Good Eats

[Beanpot]

Bart Given, former assistant General Manager for Toronto, has started a great blog about his time in the game, a game he hopes to re-enter very soon. This post speaks to nutrition and it features Shapiro and the Tribe. Terrific inside-baseball stuff:

Inside the Minors: Cleveland Indians - Forefront of Nutrition.

April 14th, 2009 by Bart Given | Posted in Inside the Minors

 

Every successful Major League team has been constructed from a strong Minor League system.

 

Say what you like about the deep pockets of the New York Yankees - they built their most recent championships around homegrown talent - Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Bernie Williams. Talk about being strong up the middle…

 

Instead of trying to find great players to be their SS, CF, C, LHS, and CL (the toughest positions to fill through free agency or trade) they developed internally. This ability to produce Hall of Fame caliber players enabled the Yanks to make the additions of complimentary pieces like Paul O’Neill, Jimmy Key, David Cone, John Wetteland, Scott Brosius etc. which eventually put them over the top.

 

With this in mind, it would be shortsighted to have a site titled “Inside the Majors” without acknowledging to the lifeblood of MLB - the Minors - and over time I plan to examine many topics pertaining to the Minor Leagues and Player Development.

 

I’ve received several questions regarding Minor League operations, many of which will make great topics, however the first issue up for discussion is nutrition. It may seem like a strange place to start but it is very important and yet too often ignored by organizations throughout MLB.

 

Most of you will not be shocked to find out Major League Players eat exceptionally well. There’s typically a “chef” in the clubhouse, catered post-game buffets, shelves of snacks, strength coaches to make protein shakes, full meals on the plane and of course $90+ in per diem on the road. (some of the per diem will go to the Clubhouse Manager for his efforts)

 

Throw in a minimum of $400K per season and you can see how MLB players don’t miss meals, and by extension neither do the coaches and front office staff.

 

The Minor League lifestyle pales in comparison. Obviously the higher the level the better the situation - but a player entering his first year of professional baseball may earn a maximum of $1100/month, receive only $20 per diem while on the road, and rarely see a hot meal in the clubhouse. This situation has always made me shake my head. How can you expect a player to maximize his potential, physically and mentally, when he probably isn’t eating properly.

 

Many of these first-year players are going through other “firsts” as well; first time away from home, first time in a new country, first time playing baseball every day and first time trying to make a living.

 

Certainly there are players who received a large bonus or have economic support from their family - but do they know how to take care of themselves?

 

Few industries would treat their “resources” like this. From a capitalistic viewpoint isn’t it in the best interest of the parent organization to make sure their players are well nourished? Surprisingly not all think this way.

 

The Cleveland Indians are the exception here, they did something about this nutritional abyss in baseball and they did it quite a few years ago.

 

In 1995 when current Indian’s GM Mark Shapiro was the Director of Minor League Operations he recognized the inefficiency and opted to act. Shapiro instituted a program to supplement the meals of all minor league players within the organization.

 

Throughout baseball there is a home and visiting clubhouse manager who is responsible for providing the food and beverages for players, among other duties. The clubhouse manager makes his living off “dues” and tips from the players, coaches and staff. The more income he receives from the players the better he can provide for them. As you might imagine players receiving a $20 per diem and making less than $6000/year do not tip very well, as such, the pre-game meal may consist of a loaf of bread, peanut butter and some soup.

 

What Shapiro did was simple yet effective; budgeting additional dollars and allocating them to each home clubhouse attendant within the Indians organization. The “clubbies” were given an education on the types of food to provide, pre and post game, to maximize the dollars and nutritional value. Instead of PB&J the players were receiving pasta, salads, rice and beans and fresh fruit etc.

 

“I was a player within the organization at the time and thought this was the norm throughout baseball” commented Ross Atkins the Indians current Director, Player Development. “Obviously I know differently now, and we continue to see the importance of the program”.

 

The Indians have continued to evolve their nutrional program over the past few seasons. ”We’ve hired a great nutritionist by the name of Jacqueline Berning who has worked with Michael Phelps and the Denver Broncos. She hosts seminars in Spring Training educating the Minor Leaguers on the benefits of eating properly. Our Strength and Conditioning coaches also meet and consult with her throughout the season and have become a valuable part of the program” Atkins continued.

 

“Jacquie also consults with us on creating menus for the home clubhouse at each of our affiliates. She keeps it simple - low in fat, low in sugar and stay away from the “whites” -bread and rices. We aren’t terribly carb conscious because these are young guys who are burning a lot of calories on a daily basis. Some of these guys need to eat four, five or six meals a day.” Atkins concluded.

 

This may seem like a simple program for organizations to install however baseball is an odd business at times. A Club may spend $100,000 on waiver claims over a year trying to find a player who may help them at the end of their bullpen but do not budget the funds to properly nourish their own assets in the Minors.

 

More teams are getting the picture. At the most recent Winter Meetings both the Farm Directors and General Managers voted unanimously to raise the Minor League per diem rate across all levels. Unfortunately this increase has yet to be implemented.

 

Thankfully for the prospects in the Indians system, their organization has already acted.

 

http://www.insidethemajors.com/?p=613

 

Beanpot