It’s 7:45 in the morning, and Alex Gordon is hitting baseballs. One by one he’s taking them out of a bag, placing them on a batting tee, then hitting them against the back wall of a batting tunnel. Next, Gordon hits two rounds of hard underhand flips, thrown like a fast-pitch softball. After that he hits two more rounds of batting practice, thrown overhand from a greater distance. On this cold, January morning, Gordon will take 100 to 150 swings. He’ll then work on his throwing. Finally, he’ll visit his trainer for strength and cardio work. Gordon does this workout four times a week.
This is how you get better.
We’re in Kevin Seitzer’s hitting facility, Mac-N-Seitz, located in Martin City. When I pull into the parking lot, only two cars are there — Gordon’s and Seitzer’s. This leads to my first question: “What’s it mean when the hitting coach drives a Ford and the hitter drives a BMW?”
Seitzer laughs and says, “Everything.”
Standing 10 feet away while a major-league hitter whacks a baseball is impressive. Outside, the sound of a wood bat hitting a ball is pleasant. Inside, it sounds like a gunshot. The line drives scream off Gordon’s bat.
Normally, Seitzer throws to Gordon. Today, Seitzer stands off to the side while Rob Jackson, Mac-N-Seitz general manager and instructor, throws BP. Kevin sips a cup of coffee and talks quietly. The information comes in a torrent. I take as few notes as possible when talking to ballplayers — pulling out a notepad turns a conversation into an interview. Eventually, I give up. Too much information is coming at me, and I don’t want to miss anything. So I begin to take notes.
Seitzer likes what he sees. Gordon is muscular and can get too tight as he swings. When that happens, his shoulder leads the swing instead of his hands, the elbow comes up, the bat head drops and his swing goes uphill. Gordon stays loose and drives the ball.
If Gordon (or any other hitter) checks his swing, Seitzer watches to see if his shoulder came up (wrong) or his hands came forward (right).
Gordon compliments Jackson’s throwing and says it’s the best BP he’s ever had. It’s “firm” (ballplayer slang for hard, but not too hard). Throwing the ball in the same place over and over is harder than it looks. Gordon wants to know if Jackson can come on the road with the team. Seitzer points out that Jackson makes more money staying home than he would throwing Gordon batting practice.
Jackson is mixing in change-ups during the underhand flips. Gordon is waiting and driving them the other way. I say Gordon is “staying back” well. Seitzer corrects me: Gordon is “staying balanced.” Seitzer says “staying back” implies a hitter is keeping his weight on his back foot, which will make him late if he gets a fastball. “Staying balanced” implies a hitter has his weight distributed equally between his feet. Keeping the hands back allows the hitter to wait on off-speed pitches and still hit them effectively.
Gordon drives a pitch to the opposite field and says, “There it is.” Seitzer says precisely the same thing at precisely the same time. Gordon has just taken a perfect swing, and I can’t tell the difference.
Seitzer says hitters worry too much about getting beat on the inside portion of the plate. They try to be quick inside and then swing too soon on a pitch away. This leads to “rollover” (the point at which the hands “roll over” during the swing) ground balls. In order to hit a difficult pitch, hitters screw up their swing on a pitch they should handle. Seitzer says if Gordon does not swing at the inside pitch, his timing will be right on pitches out over the plate.
Some might wonder about the wisdom of Seitzer telling me that Gordon plans to let the inside pitch go by during the 2012 season. Even with that information, it’s hard for pitchers to paint pitch after pitch on the inside corner. The inner third of the plate is an area about seven inches wide. If Gordon has four plate appearances, pitchers have to hit a seven-inch wide target 12 times. Miss once, and Gordon should hit the ball hard somewhere. Miss several times, and Gordon should have a big night. Pitchers make mistakes. Be patient: Wait for a pitch out over the plate.
If Gordon sticks to this plan, Seitzer believes he’ll put up scary numbers.
If a hitter does decide to look inside, Seitzer believes he should pick a pitch. Don’t consistently try to hit the inside pitch; that’s too hard. Wait until you’re in a hitter’s count (like 2-0, 2-1, 3-0 or 3-1), then do it.
