What is Hobgood up to?

[NickStckMattBat]

Call me ignorant, but what is Matt Hobgood doing baseball wise right now?

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=166182293416774&set=a.102880189746985.6383.100000750139328&ref=nf#!/photo.php?fbid=166182293416774&set=a.102880189746985.6383.100000750139328&pid=363974&id=100000750139328

Facebook pic just loaded from his phone with Ricky Romero, Tim Beckham, Tyler Matzek, Kyle Higashioka and Jio Mier.

[Crazysilver03]

Doc Shorebird made mention that Hobgood was in good hands this offseason in order to get in shape.

[Stotle]

About 275....:wedge:

[Gurgi]

I dream he comes into camp 235 and throwing 94 mph bb's right past hitters and buckling their knees with unhittable curves. Just the guy we drafted.

For his peace of mind he needs to come in in great shape. If he fails he doesnt want the regret of eating his way out of baseball to dwell in his mind as a 45 year old. Let it all out on the field.

[adamwolff11]

I'm friends with him on Facebook as well. He never really mentions doing anything baseball related, despite a lot of people always either asking him what he's doing or telling him what they're doing.

Not at all saying that means anything. I wonder what all those guys were doing together.

[TakebackOPACY]

They're at Athlete's Performance.

[NickStckMattBat]

They're at Athlete's Performance.

Well we will have to remember this for WHEN he makes it to the big show, headband friday!

[Araqnid]

Having him at API with a bunch of other top prospects is the best thing I think for him. He took a beating last year, and I'd like for him to develop not just physically, but mentally, into a great starter.

[Flosman]

Having him at API with a bunch of other top prospects is the best thing I think for him. He took a beating last year, and I'd like for him to develop not just physically, but mentally, into a great starter.

I think he was at API last winter also. I do not think the program was effective. If the problem was Hobgood or the prior program who knows. Hobgood appears to be a guy with the genes to be a NFL OT. Keeping him at 235 may be hard or even impossible. But I am certain a different approach will be tried this winter.

[Frobby]

I think he was at API last winter also. I do not think the program was effective. If the problem was Hobgood or the prior program who knows. Hobgood appears to be a guy with the genes to be a NFL OT. Keeping him at 235 may be hard or even impossible. But I am certain a different approach will be tried this winter.

I believe Hobgood did lose some weight and gain some muscle at API last winter, but he was starting from a very high weight to begin with. He was in better shape when 2010 ended than when 2009 ended, so hopefully he can make more progress this winter. This guy is probably never going to have a Jake Arrieta physique, and you know what, he may not need to. But it really should not be that hard for the guy to keep his weight at 235 or so. Let's just make sure his legs and abdominals are in condition, and he's in good aerobic shape. If that happens, weight won't be that relevant to whether he regains velocity and improves as a pitcher.

[weams]

http://www.masnsports.com/steve_melewski/2010/12/the-offseason-plan-for-matt-hobgood.html

Steve Melewski, December 1, 2010 7:50 AM

DAVE SCHMIDT GOES TO VISIT MATT

"It was clear to everybody, Matt included, that he could be in better shape. To his credit, he understands that and is addressing that.

"It's not like we are saying, you had a bad year because you were overweight. That is not what we are saying to him. We tried to put it in a positive light in that 'Matt, you could reach your great potential if you put in the work and come to camp in tip-top shape.'"

...

"When he left Delmarva at the end of the year, he left with a plan of conditioning and a plan was put together to take him from the end of Delmarva's season to Nov. 1.

"He followed that well and told me, that, as of Nov. 1, he was ahead of where he was the previous Nov. 1. On Nov. 1, he started workouts three to five days a week at API, Athletes Performance in California.

"He sat with the head of that program to work on specific things with cardiovascular and also some diet tips, hints and guidelines. When I saw him around the 11th or 12th of November, he was very excited about where he was so far," Schmidt said.

