Velocity Gains Without the Pain | Retaliation Doesn't Belong In Youth Baseball
Host Deven Morgan packs Episode 98 with equal parts humor, hard data, and hard-won perspective. He opens with “housekeeping”—AxeBat discounts and a peek inside Driveline’s product-design war room—before riffing on the dubious genius who green-lit chocolate-blueberry hydration powder. From that springboard Deven lays out the new Youth Development Camps and explains how each Driveline Academy pathway (Snapshot Assessment, Flex, full teams) scales commitment and results.
The centerpiece is a nuts-and-bolts success story: 14-year-old Russell Trull jumps 7.4 mph in throwing velocity, 10 mph in bat speed, and 12 lbs of lean mass in just seven months by combining weighted-ball drills, strength work, and recurring snapshot assessments. Deven then previews a university study on position-player throwing workload, argues for a universal 35-pitch inning cap, and dismantles the idea that a few high-intent pulldowns equal “doing Driveline.”
Things turn raw when he recounts a tournament where a coach allegedly ordered a head-shot retaliation at one of Driveline's players after a harmless glove swat, prompting a wider call to end “teach-him-a-lesson” culture and to adopt MLB Pitch Smart 2.0-style rules. The episode closes on a personal note: Deven's daughter’s graduation, the courage of kids who leave baseball for new passions, and the reminder to tell your people you love them—because the ride is short.
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction & Housekeeping
07:25 Chocolate-Blueberry Hydration Rant
11:40 Youth Development Camps Overview
12:50 Flex Pathway & Meet Russell
14:16 Russell’s 7-Month Velocity + Bat-Speed Gains
18:28 Force Production vs Mechanical Tweaks
23:06 Throwing Workload Study & Pitch Smart 2.0 Tease
25:52 FitLines Assessment Insights
33:33 Off-Season Shutdown Myth
35:08 “This Week in Pitch Count” Kick-Off
36:32 The 35-Pitch Inning Cap Idea
44:59 Tournament Over-Use Reality Check
48:34 324 Pitches in One Weekend
50:57 Bean-Ball Retaliation Story
59:42 Composure & Handshake Lesson
01:03:14 Teach Kids, Don’t Harm Them
01:08:40 Re-Centering on Athlete Safety
01:14:15 Drawing a Hard Safety Line
01:15:59 Graduation Reflection
01:21:54 Beyond College Baseball
01:23:30 Final Thoughts — Tell People You Love Them
Links
Driveline Youth Development Camps
https://www.drivelinebaseball.com/academy-youth-baseball-camps/
Start training with Driveline now with Academy Flex:
Develop bat speed with our Youth Power Bat for just $99!
Skills That Scale: The Complete Youth Baseball Training Manual is out now!
Train bat speed and barrel accuracy with our Youth Underload Smash bat - just $79!
⬇️ Host ⬇️
Deven Morganhttps://twitter.com/devenmorgan
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