Brant Blaylock

I agree. To your point, this is *exceptional data to have if your program has access to: - Trackman - Trajekt - Complete, clear video of all pitchers you face That's obviously a significant investment to obtain all of that information which I think causes the argument that this software could be a more budget friendly option to fold-in on itself. Awesome study either way. Thanks for the dialogue!

Well said! Yeah, it really seems like the piece creates a good point of discussion rather than proves anything particularly profound (which is why I'm having fun reading through all these responses and thoughts like yours). How applicable is film study for hitters from pitcher POV? I understand a lot of pitcher POV analysis on tablets in-game is to understand strike zone. Seems like a repository of all pitchers from batter POV would be super valuable, at any level. Basically Trajekt, but as I understand it, they don't provide the video, you have to obtain ... I've seen some projected images that are clearly from different POVs than others in one team's system, and it's jarring ... wonder if it's actually detrimental on specifically deceptive pitchers. Anyways, rambling, appreciate the POV

Really cool study. In short, you can predict pitch type (81%) from body alone pre ball release. I imagine stuff like this is pretty fundamental to internal team “deception” scores? Also curious about pairing this with hitter gaze analysis…🧵

The study never actually quantifies how many degrees of trunk tilt separate pitch types. A machine detecting a pattern across 120k pitches is a completely different ask than a hitter processing it in 400ms, right? Curious if this is less about real-time reads and more about film study building subconscious pattern recognition that fires below a hitter's conscious thought at the plate.

Done rambling, really curious if anybody else has competing thoughts on the topic / can highlight better than I can what’s missing!

Here’s what happened: Before NIL, programs had serious culture. Think Vandy in the 2010’s, as close to professional development as you could get. Mississippi State, full of southern boys who took pride in representing a state most people thought poorly of. LSU, the Intimidator. Alex Box, Cajun guys representing Louisiana. Ole Miss, Beer Showers and Swayze. The Omaha Challenge. Bianco ripping off 6 minute philosophical deep dives to get the boys going. These programs are still ELITE, the remnants of those cultural staples are still there in a sense but at a fraction of what they were a half decade ago. It’s been replaced by free agent style roster building, which is not the end of the world, but if you’ve played baseball at any level above High School you understand how intense those teammate relationships are with the guys you share a locker room with for 2-3 years. You can’t create that cohesion over a single fall semester, there’s not enough Friday night “team building” activities in the world to replicate the bond between 15-20 guys who have experienced the ups and downs of a 56 game schedule for multiple years. What you’re seeing with these “mid-majors” is the product of programs not having the resources to compete financially so the only choice is to sellout on culture. On development. And yes, you plug in a handful of guys every year through the portal but they’re plugging in guys that MUST fit the puzzle that they’ve already carved out. They’re not piecing together an entirely different puzzle every single season. You’ll see the gap continue to close just simply because of the competitive nature of guys that feel slighted by the money vs. no money dynamic. Think of programs like Southern Miss, Coastal, Lafayette. Does it change your reoccurring Omaha 8? Probably not drastically. At the end of the day, talent over the course of a 56 game season typically trumps heart and determination. But you will start to, and already have begun to see, the “mid-major” programs start shrinking the gap more than ever. Just my two cents. @11point7

Differentiating between finishing up and “swinging up.” Everyone, especially on X, makes it seem like hitting has become black and white. If you do this, you’re wrong. If you do this, you’re right. Whatever happened to hearing every perspective and then retaining just one singular thing that you think could help you? Wish we could get back to that!

Just so we’re all on the same page, there’s people down below who think it’s more likely that the #10 prospect in all of baseball (also the #1 OF prospect) *legitimately can’t read a baseball off the bat as opposed to he just tested the waters in a Spring Training game to see what his limit was. I was going to provide context but there’s a lot of horses staring at the water refusing to drink.

