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Tucked behind the baseball gear and personal effects in Mookie Betts' locker at Camelback Ranch are some unusual new training implements: a few mini javelins. Heading into his 13th big league season, Betts has adopted a routine that he hopes will help keep him healthy and productive for the foreseeable future. For the past couple of weeks, before going through his usual morning workouts, Betts has headed to a private backfield to throw javelins, a practice he picked up from Yoshinobu Yamamoto. "It's been great. My shoulder feels great," Betts said. "We'll see how it goes in the long term." Javelin throwing may be its own sport, but as a training activity, it can benefit athletes in other sports. It takes a full-body effort to throw a javelin, requiring a strong lower-body foundation to avoid putting too much strain on the upper body. The components of the throw must be synced to ensure power and accuracy. |
In that sense, the motion has a lot in common with a pitcher's delivery, as evidenced in Yamamoto's mechanics. In the short time Betts has been using the javelins, he's noticed a difference in how the ball carries across the diamond when he throws during fielding drills. But he's more interested in the practice as a full-body exercise rather than targeting a specific part of his game. "I think it's kind of like an all-in-one tool," Betts said. "But if you don't know what you're doing, you could probably hurt yourself. So luckily, I got the best teacher in 'sensei' to help me." That would be Osamu Yada, also known as "Yada-sensei" among the Dodgers. Yada is Yamamoto's longtime trainer, who developed a unique training regimen that eschews traditional weight training in favor of flexibility and mobility workouts. Two years ago, when Yamamoto was new to the Dodgers, his routine only increased the intrigue surrounding him during his first Spring Training. He came stateside after a decorated career in Nippon Professional Baseball, winning the Eiji Sawamura Award (the NPB equivalent of the Cy Young) and the Pacific League MVP award three consecutive years. His durability, as a result of how he prepares his body, was notable in its own right. There are no true one-size-fits-all routines in fitness, so following Yamamoto's training regimen would not necessarily have the same effect for another player. But Betts has a slight frame, like Yamamoto, and he thought emulating parts of Yamamoto's routine could be beneficial. Betts went to Yada "pretty much immediately" two years ago to learn a stretching program that he still does. But he didn't pick up a javelin until this year. |
It was Yamamoto's incredible performance during the World Series, when he closed out Game 7 in Toronto one day after throwing six innings on 96 pitches, that inspired Betts to take another step forward in his training with Yada. "He went back to back in the World Series on zero days' rest," Betts said. "No surgeries this offseason, nothing. There's no real injury history. I mean, [it's] something that there's no real downside." Coming off the worst offensive season of his career, when he weathered adversity on and off the field, Betts has something to prove as his team bids for a three-peat. He spent the offseason working to get back to what he does best with his swing, a process that helped him learn about himself. While Betts emphasized getting back to basics, he's willing to embrace unorthodox training methods -- like throwing javelins -- to accomplish that. "I'm looking to get better in every form of the game," he said. "This is one of them." |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
When River Ryan took the mound for the first time this spring, his first game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery 18 months prior, he had a different look to him. It wasn't just the 30 or so pounds he put on to help his body better handle the stress of pitching. It was also the long hair that brushed the tops of his shoulders. But just a few days later, the long locks were gone, and Ryan sported a fresh cut that was more in line with how he had styled his hair in the past. Ryan later shared that after undergoing Tommy John surgery, he decided not to cut his hair until he pitched in a game. Once he reached that milestone, he acted quickly. "After I got that first one in," Ryan said, "it was time to go." Recovering from Tommy John surgery is a lengthy endeavor, and Ryan had the visual representation of that process growing out of his head. Rehab complete and hair cropped short, the 27-year-old right-hander is heading into the new season with a clean slate. And no, he doesn't miss the length. "No. Not at all. Absolutely not," Ryan said. "I sleep way better. My son doesn't wake me up by pulling my hair now." |
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• Opening Day is two weeks away, and the Dodgers have some still-unresolved decisions regarding second base and the pitching staff. I took another stab at projecting who will make the 26-man roster to open the season. More >> • Roki Sasaki had his best outing of the spring -- albeit against a lineup of White Sox Minor Leaguers, the majority of whom spent most of last year in Double-A. Still, it showed the Dodgers what they need to see from Sasaki before he begins the year in the rotation. More >> • Even big leaguers enjoy ripping packs. Freddie Freeman joined MLB Network's Greg Amsinger on MLB's "Carded" show, where the two engaged in a friendly game of "pack rip wars." Watch >> |
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