The Role of A Pitching Coach

(Written in May 2025)

Great bullpens are valuable, but they aren’t nearly everything. The job of a pitching coach is to

help translate practice results into game results. Cool pitch shapes don’t matter if they can’t get

outs. I think of the Nationals "I don't care how hard you throw ball four" sign back a few year

ago. The name of the game is getting outs not to throw hard or get a lot of movement. They

typically correlate but the pitch shape without generating outs is effectively useless. Every

pitcher has their own unique way of doing so — their own path to success.

Brendan Smith and I spend a lot of time talking through these different paths when it comes to

individual pitchers. Whether it’s incorporating a new pitch into a pitcher’s arsenal, increasing the

usage of a certain pitch against a specific type of hitter, scrapping the windup for a guy who

overthinks, or narrowing down locations and pitch selections for specific counts — the list goes

on. The most important thing for us is to find the correct balance between the eye test, player

comfort, and data from both Rapsodo in practice and in game results. The right balance works

together perfectly allowing us to make the best decision in the interest of our players.

Sometimes, it takes multiple tries to figure out what works for a specific player, and that’s okay.

Our job as coaches is to help players find their path to success — not just to look good in

practice.