Last season, Seitzer wasn’t sure that Gordon would stick with the plan. He asked Gordon if he’d rather hit .230 with 20 home runs or .300 with 10 homers. Gordon said .300 with 10. Gordon hit .303 with 23 home runs.
Gordon was more consistent in the second half of 2011. Which means he’s getting more comfortable with this approach, which might mean a big year in 2012.
Seitzer says that Gordon wants to cut down on his strikeouts. Last season, Gordon led the team in strikeouts and strikeouts looking. Seitzer thinks Gordon was still looking for a particular pitch with two strikes and got caught off guard if he didn’t get the pitch he was looking for. Gordon thinks that was part of it, but he also thought he was too picky. “You can’t get mad at an umpire for calling you out on a close pitch…but I did.”
In 2012, Gordon plans to expand his zone once he has two strikes.
Seitzer says that Gordon always bought into the program and has always been coachable, but last season finally had the chance to make the transition from his old approach to a new one. Seitzer also thinks that the public’s perception of Gordon has often been incorrect. Baseball is a “cool” sport: Getting angry may help an NFL defensive end, but an angry baseball player is useless. A player like Gordon, who keeps his emotions under control, can be perceived as “not caring.” The public might perceive a player who rages and breaks bats as really “caring,” while teammates see the same player as selfish. Someone who distracts the team from the business at hand.
Gordon still has to do strength and cardio work. Tomorrow morning, he’ll get up in the dark and do it all again…and then again…and then again. Somewhere, Jeff Francoeur is doing the same thing. So is Eric Hosmer. So is Mike Moustakas. Getting better is hard work. And after a cold January morning workout, we all have a better idea of just how hard it is.
Access
I recently read that reporters in the New York Yankees’ clubhouse are not supposed to talk to a player unless the player is standing or sitting in front of his locker. Here in Kansas City, the team’s hitting coach allowed a writer to attend his star player’s workout, then told the writer what pitches that player would attempt to hit during the coming season.
But Kevin Seitzer isn’t really giving anything away. Before a game, if you ask players how they’ll be pitched that night, they know. They know what runner can steal on what pitcher. They know who has trouble throwing strikes out of a slide step. They know when the other manager likes to bunt. The game isn’t always about secrecy, it’s often about execution: Hitters know how they’ll be pitched, but they don’t know if the pitcher will hit those spots.
During a baseball game, the Royals have a very good idea of what’s about to happen. And because they’re giving us access, now we do, too.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year, 4 months agoGood look at what goes on in the “off” season. This stuff is what makes you unique. Thanks. I admit that I never imagined 150 swings four times a week, just assumed they did a bunch of cardio, maybe some yoga and pilates if they lived in Johnson County.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoJim: We’re all lucky: the Royals are giving us a look inside the game. We can watch Gordon go to the plate this summer, know what he’s trying to do and how the pitchers plan to stop him.
That makes baseball much more interesting.
I probably got lucky by approaching a team that wasn’t overwhelmed by media. I’m guessing I wouldn’t have been invited to one of A-Rod’s workouts.
Brian Grant
1 year, 4 months agoFrickin’ awesome Lee.
Before last season I was begging the Royals to cut bait with Gordon. I was coming from a place of exasperated passion…but also ignorance.
I’m so excited for the season. Even if we don’t take that huge step forward this season in terms of wins, we will finally be playing with OUR guys again. Brett, Wilson, McRae, White…win or lose, they always felt like OUR guys. Excited as hell to have that feeling back.
Question: Is Kansas City, at it’s heart, a baseball town or a football town? I will always believe it’s a baseball town.
Give me one World Series for every two or four Super Bowls.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoBrian: Thanks, glad you enjoyed the look into Alex Gordon’s workout routine. I think a lot of fans get impatient with players or teams because they don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes.
It’s not that fans should never be frustrated: sometimes their team really is doing something dumb. But quite often, when you hear the whole story, it changes things.
