This is the ONE SECRET all MLB pitchers need to increase VELO 👀

Added: 2026-05-13

[00:00:05]It was just one of those things like which way do I want to go?

[00:00:08]Um, it's a great baseball school but it's also start your pro career.

[00:00:13]Which way do you want to go? So I talked with my parents and that's one thing I always tell everybody too like if you get drafted, um, you know, talk with your parents, figure it out.

[00:00:23]Go with what you think is the best decision for you and the more we kept talking about it was like if you're ready so what the journey, let's do it. And I was like, you know what? I think I got it. I think I'm ready to go.

[00:00:34]And sure enough I did. I signed the dotted line and took off. I went to I was only in the humble brag, sorry.

[00:00:42]Um I was in the minor leagues for a year and a half and everything just took off. I went from throwing 90 to 98 in less than 6 months.

[00:00:52]>> Yeah, so all right, let's Yeah, how's that happen? Let me talk about that. Is there a coach? Is there a coordinator?

[00:00:56]>> lot of times that happens, that will happen. So that not to that level, but like I went from a starter in college to a bullpen guy. So obviously like I saw a jump. Mhm.

[00:01:06]You went You were starting the whole way.

[00:01:09]>> Yeah. And you weren't Were you coming off an injury or anything like that?

[00:01:13]>> Nothing. I didn't have Tommy John until literally the year that I retired.

[00:01:17]So it was uh What? Like was there something Was there a coach in the minor leagues or >> No, I I think the biggest thing well, one, so when I threw my slider back in the day, I didn't have a curveball. I did, but it was like it was like don't ever throw that [ __ ] again. Yeah, 0-0 or 3-1.

[00:01:32]>> was you're never going to throw that.

[00:01:33]And I still to the even this day like curveball is something like here's a get me over like you're not going to I'm not trying to get you out with it. Um, but I I give credit to the the training staff and everything. They I love squatting. That's probably my favorite thing to do. Uh, so I worked my legs like no other. I was literally doing two I can give it to a T. I remember at Picture Perfect first year in the minor leagues I was doing 225 and walking lunge 225. And I'm talking with the bar, carry it out and go. And I would long toss. So as soon as I signed with the Rangers, the first guy I meet is Nolan Ryan.

[00:02:10]And I took everything I could from that guy.

[00:02:14]Like I everybody knows who he is. I'm sorry. If you don't then you're born on a [ __ ] rock. Like yeah, I don't know what you're doing.

[00:02:21]And he talked about long toss. And he said every day like I start the next day long toss. I don't care how many pitches I threw, next day I long toss. So I did it and I started doing it every single time. And I would long toss two to maybe sometimes three times in between starts. And yeah, and you only have four days between starts. Yeah, sometimes and and sometimes you get a little bit more just because of >> [snorts] >> whatever the days off. Minor league's a little bit different.

[00:02:46]And so I was long tossing all the time and then all of a sudden I just noticed velo just started climbing. And I started throwing 93, 94. And then I got called up to uh high A and I was 96. I was like, what the [ __ ] And then I got to double A and it was 98 just sitting 96. And it just like I went from being, you know, whatever prospect to number two. Naftali was in front of me.

[00:03:06]Couldn't pass him, which is fine. Yeah, nobody's passing him.

[00:03:09]>> he's throwing 100 playing catch like it's nothing. And it just everything took off from there and it was like to this day a lot of people are so worried about weighted balls, all that stuff and it's like, dude, long toss has been something that's been here since day one. Yeah. It's been the most natural, the most it it's scientifically there.

[00:03:27]The more that you long toss and you actually use your legs you will create more velocity. And I I finally one, I give credit to Danny Clark, one of my pitching coaches. I threw a bullpen I'll never forget. He goes, "What are you doing today?" And I said, "I'm I'm just throwing."

[00:03:43]I got [ __ ] chewed out like no other.

[00:03:45]He's like, "You're not throwing. You're going to [ __ ] pitch." That's his exact words. There was probably a few more. But that was it and then I realized I am I'm pitching. Pitch with intent. Every time you throw a bullpen, visualize whoever you're facing. And I I teach that to my kids to this day and I did it all the time. If I'm facing Toronto when Sorry, I'm using Toronto when he played there.

[00:04:03]It was like you I'm facing Pillar. I'm facing uh Bautista, Encarnacion.

[00:04:09]Um, I'm trying to think who else was there. Like you're facing those guys.

[00:04:13]Yeah, Donaldson. You're facing those guys. So when I go to face them in real life, I've already visualized what I need to do to try to get them out cuz I'm doing a scouting report on them just like they're doing one on me. So I have to visualize all that stuff and I use that in the bullpen. So when you go to throw a bullpen fine tune your mechanics, feel it out.

[00:04:30]And okay, now it's hitters. Now we go game speed. Get as close as you can to actual game speed. And I noticed every time that I did that, my velo just kept climbing. And also long toss helped too and working my legs. I'm not somebody that, you know, works my arms or anything like that. It's just more legs cuz because velocity is created from the ground force up. Yeah. So the more that you can drive off the mound and get down the mound, you're going to create the velocity. And I think that was something that helped out so much and