Dirt From The Dugout

Part 2 | Adam Ottavino on the Pitching Lab That Saved His Career

October 8, 2026·33 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

On this episode of Dirt From the Dugout, Karl Ravech and Justin Musil wrap up their conversation with 15-year MLB veteran Adam Ottavino, diving into the career-saving decision he made after a disastrous 2017 season. Ottavino tells the story of building his own pitching lab in a former shoe store in Harlem owned by his father-in-law, training alone in the middle of the night with a high-speed camera and a Rapsodo unit to rebuild his delivery and commit fully to his slider after a Dodger Stadium meltdown nearly got him sent to the minors. He traces the longer arc of learning to trust his own feel over organizational instruction, from the Cardinals trying to overhaul his delivery in the minors to finally rebuilding his entire arsenal around the slider once he reached Colorado with nothing left to lose. Ottavino also opens up about why he never wanted to stop playing, what it felt like to love even the mundane parts of being a big leaguer, and the wild story behind a Buck Showalter autographed ball sitting in his office that predicted the Yankees' 1996 World Series win. Plus, a rapid-fire kitchen sink round covering his last meal in New York City, his three desert-island artists, and the one thing he'd ban from every MLB clubhouse. Join our growing community today!https://theparentdugout.com/  Subscribe to the podcast!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirt-from-the-dugout/id1895617382 https://open.spotify.com/show/0TYMMgoNypFpff5xMkBI98  Follow our social media channels for more content!https://x.com/dirtfromthedugSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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