Texsox Posted April 19, 2019 Share Posted April 19, 2019 I was listening to a conversation on PGA radio about pro golfers having coaches or not and it got me to thinking that in an open market, professional golfers can choose the coach that works best for them, not true in team sports. Baseball players for example are forced to work with whomever the club has hired. I wonder if that is really the best for the player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted April 19, 2019 Author Share Posted April 19, 2019 I was trying to remember which Sox player I was thinking of that went outside the organization for coaching with good results. It was Erik Johnson Quote Johnson, fearing he was close to being released by Chicago, hired a personal pitching coach over the winter of 2014–15; he prefers not to identify the coach. I can think of several hitters who completely rebuilt their swings after they reached the major leagues, and did so by going outside their organization for help: Chris Colabello, Josh Donaldson, Jason Heyward, J.D. Martinez and Ben Zobrist come to mind. The list of conventional major league pitchers (non-knuckleballers or non-sidearm hurlers) who underwent an overhaul to how they throw is less obvious, though I would expect it to grow. Just as with swing coaches in golf, there are many smart people who have studied the biomechanics of a specific athletic movement, and it does not matter whether they pitched professionally or not or whether they are employed by a club or not. https://www.si.com/mlb/2015/11/24/erik-johnson-white-sox-pitcher-health Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptatc Posted April 19, 2019 Share Posted April 19, 2019 From my experience in various pro sports (MLB, MiLB, NFL) the players were only allowed external strength and conditioning people. However, today many go to outside help especially pitchers with places like Line Drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted April 19, 2019 Author Share Posted April 19, 2019 It's interesting balancing the rights of the individual with the rights of the club. I remember when Maggs was basically on IR for the rest of his contract and people still expected him to follow the team's advice even though he would probably never play for them again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted April 20, 2019 Share Posted April 20, 2019 Big Hurt with Walt Hrniak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted April 20, 2019 Author Share Posted April 20, 2019 Another great example. Could you imagine the batting cage at practice looking like the range at a PGA event? Players all lined up with their personal coaches (that they pay for). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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