With baseball athletes being the largest segment of the Cressey Sports Performance athletic clientele, it seems only fitting to devote a “Best of 2019” feature to the top baseball posts from last year. Check them out:

1. Vertical Shin and the Pitching Delivery – Vertical shin can be a powerful coaching point in the weight room, but it also has applications to putting pitchers in the right position to be successful on the mound. Check out this article to learn more.

2. Baseball Athleticism: It’s Probably Not What You Think It Is – Not all “great athletes” make great baseball players, and not all great baseball players are what you’d call “great athletes.” I did a little deeper on this topic in this article.

3. Should You Chase Shoulder External Rotation – And If So, How? – I often get questions on how pitchers can increase shoulder external rotation for throwing. The answer really depends on a few things, so here’s a video to walk you through them.

4. Pitchers vs. Swimmers – I evaluated a baseball pitcher and swimmer on the same day in August. The markedly different assessment findings served as a great reminder that not all overhead athletes are created equal – both in terms of the demands of their sports and the way they adapt to those demands.

5. Coil in the Pitching Delivery: Friend or Foe? – Recently, I came across a picture of Nationals pitcher Patrick Corbin at the top of the leg lift in his delivery, and it got me to thinking about how the transverse plane can be your biggest ally or enemy in the pitching delivery.

We’ve got one last “Best of 2019” list running tomorrow, so stay tuned for the closer!