Intro

Sean Young  

00:00 – 00:19

Hello! Welcome to the Chomp podcast. My name is Sean Young. I’m the copy and opinions editor here at Golden Gate Xpress. This week, we have SFSU pitcher Nathan Shinn. We’re going to be talking about his summer, how he prepared for his senior baseball season and the Major League Baseball Wild Card race as the MLB season comes to a close. Let’s get started. 

Interview

Sean Young 

00:24

How are you doing today Nathan? 

Nathan Shinn  

00:25 – 00:26

I’m doing great. Thank you for having me.

Sean Young  

00:27 – 00:29

Absolutely. To get started, how’s your semester going so far?

Nathan Shinn  

00:30 – 00:46 

It’s going, it’s going really good. So a lot more in-person classes, a lot more things towards my major. So it’s really interesting, really getting into — it’s business management is the major — so it’s a lot of, like team dynamics and a lot of HR stuff, and it’s pretty interesting.

Sean Young  

00:47  – 00:55

Team dynamics seems interesting obviously because, you know, playing on a sports team, playing on a baseball team, there’s a lot of dynamics about playing on a team. Do you think there’s some crossover within that? 

Nathan Shinn  

00:56 – 01:19

Oh, 1000%.  When I was learning the material for every week, I was like, ‘I can use this,’  like, ‘Okay, this person acts this way.’ So instead of just, you know, being angry with them, instead deescalate the situation and come at it from a place of how can I help both of us understand and that’s something you can 100% take into a team dynamic.

Sean Young  

01:20 – 01:33 

That’s awesome, actually. That’s really cool to think about. And you know, there’s a lot of crossover, I would say, within the realm of business and sports, but I never really thought about it that way. Awesome. With that, how do you feel about the upcoming season for San Francisco State?

Nathan Shinn  

01:34 – 02:26

Yeah. I mean, I’m really excited. Every year we wish to go farther in the playoffs and eventually get to the World Series and win the World Series. And this year, I mean, I think we’re what, three weeks in? So it’s fresh but love being back with my old teammates, and I love getting to know the new teammates and coach [Tony] Schifano, and then our new pitching coach, coach [Nick] White, who was the hitting coach but now he’s pitching and hitting coach and catching coach, so he’s wearing a lot of different hats. That’s been a lot of fun, kind of talking pitching with him. And then we also have two more pitching assistants on hand as well. So there’s a lot of spreading of ideas, trying new things out. If they work, that’s absolutely fantastic. If they don’t work, great, we learn from it. So it’s a lot, it’s a great trial and error process so far that they’ve developed. 

Sean Young  

02:27 – 02:34

Awesome, I’m excited to see that. Are you excited to work with some of the new coaches and sort of just work with what you’re doing with pitching?

Nathan Shinn  

02:35 – 02:49

Yeah, so again, like I said, Coach White, very experimentalist, and then I’d say the other two coaches, one’s young and he’s very into the data and very much into like — are you familiar with, like, Rapsodo?

Sean Young 

02:50

Yeah, yeah.

Nathan Shinn  

02:51  – 03:54

So pitching, metrics, stuff like that. And he also has us doing like, conditioning and like, making sure our arms are in shape. And then our new coach, he’s a little bit older, and he’s been around coaching at [College of San Mateo] CSM for, I believe, like 20 years — maybe fact-check me on that. He just got brought to us or is helping us out — last week is when he started. He’ll be with us throughout the rest of the season, fall and spring, I believe. He’s bringing, like, the traditions and patterns of winning pitchers. So there’s a lot of new ideas with Coach White and the new younger pitching coach. And then with the older pitching coach, it’s a lot of like, okay, baseball has changed a lot in the last 30 years. Throughout those 30 years, here are some of the benchmarks that have led to success. So it’s a lot like, we can go back in the history of baseball and also moving forward into the new age of baseball. So it’s an interesting mix.

Sean Young  

03:55 – 04:18

All right, absolutely. With that, I mean, part of that dynamic, obviously, is you’ve been pitching for forever now it feels like — obviously growing up. And the last two summers, not this previous summer, but you were pitching with the Portland Pickles, if I’m not mistaken, in the West Coast League. You know, I didn’t see you on the roster for that this summer. What did you do to prepare [this year]?

