Covid-19's Impact on the Future of Pitching

Covid-19's Impact on the Future of Pitching

By: Adam Jeannette

 Timeline of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the 2020 Major League Baseball season - CBSSports.com

Coronavirus and Baseball in 2020

    -The pandemic caused by Covid-19 (Coronavirus) initially shook the MLB season. It started in the middle of spring training, a time where aspiring minor and major league baseball players are playing to prove why they deserve a spot on the big league roster. Spring training got shut down because of the virus. This left the return of baseball unknown. On June 30th, the Minor League Baseball Association announced that there would be no 2020 minor league systems (1). This was followed by news of Minor League baseball planning to cut 40 teams in 2021 (2). The pandemic alone left many players without a job for 2020 and now there is a high likelihood that there will be fewer opportunities moving into 
the future. 
MLB's Minor League Cuts Paints Gloomy Picture Moving Forward

How will Minor League Pitchers Handle Covid-19?

Glass Half Full vs Half Empty

    -Minor league pitchers will have two ways of handling the pandemic. They can use it as an opportunity to further their pursuit of playing major league baseball or as a way of ending their careers from falling behind those who take the opportunistic approach. With all the tools available in today's game, there are more opportunities to improve now more than ever. Whether it is lifting to gain strength or changing pitching mechanics to improve velocity, there are endless chances to throw harder. As highlighted in a previous post I wrote, "Velocity Increases in Major League Baseball," higher velocity is becoming the new norm. This is why improving velocity can dramatically help a minor league pitcher's chances of making it to the show. Although velocity is king, Major League hitters can still hit high velocities, making quality off-speed pitches just as important for having success in the MLB. This is where adding a new pitch can be beneficial to professional pitchers looking to improve their game. 

Why Driveline | Driveline Baseball

Resources Available
 
    -In today's game, there are many quality trainers out there to help improve baseball players of all levels. Some that are at the top of the player development industry are Driveline Baseball, Tread Athletics, P3 Performance, and Cressey Performance. All of these companies are at the top of the industry in terms of pitching development through strength and conditioning as well as mechanical improvements. Professional players whose seasons were canceled can make use of their paid services as well as their free content to better themselves on the field. 
P3 | Where Science Meets Athletic Performance

Conclusion

  -Personally, I think the majority of minor league pitchers are using this time to either add more velocity or design new pitches to better themselves as pitchers. I believe with the season getting canceled, there was some initial discouragement among minor league players. However, I also believe that this canceled season gives them the opportunity to have an extended offseason to develop themselves as professional pitchers. With this, I believe 2021 will be an exciting year for Major League Baseball in terms of pitching as more guys will be throwing harder with nastier off-speed due to the opportunities presented from Covid-19. 


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