Toronto, ON. - “The goal is to build mentally and physically strong athletic baseball players.”. These are the words of new Toronto Mets Strength and Conditioning coach Michael Rodriguez.“Pudge” as he is referred to, has made a positive impact in a very short time to the Mets athletes. Quinton McRae, a 17u catcher in the program credits “Pudge” on getting him back on track and focussed. “Pudge is a very knowledgeable and hard-working trainer. His workout programs are awesome, and he has helped to get my nutrition back on track.” 

Hard working is a great way to describe Rodriguez who credits his work ethic to his 16u baseball coach. “When I look back, his program was the biggest influence on where I am today. I would like to thank my coach, Chris Buhagiar, for introducing me to strength training and its importance to baseball performance.” Pudge goes on to add, “We all received custom training programs and were expected to train on our own. I was one of the kids who took the training seriously and that’s when my relationship with health and fitness started.”

Mike has been in the personal training industry for the last 6 years.  Like many, he started in the big box gym companies before starting his own business. “I named my company Only the Strong because I truly believe that in order to be successful in anything, you need to be strong, not just physically, but mentally as well.” 

There seems to be an instant connection between Only the Strong and the Toronto Mets. Walking into Out of the Park Sports, the Toronto Mets indoor facility, you see a number of athletes supporting Rodriguez’s clothing line. 17u Coach, Darryl Reid notices a difference in the relationship the players have with Mike. “There is definitely a trust they have with Pudge. Probably the most important aspect of a strength coach and athlete relationship is trust.” 

Not only has Pudge received praises from the players and Coaches. Toronto Mets President, Ryan McBride is quite happy with his most recent hire. “Mike has been a great addition to our staff. He has an outstanding knowledge of what it takes to prepare elite athletes. His personality, professionalism, and demeanour are second to none.” 

Mike has turned his passion of fitness into a full-time job. “I’ve aligned my company name with the game of baseball. Baseball is the hardest sport in the world, both physically and mentally. Baseball is a game of failure. Only the strong can accept the failures, leave it in the past, move forward and work hard to keep getting better – no quitting. This applies to life as well.”

When Mike is not training baseball players, he is training people of all ages on becoming the best version of themselves through health and fitness. “I use the same principles when training the general population. It takes a strong mind tobe successful in a fitness journey and I’m constantly preaching consistency, self-discipline and trusting the process.” Mike adds, “Whether it’s 1-on-1 personal training or boot camps, I’m always working with amazing, positive people who have a passion for life and looking to improve on their health and fitness. Dozens of people have seen great body and mind transformations while training with me. It’s the greatest feeling in the world to see people achieve what they once thought was impossible.”

As with all sports, injuries are a part of the game that are unavoidable in baseball. Mike is very careful to be mindful of what the Mets athletes are going through physically. “Pudge has been really great during our training. He has worked well with me and has done his very best to work his way around my injuries and has found a way to make me feel even stronger,” says 17u Toronto Mets player Robert Vavaroutsos. 

Mike believes in the process and there are no short cuts to putting together an effective training program. “I put a lot of emphasis training the right way with a huge focus on having correct movement patterns, proper arm care, mobility, and flexibility. I’ve also put together a specific warmup for the players and stressed the importance to the players as to why we need to take our warmups seriously.  The players have all bought in and I’m impressed with the work ethic from everyone.” Mike is quick to show his gratitude to the Toronto Mets and the support he has received from the program. “It’s worth mentioning that Ryan McBride has been extremely supportive in providing all the necessary equipment and tools needed for the athletes to be successful in the weight room.  I’m really excited to see the positive improvements each player will see on the field.”

Leading a successful training program still does come with some challenges. After all, a program that has over a hundred athletes with different body types, and various levels of fitness experiences are going to have its challenges. “The biggest challenge I find is nutrition.  Whether you’re trying to lose weight or gain weight, it takes an incredible amount of consistency and focus on the nutritional aspect of training.  I can provide all the best coaching practices and sample meal plans but ultimately, it’s up to the athlete when it comes to how they go about their nutrition.  As coaches, we can’t follow players around and force them to eat or not eat certain things.  We can only provide the tips/tools and direction. A strategy I’ve implemented is to have the players record a daily food log and communicate with me directly what their biggest issues are so we can find the solutions together.”

Mike also discusses the challenges of preparing for 1-on-1 training vs training in a team setting. “Not all athletes are built the same so it’s important to create a program that fits all our athletes.  I’ve found a way to effectively train the 14-15 year old athletes slightly different from the older athletes and I’m impressed with how much they’ve learned and developed over the past two months.  The key is to “slow cook” the young guys and build a strong foundation by performing all the basic exercises correctly before moving to more advanced exercises.  I’ve also taken players aside who are having issues with particular exercises in order to break down the movements so they have a better understanding of “why” and “what” they may be doing wrong and how we can correct it.  It’s important for players to know why they are doing an exercise and what they should be feeling during the movement.”

It is evident to see that Mike understands what it takes to train an “Elite” Athlete. Mike leans on his experience of being a baseball player to help him understand what the current Toronto Mets Athletes are going through. “I have a great understanding of what baseball players need to focus on and what will keep them healthy for a long season.  Going through a tough injury at 17 years old forced me to learn more about how the shoulder works and how to strengthen all the muscles important to overhead athletes. As a player, I can also relate to the guys and help them fight through all the ups and downs associated with being an elite student-athlete.”

It was Mike’s injury that he suffered a week before a showcase trip down south that altered his plans of pursuing his baseball dreams.  “I tore ligaments in the rotator cuff of my throwing shoulder sliding head first into 3rd base on a stupid play.  I was safe but my shoulder wasn’t.  That off-season I went under the knife to repair the torn ligaments in my shoulder. My rehab didn’t go as well as I had hoped and I couldn’t play without pain, so I decided to stop my rehab, and go to school in Toronto where I studied Business Management at George Brown College.”  

While studying at George Brown, Mike decided to give baseball another shot, and played with the Varsity baseball team. He joined the Markham Mariners Senior baseball team and has been playing ever since. “At 35 years old, my body feels great and I owe it all to staying in shape and living a healthy lifestyle.”

Not only is “Pudge” active on the baseball field, he continues to learn.  “I’ve invested my time and money on published material from the best in the S&C industry.  Most recently I’ve purchased and studied the Sturdy Shoulders Program by Eric Cressey. I also attended his Fall Seminar in Hudson, MA this past October where I was able to learn how they train their professional baseball players.  I even spoke with Eric himself to get his advice on training young baseball players in a team setting.”

Mike understands that when dealing with young athletes, it is important to guide them in the right direction and give them advice to help them on and off the baseball field. “I constantly tell the players they need to focus on all aspects of their training program.  100% effort needs to be applied in all areas of their training if they want to get better.  Nutrition, sleep, warmups, stretching, focus, concentration, and self-discipline are key.” Mike also includes his two favourite quotes as a message to the past, current and future Toronto Mets. 

“There may be people who have more talent than you. But there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” – Derek Jeter

“Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard” – Tim Notke

In an industry of providing motivation for hundreds of athletes of all ages, we wonder what motivates “Pudge” to continue to work through the grind and better himself on a daily basis. “I have amazing parents, Paul and Teresa, and three beautiful younger sisters, Kirsten, Jennifer and Kathlyn and also a silly niece, Milan.  They are my world and I do everything I can to make them proud.”

It is very clear that family is important to Mike and his development as a person and fitness instructor. In an extremely competitive baseball market, the Toronto Mets have hit it out of the park with adding Only the Strong and Mike “Pudge” Rodriguez to their baseball family.

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