7/ The formula: •Test •Evaluate •Build a plan •Attack the plan •Retest Development shouldn’t be a guess. It should be intentional and measurable.

6/ Same in the weight room: •Poor force production → build top-end strength •Low power → jump, sprint, move moderate loads fast •RSI lacking → pogo hops, depth jumps Match the stimulus to the weakness.

5/ Drills should solve problems, not just “look good.” •Rocker → weak lead leg •Figure-8 → arm-action issue •Walking windup → NOT needed if COG numbers are strong •Janitor → Can be wasted if separation is already elite Work smarter, not harder.

4/ Example: Plyo balls. A strong HS/college athlete may handle a 1000g (green) for pivot picks. An undersized guy? Maybe 750g or 450g. If an athlete can’t physically handle the weight—or use it to target a flaw—it shouldn’t be in the program as bad patterns can develop.

3/ Programs should focus on the athlete’s lowest hanging fruit—whether it’s a mechanical flaw or a performance metric. Don’t throw random drills at them. Also, don’t throw random training tools at them either.

2/ Every pitcher is unique: •Age •Size •Training age •Mobility •Familiarity with plyos/weighted balls •Injury history • & More These factors MUST shape a program.

1/ Many players and coaches today use plyo balls, the weight room, and countless drills. But without a step-by-step plan, these tools can be inefficient—or even detrimental.

How player development should be approached within pitchers 👇 A thread 🧵

Hayden Zurbrick, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 5’10, 155lb Hayden is a defensive stud with great baseball IQ. Workhorse with over 110 Innings and just 11 PB. Caught over 18% of runners this season. Power potential at the plate with a violent swing & multiple doubles. @HaydenZurbrick

Jackson McKinney, Clarkston HS 5’10, 150lb Jackson is an undersized RHP with lots of upside. Runs it up to 84 from a low release height, with a good slider landed for strikes. Very team first guy who is a great dugout presence. Potential to excel in a good program @Jackson_Mck25

Cayden Kowalek, International Student 5’10, 185lb Cayden is a EXTREMELY high character kid who can fit in with any roster. Primary OF but has the ability to play 3B and up the middle defensively. Has great hands at the dish, good speed, and has shown gap-gap pop @cayden_koala111

Patrick Hughes, Seaholm HS 5’9, 170lb Patrick was our ace this summer, running the FB up to 85 and sitting in the low 80’s. Excellent CB. SL, CH landed for strikes as well. Has a knack for big time games and moments. Also plays QB for his HS, explosive 3 sport guy @pjackhughes

Casey Goetz, Seaholm HS 5’9, 160lb Casey is a high character kid who batted .328 for us this summer. Extremely versatile, playing every IF position and showing well behind the dish. Threw out 18% of runners this summer. Excellent baseball IQ, plus base runner. @goetz_casey8

‼️NAIA, D3, JUCO COLLEGE COACHES‼️ I had the pleasure of coaching a great group of @Oaklandbulldogs this summer. Our 2026 group lead our success, and those 2026 grads will also be looking for a home next fall. Here are 5 of our guys 👇

As lucky as he was, so far in 2025 Gallen's xERA is a 4.17 (~Same as 2023!) but his ERA is a 5.25, potentially signaling he has been unlucky thus far. Summary: - Diminishing FB Velo & Command - FPS% & Out-of-zone rates - Arsenal Changes - Very Lucky & Unlucky Results

Lastly, Gallen may have had the benefit of luck in previous seasons. In 2022, he had a xERA of 3.17 and a FIP of 3.05, both of which were over .5 difference from his actual ERA of 2.54. In 2023 while his 3.38 FIP was more accurate, he had an xERA of 4.16 & an actual ERA of 3.47.

Since 2022, Gallen has cut his CT usage in half from 15 to just 7%. The VB on the CT has also crept up from 7in to 10in, decreasing the amount of depth & separation that he is creating from his fastball. Although the SL usage has gone up, the CT is still being hit hard so far.

Without working ahead in counts Gallen's out-of-zone swing % is down from 31.9% to 23.7%, and his BB% has jumped from 6.6% to a staggering 10.3%. Not only has Gallen's command been heavily diminished, but his arsenal has gotten worse as well.

Although not a significant decrease, his fastball velocity is down ~1mph over the last couple seasons as well as the cutter velocity. More notably, the In-Zone% on his 4S has decreased from a peak of over 58% in 2023 to 51.3% in 2025. His FPS% is also down from 64.6% to just 58%.

2022 and 2023 were undoubtedly Zac Gallen's best career years thus far, posting a 2.54 ERA in 2022 and being named the NL all-star starter in 2023. He finished top 5 in Cy Young voting both seasons, but 2024 and 2025 so far have been a steady decline. What happened?