I’m proposing a system designed to integrate new players whether it is college or minors better into the organisation. Traditionally players often would play games right away but I’m suggesting you can use those first months better.

If changes have to be made, why not make them right away? First be realistic what changes are possible. In a team setting you can make changes but compared to a private instructor who works several hours a week with just one hitter of course it is limited, so make sure you only change things that really need a change and leave the other stuff alone, don’t waste “change potential” on unimportant style things.

After that is established you need a series of markers that you think do correlate with success and can be changed.

An easy and cheap way to get some markers is getting some swing sensors like blast. Important markers can be for example attack angle, vertical barrel angle, batspeed and maybe one of the compound scores like on plane percentage. Barrel path is very important and a bad path means you waste some potential. Here is an article about swing sensors. https://www.drivelinebaseball.com/2018/05/using-swing-plane-coach-hitters-deeper-look/

Another marker you can use is measuring the kinetic chain and acceleration and deceleration of the segments using for example kvest. https://www.drivelinebaseball.com/k-vest/

Additionally you also can use a small amount of video markers from defined angles and of course also use tech to evaluate launch angles, spray angles and exit velo.

Also evaluate some physical markers like strength and mobility, for example using the on baseU screening because that can affect mechanics.

Of course there are many more ways to evaluate, most important is that you pick some markers that are important and most importantly that you can change, so be realistic about that and don’t do to much.

After you have done that I’m suggesting doing like a 6-7 weeks mechanics and movement block.  First you evaluate what the hitters already do well, so in a team setting you can leave that alone. Second you evaluate what the hitters are lacking and you put them on an indivudual contraint drill and movement plan. You can group similar hitters together using similar excercises but also have some competely personal excercises.

For example here I have a list of contraint drills but of course you can come up with many more.

http://batspeedfitness.com/?p=133

For example the quant tee is a nice device to work on VBA https://hittingtech.com/product/quant-tee/

Also do mobility and strength drills to work on specific weaknesses.

After that phase I suggest starting to work on batspeed using overload/underload training and also doing a blocked variability training working on coverage of specific locations (up, down, in out) and speeds. I’m suggesting blocked here because that way you can coach more hands on the mechanics for those locations and speeds and fine tune them.

I’m suggesting going blocked here for about 4 weeks and at the same time you continue the constraint drills from the first phase and start overload underload. Measure EV and LA off different locations to find weaknesses and improve them as the goal should be to cover most of the zone if not all of it as that makes you tougher to pitch to.

Here I have articles to work on hitting the outside pitch and also the important topic of hitting pulled balls into the air which helps power.

http://batspeedfitness.com/?p=153

http://batspeedfitness.com/?p=122

After that phase you start random variability training, hitting game speed and spin in variable location. You continue the constraint drills, overload underload and a small amount of blocked variability training (especially on your weaknesses).

Also start to bring the hitters together with the pitchers and do live at bats. That way you can get more reps than in games and also come back and coach between those ABs more closely. You are also doing some work on fielding specific to the positions of course as well as athleticism training and throwing.

Within those live ABs you use hittrax or another system to track the batter’s profiles.  In this article I defined the ranges players should be in.

http://batspeedfitness.com/?p=185

If you hit those ranges like about a 15 degree average LA, sub 40% GB rate and 40-45% pull rate with at least 30% air ball pull rate you often maximize your potential that way. Hitting those ranges is no guarantee to be great but it maximizes your output. Players who are off on one of the markers are doing specific drills to get closer to the correct ranges.

That way you optimize your hitters and you avoid having Eric Hosmer types who are talented but limited through their batted ball profile.

You can also work on stuff like vision and plate discipline training with different softwares that are available as well as on field drills.

Here is a collection of methods

http://batspeedfitness.com/?p=140

 

It is important that all coaches are pulling the same direction. The goal is not creating cloned hitters but hitters who hit the important checkpoints and have some pop, discipline and can cover the whole plate.

Ideally IMO those players shouldn’t play games the first 3 months or at least two if possible. Oprimize their movement, barrel path and batted ball profile first before putting them in games and then give them some homework to do for the offseason so they can continue to work on that. That way you should be able to create big improvement and a great development system.