21 SET 2026 · Keep Klimbing is back for a new season, and Brett Graves kicks things off with a question every player, coach, parent, and development program should be willing to ask:
Are we actually developing better baseball players?
Player development has never been more sophisticated. We have force plates, motion capture, ball-flight data, velocity, spin rates, workload monitoring, individualized programming, and more information than ever before.
But Brett challenges us to look beyond the numbers.
If the metrics improve but the player doesn't perform better when the game starts, did we actually develop the player?
In this episode, Brett breaks down:
• Why improving a metric isn't automatically player development
• Finding the middle ground between "old-school" baseball and modern data-driven training
• Why competitive performance has to remain the ultimate goal
• The danger of chasing velocity, pitch shape, strength numbers, and other KPIs without understanding their game application
• Why "the hitter will let you know" whether a pitch actually works
• The importance of competitive reps and learning to play the game
• How capacity, skill, and performance have to work together to create a complete player
Modern technology gives coaches incredible tools to measure and individualize development. The challenge is making sure the data improves our decisions instead of becoming the objective itself.
The gym should support the game — not become the sport.
Are we creating better numbers, or are we creating better baseball players?
Welcome back to Keep Klimbing.
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