Not a poor decision. 2 outs. Nobody on base. Second inning. A red/yellow runner at the plate. A Spring Training game. Max is seeing where his limit is by diving for this ball, the risk/reward in this situation says go get it every time. If he didn’t dive for it then you’d call him lazy, some folks can’t win. @maxxclarkk13

Progression 2 to build onto the first video, 3 minutes a day is all it takes.

@Browniverson400 It’s a rotational exercise, not a mechanical fix 👍🏻 here’s me absolutely seeding a golf ball for your enjoyment at 199mph straight as an arrow.

@blaylockbrant Dog you gotta stay through. You are coming off the ball right away. In golf your ball would be an extreme slice.

Quick visual for the progression I mentioned earlier this week ⬇️

@Teacherman1986 I agree, I like it that way. Better feel of where the barrel is headed. I think you get a bad draw btw. I don’t agree with everything you’ve got going on but you’re a smart guy who knows more than people like to give you credit for. Even if we disagree on how to swing a stick 👍🏻

@blaylockbrant Pushing. Muscled push.

Shoutout @RPJ1317

Want bat speed without paying for a program or trainer? Grab a PVC pipe, your bat, a donut (or any bat weight) and do this routine. Full swings, left and right handed, and as hard as you can swing: 3 x PVC pipe 3 x Reg Bat 3 x Weighted Bat After 4 weeks (On Both Knees): 3 x PVC pipe 3 x Reg Bat 3 x Heavy Bat Then Standing: Incorporate A Movement (Hook ‘Em, Step Back, etc.) 3 x PVC pipe 3 x Reg Bat 3 x heavy bat Do this every day 3-4x a week and you will 100% get results. Guaranteed.

Helping this young hitter understand how to get more extension without over complicating it for him.

Realized I’m an idiot and didn’t post the visual. Nice

Good simple, indoor plan. Bookmark it for a rainy day (literally): - Group 1: Verbally call out the pitch as soon as you identify. Helps hitters actually focus and look for cues to identify pitches sooner. - Group 2: Hack attack spinners from both sides, get two rounds from each side. Don't need 12+ swings a round, 4-6 good looks at it. Track it. Find out how to keep it fair. - Group 3: Ole Faithful. Turn it up and increase rpm's as much as possible. Not looking to bully here, just creating game like FB impact on the bat. - Group 4: Choose a few drills that focus on hip coil, using the ground, or keeping your hands elevated. All of them work. Side toss we need to work with a short bat if available, flick the ball into RCF. - Group 5: Discuss your identity and your plan with a coach. Think about the best day you've ever had at the plate and learn how to verbalize your thoughts and actions during and before the game. Simplify.

You take over a brand new high school program, only 9th and 10th graders playing a JV schedule year one. What is your development approach? Weight room heavy or skill heavy? Both? I’m creating donkeys in the weight room and getting them to understand how their body moves.

@CarsonPaetow @SouthernMissBSB Flora was throwing 100mph while also being 60/40 on FB/SL mix. 99% of these folks couldn’t catch a single pitch from that guy, 0% could hit him. Master work that it was as close as it was, Go Eags. #HireCreel

FIRST W ON THE SEASON! #OTR | #ETM | #SMTTT

Big @zacgallen23 guy, chose you completely at random. If you enjoyed this, let me know some others guys you'd like me to breakdown. If you're a HS or college coach, I'd love to help you build out a scouting report for an upcoming game. DM me.

How We Win: Hunt the 4SFB. Don’t let the knuckle curve pull you off the fastball. The KC is primarily a chase pitch below the zone. He uses it to disrupt timing and sneak the heater by you. Be aggressive to the fastball up in hitter’s counts. He’ll tunnel KC off the 4SFB to create swing-and-miss. Slider is in play, but we don’t adjust for it until he proves he’ll land it as consistently as the KC. Baserunners, be ultra aggressive in pitcher’s advantage counts. Spin is heavy and mostly down. That’s your opportunity to take extra bases.

I’m your Hitting Coordinator. It’s Opening Night. @zacgallen23 is apparently back for his senior year at @DiamondHeels in this universe. Here’s the scouting report I’m handing you. Thread ↓