Editor’s Note: Brandon Beachy From undrafted free agents to members of the Braves rotation, there is a relatively short but memorable career where undrafted free agents rise to the key. The injury derailed Beachy’s career, but he retired with a 14-12 record and a 275 2/3 innings of 3.36 ERA batting. Beachy was at his best since the 2010-12 year, when he started with a raw 3.07 ERA and strikeout/walking rate. About two years ago to one day, Brandon was friendly and could spend some time chatting with MLBTR readers. We asked him about occasionally writing for the site and we were glad he brought us to the quote.
A few years ago, I received positive reviews with MLBTR boss Tim Dierkes. He asked me if I was interested in doing some writing, and after a little consideration, I thought I would give it a try. We’ll see how things are going.
For my first piece, I want to talk about the feeling of facing the greatest hitters in baseball: Suzuki Ichiro. As an undrafted free agent signed with the Atlanta Braves in 2008, I worked hard among minors and made my debut in MLB in September 2010. I had some success, but unfortunately dealt with multiple elbow injuries and ended up ending up ending my career faster than I did. D Hope. Despite this, I have had some incredible experiences, facing No. 1 on June 27, 2011 was one of the most memorable experiences.
Prepare
I want to set up the scene by briefly describing my process and preparation. The next day I would enter early, let my rinse run in, and then go into the gym. Then, I will pitch through yesterday’s start. Roger McDowell was very influential to me. Of course, the results are important, but my hardest self-shaping days are after a quality starts or even a scoreless outing. I felt like I was lucky one day after the poor execution. I’ll keep track of all the fastballs and how often I hit my position. In the long run, I believe a process-oriented approach will produce the results I want.
Day 2 is when I start looking for my next opponent. I’ll look at their lineup, see who was hot at the time, and then dig into their numbers. I want to know two things about every batsman:
- Where are they struggling (i.e. pitch type, position) and this might be an opportunity for me?
- Which pitch type is targeted, and where damage is caused in the area?
Balancing it is fun to balance with your own strengths. I really like this side of the game.
The first bat (YouTube link)
Back to June 27, 2011. I’ll throw it to Brian McCannone of the best catchers a young pitcher can ask for. Mac is a huge comfort blanket for me. He knows the batsman inside and outside, and is very conscious of the batsman’s swing and subtle changes.
Ichiro is moving forward and I start with the fastball in the area. He fouled on the left field line. Until then, I was a four-away high-speed guy, becoming a widely discussed indicator. I usually attack bats with fastballs very early and often.
I missed the next fastball and even scored 1-1. I returned to him with another 93mph fastball. He fouled. I got rid of a lot especially early in the game. McCann conveyed what the batsman told him that my fastball had only extra gear than it looked. McCann is good at using this to get me into favorable counting and I trust his guidance.
At this point, I thought Ichiro had read an article on me – he knew what I was throwing and was adjusting accordingly. Looking back, I don’t think he’s ever started cheating to get into the fastball. He would be content to waste them all night.
Next, I threw a well-arranged 95mph fastball downwards. Ichiro is one of the best people ever, wasting another good ball just to get them dirty instead of strike. So McCann called for a change, which was a nice pitch on the outside of the board. Ichiro seemed fooled by it, but realized it was enough to put his hand on the plane and contaminate it to the right.
Then there was one of my favorite courts of my entire career. McCann doubles in the change here. Afterwards, he put his hand on the last one, and I knew that was different. The Mac is set up on the chalk of the right-handed batsman box to help me illustrate this.
I threw four seam swaps to match the spin of the fastball. I try to perfectly lag this course every day so that it can accurately mimic the fastball. On the next court, I deliberately put the ball inside and out to the other batsman’s box. Ichiro waving missed it. It was a huge moment, a small victory in a fight against one of the toughest games in baseball.
The second bat (YouTube link)
In the third inning, we scored two knockout matches with a score of 1-0 and no one was involved, which was the ideal time to face the Ichiro caliber batsman. I worked hard and he fouled again, tracking my fastball clearly. I missed the edge of another fastball to get the count to 1-1.
McCann returned to change. I threw a good one, but Ichigo did what he did best – he stretched his hands long enough to bucket it down and shoot it in the middle. He was never a batsman who needed the perfect time. His ability to adjust the mid- and late stages is second to none. This “good” course works well.
The third bat (YouTube link)
By the fifth inning, the game was tied up and I got two runs in the third inning. The bet is higher. After luring the second pop-up, Mac visited the mound before Ichiro came to the plate. He is great in these environments. Always incredibly encouraged and helped me focus. A lot of times, he just asks me the first tone I want, and that’s what I think is discussed here. I missed a fastball to start and threw another on the plate he was waving. Looking back, I can see now that I don’t think Ichiro is on my fastball all day. He repeatedly fouled, but glanced, instead of a dangerous swing.
With a 1-1 record, McCann called for another change, but he set up all the way outside, almost in another batsman’s box, recalling the court I hit him in the first inning. I went into its distribution again, and it stuck out to the right, from the right. I realized that substitution was committed to pitching, looking forward to the court where he played singles like the last time he had on the Bat – swinging. Now I’m leading 1-2.
Then McCann made a sealed call. He did not change anything else, but called for sliding the slider, a pitching number one had not seen. I threw an OK and he shook it as he bounced into the dirt. Strike Three. I left the inning unscathed, thanks to McCann’s call to promote and belief in the way he set it up. These nonverbal prompts reassured me that not only gave him the court and position he wanted, but also gave me the purpose.
takeout
Earlier that year, I and Chip Jones There is also a bunch of batsmen, possibly including McCann. Chipper is always generous and he invites me to always listen and even tailor the conversation to help me understand from the pitcher’s perspective. One thing he told me: “Maybe one or two of each squad really think of the game – playing football, playing chess on the plate.” The rest is just dealing with it. Ichigo is definitely one of them.
Facing a legend like Ichiro is an incredible challenge. Not only did he react to the court, he also played chess games at the elite level. He didn’t sell out for my fastball early in the game. He is waiting for something that is not fast enough. Hit him twice in the same game feels surreal, but it comes down to a combination of sequencing, execution and trust for my catcher.
Looking back, moments like this make my time in the major leagues so special. Sitting on the canoe after the race, adding icing on the cake, I couldn’t help but think that I just hit Suzuki Ichiro twice. That was one of the “I can’t believe I’m here” moments that I will always cherish.
Baseball is full of small battles in large games. Sometimes you win those battles, sometimes you don’t. In this case, I believe I benefited from the third round that ended up being a harmless single. It’s always a good feeling to play a professional batsman. It’s fun to cheat someone or overwhelm them. My favorites were in the days of Ichiro and Ichiro, where I gave them what I wanted and used their aggressiveness and wisdom to them.
After my career ended, I decided to bet on myself again – this time to gain ownership of the business through a franchise. After being told where and when and where, I want to control my time. The franchise is for me and I believe it is a great road for many athletes and for any athlete looking for new opportunities.
Now, while running my own business, I also help others as consultants franchise-guides, coaches and advocates explore the next step. My service is free and I’m always happy to talk about franchise, baseball or anything in between. Please feel free to contact you at brandon@whatsnextrranchising.com.
