CAN EVEN 1 MLB PLAYER BREAK 18 MINUTES IN A 5K?

Pitchers jog a lot, and do a lot of plyo type drills and "sprints" that are more like strides. They don't lift a whole lot because being huge like Canseco or McGuire will not make you throw any harder. The mlb season is 162 games so aerobic conditioning is a must if you want to be sharp from your 1st game to your last.

All of that being said I have to believe there is at least one of these world class athletes with a little running ability because after all, our center fielder in h.s. was a 38 sec. 300 hurdler with little to no practice (track came 2nd to baseball).

How fast can you run a 5k doing 30-40 min. jogs and some strides a plyo's with cross training? There is at least 1 mlb player (probably many) who are as fast or faster.

said it wrote:

are you sure you "know" that? isn't track season during baseball season?

Yup, I'm sure I know that. I myself did it in HS (not placed at the Texas State Meet, but played both), others in my State did it at the same time, someone else mentioned that Neon Deion did it at Florida State (which I didn't know), and I do KNOW that Buchholz did it. And it's pissing me off that I can't find the results. I mean, c'mon Texas!!

Curtis GGGGGGGGranderson!

these are the 2001 and 2002 Texas state meet listings. I don't see him there. He was born in Aug. 1984 so 2001/2002 would have most likely been his junior and senior years.

Not saying he didn't run this fast, but I don't see it here.

Some things that might seem contradictory but aren't.

1) Ichiro could for sure run a 5k in 18 minutes or less. Probably with just his normal baseball conditioning, but certainly with a month or two of aiming for it. Easily done for that guy.

2) 18 minutes is easy to anyone who has done it, but not easy to those who haven't, and the vast majority of people haven't done it and couldn't do it even if they tried for years. It's harder to do than some of you are insinuating. Ichiro though is not your average Joe. He could do it.

3) Someone said his neighbors could break 18 minutes. Well then, his neighbors are runners, and halfway decent local runners at that. You can find local 5k road races that are won in slower than 18:00.

So, the bottom line is that 18:00 and under is not just a walk in the park, yet it is not so good that a few professional athletes from other sports couldn't do it.

My brother is a world-class athlete in a sport where you aren't active for more than 30 seconds, and he can run a 5:10 mile off of 5-7 miles a week.

Now that I'm looking, it seems he graduated in 2003. I can't find that year's results.

oh well, I've already spent way too much time and thought on this. I'd say that at least 25-35% of active position players in MLB could run under 18 for a 5k.

2003

grif wrote:

Hey Obvious Man,

So how many of the sprinters in your conference turned into professional athletes? I know that these guys are sprinters, and that there are fast twitch and slow twitch muscles. Perhaps you were unaware that a lot of spinters who don't ever become professional athletes can run an 18 minute 5k-take a look at the results of the local races next time you are online. These guys have access to trainers, physical therapists and nutritionalists on a daily basis. A helluva lot of spinters in high school and college have turned into 30-35 year old 5k, 10k and marathoners and a lot of former sprintes have become master runners breaking 18 minutes in a 5k. Um...ever heard of any other conferences than your own by the way?

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Sadly, none of the athletes in my conference turned into professional athletes. But if they had, I would bet those guys would be the SLOWEST at 5k.

This is basic physiology. You can't hit tons of home runs and tear up the base paths unless you're highly fast twitch. If you're highly fast twitch, you ain't running a fast 5k. Look at the decathlon. Those are your baseball players. Fast, strong, freaks of fast twitch athleticism who struggle to break 5:00 for the 1500.

I'm sure there are some guys in MLB can run 18 minutes for 5k, but my guess is it's not the speed demons. Baseball is a skill sport after all, so it's possible that a natural middle distance runner was blessed with good enough hand eye coordination to hit .300. Or maybe there is a pitcher out there who can do it (as far as I know, pitching is not a "muscular" activity where extra brawn leads to mph on the fastball).

As for your claim about former professional athletes running local 5k's, I have to confess I've never seen one in the results. Could you link to an example?

obvious man RE: CAN EVEN 1 MLB PLAYER BREAK 18 MINUTES IN A 5K? 8/25/2009 1:11PM - in reply to grif Reply | Return to Index | Report Post

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grif wrote:

what browski said!!!

