Because we had close to 20 years of watching our players transition from our Off-Season Camp, and into Spring Training (I went to Spring Training for close to 20 consecutive years to watch our players), we feel like we have a lot to offer regarding your transition into Spring Training.

For starters, give yourself ample “transitional time” to arrive. In other words, if you are driving a long way (2-4 days), be sure to get in some form of throwing/band work during this gap. Also, give yourself at least 3 days once you get to the complex to “catch the wave” with your throwing program, and the foundation that you’ve built from the off season (especially if you had a long drive). Be sure to communicate to your organization if you need “more time” to make up for the lost time on the road, and away from your training. And if need be, just go a bit lighter on your first couple of bull-pens to give your arm a chance to “catch back up” and replenish your Base by focusing on your Volume Throwing, Conditioning, and Long Toss Routine.

As a side note, we strongly recommend that you stick with an every 3rd day Bull-Pen in Spring Training. Since rarely, if ever, do you throw off a mound every other day during the Off-Season, this would be a SHOCK to your arm if you started throwing Bull-Pens every other day. Throwing every other day off of a mound can quickly deplete your arm, deplete your conditioning, compromise your recovery the next day, jeopardize a lot of your hard work, and put your arm in a vulnerable position (Note – it’s understandable how throwing off the mound in an “every other day” scenario may occur for a Relief Pitcher who may be getting acclimated to throwing in back to back games during the season).

Though this was a common practice (typically, the first 10 days of Spring Training) at the onset of Spring Training for many years in the past, it seems to have changed for the better in recent years (here’s a great overview of this topic in this article by Mike Vorkunov, USA Today, that I was involved with along with Eric Cressey and Mike Reinold: https://www.pressreader.com/usa/usa-today-us-edition/20170214/282102046425847). Hopefully, your organization has your initial Bull-Pens scheduled every 3rd day (at least until you begin to build up your pitch count if you are a Starting Pitcher), but if not, please communicate this with the Coaching Staff.