Meet the Pros!

Last night coaches Billy Mugno and Walter Brown got to meet four members of the MLB Alumni association in a coaches clinic hosted and the Sports Dome in Massapequa.   This 2-hour intensive clinic touched on the basics of hitting, fielding, catching, and pitching.

WHAT DID WE LEARN?

HITTING

Angel Echevarria walked us through the basics of hitting. He railed against the current "exit velocity" and "launch angle" nonsense that the hyper analytics TV baseball rant about.  He reminded the 50 coaches present to "keep it simple." Balance and a strong foundation are the most important thing to teach for a hitter. Then Angel shared his simple mantra, "Shift Step Swing."  The whole time he constantly reminded the coaches that keeping the eyes on the ball and in the zone at a level spot will only make you a better hitter.

FIELDING

Donovan Mitchell gave us a plethora of drills that our fielders can use and he currently uses in his position with the NY Mets.  He seemed to focus on the quickness of the transfer and the importance of staying in the game mentally as the key to success at a higher level ball.  He suggested small drills and improving eye-hand coordination. His mantra in the field was the 5 F's,

• Feet moving on the pitcher's release
• Field the ball cleanly
• Find your feet below you
• Fire the ball at your target
• Follow the ball with your body

He also made mention of the base of the triangle being the shoulders and the importance of keeping the glove arm flexible.  If players overextend their arms during a fielding drill their range of motion and ability to transfer the ball are greatly diminished.  Donovan also stressed the importance of making each practice a competition. Kids are drawn to baseball because of the competition. Make them love the rush.  If the first time they feel the stress of competition is during a game, kids will not be able to handle it. Levittown North has a tradition of ending each practice with a  small skill competition and this was only backed up by the words of the professional.

CATCHING

Matt Merullo  took us on an inside look at being a catcher.  He stressed the importance of the stance and what that looks like depending on the situation in the field.  He noted that the catcher's job is to remain calm; every pitch should look intentional; catchers need to "help" the ump realize the pitcher is in charge.   He shared the difference between resting and ready behind the plate and glove placement. He compared working the glove of the catcher to driving a big steering wheel of a bus.

PITCHING

John Doherty shared his thoughts behind the art of pitching.  Pitchers should never 'unless trying to slow down a pitch' have a finger on the side of the baseball.  He compared pitching to busting out of a phone booth (keeping a narrow field in front of you and all motion going toward the plate.) He shared that the big changemaker in being ok and getting the most velocity is follow through.  One warning he gave all the coaches was the emphasis in recent years being placed on pushing off. While its definitely part of the game it should not come at the expense of the pitcher staying on top of the baseball and following through.   One thing he mentioned that surprised a lot of us was the importance of making every throw (even a friendly catch) count. "Make every throw at practice count."

*Special thanks to Long Island Hotstove for making this opportunity possible.