FLUSHING, NY — After having his ‘cup of coffee’ in the Big Leagues last season, debuting on July 7th, 2023, and playing in 21 games overall, José Fermín, St. Louis’ 25-year-old rookie is prepared to stamp his mark on the Show this year, as he awaits his soon to be opportunity.
The right-handed hitting infielder from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic was called up to the Pros last Wednesday, following a dominant 18-game performance with the Memphis Redbirds, the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate — posting a .350/458/.650 slash line, to pair to four home runs, 10 RBI, and five stolen bases.
Since the call up, Fermín has yet to appear in a MLB game, but with that said, his name not sketched in the Cardinals lineup doesn’t prevent him from being ‘game ready’ for each and every day.
🇩🇴 Cardinals IF José Fermín in warm ups ⚾️
Out of the hundreds of MLB athletes, who partake in this drill with rubber balls shooting out of a machine, Fermín is one of the few who emphasizes his throwing motion while attempting to finish the play as if it’s in the real game 💯 pic.twitter.com/VndGpSeLfk
— Latino Sports (@LatinoSports) April 28, 2024
“I’ve been trying to do it like every single day, just to get the extra reps,” said Fermín about this specific ground ball drill after his 15-20 minute session on the third-base side at Citi Field on Sunday morning prior to the Cardinals-Mets series finale.
“Obviously, we do defense on the field, but it’s like a little warm up. Just like hitting, when we go into the cages before batting practice. It’s just like that.”
Based on the video, as you can see, the drill is strictly focused on Fermín working on his footwork and fielding technique — with a ball shooting out of a small machine from 20-30 feet away.
Ground ball drill, featuring Cardinals infielder Masyn Winn after Fermín’s workout – Image Credit: Latino Sports
“The ball is like foam, rubber a little bit,” he said. “They bounce weird, so you gotta try to catch it right in the web (pocket) of the glove.”
What I Saw, What I Think
The key observation from what I noted in Fermín’s workout routine, is his intensity throughout all 20 minutes. Many MLB infielders do this same exact drill, which was jolted by former Atlanta Braves third base coach & current manager of the Los Angeles Angels Ron Washington — but what stood out differently with Fermín is that he follows through on each ground ball whether it’s in a motion to first base or second base (for a double play). And in both motions, he goes about it at a real game speed.
More from José Fermín’s warm ups 🇩🇴⚾️
These little things behind the scenes are what makes a Big Leaguer, a Big Leaguer. Reps Reps and more Reps 📈 pic.twitter.com/jp8ZmExi2D
— Latino Sports (@LatinoSports) April 28, 2024
This allows him to fully progress on his muscle memory, while working on the small things such as projecting what angle to take on each grounder, keeping his head down on the ball until it’s fully secured in his mitt, his footwork for each throw, and much much more.
As the saying goes, ‘baseball players are creatures of habit.’ This is one prime example of how they built on a specific habit to better their game, physically and mentally.
Robert Rizzo is a journalist and editor of Latino Sports – Email: RobertRiz994@gmail.com
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