"He's been working out with other players. It seems to work better for him to have other people to work out with. He's very determined to come back in good shape this spring and he is very focused.

"He has a lot of pride in himself and last year didn't go the way he wanted it to. He was disappointed in the way he pitched and he understands his physical conditioning had something to do with that. So far, from what I saw and heard, it looks like it's going well."

....

"We need to also remember, this is a big guy. He's not going to be a track star. We just want him to get in as good a shape as he can for him. We are not trying to compare him to people with other body types, this is a big kid.

"What we are after is to take off some of the excess he doesn't need. But you don't want him to slim down to where he feels weak. I've seen people that lose so much weight, they lost some velocity. So there is a happy medium to get where he feels strong."

...if the team has given Hobgood specific goals to reach before spring training.

"No. There has not been a weight number thrown at him. We simply want him to work as hard as he can and come to camp in the best shape he can. Then, we'll continue to work during the season.

"There is not an end date, like March 1, you are done. Being a pro athlete is not a destination, it's a journey and you continue to work toward something. He can't say, I can come into camp at a specific weight or number, it won't work."

[Flosman]

I believe Hobgood did lose some weight and gain some muscle at API last winter, but he was starting from a very high weight to begin with. He was in better shape when 2010 ended than when 2009 ended, so hopefully he can make more progress this winter. This guy is probably never going to have a Jake Arrieta physique, and you know what, he may not need to. But it really should not be that hard for the guy to keep his weight at 235 or so. Let's just make sure his legs and abdominals are in condition, and he's in good aerobic shape. If that happens, weight won't be that relevant to whether he regains velocity and improves as a pitcher.

I have a pet peeve about these sort of judgements. At 6'4" he very well may not be able to be at 235. He is very large framed. For me his body fat percentage and flexibility are the most important things to watch. I also think he is a guy that will have to watch his muscle mass closely. This is where i think his program last off season really missed the mark. He appears to be a guy that is a slow twitch power guy as to his muscle dominant type. For a pitcher I would think he will have to watch muscling up.

[Arthur_Bryant]

I have a pet peeve about these sort of judgements. At 6'4" he very well may not be able to be at 235. He is very large framed. For me his body fat percentage and flexibility are the most important things to watch. I also think he is a guy that will have to watch his muscle mass closely. This is where i think his program last off season really missed the mark. He appears to be a guy that is a slow twitch power guy as to his muscle dominant type. For a pitcher I would think he will have to watch muscling up.

I hope this is not the case. Power on the mound involves explosiveness, and explosiveness is a fast-twitch property. Even pitchers who don't look like they're moving fast are putting the right body parts in motion explosively at the right moment.

There is a certain amount that can be done to influence the recruitment of fast-twitch muscles, and while that may have been neglected before, I am sure that the API crew will know what they are doing.

[weams]

Not sure Matt is a gym rat.

Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz are training at the Same API in CA.

[Frobby]

From Dave Schmidt, O's minor league pitching coordinator:

"When [Matt] left Delmarva at the end of the year, he left with a plan of conditioning and a plan was put together to take him from the end of Delmarva's season to Nov. 1.

"He followed that well and told me, that, as of Nov. 1, he was ahead of where he was the previous Nov. 1. On Nov. 1, he started workouts three to five days a week at API, Athletes Performance in California.

"He sat with the head of that program to work on specific things with cardiovascular and also some diet tips, hints and guidelines. When I saw him around the 11th or 12th of November, he was very excited about where he was so far," Schmidt said.

"He's been working out with other players. It seems to work better for him to have other people to work out with. He's very determined to come back in good shape this spring and he is very focused.

"He has a lot of pride in himself and last year didn't go the way he wanted it to. He was disappointed in the way he pitched and he understands his physical conditioning had something to do with that. So far, from what I saw and heard, it looks like it's going well."

http://www.masnsports.com/steve_melewski/2010/12/the-offseason-plan-for-matt-hobgood.html