Rob Blanc : Who I Am

No baseball career or life is perfect, mine is no exception by any means. We are all subject to ups and downs throughout the ride called life, some more than others. How our life pans out is a reflection of how we handle those the successes and failures along the way.

How can I expect the reader to actually read my blog if they know absolutely nothing about me and perceive me as just another former baseball player trying to make it by creating an online training platform?

With that in mind, I wanted to take some time and give those of you reading, a look into who I am on a personal level and why I do what I do in the sport of baseball.

The Beginning

Born in October of 1991, months premature at around two pounds, with one functioning kidney, barely able to function, and small enough to fit in your hand; What a way to start huh?

Fast forward years and multiple broken bones later, now nine years old and trying out for the all star team in my town. My dad was the coach, and I got cut.

Wait what? Your dad cut you from the team that he coached? Believe it or not he did, and it taught me the lesson that would carry me all the way to college baseball and beyond; nothing is guaranteed.

Years later, my development hit its stride, winning championships in youth baseball year after year, becoming one of the best catchers around.

On the other side, life had a habit of throwing me a banger. My mother was diagnosed with Breast Cancer when I was in middle school and treatment continued into early high school, I may have been too young or immature to grasp the seriousness of the situation, but whether I knew it or not it would be a major event in my life.

My mother is a badass, plain and simple. Missed minimal time at work during her recovery, if I remember correctly she missed less than a week before her return to her job, and now is over 10 years cancer free. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her, she is my hero.

High School

Now a junior at Trumbull High School, the next step in baseball was becoming an opportunity for me, playing at the college level. Honestly, playing at the next level never crossed my mind up until that point, just a dude trying to win.

I ended up being an All-State catcher that year, that was the beginning of the process of getting to the next level. That summer I was invited to a workout with the Cincinnati Reds up in upstate New York, little did I know this would change everything.

Traditional workout structure with college and high school players, 60 yard dash, position specific infield and outfield, pop time, batting practice, and simulated games.

Up until the point of simulated games I was killing it with high school and college players alike, wouldn’t last long. I got absolutely embarrassed by college pitching, I didn’t make contact once.

At this point, I got pulled aside by one of the scouts at the workout and was asked if I had ever pitched before. Obviously I had little to no experience on the mound, but gave it a shot and threw a bullpen; was up to 88 that day. Ended up being one of the last days I would strap on the gear or grab a bat in my career.

At this point I had interest as a catcher from numerous schools in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, and I decided to change position and throw all of it away.

Few months later, I was signing my NLI (National Letter of Intent) as a pitcher to Division II powerhouse Franklin Pierce University after throwing on campus a few weeks earlier.

Early College + Summer Ball

Freshman year was a ride that I will never forget, and one that would ultimately change my life.

Stepped on campus in the fall up to 88 mph, by mid-season that spring I was up to 94 mph. Combination of strength, conditioning, and being pushed past any limits I had by the coaching staff, created a whole new person.

I became one of the go to arms out of the bullpen, coming into situations from bases loaded in the first inning to winning run on third in extras with two outs.

Toward the end of the season through the NE-10 conference tournament, I began to fatigue and was left with shoulder pain on a daily basis. I was a huge team guy my whole career, it wasn’t about me, it was about what I could do to help the team win.

With that in mind, I threw through major pain the whole postseason, from winning regionals to throwing in the DII College World Series, I gave everything for the squad appearing in 23 games over the course of the year racking up 43+ innings.

Took a month plus off after the national semifinal loss to UCSD, and received a call from my head coach with a contract to throw in the Cape Cod League for the Yarmouth Dennis Red Sox.

I was still in pain, but didn’t hinder my ability to throw at max effort, so I packed up and left for the Cape. What an experience that was, thousands of people, professional scouts everywhere, playing with some of the best players in the country.

Had a few short outings before I threw against the Orleans Firebirds in late July, the game everything would change. A few pitches into the inning, shoulder started to become tight, threw a fastball to the lefty first baseman from some SEC/ACC school that was destroyed over the amphitheater in right center.

