Dear A-Rod, Please Come to Driveline: See How Data Helps Kids, Not Hurts Them

Deven opens with a deep dive into training ball flight over swing esthetics, explaining why paying attention to batted ball outcomes (line drives between 10-18 degrees) matters more than visual checkpoints. He breaks down gravity, drag, and descent angles to illustrate why "swing level" coaching sets kids up for failure. The episode pivots to A-Rod's viral Instagram video telling 4.4 million followers that 15-year-olds shouldn't chase launch angle, exit velo, or max effort, and should focus on "three pitches for strikes anytime you want" at Jamie Moyer velocity levels. Deven systematically dismantles this advice, arguing it's advocating for ignorance—telling kids to reach a destination without a map or compass. He explains why sub-competitive velocity with command doesn't play against college hitters, why exit velo paired with ideal launch angles equals relevancy, and why the "old days" of Greg Maddux and Jamie Moyer aren't coming back. Deven extends an open invitation for A-Rod to visit Driveline and see how data serves players rather than replacing coaching. The episode closes with personal reflection: telling his 16-year-old son "you can't win the race on this lap" after missing a velocity PR, connecting process over outcome to cross-sport application, and addressing travel ball trauma through a friend's panic attacks decades later.

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro, AxeBat code & training at three locations
03:07 – Train ball flight, not swing esthetics
09:02 – Line drives are balls hit in the air: Ted Williams unpacked
13:21 – "Coming home" vs. adaptation during the swing
18:15 – Gravity, drag & matching the plane of the pitch
22:16 – 46-foot distance, 40 MPH = 16-degree descent problem
24:27 – "Swing level" + descent angle = one contact chance
27:15 – Hit over the shortstop's head: ball flight intention coaching
30:13 – A-Rod's "Fundamentals > Stats" video breakdown
32:23 – Dismissing launch angle/exit velo = advocating ignorance
39:15 – Exit velo + launch angle = relevancy; one without the other = outs
43:17 – "Three pitches for strikes" doesn't play anymore
46:41 – Jamie Moyer example: old days aren't coming back
50:06 – 4.4M followers, 25M reach: poison disguised as wisdom
55:00 – "Don't advocate for ignorance if you care about the game"
56:36 – Open invitation: A-Rod, come see what we actually do
58:15 – "You can't win the race on this lap": 16-year-old PR talk
01:04:45 – Process over outcome: cross-occupational application
01:06:37 – Travel ball panic attacks: unresolved childhood trauma
01:09:47 – 7% leaky bucket: will hurt people put kids in baseball?
01:10:20 – Outro: anniversary, Little League partnerships

Links

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⬇️ Host ⬇️

Deven Morgan

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