How I threw 98mph

Hey so I was able to get up to 98 mph in my professional career. And it wasn’t because I was crazy talented or because I had a huge frame. In fact, I was a 16-year-old throwing 78. Three years later, I hit 98mph. Throwing in the upper 90s is what allowed me to reach Division 1 and professional baseball. If I only topped out at 90, I wouldn’t have made it.

To get there, it comes down to two things: training and mechanics. Training builds the frame to produce force. Mechanics transfers that force into the baseball. Mechanics is king, but without a strong enough frame, you’re fighting uphill.

The first step is building a strength base. When I was younger, I focused on progressive overload—adding weight over time. A good base looks like solid deadlifts, squats, bodyweight lifts, and carrying a filled-out frame. But strength has diminishing returns. Once you’re strong enough, more isn’t better. Injury risk skyrockets.

The next step is rate of force development—how quickly you can produce force. The pitching delivery happens in milliseconds, so you have to tap into your strength fast. I trained this through velocity-based lifting, plyometrics, and High CNS work.

The third step is training the ATP-CP system, your explosive energy system. Sprints, plyos, and max-intent movements teach your body to go from relaxed to explosive instantly.

Finally, mobility. Without enough range of motion, your mechanics break down. Freeing restrictions—hips, hamstrings, spine—unlocks velocity.

Mechanics tie it all together. The best pitchers sequence efficiently, create momentum and direct energy through the target.

That was a rough summary of the guide because I know you’re busy.

If you want the full, 30min breakdown of the process I followed, you can watch it here:

Have a good day!