Eric Niesen
4,283 posts
Eric Niesen
@EricNiesen
Follower of Christ • @WakeBaseball Pitching Coach • Former @Astros Director of Pitching • 1 Timothy 1:15-16
United States
Joined May 2009
- I’ll never forget this lesson.... One day I asked a Latin teammate of mine how he learned to throw so hard? His answer sticks with me. “Papi, I used to throw rocks at coconuts for something to drink on the way to school everyday.” Some players need to succeed not “want” to.
- The Astros are ELITE—ELITE people, skills, and consistency year after year. No accident. Grateful for every lesson. Now it’s Wake Forest Baseball, where we’ll develop truly ELITE pitching, build nonstop excellence, and launch players to the big leagues. Who’s ready? #GoDeacsHE’S BACK 👀 A former Deac and World Series champion with the Astros, Niesen returns to Winston-Salem with a proven track record of developing elite arms at the highest level. Welcome home, Coach Niesen 🎩
- Man...player development has come a long way from just wearing Phiten necklaces. 😂
- REAL TALK.....no college coach or pro scout cares how hard you pull down in your video.... Do it on mound with command and show that instead...NOW they care. #TheMoreYouKnow
- “Analytics” without coaches = blind. Coaches without analytics = guessing. Both are just using observable data. The separator? Interdisciplinary communication with a shared value of finding what matters. That’s where championships are built. marketable quote tho lol
- In the biomechanics of pitching, complexity bias is everywhere. Master the simple truths (what REALLY matters!). Exploit the unrecognized simplicity. Most get lost in the details feeling empowered by complexity, but first principles will win the day.
- Improvement isn’t automatic. Most guys assume that just because they’re still playing, they’re getting better. Some lean on time as their development plan. (That’s just hope!) We build with a plan and constant OBJECTIVE feedback. The right system changes everything! #Deacs
- This should have been optimized years ago, but a variety of hurdles keep teams from trying. It’s complicated, sure, but the biggest game changers usually are. The NFL has shown us the model. (Tom Brady could audible right?!)The Marlins are calling pitches from the dugout. Let's discuss what usage models are, how they serve as a guide, and why more teams in the league will adopt this strategy in the future... unless catchers have something to say about it. 👀 Tease below, full vid in thread!
00:00 - Welcome to DEACTOWN 🎩 🔗 deacs.info/ByeHiring
- Pitching is not just VELOCITY. Pitching is not just SPIN RATE. Pitching is not just MOVEMENT. Pitching is not just COMMAND. Pitching is not just MENTALITY. An ELITE pitcher does them all. Just 🛑 with the velo vs command...it’s BOTH +
- High IVB/flat VAA were talked about by players long before we had the tech to measure them. Terms like “gets on you” or “hits another gear” were their way of describing unusually efficient hop etc, but were real phenomena. Late break-gets the same kind of reactions. 🧵Replying to @RBunikiewiczThe next topic that I’m going to introduce is late movement. To better understand seam effects and how they create it, I spoke with @EricNiesen. Late movement occurs when the ball’s spin axis/aerodynamics shift during flight, causing the pitch to deviate later than expected.
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