‼️Thread‼️
Julio Rodriguez put together one of the best debut seasons we’ve seen over the past decade. However, his sophomore season has been underwhelming…Let’s dive into why this may be happening 👀
Last week was the final week of my internship
@DrivelineBB
. I’m grateful to
@Tstokey
,
@AndrewAydt
, &
@XX_Garrett
for the opportunity to come on as an intern…
With that being said, I’m incredibly excited to announce that I’ll be staying onboard as a full-time Hitting Trainer!
I’m a little late to the party, but I’m excited to announce that I’ve been hired as a Hitting Intern with
@DrivelineBB
! The opportunity to work with world-class athletes and learn from some of the best player development coaches in the business is unmatched, time to work!
I’m a little late to the party, but I’m excited to announce that I’ve been hired as a Hitting Intern with
@DrivelineBB
! The opportunity to work with world-class athletes and learn from some of the best player development coaches in the business is unmatched, time to work!
‼️Bat Speed Thread‼️
We’re a little over a third of the way thru the 2024 MLB season
With all the discussion on bat speed this year, I figured I would take a look at the hitters who added the most bat speed since the 2023 season & how they are performing so far…
That’s a wrap! Six years later my college career has come to a close. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to represent
@UTRGVBaseball
for the past four years. I am forever in debt to
@Matlock_UTRGV
&
@CoachRaleyRGV
who took a chance on a kid from Seattle.
#WACtion
Update | WALK IT OFF,
@UTRGVBaseball
! Jacob Hirsh singles to center to drive home Anthony Gomez (
@Agomez_3
) to give UTRGV a 7-6 comeback win over Rhode Island! Gomez tripled earlier in the inning to drive home the tying runs! UTRGV gets the 4-game sweep!
#WACbsb
The staff was cooking this weekend!
• 1x National Pitcher of the Week
• 75 Ks in 5 games
• 46% whiff rate on Breaking Balls
• 9 pitchers threw FBs at or above 93 mph
#RallyTheValley
@UTRGVBaseball
🚨
@d1baseball
𝗣𝗜𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞 🚨
Angelo Cabral dazzled in his first start of the season and turned in a career performance to lead the
@UTRGVBaseball
to a 9-2 victory over Central Michigan. He struck out 15 batters.
#NCAABaseball
Incredibly excited for the opportunity to join the
@UTRGVBaseball
coaching staff!
Looking forward to applying my experience and knowledge to help this program have continued success for years to come!
#RalleyTheValley
Being able to use the whole field is a valuable tool in a hitter’s skill set, however, if Julio wants to return to his MVP-caliber ceiling, he likely needs to return to driving the ball to the pull side, fully enabling him to utilize his well above-average Bat Speed.
Pullside HR, Pullside HR, Pullside HR…
All of these hitters are below league average in bat speed, but most possess an outlier skillset that allows them to be successful despite below average bat speed.
That skill is pulling the ball in the air.
MLB players with below average bat speed and high OPS🤔
What do they all have in common? They all have a higher OPS than the Top 5 leaders in average bat speed🤯
#batspeed
‼️ Thread ‼️
The aging Curve in baseball can be swift and harsh for many hitters, especially for those lacking bat speed.
Adding bat speed can help flatten that curve.
Here’s 2 hitters turning 30 or older next season that should train bat speed this off-season:
FYI this guy went undrafted after hitting .400 with 19 HRs at one of the least offensive ballparks in the country. Nats got one of best hitters in college baseball last year for free.
Keep proving them wrong
@bpimentel__
Brett is the man and is definitely an inspiration for me. His positive outlook on life has helped me through some tough times. Everyone should try to be more like Brett.
UTRGV Head Baseball Coach Derek Matlock’s son Brett loves the game his father coaches, but he was never able to play it.
@bellamichaels23
shows you Brett’s story of perseverance
With the new addition of
@Yakkertech
to our field, I’ve started an analytics page where I’ll be posting exit velo and pitch velo leaderboards, as well as occasional player analyses. Stay tuned for more 🔥🔥
My enjoyment of this clip was ruined when the broadcaster said Caglianone’s launch angle was “nice, down and through.”
It’s 2024…how are we still confused by what a launch angle is
If this isn’t how my teammates feel about me when my playing days are over, then I didn’t do my job. Everyone should strive to be a leader like Kyle Seager on and off the field
Incredible accomplishment for an incredible player! In 36 tracked games Brando currently holds an Avg EV of 93.3 mph, Hard Hit% of 56%, and a Zone Whiff of only 16%!
In 15 untracked games, Pimentel is slashing .423/.474/.789 w 10 HRs and 28 RBIs.
@UTRGVBaseball
#MLBDraft
LaMonte Wade Jr.
