Alright, let’s break down what I’ve been up to these past few months with our pitching rotation. Seriously, it felt like trying to fix an old car engine without the right tools sometimes. Here’s how it went down, step by messy step.
The Big Headache
So, first off, last season was rough. Like, real rough. Our starters couldn’t seem to get past the fourth inning most nights. Walks piling up, hits flying everywhere. You watch the games and just wanna pull your hair out, you know? I knew we had talented arms, but something was broken. Had to figure out why.
Sitting Down with the Chaos
Before I touched a single thing, I just sat and watched. Tons of video. Not just the strikeouts and homers – the boring stuff. Like:
- How guys stood on the mound when things went bad.
- Where they were missing pitches consistently.
- How their faces looked when they got into trouble. Sounds weird, but it matters.
What jumped out? A few things:
- Mechanics Meltdown: When guys got tired or stressed? Their whole throwing motion went wonky. Arms lagging, steps getting shorter – just falling apart.
- One Trick Ponies: Some guys leaned way too hard on one pitch. Fastball, fastball, fastball… batter sitting on it, boom.
- Meltdown Mentality: One walk, and you could see the panic set in. Shoulders slumped, pacing around. Next batter? Almost guaranteed trouble.
Trying Stuff Out
Had some ideas, but theory is worthless. Time to get dirty.
- Playing Mad Scientist: Got into sessions with the pitchers during bullpens. Tried changing grips on breaking balls, tweaking stances ever so slightly. “Try holding the ball like this,” or “What if your foot lands here instead?” Lot of trial and error, honestly.
- Grinding Basics: It wasn’t sexy, but man, we drilled simple stuff. Hitting spots consistently, hitting spots under pressure.
- Building That Armor: Had to toughen them up mentally. Started bringing in live hitters during bullpens earlier. Made guys pitch out of simulated jams constantly. Created that pressure in practice, so the game felt less scary.
- Making Pitches Matter: Worked hard on turning good pitches into actual weapons. That “okay” changeup? Needed it to be reliable. That curve? Needed to land for a strike when it absolutely had to.
Felt like being part mechanic, part psychologist. Some days it clicked fast. Other days? Total frustration.
What’s Working?
We ain’t fixed yet, don’t get me wrong. But here’s the good vibes:
- Endurance Bump: Seeing a couple guys consistently getting deeper into games this spring. Still holding velocity later. That’s huge.
- Fewer Freebies: Walk numbers ticking down. Guys pitching smarter when behind in the count.
- Calmer Heads: Had a starter give up a couple cheap hits early recently. Last year? Might’ve imploded. This time? Worked out of it clean. You see that composure starting to build.
It’s gonna be an everyday fight, man. Mechanics need constant fine-tuning. Mental toughness isn’t built in a week. We gotta keep pushing, keep challenging each other. But seeing those little victories gives you the juice to keep going.