The very next pitch I threw went about 50 feet, accompanied by an indescribable pain in my shoulder, this was the moment I knew I was in trouble. Got taken out the game with an apparent injury, couldn’t lift my arm in any way shape or form.

A month later, after seeing doctor after doctor, each with a different diagnosis and weeks of unsuccessful physical therapy, I finally was diagnosed with a Posterior Labrum Tear (SLAP) in my shoulder and needed surgery. Other issues with the labrum and rotator cuff were minor, that were cleaned up by not repaired.

I got the surgery done in October of 2010, performed by Dr. Augustus Mazzocca at UCONN Health Center, followed by a medical redshirt for my sophomore year of college.

The Struggle

Spent the next few years struggling to find what I had lost, constantly trying to get back to the level of play I had always known.

Years of frustration led to being completely “domed up”, losing my ability to compete at a high level. It funny to look back on it now, I threw more innings in my freshman year than the following three years combined at Franklin Pierce.

No matter how tough my personal struggle became, I was always about the team, a teammate over everything. During my final year at Franklin Pierce, I threw single digit innings, constantly dealing with injuries and mental setbacks.

I was left off the active roster for the entire postseason, but was there every step of the way in the dugout, supporting my squad in any way I possibly could. I can remember like it was yesterday, losing my voice on a daily basis, bringing as much passion and energy to the dugout as I did when I was on the field; the game is bigger than just you.

I ended up leaving Franklin Pierce after my redshirt junior year and going to pitch at DIII powerhouse Keystone College the following year, an opportunity to redefine who I was on the field and ended up putting myself in a situation to play professional baseball for 2+ years after college.

Professional Baseball & Driveline Baseball

Following my first professional baseball season, being bounced around from team to team; Starting out playing for the Lake Erie Crushers, signing with the Normal Cornbelters, and finally finding a home playing for the Traverse City Beach Bums during their 2015 Frontier League Championship run.

It was in my first offseason where I decided something had to give, my velocity was down to 87-89 touching 90-91 occasionally, I was finally fed up not being able to perform at my highest level.

I reached out to @flamadgaf, an instagram page full of high intensity pulldowns and features on Driveline Baseball that I had come across while doing down the rabbit hole. This was the start of my experimentation with ballistic throwing methods, signing up for remote programming and mentorship with Alex Casillas, aka Flama.

The mentorship was one of the best things I ever did, not only for my baseball career but my life as a whole. DGAF saved my life and I will forever be grateful for Alex and everything he has done for me (Will write a whole other post about the mental approach to training and baseball).

I was one of the OG remote clients of Flama and Driveline Baseball, an investment that changed my life. At the end of the off-season, I was back up to 91-93 touching 94+.

This was the first step to being personally invested in the methods produced by Driveline Baseball both in the private sector and college baseball. Pushing the limits of baseball performance has become an obsession for me, taking baseball development at any age to the next level.

I am currently certified by NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) in the following ways:

• Certified Personal Trainer
• Certified Performance Enhancement Specialist
• Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist

Also, will be pursing On Base University Pitching and Hitting certifications within the next year to take the screening process of athletes to the next level. NSCA’s CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) certification is another goal of mine and will be pursuing in the near future.

Reflection

I have been asked by teammates and players over the years if throwing through the pain and the years of struggle that followed were worth it? The answer is always the same: Absolutely, I wouldn’t change a damn thing.

Getting hurt was one of the best things to ever happen during my career and life as crazy as that sounds. I helped me appreciate and love the process of training, how important it is to take care of yourself in all facets from throwing to strength and conditioning.

I do what I do to educate the masses, create a love for the process of training and sports performance, and most importantly mentor players about the years of struggles and mistakes that I made and put them in the best possible position to succeed in our sport.

Injuries are a part of the game, plain and simple, I strive to give players the tools to prepare themselves both physically and mentally to love the process of not only of improving performance, but reducing injury risk.