| Today's professional baseball players have more | | | | home. Once the management of major league clubs |
| pitching workout programs at their disposal than ever | | | | noticed that these players were coming to spring |
| before. The easiest is to just keep pitching in a Latin | | | | training more fit and ready to throw in game time |
| American winter baseball league. For many marginal | | | | situations things quickly changed. Sending players to |
| North American born pitchers this provides an | | | | winter ball leagues became commonplace in the early |
| excellent opportunity to keep the arm in shape until | | | | 1990's. These styles of pitching workout programs |
| spring training. And unless they are already established | | | | make sense for a number of reasons.a) It allows the |
| as an all-star caliber hurler it's the wisest way to keep | | | | pitcher to gain more experience.b) Rather than simply |
| pitching during the winter. | | | | working the arm, it gave the pitcher the chance to use |
| Sure, you won't see young guns like Tim Lincecum or | | | | his entire body.c) Kinks in pitcher's deliveries are |
| Cole Hamels or a veteran like Randy Johnson | | | | noticed and improved before it is time to rejoin his |
| throwing a baseball down in Venezuela in December | | | | major league team.d) Most importantly, the pitcher |
| or January, but each year the number of players who | | | | throws competitively in real games. |
| take advantage of winter league baseball increases. | | | | And what better way to spend the off season that |
| Owners, general managers, and coaches often | | | | playing ball in a warm climate while soaking up the |
| strongly suggest that younger baseball players to head | | | | culture that their Latin American teammates call |
| down south to keep their arms in shape. Many times it | | | | home? This provides harmony and a sense of |
| is written into a player's contract, making it mandatory. | | | | camaraderie between the teammates from the United |
| Gone are the days of the Steve Carlton pitching | | | | States and those from the countries where the winter |
| workout programs where he would work out his arm | | | | leagues take place. |
| in a barrel full of rice to keep to keep it in shape. Old | | | | Pitching workout programs that use free weights or |
| school programs such as Carlton's never made sense. | | | | other body building machines are necessary. Weights |
| Pitching is much more than working the arm. In fact, | | | | help develop a players overall physical condition. |
| pitching has more to do with the legs and proper | | | | Pitching alone does not build the strength in the arms or |
| mechanics on the mound than anything else. | | | | legs. Nor does it allow a player to stretch and tone |
| There is no better way to keep the arm healthy and | | | | overused muscles needed on the mound. However, |
| strong than pitching in a game situation. Winter league | | | | for a young pitcher to best prepare for opening day a |
| ball used to be mainly for the citizens of the various | | | | combination of a strict workout regimen and a trip to |
| Latin American countries that baseball players called | | | | Latin America to pitch in a winter league is imperative. |