Nolan Clenney Signs with New York Mets
Every year in the USPBL, a small group of pitchers fully commit themselves to improve their skill set to advance to affiliated baseball; Nolan Clenney was one of those pitchers in 2019. Nolan's in-game performance from 2019 to 2020 to 2021 is a remarkable example of how to enhance your value as a pitcher to get to the next level and, in Nolan's case, sign with the New York Mets. So how did he do it?
In 2019, I received a call from a former USPBL player, Matt Rodgers, recommending Nolan Clenney to the USPBL. Nolan, a native of Novi, MI, had just finished his senior year at N.C. State and was looking to continue his career in professional baseball. Nolan participated in our annual College Senior Showcase and, based on his potential, was signed by Jim Essian to the Utica Unicorns.
The statistics below show Nolan's 2019 cumulative season statistics in comparison to the two following seasons.
Season Totals and Profile Profile for Nolan Clenney
The numbers above indicate that Nolan significantly improved his game statistics and pitch metrics from 2019 to 2020. Nolan's development started with his understanding of how the sequence of the body and arm must work to throw a baseball and how his delivery sequence compared using the Delivery Value System. Nolan's initial DVS Score was 15, with lower scores in Mass & Momentum and Position at Foot Strike. Nolan already had a stable foundation of strength and mobility to support an increase in momentum, so we made the decision to be more aggressive with the usage of his drive leg throughout his training.
Nolan's initial evaluation video at the 2019 senior showcase compared to the start of the 2020 season.
USPBL Pitching Coordinators Shane McCatty and Alan Oaks oversaw the training to help Nolan engage his drive leg in the proper sequence to support the early stages of loading during Acceleration Phase 1 of the pitching delivery. The earlier activation of the drive leg helped Nolan rotate the pelvis earlier, which in turn help the throwing arm rotate into a more vertical orientation at Foot Strike. With increasing both the scores of Mass & Momentum and Position at Foot Strike, Nolan's DVS Score improved from 15 to 18 throughout the season. Additionally, with increased momentum and the throwing arm being more on-time, the execution from catch play to the bullpen to the game became more consistent.
With an entire off-season to continue enhancing his timing and matching his strength & conditioning program to his pitching delivery, Nolan came out of the gate in 2020 as a pitcher that started to prove he was capable of pitching at the next level. His average fastball velocity jumped from 90.2 to 91.8 and started to touch 95mph. However, the most significant value came in Nolan's average slider velocity improving from 80.9 mph to 82.7 mph, securing a formidable secondary pitch for the next level.
In addition, the slider and fastball started to have a more vertical break and tilt which help keep both pitches in the zone longer, leading to more strikeouts and weaker contact. With both the fastball and slider playing up to a different level backed by success in games, Nolan had positioned himself to be attractive to Major League Organizations. In a non-covid year, Nolan would have most likely signed with an MLB Organization during or after the 2020 season. Instead, Nolan signed with the Gary Railcats of the American Association to begin the 2021 season.
The considerable change in Nolan's performance didn't stop in 2020, and he continued to excel and stay consistent with the Gary Railcats through his first 20 innings. I received a call from the New York Mets on June 26th inquiring about his time with USPBL, his durability, and his ability to get outs at the next level. I spoke about his progression through our program, durability, and ability to execute pitches at the next level. Later that day, the Mets made it official and offered Nolan a contract and a chance to play for a Major League Organization.
Nolan is an example of a pitcher who took control of his career and carved out a path to success that can sometimes be difficult for many aspiring pitchers; he changed his mechanics. More specifically, he enhanced the sequence of inputs to deliver the baseball, which directly produced an output that led to a greater chance of success. In this example, success is in the form of a contract with the New York Mets.