Nathan Shinn  

04:19 – 05:29

Like what did I do in the summer? So I went and trained at a baseball facility in Scotts Valley down near Santa Cruz. And I did that with a guy named Matt Rossignol, that’s the trainer there. I did that because I felt like my arsenal and my stuff as a whole could use an improvement and to really hone in on my stuff and like, how I’m moving in some strength inefficiencies or some lacking strength. I’m, like, strong, but there’s little movements that I need to get better at and that’s what I did over summer. I was there six days a week, working from, like — my day started around like 9 a.m. and then ended at like 3 p.m. So that’s Monday through Saturday, Sunday off. I got that because my friend and teammate, David Eichorn, is from that area and he recommended Matt Rossignol to me. So the place is called Rossy’s Training and that’s what I was doing this summer. And we’re, we’ll be working throughout the fall too. 

Sean Young  

05:30 – 05:36

Awesome. Um, talk to me a little bit. So you’re working six days a week, nine to three, if I’m not mistaken. 

Nathan Shinn  

05:37

Yeah, about. 

Sean Young  

05:38 – 05:41

What was it like one of those days in your life? Like, like, walk me through a day.

Nathan Shinn  

05:42 – 08:03  

100%. All of them are pretty similar. So they would start, or, like I said, at 9 a.m. and then we would go… so the first day you were there, you would do a physical assessment, which would test your — how much force you’re putting into the ground, your mobility and overall strength. And then he sees you throw and then he sees your mechanics and sees some of your energy inefficiencies. So like, if I’m not transferring as much energy as I can from the ground to my arm, we’ll design movements to help make my rotational mechanics more efficient, which could be a strength thing, or it could be a sequencing thing, right?

So that’s the first day. I preface with that, because my entire program was based off of those in that first day, pretty much, and then we go from there. So again, I’ll go back to a normal day. 9 a.m., get there, I go into my personalized workout warm up, and that takes around 30 to 45; it takes a while. So what I’m learning as I’m like — a lot of my friends are getting into pro ball and that a lot of their warm-ups are like 45 minutes to an hour. And then other guys that I’m with, their warm-ups are like 10 minutes. So it’s a wide range for different — what different people need. But a lot of them are longer, is what I’m finding out.

But so I go into a warm up that takes around 30 to 45 then I go into my throwing for the day, and then I take a little break in between to eat a snack or whatever. Then I get into my lifting, and then I get into my post throw. That pretty much takes 9 a.m. to 2:30-3:00 p.m. And then what I would do is I would take like, a hour, two hour break and then I would get into some recovery stuff that’s like, my own program — not my own program, but it’s stuff that I really like to do that keeps me healthy. Then I would coach little kids. I’ll do like a child ball thing. So, yeah, it was, like, my whole day was packed.

Sean Young  

08:04 – 08:08

That’s awesome. Yeah, appreciate it. You did that basically the entire summer?

Nathan Shinn  

08:09 – 08:12

Yeah, from late May to mid-August.

Sean Young  

08:13 –  08:31

All right, so, yeah. So just locked in. With that, I think it sort of brings you back to, you know, you’ve been pitching for San Francisco State for the past three years. Last year, on May 3, you broke the all-time strikeouts record here at SF State with your 190th, if I’m not mistaken? 

Nathan Shinn 

08:32

Yeah, I think so. Something like that.

Sean Young  

08:33 – 08:41

Yeah, I think 190 and you still have one more season to go. What does that record mean to you going into your senior year?

Nathan Shinn

08:42 – 10:07

To be honest, I didn’t really think about it. To me, I was given an opportunity to pitch a lot here which I’m very grateful for Coach Schifano for giving me that opportunity every year and trusting me. Really what that means to me is I was given a lot of reps as a freshman, sophomore and junior through thick and thin, and I really appreciate the coaching staff and for letting me kind of go through the bumps and bruises, and for my catchers, for framing those pitches and calling it games — well, since the coaches would call the games but sometimes they would let us do it every once in a while. But, yeah, I guess it’s a good result from my process. I guess that’s kind of what it is from it. Because I can’t control what the batter does or what the umpire calls, I just put my best foot forward and when I broke it, I was with my mom. My mom was down with me in [Cal State] Dominguez, and it was kind of surreal at the moment because just going through the thick and thin of my baseball career as a whole, she was with me—my dad was obviously with me too—but just having that moment with her was really special.

