Dear High School Pitcher,

It is time to make a decision.

I know you want to play college baseball, and I know you dream of one day being a major leaguer.  Thing is, no matter how well you perform for your high school team, 80 mph pitchers don’t make it anywhere; Sorry to burst your bubble.  You’re just not that good in the grand scheme of the baseball world.

Chances are, its already too late, but you can maybe turn things around if you are willing to train real hard and real smart.  If you want to give yourself a fighting chance, you have to do it now.  Not in two weeks. Not tomorrow. Right now.

And let’s be honest, your current workout program probably consists of going to school with bedhead and coming home to eat Easy-Mac.  That works for some people – genetic freaks.  And as you check your biceps, let me assure you that you are not one of these freaks; I have friends who can throw almost as hard as you with their non-dominant arm.

Don’t mistake me – I want you to do well, move on and continue to live the dream. But it is time for a little introspection and a new plan of action, because things obviously aren’t working.

I’m a strength coach.  I see you guys come in to our facility all the time.  Let me tell you exactly who you are, as you invariably fit into one of the following profiles:

The Weak Kid

5’10″, 145 pounds. 76-78 mph.  Arms and legs that look like fleshy lo mein noodles. He can do 15-20 “pushups”, but not one of them is technically correct.  Do you really think that guys who throw 90 mph do it with this little strength?

The Strong, But Scrawny, Kid

6’1″ 160 pounds.  79-81 mph.  Sure, he can do 8 chin ups, runs all the time and isn’t lacking functional strength.  But guess what?  If you’re “strong” but still don’t throw hard, then you need to do something different, and consider putting on some weight.  Congrats on being lean and explosive, but Force still equals Mass x Acceleration, and your mass just isn’t getting that baseball moving.

The Out of Shape Kid

6’2″ 230 pounds, 20%+ bodyfat. 80-81.  Again, you’re not a genetic freak, so don’t even start to tell me how C.C. Sabathia’s hypnotic jiggling helps him throw shutouts.  You need to lose a bunch of weight, which might reveal some dormant athleticism and power production.

The Untrained Athlete

5’11″ 170 pounds.  80-83.  He isn’t scrawny, is athletic and has good baseline strength. Yet, he has never picked up a weight, trained, or done anything remotely resembling betterment.  Doing anything might turn this guy into a stud.

Which one of these are you?  In a world all too concerned with self-esteem and feelings, it’s time to be honest with yourself, just as I am being honest with you. Your career, without change, will end on graduation day, and I guarantee being a student working toward a day job isn’t nearly as fun as being a college athlete working toward a championship.

Sincerely, A Realistic, Honest Strength Coach