-half mobility and upper-half power deficiencies were causing him to become overly push-oriented with the back leg. This pulled energy out of the lower half too early and caused the upper half to rotate ahead of sequence. Below is a graph showing Ryan’s sequencing when he first arrived at RPP.
That made it more difficult for him to stay dynamic through the swing and fully utilize the ground during force production. In the gym, we paired upper-half and single-leg strength work with plyometric training, including split-stance shovel passes, to help Ryan apply his new strength more efficiently and move more explosively.
In the tunnel, we reinforced those physical changes with drill work such as the PVC X-Factor Drill, which was designed to improve sequencing, posture, and the timing between his lower and upper halves.
PVC X-Factor Drill
The second graph below shows a much better sequenced swing.
So far, Ryan’s production this season shows that the work is moving in the right direction. According to NJ.com, Reynoso has opened the 2025–26 season hitting .589 with 33 hits, 31 RBIs, and 9 stolen bases in 56 at-bats. The NJIC also recently highlighted his 10-for-14 week as Lodi improved to 12-5 on the season. His year-over-year progress is clearly reflected in his offensive profile.
For us at RPP, the most rewarding part is seeing the off-season work translate into real on-field performance. Ryan has fully embraced every aspect of the process, and his current trajectory is a strong example of what can happen when a player commits to improving movement quality, strength, and swing efficiency together.
