Strength in Numbers #204
The MLB Combine is no longer just a testing event—it’s a career-defining performance lab experience. Since its debut in 2021, the Combine has transformed scouting into a data-centric process, where performance metrics, biomechanical analysis, and medical data tell the story beyond the stat sheet.
But here’s the real question: What’s being tested, and how do athletes win the Combine, without compromising their health and value to MLB teams?
I have been helping athletes work with their agencies in preparing for the pinnacle of amateur baseball – being invited to the MLB Combine is an honor. Still, there is a strategic way to organize, and that comes from a year-round process, continuous communication, a data-led approach, and forecasting what is coming down the pipeline, much before the player enters the building to be evaluated from multiple angles.
Let’s break it down.
THE DATA: BEYOND TOOLS & TAPE MEASURES
MLB teams are diving deep into objective performance metrics. Scouting departments are vast, with many areas of specialty looking into players to find things that are coachable and modifiable, as well as others that may not be successful in advancing an athlete. When it comes to raw physical abilities, here’s what they’re looking at:
Traditional Athletic Testing (RUN/JUMP/THROW)
- 30-yard dash + 10-yard split → Tests explosiveness and acceleration
- Vertical & Broad Jump → Tests multidirectional lower body power
- Grip Strength → Tests arm durability + hitting potential
It’s no secret. You will perform better in baseball if you can run faster, jump farther and higher, and increase the strength of your throwing arm. Much of the programming focus I have with my athletes is on how to improve those qualities through training and assessing which aspects of each of those important physical features need improvement.
When it comes to improving speed qualities, you must train for speed. Most training facilities are insufficient for running an all-out 30-yard sprint. Still, it’s something that needs to be practiced and trained, including various aspects of the event such as start power, transitional acceleration, and top-end speed.
This video highlights the emphasis on arm path at the start of sprinting, which involves utilizing the elasticity of the shoulders and pecs to enhance rhythm, direction of force, and rise throughout the transitional acceleration phase in sprinting, a phase that occurs for many athletes between 7-15 yards.
Traditional Athletic Testing (RUN/JUMP/THROW)
- Pitching Velo, Spin Rate, Movement, Mechanics
- Exit Velocity, Launch Angle, Bat Speed
- Pop Times, Arm Velo from Field
Athletes in this data era are no longer passing the eye test. Ball flight characteristics of every kind are evaluated to ensure athletes’ equipment performs at a higher level. The ball is examined for how it breaks, its velocities, and spin. For hitters, the exit velocity and launch angles are evaluated in association with bat speed and ball flight. Position players also have to be defenders, and throwing velocity-based attributes are critical.
When it comes to the ArmCare platform, ensuring that the arm is strong for throwing and especially strong in long-lever positions, such as hitting, is an important physical influence on what the ball does.
Image of Scaption data on the Coaches Portal. This is a critical strength component that helps establish the release point position to apply force and friction with the hand. For hitters, the lead arm needs to be strong in a long lever to increase impact.
Biomechanical Evaluations
Select players undergo various forms of motion capture analysis to reveal energy leaks, inefficiencies, and joint loading patterns. These are becoming draft-day differentiators. The analytics of movement, combined with strength (as I say, Strength and Coordination), are key elements that can influence batted ball and throwing outcomes.
Since hitting and pitching performance are influenced by rotational attributes, focus on this part of the Certified Pitching Biomechanics course to understand what scouts and front offices are looking for in the rotational data.
Athletes need to rotate effectively to increase distal power, explosive strength away from the center of mass at the hand for swinging and throwing. This excerpt is from our Certified Pitching Biomechanist Course. Sometimes, the athletes’ sequencing of hitting peak speeds can be off, but when they perform well and are pain-free, it’s about monitoring and allowing them to be consistent in their motor preferences.
THE MEDICAL: WHERE DRAFT STOCK CAN RISE OR FALL
Here’s the quiet part everyone should be talking about:
MRIs and orthopedic screenings are just as critical as your 30-yard dash.
