The Pittsburgh Pirates are incorporating “implicit training environments” all throughout their minor league player development system.
This gave the field a fresh look during batting practice.
Two different pitching machines were set up by the Pirates on each mound. The closer one was set to simulate a fastball. The other was further back and set to spin. It was intended to simulate offspeed pitches.
Here’s a video of Mason Martin, the Pirates’ first base prospect, taking swings on both machines.
Mason Martin is batting practice on the alternating pitching machine starting Monday. The closest one is ready to throw fastballs. The far one is to spin at offspeed. The #PiratesThis environment is used as an implicit training tool to improve game action. pic.twitter.com/4rOu6zdLC7
— Pirates Prospects (@pirateprospects) February 24, 2022
“Its more realistic to what the game really is,” said Martin of the drill. “In the game, you obviously dont know whats coming. It’s impossible to predict what speed it will go at, what spin it will have, or what break it will have. So, the more you can do that in practice, I think the more its going to get you ready for the game.”
John Baker, director of the Pirates farm, instilled the drills as part of an implicit training environment. Baker spoke to me about this last year..
Baker said that when dealing with a sport that is played in less than 150 milliseconds and these reactions of hitting, we don’t have enough time to process. We don’t have enough time for understanding what’s happening and then making our body move in a particular way. We must train implicitly, which means we have to go beyond the brain.
This particular drill with the pitching machines gives hitters experience at seeing alternating speeds during practice, along with alternating release points, This all gives them training to work on their visual perception, so that they can better react to those “less than 150 millisecond” pitches.
“What we are trying to do in our organization is we are selling out to different training measures and different constraints,” said Pirates hitting coordinator Jonny Tucker. “We are doing things with vision. We are challenging our players that the cage is going to be looking somewhat similar to what the field environment is going to require.”
Tucker called them feel-good habits. The Pirates are changing that. Baker shared with me the idea that a perfect practice is one with a 60% success rate. This drives improvement. Across the board, the feeling is that if a player is having an easy practice, showing success 100% of the time, the environment isn’t leading to any learning opportunities.
“Its more like a game,” said Martin. “Im not going to get a fastball down the middle every time. I wish I could. That would be wonderful. But it doesnt always work that way.”
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Here are some more batting practice videos from the same machines:
Here’s a longer video from Monday #PiratesBubba Chandler, 2021 third round selection, practicing batting. Chandler is being developed into a RHP/SS. pic.twitter.com/Sqpfz9jb4m
— Pirates Prospects (@pirateprospects) February 24, 2022
#PiratesMatt Fraizer, 2021 Player of The Year, practicing batting. pic.twitter.com/MpBXAwjJpO
— Pirates Prospects (@pirateprospects) February 24, 2022
6’7″ Will Mattthiessen taking a few swings around the cages. #PiratesLast year, 15 home runs were hit by an outfield prospect in High-A. pic.twitter.com/RBsH0BjztQ
— Pirates Prospects (@pirateprospects) February 24, 2022