BRUCE BOLT BLOG

As a youngster, the game of baseball can be overwhelming. Learning how to play all of the positions on the field while figuring out how to become a successful hitter can be demanding, especially as the level of competition picks up. Drilling is a must for kids regardless of position, however, the most important may be pitcher. This is because navigating an ever-changing strike zone is rather difficult and pitching often presents the biggest learning curve for young ball players. Considering the distance between you and the strike zone increases as the competition does, you need a way to prepare...

Over the past few years, the world has grown to learn just how popular baseball is in Japan. In particular, when Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to secure the victory for Team Japan in the World Series Championship game even casual baseball fans became familiar with the superstar. Now with Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a combined $1.25 billion, the importance of baseball in their home country has become a headline.  With the emergence of Japanese players coming over to the MLB and showcasing all of their skills globally, we thought it would...

The outfield in baseball can be a lonely place sometimes. You are so far away from the action until, suddenly, you aren’t. Some may say that outfield drills are as simple as merely catching fly balls. And while that is an important aspect of being a great outfielder, it takes more than that to master the three positions.  To master these positions you have to take the time to practice the correct drills. These drills will help you maximize your skills, increase your knowledge of game situations, and test your ability to play in any outfield position. But before we...

All baseball players should understand the history that went into making America’s game what it is today. I am not saying you need to rush to the library, or I guess nowadays Amazon, but it can prove beneficial to build up knowledge about the sport you play. Baseball’s history is riddled with special players, moments, and movements that make for a great game of trivia.  Today, we are going to test your knowledge with some difficult baseball questions. You will encounter questions about the present-day MLB, historic home runs, history of the World Series, and legendary players/teams. If you don’t...

As an infielder in baseball, you have to make sure that you are equipped with some pretty impressive skills. You have to be able to corral a hard-hit ball into your glove, analyze where it needs to go, and throw the ball accurately with speed to the base for the out. And, did I mention that while doing that a player is running full speed to try and beat it out? That is just a general idea of what infielders have to go through on a game-to-game basis.  In this post, we will discuss how to become the best infielder...

Baseball is one of, if not the most, detail-oriented sports out there. When looking at baseball statistics it can start to feel a bit overwhelming. There is a tracking method for everything in the sport so that stat books are filled with different aspects from both sides of the plate. One that sticks out as crucial to scouts is exit velocity, which measures the exit speed of the ball as it comes off the bat.  It is one of the most important metrics because exit velocity measures the most exciting parts of baseball: hard-hit balls. This is imperative for batters...