Let’s dive in.
1. 17 Tread pitchers were drafted
Shoutout to our remote athletes selected in the 2025 MLB Draft! 🧢✍️
We’re super proud of the work they put in to make this possible and are committed to helping them continue to make the most out of their future pro careers.
A couple stories worth mentioning:
- Maison Martinez made a huge jump from upper 80’s to mid 90’s, which we documented here. He was drafted in the 16th round.
- Dylan Mathieson went from 88 to 94+ mph, which we documented here a while back and was drafted in the 13th round.
- Riely Hunsaker went from 89-92 to 94-96 mph and was drafted in the 16th round.
This is especially exciting considering how much more difficult it is to get selected these days.
The combination of 20 rounds and a much more competitive landscape is a totally different dynamic from when I was selected over 10 years ago.
I still remember the rush and excitement that a lifelong goal had finally been achieved.
A big congrats to these guys.
My reminder to them: the work is just getting started.
2. Two MLB All-Stars
Tread’s 2025 All-Stars are Josh Hader and Jason Adam. 🎉
Hader posted a 2.38 ERA, 25 saves, 41.2 IP, 63 K, and 1.6 WAR. His walk rate is currently 86th percentile in 2025, up from 5th percentile a few years ago. 📈
Adam, at 33 in his first All-Star season, owns a 1.74 ERA, career-best 240 ERA+, and 2.83 FIP. He battled significant injuries early in his career, and after a 1.5 fWAR from 2018-2022, he joined Tread. He’s now created 2.7 WAR since 2023.
Hader Side Tangent
Most don’t remember it, but Hader was struggling halfway through 2022, when the Brewers decided to unload him to the Padres.
Every writer was seemingly piling on. Was Josh Hader broken?
After some analysis, it became clear that he was coming set more in his quad/forefoot, leading the upper half to be early and causing him to yank a good chunk of his pitches.
The slot had risen a hair, but so had the velocity.
It was still an elite arsenal, but the on-field results weren’t showing it. If we could stop him from yanking and get him back in the zone, he would be just fine.
And after he reached out and got in touch with us, that’s exactly what happened.
When he reached out, I didn’t know what to expect. But over the past 3 years, I’ve gotten to know one of the most genuinely humble dudes I’ve ever met.
He’s the kind of guy who asks about your life, cares about your staff, and will take the time to answer questions or give advice to younger guys.
A huge congrats on his 6th All-Star appearance, and we’re all looking forward to seeing his story continue to unfold.
Beyond the unicorn sinker, there is still more in the tank.
If you haven’t already seen it, we released a sample day of training when Josh came in-house this winter. Check it out here:
3. 5 First Half MLB Debuts 🏆
A big congrats to this group of Tread athletes who debuted in the first half of the MLB season.
- Jake Palisch ➡️ Chicago White Sox
- Cade Gibson ➡️ Miami Marlins
- Nathan Wiles ➡️ Atlanta Braves
- Josh Simpson ➡️ Miami Marlins
- Zak Kent ➡️ Cleveland Guardians
Nothing is better than seeing guys accomplish a lifelong dream, but it’s not just about getting a cup of coffee – it’s about sticking and making an impact.
Click here to see our full list of signs, draft picks and debuts!
4. 47 48 more Free Agent Signs
There has been no shortage of Free Agent signs this year, starting off the year with a bang at our annual Pro Day.
Take a look at the current list at the time of this post:
It goes without saying, but Tread has carved out a dominant niche in the baseball world as the go-to place to get signed.
Funny enough, as I was writing this, Treyson Peters signed with the Pirates for Free Agent sign #48 of the year.
Take a look at his case study below, and here he is chucking 98 in a pen:
Another notable sign: Jacob Bosikovic. Check out a case study on how he got back to 100 mph and signed:
And here’s a story about how Jackson Kirkpatrick dialed in his command to sign with the Cubs, throwing 98mph.
Looking at some of these arms, it really shows just how much more competitive the game has gotten. How many guys throwing 98 had issues finding a job 10 years ago?
Nonetheless, we’re excited to keep playing a role in all of these guys’ stories.
5. The Kick-Change takes baseball by storm 🔎
As I predicted in our last blog, the Kick Change was ready to take the baseball world by storm.
And that’s exactly what it did.
Virtually every broadcast has mentioned the pitch, and almost every MLB staff now has a pitcher throwing the pitch.
Tread’s Director of Pitching (and the developer of the pitch), Leif Strom, has been featured heavily in publications and interviews around the industry (ESPN, NY Times, etc.).
Notably, remote athletes Clay Holmes and Jameson Taillon have featured the pitch in their arsenals this year.
Clay’s Kick-Change is currently sporting a 32.3% whiff rate and .201 wOBA. Not too shabby.
Here’s a good one: an 87 mph pitch with -8.8″ of induced vertical break.
We also released a further tutorial on how to troubleshoot the pitch, which you can watch here:
Thanks for tuning in to our mid-season update, and feel free to get in touch if you are interested in us taking a look at your situation.
Here’s to reaching your potential,
Ben Brewster
