Rangers president Nolan Ryan wants to "change the culture" of poor pitching that has dogged the organization almost since the day he retired in 1993.
Ryan went into the offseason with a plan to get more involved in the development of pitching. His plan places an emphasis on conditioning. He started by going to the Fall Instructional League in Arizona twice in the first 10 days after the season. He met with the 31 pitchers in camp -- the best pitching prospects in the organization -- and laid out his expectations for improved conditioning. Among his suggestions:
--More live batting practice. It was incorporated in the minor leagues at the start of the regular season. Ryan wants more in spring training, too, something now deposed pitching coach Mark Connor and bullpen coach Dom Chiti resisted last spring for the major league pitchers. Ryan believes batting practice helps build stamina.
--More sprinting. The system is stocked with power pitchers. Sprinting helps create more explosiveness than long jogs.
--Expanding limits. He doesn't favor abandoning pitch counts for minor-leaguers, but he does want pitch counts to be more individually tailored. If a pitcher is closing in on his limit when he finishes one inning, it's more likely he'll be sent out to start the next inning and pitch right up to his limit rather than taking a seat early.
--Most important, he wants to instill a genuine belief of fearlessness among Rangers pitchers.
"There is a mind-set you have to develop with these young kids," Ryan said. "They have to believe they can be successful in Arlington. They have to know they are capable of throwing more pitches and working through trouble. We are trying to push them so they'll know they can push themselves when things arise in the big leagues."
The Rangers ranked last in the majors with a 5.37 ERA in 2008, and they also rank last in the majors since 2000.
