Driveline Baseball Pitching Trainer @drivelineBB
Kent, WA
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Hogan Harris pt. 2
Last week: the return he'd get on a tick of velo, a platoon problem, and a workload gap.
This week: how we'd build his offseason, including the sweeper and cutter shapes we'd work towards, + more.
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Rollin Payton Tyler retweeted
9/30/26 bullpen
FB: 89-91
Sinker: 88-89
Change: 80-81
Sweep: 75-76
@Yaks_Baseball @PTPitching @CoachKrueg @Coach_Panch @jfripp14 @CoachSalsa @PNW_Uncommitted
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Rollin Payton Tyler retweeted
Nice summary of the #Mariners situation. Not to make excuses for them, but this particular problem is complicated:
"They need to get back to the things that they did in player development. Some of that development stopped/changed/were abandoned in the big league level..."
The Mariners had their coaches plundered in the offseasons, which is common when an org has success developing talent (happens all the time at Driveline and did when I was Dir. Pitching of the Reds, 2014 Astros, etc).
Driveline didn't handle this first wave of poaching well. We did a bad job trying to stem the tide with temporary measures, rather than accepting the reality of the situation and changing our entire structure to accommodate for this inevitable turnover by investing a lot into systems development and employee training.
It's likely Seattle found itself in a similar situation and tried to plug holes rather than holistically change. They're also one of the orgs that have Directors watching minor league results while coaching in the big leagues, which I've consistently opposed.
Being a big league coach OR minor league director is hard enough. Doing both is impossible. They're also very different jobs. An open secret is that most Directors of Pitching (and Pitching Coordinators) are simply biding their time until they get their shot as a big league coach. This isn't great for organizational health. Someone who is in charge of minor league talent and structure needs to be all-in on that and there should be a promotional pathway for them that is exclusive of being a significant part of the big league roster.
Developing minor league talent can be more important than big league success depending on the phase of the organization (in the Mariners case, this isn't true currently - but would be for orgs like the Cardinals, Rockies, Marlins, etc). As such, you can't have the Director looking upwards while being responsible for the farm system.
Anyway, just some words on the restructuring Seattle is about to undergo, one that's probably overdue. Better late than never.
#Mariners press conference takeaways
1) Dipoto doesn't want to get rid of the pitching guys, citing success of 2021-half of 2026. Doesn't want to get rid of guys on 3 month sample.
2) Says they will go outside the organization for new manager, need fresh ideas and fresh thoughts.
3) Pitching needs to get better at finishing at-bats, not just winning 0-0 and 1-1 counts.
4) "Our culture needs a reset." "We didn't beat ourselves for five years and that isn't what we did this year." "We tolerated an environment where we just didn't live up to our own standard, and that's where we need a reset."
5) On accountability: Accountability is a word, unless you are accountable to a standard that is preset. The bigger issue is the standard itself, and Dipoto took responsibility for that. Says he did an ineffective job at that.
6) Mariners TOLERATED too much negativity this year. Goes back to the standard. Dipoto again took responsibility for that.
7) Dipoto did not use injuries as an excuse. He thought the team just figured it would turn around at some point, didn't make it happen.
8) Not thinking about the CBA. Building out the roster, a very busy October-November is coming. Says team will be aggressive in filling holes. They will do an internal audit about why they can't get outside RHH hitters (sans Randy) to succeed.
9) Still believes in the SP. Very clear.
10) Believes in the bullpen, apologize to Bazardo and Ferrer for the heavy workloads. Says they need more depth in that group.
11) You can't be the worst defensive team in baseball. You need to be better prepared and in line with a process that leads to winning.
12) Piggyback situation worked, but Jerry regrets the lack of communication externally on things.
13) "Being a bad defender" is a choice.
14) Cal Raleigh clearly carries real standing in the organization, but he won't be part of interviews.
15) They need to get back to the things that they did in player development. Some of that development stopped/changed/were abandoned in the big league level. Have to get back to what it means to be a Mariner.
