Elite Baseball Development Podcast

In this episode, Eric talks about the Pillars of "Athlete Diagnosis." In order to best serve an athlete, sports medicine and strength and conditioning specialists need to look comprehensively at a number of factors and work as a team. To illustrate, he shares a case study of an athlete with a history of shoulder pain and glenoid dysplasia and the entire associated process unfolded.Visit our sponsor, Ancore, and enter coupon code CRESSEY at checkout to save 10% on your order.

In this episode Eric talks with Brewers left-handed pitcher Shane Drohan. Shane is Florida State University grad who made his major league debut in 2026. He's recorded 13 appearances in his rookie campaign to the tune of a a 3.11 ERA in 37.2 innings pitched. Shane has been training at Cressey Sports Performance since his junior year of high school. In the episode Eric and Shane discuss his development as a pitcher, the challenges of hypermobility, the difference between coming out of the bullpen vs as a starter in the majors, and more. Visit our sponsor - AG1

In this podcast, Eric discusses the physiological and biomechanical interplay among joint hypermobility, psychosocial stress, and joint loading. These considerations are important for anyone who coaches or rehab athletes, as well as individuals who always seem to get injured during stressful periods of life.1st Phorm

In this episode Eric chats with MLB veteran and hitting coach Sean Casey. They speak to the mental side of the game and how hitting in the big leagues has evolved. Visit our sponsor, AG1.

In this episode, Eric talks about how each training case is unique, and coaches and rehab professionals need to make sure they've got a variety of strategies - exercises, coaching cues, and a professional network - to best support their clients and athletes.

In this episode, Eric shares insights on how important quality control is in the rapidly evolving fields of health and human performance. Learn more about the new CSP Amplify app at www.CSPAmplify.com

In this episode, Eric shares training, nutrition, and recovery insights for aging athletes who want to preserve high levels of performance. This information has merit for not only athletes, but also parents and coaches in this age demographic.Visit our sponsor, Ancore, at www.AncoreTraining.com and enter coupon code CRESSEY at checkout to save 10% on your order.

In this episode, Eric welcomes long-time Vanderbilt pitching coach Scott Brown for a far-reaching conversation on pitching development. Scott shares insights on how college baseball has evolved over his 14 seasons in the SEC, speaks to his own insights as a baseball dad, and identifies key competencies that separate the ones who have success at Vanderbilt and beyond.

In this episode, Eric highlights five ways that pitchers - especially in the amateur ranks - can safely build pitching velocity in a short amount of time. With summer ball approaching, this information is very timely.

In this episode, Eric welcomes Dr. Robby Sikka, who brings a wealth of sports medicine research experience across a variety of sports. Robby shares insights about the dramatic rise in injuries in professional tennis while also speaking to the broader landscape of sports medicine trends across high level sports.

In this podcast, Eric reviews some recent research on the utility of the Functional Movement Screen in predicting upper extremity injuries in baseball players. More importantly, he speaks broadly to the goal of doing assessments, and why what's predictive in one population might not hold up in a different group of athletes.

In this podcast, Eric welcomes Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi, who speaks about not only his path to the big leagues, but his strategies for continuing to improve while at the highest level. Slade shares his late bloomer story, and outlines key developmental strategies he employed - including leaning on the wisdom of MLB veterans.

In this episode, Eric talks about the sports medicine challenges facing collegiate baseball players, and highlights injury trends that don't seem to be letting up. If you're a player, parent, or coach in the college setting, you don't want to miss this timely podcast!

In this episode, Eric welcomes Dr. Michael Freehill - team doctor for the Athletics and Stanford Baseball - to the show. As a shoulder and elbow expert, avid researcher, retired player, and baseball father, Dr. Freehill has unique insights about the direction in which baseball sports medicine is headed. They cover flexor injuries and what the industry needs to do to prevent and treat them.

In this episode, Eric discusses the unique circumstances surrounding the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft. It's been said this draft underperformed in terms of producing big leaguers, and there are some important player development lessons we can learn from this outcome.Thanks to our sponsor, AG1. Head to https://www.DrinkAG1.com/cressey and you’ll receive an awesome welcome pack consisting of a free 5-pack of AG1 travel packets, a shaker bottle, and a 600-serving bottle of Vitamin D3+K2 with your first order.

