[UmpJM]

mattmets,

Though I have no ties to MiLB, I did attend the Desert Classic last year.

For the mechanics part of the Classic, they taught from the PBUC "Red Book".

1. We were quite specifically and emphatically taught to keep facing forward, eyes on the ball while giving a strike mechanic. During the cagework drills, they had all students use the "hammer". On the last day of class, they allowed "personalization" of the mechanic and either a point or hammer was fine - as long as you kept facing forward, eyes on the ball.

2. For the out mechanic, we were taught to raise our upper arm to the point that it was parallel to the ground, and give a crisp hammering motion, like a knock on a door.

Sounds like what you saw was what we were taught.

JM