Sean Young  

10:08 – 10:16  

Awesome, no, and great to hear that honestly. You know, it’s exciting. I think, you know, 200 careers is right there. Obviously.

Nathan Shinn  

10:17 – 10:19  

I might have broken it. Well, are we counting playoff K’s?

Sean Young  

10:20 – 10:23 

If you’re counting playoff K’s, then you’ve definitely hit 200.

Nathan Shinn 

10:23 

Yeah.

Sean Young  

10:24 – 10:27

But I think if we’re looking at regular season, I think they listed it at 190. 

Nathan Shinn  

10:27

OK, cool.

Sean Young  

10:28 – 11:01 

Yeah, exciting stuff. With that, one thing you’ve mentioned before as well is, you know, you’re really dedicated, obviously, to athletics, pitching, being a part of the baseball team but you’re also really committed to your academics and what you do off the field. So my question is, as you enter your senior year, if you had to give one piece of advice, both on the field and off the field, to maybe some younger players on the team or to just anyone, what would be like your one on-the-field advice and what would be your one off-the-field advice?

Nathan Shinn  

11:02  

Can I start with off-the-field? 

Sean Young  

11:03

Absolutely.

Nathan Shinn  

11:03 – 12:13

Time block. I make sure I have two hours a day. Most likely it’ll be the first thing I do in the morning to do homework and it kind of frees up my day, if I am disciplined from, let’s say, 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., I get up at 6:30 a.m. at breakfast, and then from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., I block that time out so I can hammer out all my academics for the day. I do that for four or five days and then I’m done, because I’m very efficient in that time. A lot of student-athletes get carried away with the day, and they have practice and they’re tired, and then they go to bed, and then they wait Saturday and Sunday and have like, 15 assignments due. But if you just wake up at 6:30 a.m. — well, just the first thing you do in the morning, whatever your schedule allows for, right? Just allow yourself to just hammer that out and then from 9 a.m. to the rest of the day, it’s all what you’re passionate about, which is, for me, baseball. So that would be — the off the field is time-blocking.

On-the-field [advice]… so am I talking like freshman?

Sean Young  

12:14 – 12:15  

Yeah if you’re talking to freshmen.

Nathan Shinn  

12:16 – 13:33

Relax and have fun. In ways, I still feel like a freshman. So it’s kind of, I don’t feel like a senior at all. I feel like I still have, like, two, three more years left but this is it. This is the last year and I just feel like it, you know, Coach Schifano says it’ll go like that and he told me that as a freshman. And I was like, ‘No, it won’t. It won’t. He’s full of it.’ And then, I’m here right now and it’s like, ‘Oh my God, I am a senior.’ Yeah, this is my last year and it just felt like it just flew by. So I would say, enjoy the day. Enjoy the process and have fun. Have fun with the process because for me, I worked really hard but I didn’t give myself — I never really patted myself on the back as a freshman through like half of junior year,  because I always thought ‘You need to be better. You need to be better. You need to be better.’ So work really hard and give yourself props for working really hard. I don’t know, that’s not one piece of advice — do I have to give one? Or is that good?

Sean Young  

13:34 – 14:03

I think that’s great honestly. I can sort of relate to that, since even though I wasn’t really a sports person after high school, I just, you know… time goes by so quickly and so I think that’s just great advice that, you know, your time is going to fly. Make the best with what you have with it. I think anyone can sort of relate to that, whether you play sports, whether you don’t, anything like that.

Nathan Shinn  

14:04

100%

Sean Young  

14:05 – 14:49

Absolutely. With that, one season is coming to a close, the Major League Baseball season, as you prepare for your upcoming season so, you know, sort of a little transition of the guard there. But I would love to get your thoughts on the MLB wild card race, sort of transitioning to professional baseball. Right now, I’m taking a look at the standings — wrote them all down. You got Baltimore in the ale with 85 wins, Kansas City with 82, Detroit with 80 and Minnesota with 80. And in the hunt, Seattle, Boston, Tampa Bay and Texas. Do you think any of the four teams, Baltimore, Kansas City, Detroit, Minnesota, fall out? Do you think they stay? And do you think if there’s anyone in the hunt, do they make it?

