MLB Pitching Development, Mentality, and Analytics | Chad Durbin | Episode 88

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What You'll Learn in This Episode

Chad Durbin, a 14-year Major League pitcher and 2008 World Series champion, joins Ross Hawley for a wide-ranging conversation about the mindset behind a long career, how young pitchers should build safely, and how players can use both analytics and simple game principles to improve.

Chad's through line is clear: baseball is hard, adversity is unavoidable, and players get better by controlling their response, trusting a process, and staying curious.

The highlights:

  • Why optimism, patience, and being present helped Chad handle the difficult parts of baseball and life
  • How body language reveals a player's emotional control and leadership
  • Why comparison and rankings can distract players from their actual development
  • A December throwing progression for pitchers preparing for an early season
  • How to introduce breaking balls with a plan instead of simply banning them
  • Why young pitchers should master two or three pitches before chasing a fourth or fifth
  • How to learn TrackMan and Rapsodo data without losing sight of strikes, counts, and execution
  • What Chad learned from his son's Tommy John recovery about injury, adversity, and taking the next step

Meet Failure With Patience and Perspective

Chad credits his grounded approach to a small-town Midwest upbringing, learning to adjust after moving to Louisiana as a teenager, and years of seeing great players and coaches respond to adversity. He believes it is important to take baseball seriously without making every moment feel permanent.

"Without failure, without getting kicked in the teeth and responding, you're really not going to get any better."

At the end of his career, that perspective let him smile through a bad pitch or a hard-hit ball, then evaluate what actually happened. Did he miss his location? Did the hitter make a good swing? The answer matters more than an emotional reaction.

Control Your Body Language, Control the Moment

One of Chad's clearest lessons for young athletes comes from a conversation with his daughter after a difficult volleyball match: a player should make it hard for observers to know whether they are having a good day or a bad day.

That does not mean pretending nothing happened. It means processing the moment, controlling the response, and giving teammates confidence that the next play will be handled. Body language is communication, especially for leaders.

Stop Letting Comparison Steal Development

Rankings can turn a player's best season into disappointment if the focus shifts to someone else who grew four inches or throws 95 mph. Chad encourages players to measure progress against their own plan, seek high-quality feedback, and turn frustration into action.

One practical reset: congratulate another player. Lifting someone else up breaks the cycle of comparison and returns attention to the work required to improve.

Build a Throwing Plan Before the Season

For players whose season begins in January or February, December should be part of a gradual ramp-up, not a race to test velocity. Chad recommends starting with controlled catch play and building through long toss, pulldowns, flat grounds, and short-box work as the arm and body respond.

  • Start at manageable distances and roughly 70-80% effort.
  • Build throwing volume progressively and take recovery days seriously.
  • Prioritize mobility, core stability, arm care, and a consistent routine.
  • Avoid the urge to chase a velocity personal record when the arm first starts feeling strong.

The riskiest period is often when a player has been throwing for several weeks, feels close to game-ready, and tries to prove how hard they can throw. A plan and accountability help keep that impulse from becoming an injury.

Teach Breaking Balls Instead of Just Saying No

Chad does not believe every young player should be forbidden from throwing breaking balls. Many will experiment on their own anyway. The better approach is to teach the right movement pattern, use a progression, and give the player a reason to earn the pitch.

For younger pitchers, he has used an 0-2 count as the reward for throwing a curveball. During a return-to-throw progression, changeups come first, and breaking balls are introduced at a shorter distance. The goal is tight spin that travels straight out of the hand before it breaks, not a cast ball that visibly loops toward the plate.

"Your best pitch is your fastball, and we need to play off that."

Throwing a developing breaking ball from too far away encourages players to launch or cast it. At a shorter distance, they can learn the correct shape, then move back only after the movement pattern is established.

Match Your Arsenal to Your Fastball

Not every pitcher needs five or six pitches. Chad did not develop a true fourth pitch until he was 27 or 28 years old. For most developing players, the priority is to command a fastball and build one or two secondary pitches that complement it.

Data can help identify whether a pitcher naturally creates ride, run, depth, or a flatter approach angle. That information should shape pitch selection and location, but it should not replace the ability to execute. A pitcher needs to know where the fastball succeeds, where the misses occur, and how each pitch tunnels off the others.

Learn Analytics, Then Win the Count

Chad encourages players, parents, and coaches to learn the language of TrackMan and Rapsodo. Start with a simple question in an AI tool or search engine, ask for an explanation at your current level of baseball knowledge, and keep asking follow-up questions until it makes sense.

But the game still comes back to the essentials:

  • Throw first-pitch strikes.
  • Win the 0-0 and 1-1 counts.
  • Execute a plan with your best pitches.
  • Make hitters uncomfortable by getting ahead and setting the tone.

Analytics can explain why a pitch plays, but it cannot replace the advantage of making a hitter face an 0-1 or 0-2 count instead of getting comfortable in the box.

Recovery Is a Process, Not an Ending

Chad shares the experience of his son Cade's Tommy John surgery after a playoff injury. Despite sound mechanics and a thoughtful workload plan, illness-related weight loss and the demands of a competitive season created a difficult situation. The family searched for causes, but also accepted that soft-tissue injuries can happen even when people try to do everything right.

The response became the lesson. Cade's college staff helped him see a path forward, and he focused on showing up for each day's rehabilitation work.

"It sucks, but what am I going to do today to get better?"

For injured players, that question turns recovery into a series of manageable actions. The same mindset applies to every setback in baseball.

Episode Timestamps

Tap any timestamp to jump the player straight to that moment.

  • 4:41 - Chad's mindset, perspective, and responding to failure
  • 13:45 - The responsibility of being an example after a playing career
  • 21:31 - Rankings, comparison, and building a stronger thought process
  • 25:12 - Body language and emotional control for leaders
  • 34:17 - December throwing plans and ramping up safely
  • 38:53 - When and how young pitchers can learn breaking balls
  • 41:15 - Why a breaking ball should travel straight before it breaks
  • 45:07 - Mastering your best pitches before chasing more
  • 46:26 - Using ball flight and data to build a pitch arsenal
  • 59:00 - Learning TrackMan and Rapsodo without losing the basics
  • 1:03:00 - Tommy John recovery, uncertainty, and the path back

Episode 88 features Chad Durbin, a 14-year Major League pitcher and 2008 World Series champion, sharing practical guidance on mindset, pitching development, and navigating adversity.