The Pro's List

Seth Daniels is the Director of Baseball Operations at Rapsodo.  In this episode -The origin of Rapsodo -How it become a staple everywhere in baseball -The company's mission -The challenge of getting buy-in at the highest levels -How should Rapsodo data be used -What age should a player begin using this data -Where Seth sees the future of pitch/swing design going -What data future iterations of the software will have/what the current model misses -Cool stories about working with MLB clubs and Seth's unique experience of bringing accessible data to baseball fields across the country Learn how utilizing data is not just about developing nastier pitches in the big leagues, but how it can provide athletes with a better understanding of their unique skills. 

I am joined by Isaac Salazar, the Director of Strength & Conditioning at Cal State Fullerton and the founder of SAC Performance. In this episode, we focus on the foundational pillars of weight room development. Isaac talks a lot about building skills on top of one another and the importance of mastering movements and training patterns before an athlete starts a  heavy strength development. His focus tends to be about building a culture of professionalism and instilling habits in players that will allow their development to continue during and after their time at Cal State Fullerton. A very accomplished strength coach, Isaac has previously worked for the LA Angels and at Boras Corp. He shares some lessons he's learned from his time training the best athletes in the game, and how he implements that insight into programs at the collegiate level. At the end of the episode, Isaac answers a few questions including the 3 must hit exercises in the weight room. 

Andrew McKirahan is a former MLB reliever with the Atlanta Braves who is now part of the team at Win Reality VR.  Want to face Max Scherzer before you ever have to get in the box against him? Now you can. Mac takes us through the immersive world of WinReality and the benefits of using VR to see live pitching. Using the Oculus Quest, WinReality has made it possible for hitters to see realistic live pitching anywhere and anytime. The pitchers mechanics are incredibly accurate and the pitch velocity and movement profile is based on the pitcher's actual pitch metrics.  We discuss the benefits of knowing the strike zone, how quickly you can identify a pitch you want to hit, and how to train your timing, all in a low impact environment that's accessible at all times.  

Becci Twombley is the dietitian for the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Lakers. She previously built UCLA’s sports nutrition program before heading to USC to run their program. Becci’s knowledge of sports performance nutrition, specifically for baseball, is unparalleled. She shares with us some important foundational pillars of nutrition, the importance of food quality, and what essential nutrients all athletes should be making sure are in their diet. She is a self proclaimed food optimist who finds value in all foods, as she emphasizes practical solutions rather than strict diets. Her new company, ReBuild Nutrition, is focused on providing injured athletes with recovery protocols and targeted nutrient delivery during the healing process.

On today’s episode, we are joined by Jon Moscot. Our conversation focused primarily on the blending of data and analytics with the human elements of a player's performance. While with the Cincinnati Reds, Jon was a member of the 2015 and 2016 starting rotation before transitioning into a coaching role, focused on blending the analytical side of pitching into a practical application for players. Jon now works for Blast Motion as he has extensive knowledge of understanding the important metrics in a swing. Jon does a great job of explaining complex concepts by blending his experience as a player with his knowledge of how to properly use data. We dive into what hitting and pitching metrics matter and how to apply those metrics to a player's development. 

As a kid, Morgan was a stud on the field but didn't always know how to find her voice. Her success led her to the University of Washington where she won a Women's College World Series. After college, she co-founded The Packaged Deal with her focus being on defense. As a way to help athletes build their "inner defense", Morgan founded Defense Club, an online club centered around coursework and community to develop a player's mental and communication skills. Morgan uses her personal experience to guide how she coaches the next generation of athletes and offers insight into the challenges of navigating the competitive landscape of youth sports.

Dave Coggin, Founder of PFA Fitness and the Pocket Path, has revolutionized how coaches teach proper arm path training. What was once an "untouchable" part of pitching mechanics, Dave found that by focusing on cleaning up the early stages of the arm path, other aspects of a pitcher's delivery would often fall in line and clean up on their own. He has now developed the Pocket Path to provide athletes of all ages a way to train simple and efficient throwing mechanics. Dave offers insight into how he developed his pitching philosophies, what he strives to teach his athletes, and where he sees the future of PFA and the Pocket Path.

MLB scouts roundtable with Carlos Muniz of the Cleveland Indians, Jimmy Moran of the Cincinnati Reds, and Seth Moir, formerly of the Minnesota Twins   In this episode: The evaluation process and how it has changed What a scout loves to see...and what they might not love The importance of getting to know players and their families How analytics have impacted the evaluation process and ability to compare players to current professionals Why Carlos was higher on Cy Young winner Shane Bieber than the rest of the industry Draft strategy and why certain players get drafted in certain spots   Whether you're a fan looking for more insight into the scouting and drafting process, or a player getting ready for this process, this episode is loaded with great insight from three highly regarded MLB scouts.

David Berg was the greatest college reliever of all time. During his 4 dominant seasons at UCLA, he was the Pac-12 pitcher of the year twice, competed as a member of Team USA, and closed out UCLA's College World Series championship in 2013. David went on to play professionally in the Chicago Cubs organization before returning back to coach at his alma mater. Now that he has transitioned into coaching, David explains what allowed him to have such great success and how he's imparting that knowledge on the current UCLA pitching staff. He offers great insight into what it's like working alongside Coach Savage, how the college game has evolved in just a few short years, and what matters to the coaching staff when recruiting for one of the country's premier college programs.

This week, we were lucky enough to be joined by Amanda Scarborough. Amanda is a Texas A&M legend, multi-time All American, director of pitching at The Packaged Deal and has her own online program, Pitch Angel. She is exceptionally compassionate and cares a great deal about giving back to the softball community. She knows how to connect with pitchers on a human level, instructing with more than her mechanical expertise. As we talk about Amanda's transition from player to coach/broadcaster, Amanda offers insight into mechanics, pitch calling, the mental side of softball, and the importance of continuing to develop while playing to win.