Cody Dyer
1 year, 4 months agoFantastic work, Lee. I enjoy your work and behind the scene pieces. Working for a paper in Southwest Missouri, I applaud what you, Bob, Sam and the rest of the staff have offered over the past couple of years in expanded coverage of the Royals. While reading this piece, I got a mental image of Charlie Lau working with George Brett. Obviously, it may not be fair to compare Kevin and Alex to Charlie and George, but it’s a neat way to give readers an inside look at how a coach and player work together outside the lines in the offseason.
Keep up the good work,
Cody Dyer
Derek Moffett
1 year, 4 months agoAwesome to see some Baseball stuff. Can’t wait to see Gordo take another step forward. Thanks Seitz for your work with the players. They are better with your guidance.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoCody: Thanks, I appreciate it. Several things have fallen into place here: I’m in the fortunate position of being able to write about whatever interests me, the Royals are a team that has good relations with the media and they’re also a team with a lot of new, interesting talent.
The end result is Royals fans are getting an inside look at a team on it’s way up.
And thanks for mentioning the work of Bob Dutton, Sam Mellinger and Rustin Dodd. I depend on the information they dig up as much as any other fan. They deserve your praise.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoDerek: One of the reasons I wanted to write this piece is to show fans what these guy do to prepare for those three or four at-bats they take each night.
People talk about “natural” hitters, but there’s not much natural about it. They’ve got to do a lot of hard work to make the end result look easy.
Alex and Kevin deserve praise for being so open and letting us take a peek behind the curtain.
Tim Block
1 year, 4 months agoIf you ever need a sub for a day or a week, I’m here for you, Lee. What is Frenchy up to in the off season?
David Smith
1 year, 4 months agoGreat column Cody.
I so agree with BGrant above. A Joplin native, I grew up rooting for “our” Royals year after year. I will always remember listening to Denny on the radio and the alliterative beginning of the Royals line-up as he announced, “Wilson-Washington-White…” Year after year, it was so cool rooting for the same players.
Now living on the West Coast and watching games on my computer (thanks mlb.com), I am super excited for this season. Hosmer, Gordon, Moustakas, Francoeur, Escobar. Names that should be analogous with the Royals for years to come.
Go Royals, D Smith
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoTim: Frenchy’s probably doing something goofy down in Georgia. He’s got some place he goes outside a small town. Says it’s a great place to just hang out and watch football (which I imagine he’ll be doing this weekend despite his Falcons getting knocked out of the playoffs).
I also imagine he’s started working out, just like Gordo. Spring training’s about four weeks away and these guys tend to show up in shape.
David Smith
1 year, 4 months agoLee- my apologies. you wrote the column, not cody. and did a killer job.
D Smith
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoDavid: I think we’re all hoping the Royals can hang on to this group of guys for a while. It’s hard to be loyal when the people you’re supposed to be loyal to keep changing.
It would be nice to see this group of guys play and get better together. Here’s hoping.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoDavid: No sweat. I screw up at least one of these comments on a daily basis.
Stu Morasch
1 year, 4 months agoMost exciting thing I’ve read all off-season. Nice work Lee!
I trained throughout high school in that Mac-N-Seitz building, although it was Old Ballgame at the time. Great place.
Steve Yeakel
1 year, 4 months agoThis got me thinking, that the great basketball players like Larry Bird shot lots of shots each day, the great golfers hit lots of balls most days, that being a pro athlete is not all glory and lazy for most of them. They may be much more famous than the rest of us, but they have to work hard like the rest of us. My respect level for them has gone up. Very nice article, Lee.
Rick Langtry
1 year, 4 months agoMy first reaction. Seitzer can afford plenty of BMWs. All it means is Seitzer is older and likes trucks and Gordon is in his 20s. Doesn’t mean or say anything about either one of them except maybe Seitzer is a little conservative.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoStu: Those baseball training facilities didn’t exist when I was kid. If you sucked, they just sent you home.
The All-American facility over by Bannister is where I started my adult baseball journey, taking hitting lessons from Chris Egelston (former AA pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles).
It was amazing to me that you could get better. Instruction doesn’t make you more talented, but it helps you use what talent you have more efficiently. Chris is still teaching out in Blue Springs and has improved a whole lot of young baseball players.