In this episode, Cressey Sports Performance - MA co-owner and Director of Performance John O'Neil sits down with Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Ian Seymour. They touch on a wide variety of topics, ranging from offseason planning, to college recruiting, to Tommy John rehabilitation, to Ian's avoidance of social media. Ian's worked incredibly hard to get to the big leagues and has many excellent lessons to share with a larger audience.

In this podcast, CSP-FL pitching coach Matt Minnick shares insights on how players, coaches, and parents can work together to break down bad outings and create a plan for improvements. These lessons are applicable across all levels.Support Our Sponsor: 1stPhorm

In this episode, frequent guest Will Waterman from Proteus Motion shares some new insights on power development. He highlights the screens that have the most predictive capabilities if you're trying to build elite rotational athletes.Support Our Sponsor: AG1

In this episode, Eric outlines the four types of sleep profiles that researchers have investigated, and speaks to the importance of taking an individualized approach to optimizing this important part of their preparation and recovery.Support Our Sponsor: AG1

In this podcast, Eric emphasizes the need to remain openminded to different philosophies and viewpoints that may conflict with your own personal status quo. He speaks to looking past minutia to determine the actual meaning of the information we consume.Support Our Sponsor: 1stPhorm

In this episode, Eric outlines what an anconeus epitrochlearis is and how it can contribute to medial elbow pain, especially in overhead throwing athletes. Just as importantly, he speaks broadly to why it's important to consider anatomical variants in addition to medical and movement diagnoses.

In this episode, Eric highlights the importance of pitchers employing high-low models to their routines in order to optimize recovery and reduce the risk of injury. Additionally, he shares examples of how this structure works in the real world.Support Our Sponsor: Marc Pro

In this episode, Eric looks at how adding load can actually improve movement quality for certain individuals in specific situations. It might seem counterintuitive, but this knowledge can be a powerful tool in your coaching toolbox when applied in the right scenarios.Support Our Sponsor: AG1

In this podcast, Cressey Sports Performance - Florida hitting coach Ronnie Bernick discusses how often young players should train various aspects of skill development. This is a helpful podcast for not only players, but also coaches and parents looking to make efficient training decisions for the athletes they "manage."Support Our Sponsor: 1stPhorm

In this episode, Eric reviews a study of professional pitchers that saw a link between cervical spine range of motion and shoulder and elbow injuries in overhead throwing athletes. He speaks to how this loss of motion occurs, and more importantly, how it relates to overall movement dysfunction and the pitching injuries we commonly see.Support Our Sponsor: AG1

In this episode, Eric highlights the need for athletes to recognize that every rep can contribute to both short- and long-term outcomes - but the attention to detail is what determines whether that impact is positive or negative.Support Our Sponsor: 1stPhorm

In this episode, Cressey Sports Performance – Florida hitting coach Ronnie Bernick discusses how young hitters can take their foundational swing mechanics to a hitting approach that plays in game scenarios under different circumstances.Support Our Sponsor: AG1

In this episode, Eric interviews Dr. Peter Kriz about the results of a recent study he co-authored: "Do Pitching Restriction Policies Reduce Shoulder and Elbow Injuries in High School Baseball Players?" This discussion examines the history of pitcher usage recommendations over the past decade, and outlines where and how pitch count and frequency guidelines can be used to keep athletes safe.Support Our Sponsor: 1stPhorm

In this episode, Eric answers a listener's question about whether rotational athletes should include anti-rotation and anti-extension core exercises in their programs.Support Our Sponsor: Proteus Motion

In this episode, Cressey Sports Performance - Florida hitting coach Ronnie Bernick talks about how hitters can use data to shape their long-term development rather than just getting hung up on a few numbers. These are important lessons for coaches and hitters (and parents!) alike.Support Our Sponsor: AG1

In this episode, Eric highlights four ways that you can evaluate whether your training programs are creating the wrong adaptations. While we work heavily with rotational athletes, several of these lessons are applicable across all sports.Support Our Sponsor: AG1

In this podcast, Eric speaks to planning out the yearly calendar, prioritizing certain qualities, and accounting for the differences in warm vs. cold weather climates.Support Our Sponsor: 1stPhorm

In this podcast, Cressey Sports Performance - FL hitting coach Ronnie Bernick highlights the differences between random and blocked practice, and just as importantly, outlines how each can fit into overall development plans for hitters.Support Our Sponsor: 1stPhorm

