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Summer 2014

In 2013 the New York Yankees were buried beneath an avalanche of injuries and missed the playoffs for only the second time since 1995.

During the offseason the franchise spent almost a half-billion dollars to acquire top free agent players 麻豆精品 S� plus one other significant hire. They plucked strength and conditioning coach Matt Krause, 麻豆精品 S�99, from the Cincinnati Reds.

麻豆精品 S淲e feel like we hired one of the best in the business, 麻豆精品 S� says Brian Cashman, Yankees senior vice president and general manager. 麻豆精品 S淢att is detail oriented, a great communicator and really knows his business inside and out. 麻豆精品 S�

Dream Job

Krause grew up a Yankees fan in Valley Stream, New York. And while his parents were able to help his older siblings pay for college, his father was laid off around the time of Krause 麻豆精品 S檚 high school graduation. 麻豆精品 S淭here wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 financial help for me, 麻豆精品 S� he says, 麻豆精品 S渟o I had to figure out a way to get it done. 麻豆精品 S�

Finding creative ways to succeed would become his mantra academically and professionally.

Krause enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was in the reserves from 1992 to 2000. He earned an undergraduate degree in exercise and sports science at East Carolina University, where he caught the attention of Jeff Connors, ECU 麻豆精品 S檚 strength coach.

Knowing Krause wanted to get a master 麻豆精品 S檚 degree but lacked the finances, Connors said, 麻豆精品 S淚 can get you into UCF right now. I know the guy down there, Reese Bridgman. 麻豆精品 S�

There was one catch: The job that would help pay his tuition was in strength and conditioning instead of sports medicine. 麻豆精品 S淚 didn 麻豆精品 S檛 have any money, 麻豆精品 S� Krause says, 麻豆精品 S渟o I was looking for any path to get my master 麻豆精品 S檚 degree. 麻豆精品 S� Once at UCF, Krause discovered he loved the work. 麻豆精品 S淪trength and conditioning fit my personality way better. I like being around the weight room, pushing people and being able to understand the motivational cues of different people. 麻豆精品 S�

After graduating, Krause 麻豆精品 S檚 first job was with the Knights. The university was transitioning from Division I-AA to Division I sports and soon attracted NFL-quality athletes like quarterback Daunte Culpepper.

麻豆精品 S淚 probably wouldn 麻豆精品 S檛 have been able to learn all the things I wanted to if I wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 at UCF, 麻豆精品 S� Krause says. 麻豆精品 S淚 got to work men 麻豆精品 S檚 and women 麻豆精品 S檚 sports 麻豆精品 S� soccer, football, baseball, cheerleading, crew … One team would be on an Olympic lifting program and another on a high-intensity program. So you figure out what works, what people will and won 麻豆精品 S檛 do, and how the coaches are going to respond to different things. You also learn your capacity to work. 麻豆精品 S�

In addition to his UCF duties, Krause contacted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 麻豆精品 S� strength and conditioning coordinator and was soon driving to the NFL team 麻豆精品 S檚 facility for their summer practices, volunteering in return for the experience.

Big Leagues

One day Krause got a call from the Chicago Cubs 麻豆精品 S� Bruce Hammel, who was looking for an intern to help with the organization 麻豆精品 S檚 Class A minor league team, the Daytona Cubs.

麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 thinking, 麻豆精品 S業 麻豆精品 S檓 not going to send you an intern. I 麻豆精品 S檒l do it, 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Krause says.

He 麻豆精品 S檇 work at UCF with the football team in the morning and the basketball team in the afternoon. 麻豆精品 S淭hen I 麻豆精品 S檇 drive to Daytona and work their home games, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淭hat was my first experience with baseball. 麻豆精品 S�

Impressed by his performance, Hammel approached Krause about a job as a minor league coordinator with the Pittsburgh Pirates. 麻豆精品 S淚t was the first time I was able to use all my athletic training skills and all my strength and conditioning skills, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淚n [professional baseball], you 麻豆精品 S檝e got to be creative. You 麻豆精品 S檝e got to go on the road where there is no gym and find a way to get your work in for the players. Different facilities now dictate what you can and can 麻豆精品 S檛 do. 麻豆精品 S�

His work caught the attention of the Cincinnati Reds, who hired him away from the Pirates. Krause worked 11 years for the Reds, the last nine in the major leagues.

Krause is one of only a few in Major League Baseball who is certified as both an athletic trainer and a strength and conditioning coach. He 麻豆精品 S檚 the vice president of the Professional Baseball

Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society and sits on the performance committee for the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He 麻豆精品 S檚 also a sought-after speaker and has authored papers, including some with Jay Hoffman, chair of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Department of Educational and Human Sciences. Last year, he won the Nolan Ryan Award, given to MLB 麻豆精品 S檚 Strength Coach of the Year.

During his tenure with the Reds, the team was one of the league 麻豆精品 S檚 least injured teams. Last season they used the fewest number of players in the game, and used only five starting pitchers through their first 120 games, setting a modern franchise record. The stats speak to keeping players healthy, and it 麻豆精品 S檚 something in which Krause takes particular pride. 麻豆精品 S淵ou 麻豆精品 S檙e only going to win if your best players play, 麻豆精品 S� he says. It was that ability to keep players on the field and in peak shape that caught the attention of the Yankees, who were the league 麻豆精品 S檚 most injured team last season.

Krause also built a reputation as someone players want to work with.

麻豆精品 S淢att 麻豆精品 S檚 great at helping you build a program, 麻豆精品 S� says pitcher Bronson Arroyo, who worked closely with Krause, both in the Pirates 麻豆精品 S� minor league system and later with the Reds. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 his ability to apply what he knows on an individual basis. Some guys are cookie-cutter 麻豆精品 S� not him. Matt knows what works for me and that what I need is different from someone else. 麻豆精品 S�

Because he was with Krause in the minor and major leagues, Arroyo also got to see him mature in his profession.

麻豆精品 S淚n the minor leagues, everything is dictated to you, 麻豆精品 S� Arroyo says. 麻豆精品 S淪o early on, Matt 麻豆精品 S檚 military background came into play. You can be a drill sergeant at that level, and he was. But at the major league level, when you 麻豆精品 S檙e dealing with guys making $10 million [or] $20 million, you can 麻豆精品 S檛 just order them around. But Matt makes it fun. He makes the weight room feel like a sanctuary. 麻豆精品 S�

And now that weight room 麻豆精品 S� that sanctuary where 40-year-old Matt Krause thrives 麻豆精品 S� is at Yankee Stadium.

麻豆精品 S淚 do know what I 麻豆精品 S檓 getting into, 麻豆精品 S� Krause says, nodding his head. 麻豆精品 S淏ut I think I 麻豆精品 S檓 old enough now to appreciate it. I 麻豆精品 S檓 ready for this opportunity. 麻豆精品 S