Parents will spend wads of money on a bat or a glove, but scrimp when it comes to teaching their kids how to use them. A young player might be better off using last-year’s bat and taking a hitting lesson.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoSteve: The connection between hard work and success sometimes gets lost. My son, an excellent drummer, would spend hours practicing in my basement. He’d then perform in public and someone was sure to tell me how “naturally” talented he was. I’d tell them there was nothing natural about it: his skill was the result of hard work.
People did not want to hear this. If hard work was all that separated them from success, then the pressure was on to do something about that. It’s much more comfortable to believe people who have success are “talented” and there’s no point in trying.
You’ve got to start with some physical ability suited to the task at hand: no matter how hard I work I’ll never dunk a basketball, but I can learn to swing a bat or throw a baseball or draw a cartoon more efficiently.
Understanding why Alex Gordon has improved helps us appreciate what we’re seeing.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoRick: You’re right, Seitzer can probably afford a BMW, if he saved any money from his playing days.
There is a huge gap between what coaches and players earn. Huge as in HUGE. When Clint Hurdle was hitting instructor for the Colorado Rockies, Larry Walker walked up one day and said, “Dude, I just found out what you make. Sorry, I didn’t know it was that bad.”
I’ve got no idea what the Royals coaches actually earn, but players are sometimes making seven figures, coaches sometimes make five. Which means the coaches might own BMWs, but most don’t.
Same goes for the minors: the difference between a minor and major-league paycheck is phenomenal.
Vinnie Servis
1 year, 4 months agoThanks for the baseball reminder. Happy New Year Lee! Looking fwd to the Spring!
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoVinnie: Glad you enjoyed it. Not long now. Pitchers and catchers will be in Surprise before we know it.
My Rieper
1 year, 4 months agoI’ve criticized your Ron Polk Points stuff, but this is an outstanding piece of work Mr. Judge. Really pumped for a big season from Gordon and I hope they can get a long-term deal worked out.
My Rieper
1 year, 4 months agoSorry, posted that from the wife’s account!
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoNo worries. I realize the Ron Polk stuff isn’t for everyone, but you’re doing what I ask readers to do: ignore the stuff you don’t like and enjoy the stuff you do.
Whether Polk’s system makes sense to you or not, hearing from the ballplayers and coaches themselves should be of interest to any baseball fan.
I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Larry Tindle
1 year, 4 months agoLee, great post. I knew they worked hard but had no idea how hard. We as a fan base don’t get to see this side. I think teams should open up their workouts for observation once in a while. We don’t even get to see our teams batting practice, which isn’t that much of a workout.
MattandJulie Herbster
1 year, 4 months agoGreat article. I grew up in KC, but I’ve lived in NC for the last 15 years. Everybody thinks I’m the only KC Royals fan in the whole state.
Thanks also for your comments relating success to hard work. I read your comments to my daughter who is hard at work in becoming an excellent violin player.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoLarry: Philosophically, I’m on your side, but there are problems: I’m pretty sure Gordon’s workout was less efficient because of my presence. Seitzer was talking to me instead of Alex and I was very aware that my being there might be slowing down progress.
And it’s unfortunate the home team takes BP before fans get in the park, but I think opening the gates earlier would cost more money: ushers, etc. would have to be in place once the fans enter the stadium.
I will continue to write about this stuff, though. It’s good for fans to know that players are there preparing for a 7:10 game by doing early work at 3:00.
I once asked Jason Kendall if I could go through a day with him and write about how he prepares. The next day was a 1:10 start and he told me to meet him at 8:30 AM when he got to the park.
The game is just the tip of the iceberg. Whenever I get the chance I’ll write about the 90% that isn’t visible.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoMatt: Thank you, that makes me feel good. Learning how work and success relate is lesson we can all use. Here’s a baseball saying from Branch Rickey that you can throw at your daughter: “Luck is the residue of design.”
If we prepare ourselves, good things happen when opportunity arrives.
(Man, I need to be writing fortune cookies.)
Larry Tindle
1 year, 4 months agoLee: Agree it could be a big distraction, that’s why I said once in a while. Do all organizations have home teams do BP first or is this just something the Royals do? Switch it around and we could watch BP.
