Search Weight Loss Topics:




Feb 17

After losing weight, Angels’ Huston Street is ready to shed a difficult … – Los Angeles Times

Lose Weight Comments Off on After losing weight, Angels’ Huston Street is ready to shed a difficult … – Los Angeles Times

As the Angels assembled for their first team meeting of 2017 this week, their owner filtered through the Tempe Diablo Stadium clubhouse to offer handshakes and salutations across the room.

When Arte Moreno reached the locker of Huston Street, the 33-year-old reliever he will pay $9 million this year, he extended a hand and a backhanded compliment.

Im really glad you lost some weight, Moreno told Street.

Then Moreno moved to greet Streets competition for the closer role this season, Andrew Bailey and Cam Bedrosian, both seated nearby. This is an unusual situation. Street has 324 career saves. He last competed for any job eight years agowith Colorado, back when the Rockies held their spring training in Tucson.

I said the same thing in camp then that Im going to say now: Im going to do my best topull for these guys, Street said. But I want to be the closer, and I hope they choose me. Im getting ready for the season, same as I always am. Im not trying to pitch different to win a job.

While hedoes not plan to pitch differently,he is preparingin a radically different way.

Street lost some weight because twoyears of winter inertia caught up to him and he underperformed while overweight last season. Street lost some weight because he could be a free agent at years end and his future earning potential depends on him winning this competition.

The spiral out of shape started Sept. 30, 2013, when Streets father, idol, financial advisor and Texas football icon, James, died froma heart attack. He had to grieve, and he had to handle the familys businesses.

I literally couldnt give a about baseball at that point, Street said. My dad just died. And we were getting sued by nine different people. I was running 180 employees across businesses that make $40 million a year in revenue. Every day we werent making that revenue was costing my mom $110,000.

Since high school, Street had worked out with Lance Hooton, an Austin sports performance coach. As Streetsstature as a steady closer and income increased, he installed an expansive, expensive gym within his Austin home, and they trained there. That November, when Hooton showed up at his house at 6 a.m. to conduct their scheduled workouts, Street turned himaway.

Sometimes, hed ignore the doorbell ringing altogether. Other times, hed come to the door half-asleep and tell Hooton he couldnt do it. Hooton still charged him at least six times before giving up altogether.

I love Huston like a son, Hootonsaid in a Thursday phone interview, but theres no free rides.It was a shame seeing this amazing facility he put into his house go unused.

That winter, Street did little exercise and no throwing until mid-February. His weight ballooned up to 226 pounds, up 30 from his peak. But, somehow, he logged the best season of his career, converting 41 of 44 saves with a 1.37 earned-run average. No closer was better. He repeated the regimen that winter, with a bit of added lifting, and saved 40 more games in 2015, albeit with a 3.18 ERA.

I was kind of just cruising on the work from five years earlier, Streetsaid.

Said Hooton: It was a ticking time bomb, and he knew that. He was just playing with house money for a couple years.

The aspect Streetfailed to considerwas age the fallacy of my ways, he said.

So, 2016 happened. Bothered by an April oblique strainhe did not allow adequate time to recover and persistent knee pain that required surgery, hethrew a career-low 22 1/3 innings. His fastball was slower than ever, and he registered a career-high 6.45 earned-run average, more than doublinghis standard. TheAngels told him before years end that hed have to compete to be the 2017 closer.

And, they said, lose the paunch.

Streetcalled Hooton and they went to work like old times. Most winter weekdays, theyd start at a track and do sprints, hurdles and medicine-ball throws. They squatted heavy weight and revisitedOlympic weightlifting. At home, he cut most carbohydrates from his diet, save for Sunday kolaches with his children.

He reported losingabout 15 pounds and loweringhis body fat from 18% to 12%.

I think he's in the shape that he needs to be, Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said.

The Angels possess a $10-million option to retain Street for 2018. They can pay that, or pay $1 million to buy him out of it. At this point, abuyout is far more likely. That, of course, was motivation.

Lets make not any mistake about it, were talking about a business here, and hes made a business out of being really good, Hooton said. That, in combination with, hes in a contract year and hadthe most embarrassing season hes ever had in any sport in his life.

Street values his fathers advice about the comfort hard work creates. He believes hell succeed. But even if he doesnt, he said, he knows he tried.

When I started the season last year, the ball was coming out of my hand as clean as its ever come out of my hand. It just wasnt going as fast, Street said. That can only be attributed to one thing: Lack of strength. Or, youve lost it.

I gotta go prove this year that I havent lost it. And I love that.

Teams guided by former Angels teammates Troy Percival and Darin Erstad will open their college seasons Fridayat Tempe Diablo Stadium. A weekend series is scheduled.Percival is the coach of UC Riverside; Erstad is Nebraskas coach.

pedro.moura@latimes.com

Twitter: @pedromoura

Go here to see the original:
After losing weight, Angels' Huston Street is ready to shed a difficult ... - Los Angeles Times

Related Posts

    Your Full Name

    Your Email

    Your Phone Number

    Select your age (30+ only)

    Select Your US State

    Program Choice

    Confirm over 30 years old

    Yes

    Confirm that you resident in USA

    Yes

    This is a Serious Inquiry

    Yes

    Message:



    matomo tracker