In this episode, Eric interviews two Emory Healthcare sports medicine physicians, Dr. Eric Wagner and Dr. Robert Bowers, on the complexities of diagnosing and treating thoracic outlet syndrome and peripheral nerve entrapment syndromes. They discuss relevant functional anatomy, the etiology of these conditions, and conservative and surgical management. Support Our Sponsor: AG1

In this episode, Cressey Sports Performance - Florida hitting coach Ronnie Bernick discusses the key principles in youth hitting development and addresses the misconceptions within the space. He further emphasizes the need for coaches to focus on helping athletes develop body awareness and feel, not just replicate movements.Support Our Sponsor: 1stPhorm

In this episode, Eric chats with Boston Bruins Director of Performance, Kevin Neeld. They discuss the lengthy competitive hockey season, strategies for managing stiff hips, the skill-specific nature of work capacity, and how teams are evaluating and developing hockey athletes. There are many parallels to the baseball world, so this is a great listen for players, parents, and coaches.Support Our Sponsor: AG1

In this episode, Cressey Sports Performance - Florida pitching coach Matt Minnick takes a quick dive into what pitchers should know about spin - and more importantly, how they often overvalue spin rate. Matt shares insights on what really matters for creating pitch shape and, in turn, success.Support Our Sponsor: 1stPhorm

Renowned golf instructor and PGA Tour consultant Mark Blackburn shares fascinating insights on how the baseball world can borrow a variety of key competencies from the golfing community. From technology, to individualization, to long-term athletic development, this conversation delivered a lot of value for athletes, coaches, and parents alike.Support Our Sponsor: AG1

In this episode, Eric reflects on the yearly baseball calendar and how we're at a crucial point in time where players, parents, and coaches may need to make tough decisions regarding developmental paths.Support Our Sponsor: 1stPhorm

In this episode, Eric interviews Alabama Baseball strength and conditioning coach Brett Price. They discuss how strength and conditioning has changed in college baseball over the past decade. From technology, to recruiting, to collaboration among support staff, Brett shares some of the key components of Alabama's success.

In this episode, Eric discusses both the challenges and benefits youth athletes experience during adolescent growth spurts.Support Our Sponsor: 1stPhorm

In this episode, Eric goes into detail on the sports hernia diagnosis, from symptoms, to functional anatomy, to preventative training and treatments, to surgical interventions. Also known as athletic pubalgia and core muscle surgery, this is a modern sports medicine challenge that all practitioners should seek to understand.Support Our Sponsor: AG1

In this episode, Eric discusses the findings of a recent study that looked at the injury implications of scapular positioning in a population of baseball pitchers. More importantly, he offers a rationale for how these injuries occur, and what training modifications need to be in place to keep pitchers healthy.

In this episode, retired MLB relief pitcher Steve Cishek returns to the podcast to reflect on his career, share insights for up-and-coming players, and comment on what he's learned as he's transitioned into coaching youth and high school sports.Support Our Sponsor: 1stPhorm

In this episode, Cressey Sports Performance - Florida physical therapist Eric Schoenberg emphasizes how realistic it is to achieve outstanding results through small, repeated actions. These lessons are especially important in the world of baseball sports medicine, where health and high performance are predicated on controlling movement in narrow windows.Support Our Sponsor: AG1

In this episode, Cressey Sports Performance - Florida chiropractor Dr. Tera Giroux covers a wide variety of sports medicine topics. We discuss the management of acute vs. chronic low back pain, the role of diagnostic imaging, and the who/what/when/where/why of manual therapy interventions.

In this episode, physical therapist Eric Schoenberg outlines the dangers of returning to play too soon following an injury or surgery. He digs in on the rationale for rushing, research surrounding expedited recovery, and discusses why patience pays off.Support Our Sponsor: 1stPhorm

In this episode, Cressey Sports Performance - Florida pitching coach Spencer Stockton covers a wide variety of topics. Spencer reflects on the training and mechanical cues that benefited him the most as a hypermobile pitcher. Taking it a step further, he digs in on the power of motion capture technology, and coaching with a combination of data and "feel."Support Our Sponsor: AG1

In this episode, Eric comments on the new MLB Amateur Recovery Period Policy, and outlines the specific reasons it'll help to attenuate the rapid increase in pitching injuries over the past 20 years.

In this episode, two-time guest Walter Beede shares new developments since his 2022 appearance with respect to name-image-likeness deals and the transfer portal. Walter also makes predictions on where college recruiting is headed in the years ahead.Support Our Sponsor: AG1