Joe Janish has been coaching baseball for 20+ years, and playing for 30+. He was a D-1 ABCA All-American catcher in 1992, when he finished in the top 15 in the nation in hitting. He also coached at the D-1 level, and currently provides private instruction to serious baseball players in the NY/NJ/PA area.
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Homer Bailey has had multiple arm issues throughout his big-league career, and many of them can be traced to mechanical flaws in his pitching delivery.
Angel Borrelli and Joe Janish start off season two of The Fix discussing pitching mechanics and injury prevention. The beginning of spring training / spring practice through the beginning of the season is the time when most pitching injuries occur — why? Here’s a hint: you can’t blame it directly on cold weather. Also, what is the single most important factor to consider in keeping pitchers healthy this year — for pitchers at all levels from little league through the big leagues? (Another hint: it has nothing to do with pitch counts nor innings limits.) What should you be looking for, and asking your pitchers, when spring practice begins. Finally, Angel provides a secret to pitching velocity that pitchers can begin working on today.
Pitching motion expert Angel Borrelli and baseball coach / blogger Joe Janish talk about the offseason for pitchers — both healthy pitchers and those recovering from injury. In particular, what baseball pitchers should be thinking about, doing, and training in preparation for the spring. Angel addresses the question of whether pitchers should be playing other sports, and also explains how to reverse-engineer their offseason throwing program to ensure they’ll be ready for spring training / spring practice. Finally, Angel and Joe discuss mechanical adjustments — when they should occur, and when and why they can be dangerous.
Pitching motion expert Angel Borrelli and baseball coach / blogger Joe Janish talk about MLB pitching injuries, how they may have occurred, and how pitching injuries in general can be prevented. They briefly metnion Jonny Venters‘ third UCL tear, and why it may have happened. They also discuss Homer Bailey‘s torn flexor tendon, going in-depth to describe the flexor and its role in the pitching motion, and Bailey’s risk of suffering another arm injury in the future. Angel and Joe also go over Danny Duffy‘s recent shoulder inflammation and how it may be related to his previous UCL tear and Tommy John surgery. Finally, Angel and Joe take on the theory that baseball pitchers should be playing other sports during the offseason, suggesting that Dr. James Andrews’ recommendation may have been misinterpreted.
Pitching motion expert Angel Borrelli and baseball coach/blogger Joe Janish discuss the Mets’ decision to stall Matt Harvey‘s rehabilition schedule based on teammate Jeremy Hefner‘s setback. Angel offers theories on why the Mets may have come to this decision and explains the possible risks of slowing down Harvey’s progress. Additionally, she offers insight on what pitchers — both healthy and those rehabbing from injury — should be doing in the offseason. Finally, Angel answers a question from a listener regarding an offseason long-toss program recommended to a high school pitcher.
Pitching motion expert Angel Borrelli and baseball blogger Joe Janish talk about pitching mechanics. The show begins with discussion of Tyler Skaggs‘ decision to walk off the mound while in the middle of pitching a no-hitter. That leads into an explanation of a “pronator mass strain,” which was Skaggs’ initial diagnosis as well as the injury suffered by Cliff Lee. Angel then describes some signs that a pitcher may be fatigued and/or about to injure himself; and what a coach shoud do in such a situation. Further, Angel explains how a pitcher should be brought back from such an injury. The show closes with Joe and Angel talking about the theory that MLB pitchers will inevitably suffer decreased performance once they reach age 30 — including recommendations by Angel that can result in pitchers maintaining or increasing their performance as they age.
Pitching motion expert Angel Borrelli and ESPN SweetSpot blogger Joe Janish start out by discussing the deceleration phase of the baseball pitching motion and how it is important toward both staying healthy and in troubleshooting mechanics. Then, they talk about a mechanical flaw that some pitchers exhibit (most notably Stephen Strasburg, Mark Prior, and Zack Wheeler) that is described in some circles as an “inverted W.” Finally, Joe recounts the Seattle Mariners’ decision to leave pitcher Roenis Elias in a recent game after he suffered a forearm cramp.
Summer baseball is here, so many boys and young men are playing on multiple teams and/or in tournaments — making it the easiest time of year for pitchers, coaches, and parents to break rules that can endanger a pitcher’s health. Don’t know the rules or forgot them? Listen up and take notes if you want to keep a young pitcher’s arm healthy — both for this summer and for many years to come — as Angel and Joe discuss Seven Unbreakable Rules for Summer Baseball.