Heck, most third phase recruits at the Marine Corps Recruiting Depots can run 18 minute 3 milers.

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You are so wrong about this. 18 minute 3 milers are rare in the Marine Corps.

Hello Obvious Man,

When I was in the USMC I ran a 15:45 3 mile 5K and I was 18th in my company, Delta Company, 1987, which was commanded by the Colonel Robert Johnson who actually ran the entire PFT (situps/pullups/3-mile run) in under 18 minutes. Also, Mr. Obvious Man, nowhere do I claim that former professional athletes run 18 minute 5k's-I typed-"a lot of spinters who don't ever become professional athletes can run an 18 minute 5k"-who don't ever implies that they did not become professional athletes-that should be obvious.

Thanks for posting, but the topic is can even 1MLB player break 18 minutes in a 5k. Anyone who thinks that a an athlete with a majority of fast twitch muscles can "sprint" an 18 minute 5k would be idiotic. However, a human being, who has a majority of fast twitch muscles, and is a professionally trained athlete, and has been running, and is in good athletic shape, can most assuredly run three 6 minute miles back to back to back.

18 minute three milers in the USMC are not rare at all.

Run for fun and personal best!

There are a ton of kids in high school who train year round for 4 years and still can't break 18. It's not THAT easy.

Well, HS kids are still young. Some have matured, some haven't. Have them try it again when they're 21.

Seriously, for a lean good athlete, 18:00 is not that elusive.

browski wrote:

Now that I'm looking, it seems he graduated in 2003. I can't find that year's results.

oh well, I've already spent way too much time and thought on this. I'd say that at least 25-35% of active position players in MLB could run under 18 for a 5k.

i love cousin clay as much as the next red sox fan. but you can't find it, cuz he didn't do it dude. There's no way someone who was a sub 11 100m runner doesn't show up an any results in 2003 when you google "clay buchholz + lumberton" and he sure as shit didn't run under 10.7 in 2003, or 02, or 01, because he's not on any of the dyestat nat'l lists.

Soccer; Cross country with a ball

Baseball; The single laziest athletic event (by non-pitchers) in the sporting world (I don't consider golf to be apart of the sporting world)

That's 45 minutes of my life I'll never have back.

It would be close for this guy, a pitcher. He obviously worked on getting in shape between 06 and 07:

5 mile turkey trot in 32:51:

http://www.athlinks.com/myresults.aspx?rid=28959797

he was in the majors that year, back in the minors now:

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=gwynma01

I'm sure there are lots of others who would have no problem breaking 18. But you guys on here have no clue about

1) The talent it takes to play MLB.

2) That an 18:00 5k is off the charts for the average american, even the average american runner. Take a look through the race results of most 5Ks and sub-18 will be top 10 easy.

MLB players in general are slower than mediocre runners. Stop kidding yourself and thinking your apparent heros can compete in track.

There are probably none. Why would a baseball player need to run 5:45 pace for three miles? They aren't going to be running long distances(except the pitchers sometimes and have you ever seen how slow THEY jog?)

Baseball players need to be sprinters. I know 1:54 800 runners that have a hard time breaking 18:00. The 400/800 types.

Believe it or not it takes training to even break 18:00. Just because a lot of people here can do it remember you guys are also probably running at least 30-50 miles a week.

I ran sub 13:40 20 years ago and still run 4-6 miles about 4 days a week and the last 5k I ran was 18:35 and it wasn't easy.

You ran 15:45 for a 3 mile 5k? Do you even know how dumb that statement is?

Look, the military is notorious for being inaccurate when it comes to running times. I find it hard to believe that you were the 18th fastest guy running a 15:45 "3 mile 5k". I contend that the distance was wrong, which would also explain how your Colonel could do a 2 minute situp test, bang out 20 pullups with proper form, and then run 3 miles all under 18 minutes.

What other personal bests do you have to back up your 15:45 claim? Surely you must have run in a track meet or a certified road race once in your life.

Drew Stubbs?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drew_Stubbs

Ran on Texas 3A state champion 4x400 Meter Relay, triple jumped 45-09.50, ran 38.6 300 Meter Hurdles

http://www.dyestat.com/3state/TX/3out/statemeet/3a.htm