Although it does seem that it was only yesterday when the World Series was settled and dramatically concluded, and during the time of this writing it is still not quite Christmas Day yet in the United States and many Americans find themselves surrounded by the snow and ice of Winter, professional and serious semi-pro or amateur baseball players already should begin preparing for the Opening Day pitches of early Spring.



The thing is that many pro baseball players do not take very much time off. The routine for them is that after the World Series and the Holidays are over with for them, they travel south to warm climates and play Winter Ball in the Caribbean, Mexico, and South America. They do this in order to keep their skills and talents tuned so that when they report to training camp, they are already warmed up and ready to play. If a baseball player takes off four or five months straight, this can cause some things to go wrong for him when the season begins anew, as their skills or fitness level, or both, can at least temporarily deteriorate and cost a lot of time and trouble to get back up to par.

Baseball players who take off most of the Fall and just about all of Winter may find it refreshing and relaxing for themselves, but after a while they may also put on weight, lose a step off of their running speed, suffer a reduction in their reaction time when fielding balls, suffer a loss of some arm and leg flexibility which will cause a loss in power or cause injuries, and possibly lose something from their hand-eye coordination when it comes to hitting. The arms of the Pitchers may suffer a loss of suppleness and velocity, accuracy, and their techniques could very well deteriorate.

If a baseball player has lost some fitness or skill level while being off for the Winter, this will become apparent during Spring Training. Baseball is a game of inches, a mentally demanding game, one that demands lightening quick reaction time. Subsequently, skill or fitness degradation could cost a player many months of playing time take them a big part of the season to finally get back on the field, and this can have horrible consequences for this team.

During Winter months, other than merely traveling south to play Winter ball (which lots of players do not desire to do as they would rather rest and get some time off to spend with their family and friends without the stress of touring), players should do some things to keep fit and sharp in preparation for April.

Continuing to eat right even in the off season is important for baseball players. Sure, there are holiday times to hog out, but most of the time they should stick to their training eating regimen to maintain their fitness level. Getting plenty of protein and simultaneously monitoring the sugar and fat intake is far more vital in the off season because their activity level is lower and it would be very easy to put on weight while losing muscle fitness. In addition to eating right, players need to sustain a good fitness program and using things such as kettlebells, jogging, wind sprints, Pilates method, perhaps even skiing to stay in shape.

Pitchers during the Winter should find indoor training facilities and continue practicing all of their pitches at least two or three days per week. Non-pitchers need to continue taking some batting and fielding practice in the same manner (for fielding without a partner, they can use machines designed to "hit" them flies and grounders).

In the Winter, baseball players need to stretch well at least several times per week and use exercises designed to keep their rotator cuffs strong and supple. Watching videos of their play from the previous season is also a great way for them to observe what they do right and what they could improve; they could also use instructional videos to keep techniques fresh in their minds.