"Spring Training Survival Guide" Part I - The Offseason - Teddy Dziuba

By - Teddy Dziuba


Gee wiz Mack, has it really been over a year since I've posted anything on the site?

It is a testament to your site and its readership that I can no longer google my own name without at least a few references to my Anti-Bernazard rant from a few years back...happy to see Mack's Mets is still alive and well.

With pitchers and catchers reporting this week, I thought it would be appropriate to dedicate a series of blog posts to some survival tips for the Minor League Spring Training Invitee. As a marginal (at best) minor league talent who managed to fool the Mets into letting me hang around for 3 years despite some abysmal on-field performances, I feel like I have at least some perspective on the subject. For you "on the cusp" guys worried about getting that unfortunate invite into the coach's locker room on cut day, heed my warnings and hopefully you too can put off the real world (see: "adulthood") for an extra year or two.

For my first installment, I'd like to talk about the offseason and all of the things required of you as a professional athlete in preparation for your report date. I think the popular belief about big leaguers reporting to camp, especially in this day and age when the postseason can extend all the way into November, is that Spring Training is a time when players shake off the cobwebs of the offseason layoff, play in a couple of exhibition games, sign a few autographs, and basically pass the time before the real games begin in April. While this may be true to some extent for the aging veterans who have their routines down to a science, it could not be farther from the truth for the minor leaguers fighting desperately to secure a spot on a full-season roster. Getting lazy in the offseason and showing up to camp in poor shape with the hopes of getting into shape during the 6 weeks you are in Florida is a virtual death sentence.

As soon as you arrive in Port St. Lucie, from the second you pass through the security gate, every Mets official with a clipboard is evaluating you. It becomes apparent rather quickly who followed Nitro's (Legendary Mets strength coach Jason Craig) offseason workout plan and who left it next to the couch under the Playstation controller and the bag of doritos. For you first-timers who were just signed/drafted last year, know that the first 2 days of camp are all about strength/speed evaluation, with the camp-wide contest (by position) to see who is in the best shape. While the tests themselves aren't that demanding (shuttle runs, vertical jump, broad jump, 300 yd sprints, etc), being at the bottom of the pack can be demoralizing.

This is all just background noise for my main point - Follow the offseason training program.

While the Mets Medical Staff may be in hot water over the rash of injuries that have taken down top talent, I believe the Strength & Conditioning staff to be world class. "Nitro" and his coaching staff put together a plan for us when I was playing that was geared to the requirements of a baseball player specifically. 30 Minutes of plyometrics might feel weird at first, and even nerdy for those of us who grew up on traditional weight training, but its part of the workout program for a reason. Showing up to camp with improved lateral movement and a strong core is the easiest way to gain a leg up on the competition before taking your first swing or throwing your first pitch.

Staying true to the offseason throwing program is equally important. If a player's first long toss of the year comes right before the first infield/outfield session of camp, chances are they will be in the trainer's room by the end of the week with dead arm. You need to be ready to play at 100% from the very first whistle of spring. As much as the coaching staff will stress "easing into" practice during the first week, 20 year old males hopped up on NO-Xplode will turn even the simplest drill into a pissing contest. You can either be the one leading the charge, or the one hanging back who's name Adam Wogan scribbles "lacks intensity" next to.

Probably the single greatest piece of advice ever given to me in professional baseball came from Catching Coordinator and Former Big League backstop Bob Natal. He stressed in all of his catchers to concentrate on the things that were within our control, and try not to get caught up in the things that were out of our hands. Offseason training is one of only a handful of things as a professional athlete that you have 100% complete control over. Hopefully the Mini-Mets have spent the last few months taking advantage of that down time and are ready to rock in the coming weeks.

Next up...Part II - Reporting to Camp