What's your routine in the off season?

Cavtrooper,

In a northern state with the inclement weather it might be an excellent time to lay off the baseball activities and hit the weights extra hard to put on some size and muscle. Some high school guys are shocked when they get to college and see how much lifting weights is emphasized especially for position player.

When my son was in high school ... Freshman year he played basketball. Soph year despite being the starting point guard the previous year he was cut for missing all the optional workouts and not playing in a summer basketball league. The basketball coach didn't like his players playing a second sport. He said my son was already playing two without basketball. He also played soccer.

So the following years he did FASST (fitness, agility, speed, strength, training) in the winter, hit off the tee or took BP off Pro Batter three or four times a week and played in the town high school rec basketball league. He snowboarded once a week. He didn't throw from Nov 1 until mid February except the year he took pitching lessons from Feb 1 to mid March when his high school season started. One offseason he worked on changing his approach at the plate.

Took the fall off and played high school football.....once read Nolan Ryan threw footballs in the off season....son was QB so he got to throw a lot of footballs. The throwing and the condition was helpful for his winter baseball training.

I'm in a northern state and our fall ball just finished up yesterday (the west half of the state finished up last week, as they got 12" to 40" of snow!). My 2018 (primarily a corridor player: middle infield, pitcher, catcher, but also considerable time at the corner) will play middle school basketball. On his own time, he will spend about a half hour hitting off a tee in the basement, with a camwood bat, five or so days a week. No serious throwing until after the first of the year. Starting in January, we will go to an indoor facility once a week and work out with the high school/legion coach (hitting approach, defensive mechanics, pitching mechanics). We will also go to the golf dome when time permits and slowly work into a long-toss regimen as spring approaches. Throw in a clinic or two put on by one of the local colleges over the course of the off-season, primarily just so he meets new people.

As far as conditioning, basketball practice/games will keep him tuned up for most of the offseason. As far as strength, he will do a light workout in the school weight room once or twice a week, really more of a social thing. He will do pushups, situps, and stretching like a fiend at home before he goes to bed.