As for fortune cookies, stick with cartoons.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year, 4 months agoLee, since things are a touch slow, let me offer this to our community, a really nice essay from a talented writer at Pine Tar Press, Levi Payton:
http://www.pinetarpress.com/?p=11711
“News flash: it’s winter. So can someone explain why all I can think about is baseball? With the countdown nearing 30 days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training all I can think about is sitting in the stands, a cold drink in one hand and a scorecard in the other. Over my shoulder some silly mascot is slapping hands with a group of little kids and posing for pictures. Silently, I hope the mascot doesn’t notice me and meander over. He does. Never fails…”
Greg Schaum at Pine tar is kind enough to let me link your work and Clint Scoles over there judged your above offering on Alex “excellent”. They are putting together a site that is becoming “one-stop” for the Royals fans interested in prospects and stuff. During the season they have next-day game summaries and box scores from the Royals minor-league teams.
Hope I’m not imposing.
Craig Scholes
1 year, 4 months agoThere are plenty of things about this site that Im not a fan of… But this isn’t one of them. I thoroughly enjoyed this, and would love to read more things similar to this.
I’ve always had a similar feeling about Alex Gordon about “not caring” there is a difference between actually not caring and what Alex Gordon does. I never saw body language from Alex Gordon that said he didn’t care… Perhaps if I got less mad more often I could have played beyond High School.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoLarry: I think, but I’m not positive, that most home teams take BP first. There may be other reasons, but it gives the players some time between their last on-field activity and the game.
Some eat a light meal, some shower and change uniforms. It allows them to approach the game in a more relaxed manner. Visitors have to schedule any extra field time and then hustle after BP to get ready to play.
It’s a good question though, and I’ll try to remember to ask someone if any team reverses the order.
I’ve got a piece I never posted (I think) that details the pregame activities minute by minute. Maybe I should get that on the site this spring.
The “fan access” vs. “getting work done” formula isn’t easy. All teams and most players believe in interacting with the fans, but sometimes it’s difficult.
At every game I see fans who think they’re being blown off when they really just asked for an autograph at a bad time: the player has somewhere he’s supposed to be. The pregame article explains the best time to approach players.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoJim: No, you’re not imposing at all. This site has been (and continues to be) a work in progress. Increasingly, I see what I’m doing as trying to provide one piece of the picture for Royals fans: how the game is played from the players’ and coaches’ point of view.
I make no real attempt to cover contracts, the minor leagues or advanced metrics. I may wander into those areas on occasion, but rarely linger. Those are all legitimate areas of interest, but other people and other sites do a far better job of providing insight into those subjects.
Link away.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoCraig: Thank you for your generous comments. We’ve had our disagreements in the past and will have more in the future, but how boring would life be if everyone agreed all the time?
I was hoping people would find a workout with Alex interesting and I’m pleased with the reaction. You’re right, more stuff like this would be interesting.
When Tim Bogar was here with the Red Sox we talked about the site and the direction it should take in the future. Tim has been instrumental in forming the site’s point of view. He suggested focusing on even smaller details: take one play and break it down. Talk to everyone involved and find out why things happened the way they did.
We’re often told to focus on the “big picture” but there’s much to be learned from the small details.
I’m sure I’ll continue to write things that sends part of my audience up a wall, but I hope everyone can enjoy hearing from the people who play the game.
Fred Bracken
1 year, 4 months agoI’m giddy with anticipation. Thanks for the great work, Lee.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoFred: Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed the article. And I agree, Royals fans should be excited about 2012.
Larry Tindle
1 year, 4 months agoLee: The “fan access” vs. “getting work done” formula isn’t easy. All teams and most players believe in interacting with the fans, but sometimes it’s difficult.
I have really seen this in Spring Training. Although access is easier and more relaxed, I was surprised by how nasty and inconsiderate some fans were when guys were trying to get their work done.
Come on people these guys are fighting for their jobs. They do their best to accomodate the fans, but lets get real, what good is that autograph going to be if they get cut.
Was told by non Royal staff in Surprise that when Tony Pena was Manager, he would fine players for signing during practice times. Would hate to see this again so lets not make a pest out of ourselves.
