Learn what seven muscles should pitchers prioritize in their strength training, whether Stephen Strasburg will need another Tommy John surgery, and much more in this episode.

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The podcast opens with news that Steven Matz has a shoulder injury — which was predicted by Angel Borrelli based on the bone spur in the back of his elbow. Ironically, the fact the Mets went to great lengths to ensure that Matz used the exact same mechanics that he had used prior to the bone spur, was the main contributing factor to his shoulder injury. In other words, there was a flaw in his mechanics — specifically in his follow-through — that caused both injuries. A better plan would have been to identify the flaw and correct it, rather than have him continue to damage his arm.

Then, Angel and I talk about Stephen Strasburg’s elbow inflammation and a quote from F.P. Santangelo saying that Strasburg had been walking around with his right arm at a 45-degree angle. Angel explains that what Strasburg has is a “flexion contracture,” which is usually a sign of UCL damage. Angel goes on to explain what could be wrong with Strasburg, suggesting that something has been going on with Strasburg’s arm for some time and he’s likely in line for a much more serious injury.

Also, we discussed New York Yankees pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, who tore his flexor and his UCL and will require season-ending surgery. The shame of this situation is that Eovaldi was trying to do the right thing — after being shut down with an elbow issue at the end of 2015, he started a shoulder-strengthening program during the offseason. He also didn’t realize that adding a split-fingered fastball to his repertoire was not a good idea — Angel explains why in the podcast.

Teaching Moment

Angel talks about “priority training” and what pitchers should be doing in the gym. In particular, she lists the seven most important muscles in a pitcher’s body, suggesting that pitchers seek out reputable strength trainers for exercises (including eccentric / “e-centric” exercises). Calling them “the seven magic muscles,” Angel says if pitchers take care of these muscles, they’ll go to the mound with an extra insurance policy to prevent injury and to increase performance.

The Seven Magic Muscles for Pitchers

1. Anterior deltoid
2. Forearm
3. Supraspinatus
4. Serratus
5. Upper hamstring
6. Biceps
7. Triceps

Pitching Location

As always in Season 3, the final segment of each podcast is dedicated to improving a pitcher’s location. In this episode, you’ll learn how the hands work together after the hand break in controlling the baseball.

Hope you enjoy this episode, it’s jam-packed with information. Let me know what you think, and if you have any questions, in the comments.