Prospects undergo:
- MRI of Shoulder & Elbow
- Joint Mobility Testing
- Musculoskeletal Evaluations
The truth? A pitcher might touch 95 mph, but if the MRI shows early UCL degeneration or labrum irregularities—even asymptomatic ones—teams may hesitate.
In a recent post, I shared the findings from MRIs of the nation’s top players. These are the ones that are on the draft board and the ones that teams spend significant money on in signing bonuses. Sadly, the majority of athletes have abnormalities that caution teams, and with highly valued players, everyone is concerned about the potential for future injuries to incur sunk costs.
Here’s the data breakdown from this study:
- 81% of pitchers and 41% of elite position players had abnormal UCLs – the ligament repaired in Tommy John Surgery.
- 23-32% of pitchers and 3% of position players had elbow stress reactions
- 70% of pitchers and 60% of position players had olecranon (tip of the elbow) osteophytes (bony overgrowths)
- 3% of pitchers and 12% of position players had biceps tendinopathies
- 75% of pitchers and 25% of position players had SLAP tears – a potential career ender for many.
- 14% of pitchers and 46% of position players had old pars lumbar spine fractures
- 22% and 47% of position players had lumbar disk protrusion
The questions I had from the study are the following:
78% of players had a full total arc of motion, but no mention was made of GIRD (restricted internal rotation and expanded external rotation compared to the non-dominant arm). This indicates that adequate ROM doesn’t prevent joint and issue wear. Still, there’s no mention of arm strength data to indicate changes in strength and length of tissues.
Ninety-nine percent of players had full rotator cuff strength, but the data did not include subjective manual tests used in scoring, which may have influenced the results. This indicates the importance of objectively measuring ERIR imbalances, strength loss in fatigue, and the recoverability of strength in the presentation and extent of abnormalities.
Our Key Insights
We’ve found that athletes with low throwing arm strength, poor symmetry, or reduced recovery scores often track with these imaging red flags. I have been working primarily with injured players, and those who have had muscle insufficiency in activating their rotator cuff and forearm strength are often plagued by injury.
Only after we correct the physical dysfunction with data can we put the athlete on the path of health and performance, and in some cases, reverse abnormal findings with reduced micro-damage and scar tissue.
Evaluation of the common flexor pronator mass tendon, UCL, and their responses to quantified grip strength. Stronger arms are harder to kill, and this can be seen diagnostically.
So….Strength Matters Most.
TRAIN SMART TO SHOW STRONG
Programming for the MLB Combine isn’t just about gaining speed and strength—it’s about controlling inflammation and ensuring arm readiness.
Top mistakes athletes make:
- Overload too close to the event: Leads to elevated soreness and diminished strength
- Ignore throwing arm metrics: Focus too much on showcase speed, not on arm integrity, and does not put the athlete on a path of high recoverability and fatigue-resistance
- Neglect recovery markers: Underestimate the impact of cumulative throwing loads that lead to greater microdamage.
This is where the ArmCare Platform shines, as it helps athletes combat major mistakes in preparing for the MLB Combine.
- Track strength trends leading into the Combine
- Catch signs of overtraining or fatigue early
- Inform taper strategies for peak readiness
- Improved symmetry and balance in throwing mechanics
- Reduce inflammation markers for better MRI outcomes
FINAL TAKE
The MLB Combine rewards the most prepared and resilient athletes. It’s not just who throws the hardest or hits the furthest—but who’s most reliable, both on the field and on a scan.
You may be attending many showcases this summer, especially if you are seeking a collegiate scholarship, so this Strength in Numbers Newsletter article applies to you. If you’re not actively testing, adjusting, and managing your arm health heading into Combine and Showcase Season, you’re rolling the dice.
Train Smarter, not Harder,
Ryan
Ryan@armcare.com