Ok enough of my soapbox.
Holli Spielbusch
1 year, 4 months agoI feel Kc is a baseball town. There’s more history of baseball in this city starting with Monarchs and Kc Athletics. Football in Kc didnt come around til 60’s. I grew up watch the Royals in the mid 80’s, 90’s and now. I’ve seen everything from the good the bad and the ugly. In 70-80’s, this was a baseball city. Then came steinbreiner and greedy agents causing corruption to smaller markets in the 90s thus forcing peoples attention in KC to switch to football. Not to mention the fact that Chiefs started winning again in the 90s. Now, with the Chiefs organisation in a little legal battle, aka spy gate, and the excitement of the up-coming Royals season, i see the momentum swinging back in the Royals direction and making this a baseball town again. Im probably the biggest Royals fan in KC, and i can not wait to see these young guys compete to be relevant in September. Go Royals!!! And boo on Pioli for making Chiefs org the “Patriot Way”.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoLarry: Unfortunately, I’ve seen the same thing: fans get rude when they don’t get what they want. Most players want to cooperate with the fans whenever possible.
But if a fan asks for an autograph when the player is supposed to be getting ready for BP, the fan has to wait. Most of the time the player will say something like, “Let me get you afterwards” and they mean it. They’ll come looking for that fan later.
When I was in St. Louis with the team, a fan kept yelling at Billy Butler, wanting an autograph. Billy was taking grounders at third base: not a good time to walk off the field and sign a baseball.
If fans pay attention and ask players as they leave the field after BP (and I think the gates are open by then) most players will sign.
Fans should also be aware that some players do not like to sign right before a game starts: players feel like they need to be concentrating on what’s about to happen.
And as always, a “please” and “thank you” is appreciated.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoHolli: I think a lot of people feel the way you do. The baseball history here in KC is fascinating. Mickey Mantle almost quit the sport when he was here until his dad drove up from Oklahoma and straightened him out. Mickey was scuffling in the minors and whined to his father, who then came to see him and pointed out that Mickey could always come back to Commerce and work in the mines.
That’s just one story: the Negro leagues Museum tells s couple hundred more.
Attention is shifting back to the Royals, as well it should. This is an exciting, young team with lots of potential. Fans should enjoy the next few seasons.
Suzan Aubry
1 year, 4 months agoOne of the beautiful things about baseball is that it is a family sport. It helped my son and I develop a tremendous relationship while he was learning to catch and throw. We played catch every night possible from first grade on through middle school (by high school my eyes were not good enough for him to really cut it loose). The sport provides a tremendous opportunity to learn the concepts of muscle memory and the importance of repetition in developing a physical (or for that matter mental) skill. Stories like this reinforce that idea. Both of my sons and I enjoy watching this Royals team grow. Thanks for the insight.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoSuzan: I’ve written this before, but it’s worth repeating: what we teach our kids about being good athletes isn’t nearly as important as what we teach them about being good people.
An ex-pro said that to me and it’s a good thing to remember: our kids will not always be ballplayers, but they’ll always be people. What they learn about being a good teammate or working hard will come in handy for the rest of their lives.
I recently wrote a piece about my son Paul taking a hitting lesson from Kevin Seitzer. The most valuable thing we got out of it was time together. While he was home from college for Christmas break we’d drive out to Kevin’s facility twice a week. We’d hit in the cages, go to lunch afterwards and talk for hours. Time with loved ones is precious and sometimes a sport can bring us together.
Sounds like baseball did that for you and your son, also. Glad I could be of help.
Darrell Pierce
1 year, 4 months agoGreat work Lee. As football winds down I find myself looking forward to seeing what these young Royals can do this year. I also know what you mean about being inside a hitting facility with big league players. I’ve had the opportunity a few times in Florida and seeing how hard the ball comes off the bat up close is a bit scary. Makes you appreciate what kind of reflexes those corner infielders must have.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoDarrell: Fans don’t watch an NFL or NBA game and think they could play with those guys, but they watch baseball and think, “I was pretty good in high school.”
Speed is what separates big leaguers and everybody else: they can run fast, throw it fast or swing it fast. And speed is very hard to recognize unless you’re up close.
