ST. LOUIS _ It would be another few hours before the clubhouse closed, a few days before he closed up his spring rental, and another week before Florida closed all gyms. Still, as a few teammates got in their final throws before vamoosing home, Cardinals pitcher Daniel Ponce de Leon stopped to consider how to maintain himself for the opportunities he forced open.
A strong spring had followed a winter in which he invested in a modern upgrade to his pitching, and now, as baseball abruptly stopped, he had to consider how to stay in shape, stay strong, stay sharp, and be ready to go _ at some point. How will he do that?
"That is a fantastic question," Ponce de Leon said. "Start climbing trees? Go old school."
Better yet, stay new school.
The work Ponce de Leon did at Driveline this winter included using technology to evaluate his mechanics, to dissect his pitches for effectiveness and to shape offseason workouts specific to the improvements he wanted to make. It is a blueprint for the present. The same tools and rapidly advancing technology that have fueled the return of the elevated fastball, given the game exit velocity as a measure of a hitter, and sent players chasing after improved spin rates also could be utilized to help players train and connect with coaches while baseball remains closed for business.
Call it virtual spring training _ in the age of social distancing.
"We're really scrambling now to find out new ways to do this," said Steve Goody, CEO and co-founder of Pocket Radar. "My days are filled with phone calls to determine how we can collaborate, create joint efforts. We can create some joint mechanics to get the devices to all of these at-home athletes for a lower (price). The great news is everybody in this is going, 'This is the path forward. This can work. We can do this.' Teams could even have virtual practices, pitching coaches could work with pitchers. I think there's a lot we can do adapting to this unique situation we're in."
As local governments have responded to the coronavirus crisis, cities and countries are locking down, limiting travel, and some like St. Louis are telling people to stay at home. Florida closed all gyms and training facilities _ eliminating places where some pro baseball players were gathering in small groups for workouts. Businesses have had to evolve, quickly. Restaurants pivot toward takeout. Independent bookstores offer curbside delivery. Sportswriters cover more than games. And baseball must adapt, too.
