First Impressions

The above video documents a portion of my final week of offseason strength and conditioning. I put in seven hard months of work to get my body in the best physical condition possible for the upcoming season. Now that the summer is finally upon us, its time to move my training focus from gains to maintenance.


Last week I spent my time in the gym re-testing my one rep max lifts in certain key exercises. These exercises will provide the foundation for my workouts throughout the summer, so I am able to maintain both my strength and my current bodyweight.

The lift in the video is the culmination of a long term goal; it felt great to finally feel the weight lifting off the ground. I’m ecstatic to see all of my hard work paying off; much like the feeling I had over the weekend at my first full practice with the London Majors.

Because I've only thrown twice for the coaching staff and, by extension, my new teammates at an indoor facility, it was imperative for my eventual position on the pitching staff to face live hitting from the mound and throw a few innings in an intra-squad setting so everyone could see my repertoire and command.

When I got to the diamond on Saturday evening, I was immediately impressed by what a first class organization London has. Labatt Park is a top notch facility and I literally felt like I was in a major league clubhouse when I entered the locker room door. Each player has their own locker and cubby, there is a lounge area complete with a couple of couches, and the entire clubhouse was spacious and impeccably clean.

It was something that I've never had the pleasure of experiencing before. Truthfully, I felt like an impostor and kept looking over for my shoulder for someone to tell me I had to change outside. All equipment, uniforms etc. are provided free by the team; I'm used to having to pay for such luxuries. The team even has laundry facilities on site. I could definitely get used to this.

Of course, the only way to ensure the continuation of such treatment is to pitch well when I'm asked to throw. The plan on Saturday was for me to throw 45-50 pitches to a variety of the team's hitters. I would switch every three outs with another pitcher. I climbed atop the mound and felt some pressure, even though I was throwing in a practice atmosphere.

First impressions mean a lot, and this was the first day I was meeting most of my teammates. Throwing well would do wonders for my rapport and reputation on the team. It would not look good if I showed up to my first practice and threw terribly; I wouldn't have the confidence of my fielders when I pitched in a real game and that is of the utmost importance for a pitcher.

Luckily, I threw extremely well. Probably the best I've felt on an actual mound all offseason. My mechanics felt great, I didn't worry one bit about my velocity; just focused on location and throwing strikes. I managed to strike out the first three batters I faced; I could not ask for a better start. All told, I threw four innings of work, struck out 6, gave up 2 hits and, most importantly, did not walk a batter.

As a pitcher, that's the best way to endear yourself to your teammates: throw strikes and work quickly. There is not a baseball team in existence that doesn't like a pitcher who can do the above. I just hope I can build on that outing going into the home opener on Sunday afternoon (if I'm scheduled to pitch). I'm confident in my ability to get hitters out at this level. As I've said many times, I just want the chance.

I'm also enthused that I was able to throw well over four innings to show the coaching staff that I have the ability and stamina to start in this league. I'll be back next Wednesday with notes from the first game of the year, plus I hope to have a better idea of how I'll be utilized on the hill throughout the summer.