Sounds like we both got up close and realized how fast those baseballs are moving.
Jason Everett
1 year, 4 months ago29 days and counting…or something like that. Any pitcher you’re looking forward to seeing in Suprise this spring, Lee?
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoJason: I’ll be interested to meet Broxton and Sanchez. In general, I’d like to spend more time with all the pitchers and get a better idea of how they’re mentally approaching the game.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year, 4 months agoLee, we know about Mac ‘N Seitz, but are there facilities where pitchers can go in the off-season or an infielder can go to work with a Frank White or other guru? Seems that Luke always goes back to Tennessee to work out and a lot of star high school pitchers go to a few farms in Texas or California to work on advanced training to enhance velocity and command, but where would Johnny Giavotella go to work on his range and his pivot or Lorenzo Cain to smooth out his routes and enhance his jumps?
Jason Everett
1 year, 4 months agoI want to add to Jim’s post here a little, because that’s a good question, and my little add to it is this, a lot of players will go to the Arizona fall league, or the Dominican league. Is that something they do to stay in playing shape and keep sharp, or something else?
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoJim & Jason: Mac-N-Seitz has mounds and a complete indoors infield as well as pitching machines and batting tunnels. They offer instruction in every phase of the game. (Kevin, if you read this you owe me for the free publicity.)
Chris Egelston does the same thing out in Blue Springs. I think there are places all over town, known in the baseball community, that offer instruction and a place to work out in the winter.
I’m guessing the guys in other cities have found a place they like and do their work there. I also think players are working out at Kauffman. The winter I hit with George Brett, we did it out at the stadium and other players were constantly around.
The guys who play winter ball are often young and still on a steep learning curve. They don’t want to spend too much time idle and a lot of the Latin players like to go home and play for their country or in front of their families and friends.
For the professional ballplayer it’s a year-round sport.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year, 4 months agoAn informative piece on Sal Perez from Pine Tar Press:
http://www.pinetarpress.com/?p=11781&cpage=1#comment-19525
David Lesky does some nice work, as do the other writers over there.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoThanks for the link, Jim. I’ll check it out.
Dave Beal
1 year, 4 months agoThanks so much for another great article and feeding the need for some Royals Baseball year round. I think you are helping to replace in a way what we’ll miss from Frank White doing the broadcasts. Some of the inside baseball look at the mechanics. It makes baseball infinitely more interesting, and your positive attitude certainly is a refreshing thing. I just thought of a question perhaps you could answer. Who serves as the bullpen catcher during games?
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoDave: I’m not sure anyone can replace Frank White, but I do like learning about the details of the game. Maybe it’s my low standards when it comes to entertainment, but I find sitting on a bucket, listening to a pitching coach work with a pitcher pretty interesting.
And it’s a pleaure to bring that information back to fans. As you said; the more you know, the more interesting the game becomes.
As for your question: (if I’ve got this right) the starting catcher warms-up the starting pitcher in the bullpen. They both come to the field at the same time for the pitcher’s last eight warm-up pitches on the field mound.
After that, the bullpen coach, Steve Foster, and the bullpen catcher, Bill Duplissea, are available to warm up pitchers. I believe Steve puts on the gear when the Royals have two pitchers warming up at once, but I don’t know that for sure.
Last season I meant to write a piece about the bullpen catcher (best job in baseball…you get a uni, you travel and you rarely get cut), but didn’t get it done. I’ll put it on my list for 2012.
As far as I know, both Steve and Bill are back this season.
Darrell Pierce
1 year, 4 months agoYes Lee, I am anxious to see Montgomery this spring and see if that last seadon really was just growing pains. Also sondering if you have heard how rehab has gone for Lamb. Hope he is able to throw xome innings near the enc of the year.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoDarrell: Sorry, I don’t have any information on Montgomery or Lamb. I focus on the guys here in Kansas City. I think some of the other Royals-related web sites would be of more help.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year, 4 months agoDarrell, Lamb is supposedly throwing again and seems ahead of schedule. His dad posts quite a bit on twitter and some of the bloggers repeat them. I think Lamb is at Surprise working.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year, 4 months agoDug a little deeper, found John Lamb’s dad’s blog:
http://baseballprospectdad.wordpress.com/
As of December John was in Surprise and preparing to start throwing again. Have heard since that he has started throwing with no apparent problems.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoJim: Thanks for the information.
