We’re excited to welcome New York Yankees relief pitcher Adam Ottavino to the podcast. A special thanks to this show’s sponsor, Lumberlend. Head to www.Lumberlend.com and enter the coupon code CSP to get free shipping on your order of two or more bat mugs.

Show Outline

• Why Adam opted to attend Northeastern University instead of immediately pursing professional baseball when drafted out of high school.
• How Adam learned to spin the baseball well at a young age, and how aspiring ball players can become masters of manipulating the movement on a baseball.
• How Adam developed his current pitch arsenal as he progressed through pro ball.
• How altitude influences pitching and the hidden advantage of pitching at Coors Field.
• How Adam made a successful transition from a starter to reliever.
• Why Tommy John turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Adam, as he took advantage of his time away from the game to prepare physically and experience the mental reps necessary to be immediately successful upon his return.
• How the tribulations of the 2017 season led to the creation of Adam’s “lab” in Manhattan and the diligent work that followed to propel him to a successful 2018.
• Why it’s important to differentiate between a cutter and his slider
• How Adam keeps a level head through the emotional roller coaster of a major league season.
• Why it’s so important to play meaningful catch, throw with conviction, and understand when the best opportunity is for you to refine your various pitches.
• Why advice from Adam’s little league coach proved to be one of the most impactful lessons of his baseball career

You can follow Adam on Instagram at @adamottavino.

Sponsor Reminder

This episode is brought to you by Lumberlend Co. If you’re looking for a unique gift for a baseball fan in your life, you’ll definitely want to check this out: they’ve hollowed out the bat barrel and created a cool drinking mug. You can customize these with colors, names, logos, and photographs. They’re also an officially licensed MLBPA product, so you can get your favorite teams and players incorporated into the designs. I’ve used these as gifts with great feedback, so I’m confident you’d experience the same. The crew at Lumberlend is offering free shipping on two or more bat mugs with the coupon code CSP at checkout. Just head to Lumberlend.com to design yours today.

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