Atlanta Braves “Learning From Leo” Series Taps into Mazzone’s Mentality

Inside Leo Mazzone

Among other things, Mazzone shares his thoughts on whether Sid Bream was safe at the plate during the 1992 National League Championship Series, the downsides of flat-footed throwing sessions for pitchers in between starts, the power of Javy Lopez’ presentation skills to both the pitcher and umpire, and, hysterical vignettes, like the time Greg Maddux requested Mazzone make a mound visit during one of his starts because the Hall-of-Famer was “lonely.”

In the late 1980s, when Bobby Cox began restructuring the Braves into an organization built on pitching, he was mesmerized by Mazzone’s minor league track record for cultivating pitchers who didn’t breakdown or suffer significant injuries.

When Mazzone took the job as pitching coach in Atlanta in 1990, he said Cox told him “I don’t care what you do, you take care of those pitchers. You be with them, get to know them, learn them and know everything about them. I want you to remember one thing, just because a pitcher is in the big leagues, don’t take for granted that he knows everything he’s doing.”

As baseball transitioned from a four-man rotation into a five-man configuration, Mazzone quickly recognized the benefits of having a pitcher throw, with controlled effort, on the scheduled additional day of rest.

So, the mindset was to throw more often with less exertion.

While many pitching coaches envisioned the additional day would provide a much-needed reprieve for their staff and as others chose to throw flat-footed in the outfield between starts, Mazzone was ultimately regulating his hurler’s efforts to keep them sharp on four-days’ rest, while healthy for a five-day setup.

The regimen was simple: start, take a day off, throw two side sessions, take a day off, and pitch.