Darral VanGoethem
1 year, 4 months agoAs always. Great stuff! Your comment about “natural” not being natural at all. That alot of hard work goes into making it look “natural” is so true. Honestly, aside from the baseball insight, I have taken the philosophies that the players and you bring up all of the time; accountability, hard work and preparation into my professional and personal life and I can honestly say I am a much happier, more efficient and more productive person then I was as a result of some of the quotes you have put in here. This stuff isn’t just about baseball. Sure, this is a blog about baseball. A great one at that. But the things you cover and communicate can be carried out by ANYONE in their own lives. For me personally it has allowed me to internalize alot of things, decide what are things I can/should influence and what I can’t. It also helps to see professional players develop that mindset and to see them succeed at their profession. Gives hope to me about my profession. Hope that makes sense and wasn’t too philosophical on a Tuesday morning in a baseball blog. In any event, well done. AGAIN!!
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoDarral: I’ve had the same thought myself: becoming a better ballplayer can make you a better person. I truly believe that if I watch a player long enough I can tell if he’s selfish or puts the team first.
Immaturity will show on the ball field. How someone handles failure AND success tells you a great deal about them.
As you said: the things baseball can teach you will help on or off the field. That’s one of the reasons it’s such a great game.
And please get philosophical any time you like.
Sean Fischbach
1 year, 4 months ago“Derek: One of the reasons I wanted to write this piece is to show fans what these guy do to prepare for those three or four at-bats they take each night. People talk about “natural” hitters, but there’s not much natural about it. They’ve got to do a lot of hard work to make the end result look easy.”
Think about how many times Michael Jordon shot a basketball before he became a pro winning NBA titles? From age 6 to 25….1,000, 10,000, 100,000….probably more like 1-million.
The great ones a great no only b/c they work hard, but because they truely love the game. They not only love to play the game, the love practice, and work outs too. Yes, they actually ENJOY practice.
Thanks again Lee, good stuff.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoSean, thank you. I think you’ve hit on a key: you have to love it all. If you don’t enjoy the practice, you won’t put in the work.
Every pro ballplayer I’ve ever talked to has told me they loved the game and couldn’t get enough. If you have to force your kids to practice, they’re probably going to do something else with their lives.
Larry Tindle
1 year, 4 months agoLee, the love of the game and practice holds for all sports and careers in life. Had a daughter that was into figure skating. Wish I had a dollar for every parent that thought their daughter was the next olympic star. Problem was they had to threaten and bribe the kid to practice. Without the personal drive it will never happen. Told my daughter I would support her as long as she had the drive but as soon as I had to push she could quit and I would save the money on private lessons and be warm again. Instead of setting in ice arena.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoLarry: I went through the same thing. I thought it was great that I’d gotten to know pro ballplayers and the stuff they’d taught me I could now pass along to my kids.
The only problem was my kids. They liked baseball OK, but weren’t eaten up with it. They had other interests. I realized that I never had to ask them to practice music and now all three are musicians.
If you don’t love something, it’s hard to compete with someone who does.
Brian Robinson
1 year, 4 months agoWhat a great read. Like others have mentioned it’s very interesting to know what the players do in the off-season. In the past when salaries weren’t as astronomical I think players really enjoyed the winter break (and did little work). Hence the need for a spring training to get back into professional shape. These days the players earn so much that management (and even fans) expect them to constantly train. Everyone, regardless of economic status, needs a break everyone now and then. But if you’re young and well paid those breaks better be short and infrequent.
Kudos to Alex Gordon for working diligently like a young, well paid athlete should. And also my thanks to the Royals organization for allowing you “insider access”.
Lee Judge
1 year, 4 months agoBrian: It’s good for fans to know exactly what goes into the performances they see on the field. The Royals have been extraordinarily generous with their time and information. We should all be grateful that they’ve taken this attitude.