Nathan Shinn  

14:50  

So four make it, right?

Sean Young  

14:51 – 14:52  

Yup, four make it.

Nathan Shinn  

14:52 – 14:54

I think Detroit and Boston switch.

Sean Young  

14:55

Detroit and Boston?

Nathan Shinn  

14:56 – 15:00

Yeah, I think Boston’s gonna make a late surge. I think they’re gonna — how many games are left?

Sean Young  

15:01 – 15:02 

Oh, that’s a good question.

Nathan Shinn  

15:02

What eight?

Sean Young 

15:03

I want to say around eight.

Nathan Shinn  

15:04 – 15:14

That sounds right, yeah. I think they’re going to go six and two. I think Detroit is going to go three and five, and I think they’re going to swap places, alright, that’s my hot take.

Sean Young  

15:15 – 15: 16

That’s your hot take, all right!

Nathan Shinn  

15:17 – 15:33  

Because the rest are pretty solid, like, or the Orioles and the Royals, those other two… those are some of the best teams in the league — well-rounded. And I think those both have opportunities to make it to the World Series. So, yeah.

Sean Young  

15:34 – 15:49 

All right, with that, that’s the American League. Looking at the National League, we got San Diego with 87 wins, Arizona with 84 and the New York Mets, 84 and in the hunt, you still have Atlanta, you got the Chicago Cubs and you got St. Louis.

Nathan Shinn  

15:50 – 15:51   

How many wins does Atlanta have? 

Sean Young 

15:52 

Atlanta’s got 83. 

Nathan Shinn

15:53 – 15:56

And are they — they’re not in it. Are they in it? 

Sean Young  

15:57 – 16:04  

They are not in it right now. They are one game behind the Mets. If they take the lead, I think they take over from the Mets.

Nathan Shinn  

16:05  

I think it sticks.

Sean Young  

16:06

You think it stays?

Nathan Shinn  

16:07 – 16:30

Yeah, I really like the Mets. I thought they underperformed for like, the first half of the year, and then Lindor picked up, and then they all picked up. Yeah, I love watching Sean Manaea pitch. I think it’s really cool to watch from that low-slot, high-rise heater. It’s almost like [Chris] Sale but a little higher slot, and I just think he attacks his own really well. So, yeah, I’m sticking with the Mets.

Sean Young  

16:31 – 16:41 

Honestly, I respect the pick. I know, like a lot of people, have embraced the meme of McDonald’s Grimace when he showed up on the field and the Met season turned around.

Nathan Shinn  

16:42 

Was that on purpose? What was that?

Sean Young

16:43 

I have no idea. 

Nathan Shinn

16:44 – 16:47

Well, I don’t know anything about that. It just showed up one day on my Instagram feed. And that was it.

Sean Young  

16:48 – 16:56  

Yeah. But apparently, they’ve now installed like a purple seat in the stands at Citi Field and, like, that’s the Grimace seat. And I’m like, okay.

Nathan Shinn  

16:57 – 17:04

Is the grimace… is that like a menu item on McDonald’s?

Sean Young  

17:05 – 17:16

I think a former mascot. I guess they brought it back for like a hot minute and for some reason, just the stars aligned. And next thing you know, the Mets are in the wild card.

Nathan Shinn  

17:17

Let’s go then. 

Sean Young  

17:18 – 17:21

And then you can’t forget José Iglesias as well.

Nathan Shinn  

17:22 – 17:26

Oh yeah, one of the best gloves of the 2010s and he’s still doing it. So, yeah, amazing.

Sean Young  

17:27 – 17:31  

Absolutely. With that, I think that’s everything I have for you today. Thank you so much for your time. 

Nathan Shinn  

17:32 – 17:33

My pleasure. Thank you for having me. 

Outro

Sean Young  

17:34  – 17:45

Absolutely. Thank you for listening to the Chomp podcast. We’ll be back with more episodes. This has been Sean Young for Golden Gate Xpress.