#SFGiants
🌉
⚡️Bat Speed: 49
⚡️Bat to Ball: 57
⚡️Swing Decisions: 56
1 of 4 players in the MLB to have <18% Chase, <15% IZWhiff, and 90th % EV > 103 mph
Soto
Betts
Nootbaar
Wade Jr.
(2 of these guys already train at Driveline 🤫)
Let’s add some bat speed
Love this dude. Brought an energy into the gym everyday that was infectious. Not surprised at all to see the success he’s having this year. Promotion soon…🤫
Víctor Labrada has a fascinating story:
- Left Cuba and signed with the Mariners in 2019 at age 19
- Has nearly 1,100 career plate appearances with the AquaSox and has played there from 2021-2024
- Finally putting it together at age 24: .313/.418/.514 for a .932 OPS with 20 SB
Talked to
@LanciaSteven
yesterday about his swing & approach. He told me he’s been smashing balls but with a bit too much topspin.
Told him to adjust his ball-flight target to the infielders heads instead of the outfield. Ball-flight guides the swing
Proud as heck of this kid, the work he’s put in to improve his entire game has been incredible to watch. Something about that
#4
, keep going
@LanciaSteven
22.9% of Gleyber’s barrels from 2023 were to dead center. However, only one of those resulted in a HR.
🚀Gleyber’s Barrels:🚀
xwOBA on barrels to CF: .699
xwOBA on barrels to LF: .997
Not a stat head?
BA on barrels to CF: .550
BA on barrels to LF: .879
Pull the ball kids.
‼️Thread‼️
As most people guessed, Swing B was the HR.
🔸Swing A: 104.1 EV, 28 LA, 1.565 xwOBA
🔸Swing B: 102.4 EV, 36 LA, 1.966 xwOBA
Both of these swings resulted in a barrel, but only one was a HR. This is largely due to the location of these batted balls.
Now that the regular season is over and the pro off-season has begun, I’ll be doing a thread everyday on what adding a bat speed program would do for hitters who meet 4 requirements:
200+ PA, ⬇️ Avg Bat speed, ⬆️ Avg Bat to ball skills, and ⬆️ Avg Swing decisions.
Stay tuned!
There is literally not another facility in the country that can give you training like this.
Are you truly not satisfied or do you actually not want it that bad?
Only one way to find out…come train at the best player development facility in the country
Welcome to the first ever
@DrivelineBB
Trajekt Live ABs.
Causally breaking it in with a
@Trey_Dunn7
pullside 💣
You won’t find a better training environment than this!
Let’s dive deeper into this 🔨 from
@colten11davis
. At 87 mph with an IVB of -8.5 and HB of -5.5, this Breaking Ball popped a 128 stuff+ through
@DrivelineBB
model. With this info it’s easy to see why this pitch resulted in a 🗡️
Additionally, Julio’s Attack Angle (AA) is down from 7.2 degrees in 2022, to 4.5 degrees in 2023. This is likely due to a deeper point of contact. Low AA & deep PoC are likely two of the main contributors to why Julio has been unable to consistently pull the ball in the air ↘️
As a person with Jewish heritage, it’s disheartening to see so much anti-semitism on my timeline. I want to believe people are saying this out of misinformation and not hatred. No one human should have to deal with oppression, we should all be working together.
#LoveWins
Adley Rutschman
#SoakItIn
Adley Rutschman is one of the best young catchers in the game, putting up back to back .800+ OPS seasons.
What if I told you he can be even better? Let’s dive into what Adley’s 2024 could look like if he added bat speed this off-season 👀
Mason was a phenomenal athlete to work with, constantly trying to learn more and improve as a hitter.
Max EV: 90.4 ➡️ 100.8mph
Top 8th EV: 86.5 ➡️ 92.7mph
HardHit LA: -3.5 ➡️ 15.6°
Mason has put himself in an amazing spot to be successful as a result of these past 6 weeks
Weird.
Here, we see the opposite is true. The hitters who saw the largest increase in bat speed since the 2023 season are chasing 1.5% less and whiffing in-zone 0.5% less.
Adding bat speed does a lot more for you than just hitting the ball harder. Who would’ve thought that?
The Redsox are getting one of the best hitting coaches in the entire industry.
I’m super thankful to have been able to learn from you and work alongside you at Driveline. Keep on doing what you do JP!
#PostureGOD
I’m super excited to announce that I'll be joining the
@RedSox
as the High-A hitting coach.
Huge thank you to everyone
@DrivelineBB
. It's been an honor working with some fantastic people who taught me so much and gave me experiences I will never forget.
The offense found their groove this weekend! Overall, the bats held an Avg EV of 92 mph, Hard Hit% of 63%, and 10 BBE 105 mph or higher. A big part of the success came from
@bpimentel__
who had an Avg EV of 101 mph, Hard Hit% of 90%, and a Barrel% of 36%!