16) Dan Wilson's hiring was based on a 35-year interview with the Mariners. The team needed levity and trust with the players at the time. We didn't grow together.
#TridentsUp #Mariners #RefuseToLose
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Rollin Payton Tyler retweeted
The Marlins are running one of the most interesting side quests in baseball right now
Their best starters are also their highest-leverage relievers?
Let's talk about it 🧵
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Execution prep.
High intent bullpens with the new mix, live ABs as needed.
Simulated ABs with intended zones give instant feedback: how each pitch grades and where to locate for run value, whiff, and chase by batter hand and pitch type.
Practice has to look like the game.
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Velo, two new shapes, flatter usage, a workload plan, and command built on top of it.
That's the path to the all-star version of Hogan Harris.
Link to part 1.
Two things about Hogan Harris.
He'd get an unusually large return on a tick of velo
As a lefty he isn't getting the platoon edge his stuff should give him.
Both are fixable this offseason. 🧵
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The cutter.
Target: 92-93+ mph, 11-14 in IVB, 0 to +3 in HB. Ideal average looks something like: 92.5, 13 IVB, +1.5 HB.
It isn't a new pitch. He threw it in 2025. The work is getting it back, adding a little HB, and keeping it separated from the sweeper.
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Command comes last. We throw to targets all offseason, but once velo and shapes stabilize, command becomes priority #1.
High intent, target-focused throwing with oversized and undersized balls, plus IZT miss distance training to measure exactly how far he misses.
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The sweeper.
Target: 79-85+ mph, 11-15 in HB, -1 to +5 in IVB. More velo and more sweep only help vs lefties.
In that range it grades 55 to 70+ vs LHH. It's the shape his arsenal is missing and a third look lefties have to cover.
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Velo.
The mechanical room shows up in motion capture: proprietary comp scores and movement analysis built on years of lab data.
Constraints narrow toward faster solutions, with designed high intent days. Mocap, pitch metrics, and velo are the feedback. He finds the solution.
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Javelins, footballs, handballs, plyos, softballs, undersize baseballs etc.
Each changes mass, moment arm, and moment of inertia. Add kneeling, single leg, spin and jumping throws, or catching and bouncing it first, and every rep is new.
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Every rep still has a goal: a target, a velo, an arm speed. He finds new ways to get it done instead of repeating one pattern.
We're not coaching positions. We're building adaptability. We set up the problem, adjust it as needed, and he sorts out the solution.
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The order matters: velo, shapes, command, then execution in a game-transferable environment.
Command sits on top of velo and shape. Change those and his feel has to recalibrate, so we build the pitches first and sharpen them once they stabilize.
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Phase 1: assess and deload.
Pitching assessment, arm care screening with FlexPro grip and ArmCare, and a full high performance assessment of strength, power, and mobility.
Before we ask him to throw harder, we find out what's limiting him.
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Hogan Harris pt. 2
Last week: the return he'd get on a tick of velo, a platoon problem, and a workload gap.
This week: how we'd build his offseason, including the sweeper and cutter shapes we'd work towards, + more.
1
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864
massive implications on future of pitcher usage. Baseball is in such a cool state right now in this regard
in the past we had relievers in fireman roles, but then we got the closer, then we saw openers, some moderate length relievers...
This could be a gas next step
Most pitches thrown by a starter in a game where they are less than 3 days from their next outing
Sandy Alcantara (101 pitches)
Eury Perez (97 pitches)
Aaron Ashby (44 pitches)
What the Marlins are doing right now is groundbreaking, they are taking a starters normal mid-week bullpen and simply doing it in a game environment. I have so many questions about this....
- How different is the intent between the bullpen and the actual game? Can a starter effectively control their intent so as not to throw at 110% on just 3 days rest?
- Can this hold up over a large season sample?
- How does this affect them and the bullpen in terms of value (WAR, WPA)? How much value can a starter add by doing this for an additional ~30-50 innings in mid to high leverage outings?
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