ryan fitzgerald's relentless journey to the big leagues

october 9th, 2025

Perseverance and determination. No two words better describe what it took for Minnesota infielder Ryan Fitzgerald to finally make his major league debut. After going undrafted in the 2016 MLB Draft, he spent 9 years bouncing around from the independent American Association to six years in the Red Sox organization, alongside some time in the Dominican League. Fitzgerald's journey has been a long and adventurous one. But that all changed when Ryan finally got his call while playing for Minnesota's Triple-A affiliate, the St. Paul Saints. After waiting and training for his opportunity to prove he belonged in the big leagues, Ryan made his MLB debut earlier this year on May 16th. 

 

After making his debut, Fitzgerald sat down with VELO Sports to talk about his journey and how using the VELO Overspeed training system to increase his bat speed helped him reach The Show.

Question 1. What is it like finally getting called up to the big leagues?

Kind of surreal. It was cool because it was in Milwaukee, it was close to home, so I got to see a lot of my family and friends. And, you know, my trainer came out and, it was just awesome to have him all there. And, you know, after spending that much time in the minors, you just don't really expect things to happen for you. And, you know, I think some things fell into place, and, I got the opportunity, and, it's something I'll forever remember.

Question 2. Both your bat speed and exit velocity this year have been well above the MLB average. Do you feel like those are factors that have helped you find success, not only in the minors, but also ultimately getting called up?

Yeah, absolutely. Having bat speed is definitely something you need in this game. If you don't, you better be absolutely perfect with your barrel, which is very hard to do. And, you know, a guy like me, I'm not the biggest guy. I don't hit the ball, you know, extremely hard. And the only way I can compete with the big boys is having enough bat speed, to hit the ball hard and get hits.

Question 3. Have you always had great bat speed or just something you've been working on?

No. Definitely not. I grew up in the era of, you know, hit the ball on the ground the other way and run. So I never really had good bat speed. I never really started training it until later in my career, but, yeah, I think in 2019, my average bat speed was like 66mph, which is well below league average, and I was swinging a pretty small bat at the time. And, I've been able to increase that a lot.

Question 4. You mentioned to us a while back that bat speed training saved your career. Can you tell us a little about that?

So as I mentioned, 2019, I had a average in game bat speed me of like 66mph and change. Going into 2020, happened to be a Covid year, I got with a guy who got me on bat speed training. I had no idea that was really a thing. And ironically enough, I had a 33.7% line drive rate in 2019, which was, I think, the highest of the Statcast era out of minor league and big league. And I'm like, why am I not hitting home runs?
Why am I not hitting doubles? And, once I got on the bat speed training, that was when when things started to jump.

Question 5. Is bat speed and exit velocity something college and MLB scouts and coaches are looking for?

Nowadays, yeah, absolutely. You know, obviously I'm far removed from college, but, you know, some of the guys I train with, it's crazy watching some of these players, you know, hitting balls over 100 miles an hour. At an age when I was hitting them less than maybe 90 miles an hour. But, yeah, it's super important to hit the ball hard enough. Obviously, you you're going to get, you know, you're freaks, like Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge. They're going to hit balls really, really hard. But for guys like me that aren't the biggest, and don't have, you know, the big levers to create that bat speed, the bat speed training is what really helps you create that." 

Question 6. Has the mentality and approach around bat speed with coaches and players changed at all over the past couple of years?

It has. It's been a long road to trying to change minds, in the baseball world as it always is. But, yeah, it's starting to change. And, you're seeing younger kids in the organization start training bat speed at a younger age. And then by the time they get to, you know, Triple-A or the big leagues, it's kind of autopilot for them.

Question 7. Before using the VELO Overspeed Bat System what kinds of things had you tried using to increase your bat speed?

I actually created my own bats. I went to Home Depot, bought, wooden sticks and, some pipefitters and put them on the end. And, I used quarters to get the exact weights that I wanted and taped it all up on the end of the bat. Those broke a few times. You know, swinging them as fast as we do. And, I threw them a couple times to, you know, the grip on them wasn't great, but, that was how I tried to, increase my bat speed before I had the VELO bat.

Question 8. How has training with the VELO Overspeed been compared to other things you've tried in the past for training bat speed?

Ease of use. Number one, easy to travel with, easy to move the weights on and off. I don't have to carry three different bats. And then obviously having the swing radar behind me as well. Super easy to track my speeds and compete with myself.

Question 9. When did you start using the VELO Overspeed bat and what kind of results have you seen?

I started using it about two years ago. It was a no brainer. Obviously seeing the the numbers on the screen, the radar screen, you know, showing that I started out kind of slow, just getting used to it a little bit, but, I've been able to get the light bat up to around 102mph.

Question 10. Is the training easy to follow?

Yeah. Super easy. Just as long as you give max effort. I think that's the biggest thing that, when when you're training, if you're not giving your max effort, you're not really going to make the adaptations that you need to.

Question 11. What does the training look like?

So I take about 15 to 20 swings, before I hit. I try to do it every other day. Just to keep my nervous system in check, I don't want to fry it too quickly. But, yeah, I'll take, you know, three swings with each swing weight, and then I do six swings total with the lightest bat. I try to do the overspeed as much as I can.

Question 12. How long does it take before you see results with the training?

It's pretty quick. Obviously, you know, when you're younger, it's going to be a lot quicker. I've seen a lot of younger kids move a lot faster after using it. But yeah, with me, it started out kind of slow, but, we started getting it going a lot faster with the light speed bat and, it's nice just to prime the nervous system before you go and hit. 

Question 13. Is the VELO Overspeed bat something plan on continuing to train with?

Absolutely. I just turned 31 this year, and, as we said, I made my debut, and, that's the first thing that goes as you get older, is the bat speed. And, it's not something I'm willing to lose.

Question 14. Would you recommend VELO Overspeed training?

Absolutely. Yeah, for people who say that bat speed doesn't matter. It does matter. I think the biggest thing that matters is when you take your less than best swing and you still have good bat speed. You know, I train bat speed to raise the floor, and not so much the ceiling.

Question 15. Who should consider training with VELO Overspeed and is it something high school players should start using now?

High school, younger, everybody. That's, definitely something I would recommend. Especially if you wanted to play college and especially pro.

About VELO Sports

VELO Sports specializes in bat speed training, helping players unlock measurable gains that translate directly to on-field performance. VELO Sports creates innovative tools designed to help hitters at all levels—from Little League to the Big Leagues—unlock more bat speed and power. Our products are simple to implement, proven to deliver results, and loved by players and coaches alike.

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