Reality-based pitching goals

Reality-based pitching goals
By Steve Frey, IMG Baseball Academy

Aspiring to reach your pitching potential requires specific goal-setting – goals that are “reality” based.

Let’s face it, we would all like to be a powerful strikeout pitcher but that type of person rarely exists. Every pitcher brings different elements to the game. You might be a strikeout pitcher or you might be a ground ball/fly ball guy.
Everybody is uniquely different in so many ways – short and tall, stocky and thin. Look at some of the top pitchers recently. Tim Lincecum goes 5-foot-11, 160 pounds, while Randy Johnson nearly stands at 7-foot.

Mentally pitchers are different, too. Some are reserved, while others are more aggressive. When making your goals, make them according to who you are, not who you would like to be. And your goals should not always be about numbers. Goals like staying healthy or being a team leader are important, also.

To achieve any of your goals, in reality, you must be a hard worker, whether or not your coach is watching. Become stronger, too, by trying to find a better understanding of the game. I believe that watching baseball on TV is a good way to do that.

In today’s world, we have access to so many sources of information, so don’t cut yourself short on info. Take what you see and hear, and apply it. Keep in mind, not everything will work for you. Find what works and use it. This is how we learn to be successful. Keep a positive mindset all the time. This game is 90% mental.

As always, remember that it’s just a game and you should have fun out there.

Steve Frey played a total of 17 years of professional baseball, including eight years in MLB, after being drafted by the New York Yankees in 1983. He’s currently a pitching coach at the IMG Baseball Academy.