#RallyTheValley
@mason_mcrae
breaking ball % is way lower in college baseball, pitchers are feeding fastballs out over the plate which plays into every college offensive approach
Another notable UDFA signing,
@UTRGVBaseball
RHP Kevin Stevens signs with the
#Yankees
. 100 K in 81.1 IP in ‘22, FB 92-96/97, SL 86-88 is signature, bat-missing secondary. Could move quickly through low minors in relief role.
#PGDraft
Did anyone see where that baseball landed?
Wow, Brandon Pimentel. Wow.
This one made it 2-0 in the top of the 4th
💻🇺🇸
💻🌎
📊
#RallyTheValley
#UTRGV
#WACbsb
Sad day for the state of Texas. If you have a mother, sister, or woman in your life that you love, give them a hug tonight and make sure they’re doing ok.
Mariners went 90-72 without spending $1 on a position player this past FA, leading HR hitter missed past 2 seasons, biggest FA signing missed entire season after 1 inning, ROY played in 36 games. This team isn’t playing for a Wild Card next year. Quote me on that.
#SeaUsRise
I’m sorry but can someone tell me how the best pitcher in a D1 conference goes undrafted?
@KevinStevens_II
is undeniably one of the best pitchers in the country and he has the stuff and the numbers to back that up. 30 MLB scouting departments failed massively.
Vos got after it during his assessment week and the results are starting to show:
.305/.382/.542
.384 xwOBA (career high)
105mph 90th% EV (high since 2021)
16.3% Hard Hit Air% (career high)
20.1 LA on BBE 100+ EV (career high)
25.6% GB% (career low)
📈📈
When one door closes, another one opens! Like my Twitter bio has said for the past six years, “Everyday is an opportunity”, new opportunities wait for me in the next chapter of my life! Thank you for everything baseball.. ✌🏼
#foob
Some big jumps among these hitters with the largest coming from Jurickson Profar, who added 89 points to his xwOBA.
The overall average increase among these hitters was 25 points.
But I heard bat speed will make you less disciplined and miss more pitches? 🤔
🏆𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑🏆
Francesco Barbieri is your
@SunConference
Player of The Year!
Barbieri led the conference in 7️⃣ different statistical categories!
AVG (.373), SLG% (.817), OBP (.513), OPS (1.330), HRs (16), 3B (5), and BB (42) 🤯
#GUYrenes
📈
#GBlock
🔔
Gyrenes sweep the series against New College of Florida
Game 1: 4-0
Kevin Figueredo (W): 6 IP, 7K, 3H
Francesco Barbieri: 1-2, HR (9), 2 RBI, R
Brian Williams: 2-3, 2B, R
Game 2: 6-2
Ethan Petric (W): 5IP, 5K, 2 ER
Tanner Kelly: 3-4, 3B
Francesco Barbieri: 2-2, HR(10), 2BB, 2R
Art is one of the most determined dudes I’ve ever met. While I was at DriveLine, Art competed with me everyday which not only improved his game but improved mine as well. He is an incredible teammate and an even better kid!
If you're still looking for a 2019 MIF/UT and will be at the AZ Senior Fall Classic this week, stop by and take a look.
Metrics -- 6.8 60, 84 IF Velo, 4.14 GPA (wt'd), 31 ACT
Here's my recruiting video (more videos on my Youtube channel):
Francesco Barbieri sends his 2nd HR of the game out to LF to give
#15
Ave Maria a 6-1 lead over RV Arizona Christian in the 2nd!
#NAIABall
#EWChallenge
MLB: “grow the game! let the kids play!”
Also MLB: hires people like Billy Ripken, Sean Casey, and Harold Reynolds to talk about the game.
Meanwhile, the NBA has Shaq, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson who actually love their sport.
@CoachMcCarry
For sure, definitely not one size fits all and context matters. But I have found that cueing hitters to “pull” FBs up the middle that are over the outer half of the plate, helps greatly with hitters who struggle to maintain posture when driving pitches away.
Francesco was one of my favorite athletes to work with this summer. His desire to get better and willingness to step outside his comfort zone allowed him to make big strides as a hitter. Not to mention he’s a straight dawg in the box 🐺🩻
Training
@DrivelineBB
with talented baseball minds for the last 8 weeks was a phenomenal experience.
Summary ⬇️
Max Bat Speed: 72.8 MPH ➡️ 82.3 MPH
Avg Bat Speed: 66.8 MPH ➡️ 71.3 MPH
Max EV: 100.46 MPH ➡️ 104.16 MPH
Top 8th EV: 97.0 ➡️ 99.3 MPH
Avg EV: 85.1 MPH ➡️ 88.2 MPH