Kaminsky: Offseason workouts are crucial before Spring Training

By dannywild2013

By Rob Kaminsky / Special to MiLB.com

Indians Minor Leaguer Rob Kaminsky recently wrapped up his third season in professional baseball, one that saw the 2013 first-round Draft pick get traded at the deadline from St. Louis to Cleveland. The 21-year-old left-hander joins MiLB.com’s PROSPECTive Blog to share his memories, insights and thoughts on life in the Minors. Read more of his posts on RobKaminsky.com.

It is almost that time.

Baseball, believe it or not, is right around the corner.

These past two months have been awesome and tough in the weight room, between strength training, arm care, corrective exercises, etc. But the fun is just about to begin.

Throwing begins in two weeks. These past few months have been preparation for what’s in store in December, January and February. And the blood, sweat and tears we put in during the offseason will dictate how our season goes. This training is crucial.

As I have completed two full seasons and will be starting my third shortly, I feel I know my body and how long I need to get ready. I’ll start with light catches, then head into long toss/drill work, then throw bullpens, then one or two live sessions.

Some pitchers like throwing more ‘pens than others. Me — I like to have six full bullpens under my belt before I head down to Spring Training.

Day one of Spring Training, you must be ready to throw an aggressive bullpen. It is not an easy thing to figure out. You want to be ready, but you don’t want to be peaked.

I have not perfected this and I continue to learn and solicit advice from guys with more experience then me. But at the end of the day, you must figure it out on your own. No two players’ plans are identical.

I am excited to start throwing — it’s been a long time for me. I am counting down the days until Spring Training, as I am sure many of you are. But until then, there is still work to be done.

Follow Rob on Twitter @Kaminsky21 and on RobKaminsky.com