PhoulBallz Interview: OF Matt Vierling Off-season Check In

Vierling w/ Lakewood in 2018, image- Jay Floyd

Outfield prospect Matt Vierling took some time recently to offer some thoughts on his off-season.

The 23-year-old was a 5th round draft selection by the Phillies in 2018.  This year, in his first full season in professional baseball, the Notre Dame product posted a .232 average with five home runs, 41 RBI and 22 stolen bases in 118 games with Class A Advanced Clearwater.

Last week I asked Matt, a Missouri native, to offer some details on his workout routine in the fall and winter months, his thoughts on Major League Baseball's proposed elimination of certain affiliated minor league teams and plenty more.  Read ahead for that interview.

- How much down time do you allow yourself before you get back to picking up a bat and/or taking swings?

I try to give myself at least one to two months off from swinging. This year I was on the longer end because I was coming off of my first full year and felt like I needed the break. That’s what’s nice about having a long off-season.

- Did you attend any of the camps or seminars in Clearwater this off-season? 

I did not attend any of the camps or seminars that they held. Because I wasn’t doing them, I went and finished up a semester of school back at Notre Dame.

- Do you have any key goals for this winter like adding muscle, adding speed, improving your Spanish, those types of things?

I want to add about five to 10 pounds of muscle and obviously improve my speed on a day-to-day basis. I try to set goals at the beginning of the off-season so that I have something to work towards. Some of those goals include strength and speed gains along with eating healthy and keeping my body in shape.

- What facility do you work out at in the fall and winter and who do you work with as far as coaches or other players?

I was up at Notre Dame working out from September until December. They have great facilities and I have access to almost everything up there so that was super beneficial. Back in St. Louis I work out at P3. It’s mainly a pitching performance facility but I’ve been working with Josh Kessel and Steffen Simmons, the strength coaches there, since I was in high school. Having people around that know me in regards to lifting and running is super valuable. There are a lot of pro ball players that work out in there, so it’s a great atmosphere to be apart of on a daily basis. I’m going to be hitting with Bobby Wernes who's a Phillies hitting coach back in St. Louis, which will also helpful.

- What was your best takeaway from the 2019 season? Was there something you took the biggest strides with or was their a big lesson you learned?

There were a lot of takeaways for me with regards to the 2019 season. But the main takeaway would be my body. Going through a full season for the first time, while also being in the Florida State League, made me learn how to handle my body on a daily basis. There were times when I could’ve treated my body better with the food I ate or how I stretched, so learning from that will help me in the future.

The remainder of this interview is available exclusively for Patreon members. You can support my work and get access to content at Patreon.com/PhoulBallz.