With baseball athletes being the largest segment of the Cressey Sports Performance athletic clientele, it seems only fitting to devote a “Best of 2014” feature to the top baseball posts from last year. Check them out:

1. No Specialization = National Championship? – I posted this article right after Vanderbilt won the College World Series, and it was my biggest “baseball hit” of the year. There are some great lessons on long-term athletic development in there.

2. 6 Key Qualities for Long-Term Athletic Development – I wrote this post right after 18 Cressey Sports Performance athletes were selected in the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft. As with our #1 baseball post from the year, long-term athletic development was a hot topic!

3. Are Pitchers Really Getting “Babied?” – Many baseball “traditionalists” insist that pitchers are getting injured because we’re babying them in the modern era. I disagree completely, and this article summarizes my thoughts on the subject.

4. Long-Term Success: What You Can Learn from Corey Kluber – Long-time CSP client Corey Kluber won the 2014 American League Cy Young, and a lot of the points I make in this article on his work ethic help to explain why. It was featured on Gabe Kapler’s website.

5. Draft Q&A with Eric Cressey: Part 1 and Part 2 – This two-part article was actually an interview of me for Baseball America. I think it delves into a lot of important topics for up-and-coming players as well as coaches and parents.