My dad built my son a mound. The square lifts up and you can rotate it. When he gets older you can rotate it 180 degrees and make the mound longer. Or rotate it 90 and work picks to first base. Figured baseball folks would appreciate this type of work!
Mound visit - Pitchers
▫️Don’t come off the mound, we’ll meet at the rubber
▫️If you want to stay in, fight for it
▫️Pick your head up and look your coach in the eyes
▫️Don’t give up the ball until your coach puts his hand out for it
▫️Don’t ever flip the ball!
@FlatgroundApp
Hitters 👉 After you strikeout…. Let’s get past the “He’s not any good… this guy sucks” routine when you get back to the dugout. Give your teammates useful information that can aid them in their at bats.
Hasn’t happened to me yet in 11 years. I’m waiting to coach the pitcher that eats nails + chews glass for breakfast and tells me to go back and sit on my bucket!
The entire MLB can’t hit….. The long ball is dead…. One positive that could come from this? Teams may have to start stealing bases, getting a bunt down, hitting behind a runner…. Get em on, get em over, get em in??!!
4U projectable frame from the 2033 class. Somewhat coachable. Checks all the swing metric boxes. Disinterested in any defensive play. Hunts dandelions.
@FlatgroundBats
Congrats if you’re committed to play ball at the next level 👏 Now do yourself a big favor….Get with ppl that understand the work you need to put in to become a contributor at the collegiate level. Your pinned tweet won’t mean a thing when you get on campus 🎯
High School hitters:
What velocity looks “fast” to you? Is it 80? 85? 90?
If it looks “fast” you’re already behind. Make 80 look like BP, make 85 look like 80. Train with speed, and if you can’t do that train with reaction time. Find a way to slow the game down!
This is 90 MPH.
When you go 0-3 with 3 k’s against your first live arm in the spring, don’t go back to your coach or instructor and say your swing stinks. 42 MPH BP and flipty doo’s doesn’t get you ready for ⛽️!
Bat to ball skills ➡️ 👑
I still remember this day like it was yesterday. Good luck to all the players selected in the MLB draft today! May all your dreams come true! And to all the young kids out there….DREAM BIG!
“Ford, are you picking up some guys for Grand Park? Extra arms? A bat??”
Me: “Wut”
“You know... Add guys.... Better players.... Go further....”
Me: “🤦♂️”
#PlayMy12
24-14-1. 0 tournament championships. Might not be good enough for most coaches....
Rewind one year ago. We didn’t have a single player rostered...team was built from scratch. Kids bought into something that’s bigger than themselves and we built a culture through trust.
☑️ Javier Baez > Corey Seager
☑️ $140M < $325M
☑️ 6 years < 10 years
☑️ More $ for Torq, Mize, Skubal, Greene down the road is 🔥
Baez is a + defender with pop and can run. Be happy 🐅 fans!
I’m a big fan of the 3-0 green light in travel ball. If your goal is to progress your hitters to the next level, train them to hunt a FB in their hot zone 3-0. Let them eat and see if they can do damage! 3-0 takes teach nothing.
I threw 386 BP pitches last night. I threw 2 balls.
👇
My command at 40 years old is better than when I was 20.
👇
Command can be 𝘿𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙇𝙊𝙋𝙀𝘿.
👇
If you wanted a better jump shot would you shoot thousands or hundreds?
👇
Throw more, not less. Vary intensity.
You just missed a velo PR. You’re pissed. You just missed your spot by 4 feet. You’re unfazed.
You’re not a pitcher yet. Start caring about where the ball goes. It matters.
Pitchers: Stop losing games because you’re issuing 1+ freebies an inning. Hitting is hard. Use the plate more than the corners! Nibbling is for the birds 🐦 🐦
Let’s all make sure to appreciate Miguel Cabrera’s 3,000th hit. The next best chance to get to 3,000? Freddie Freeman. 1720 hits at 32 years old. With how baseball is now, we may not see this feat for quite some time.
If you play in a fall league, and you…
▪️show up 30 minutes before the game
▪️don’t warm up
▪️participate in a sloppy game of catch
▪️take 0 swings
▪️take 0 ground balls or fly balls
….why do you play? …and don’t act upset when you perform poorly after awful preparation.
Pitching to contact doesn’t mean you’re giving in to get scorched. It means you’re throwing with conviction to an intended location and you’re going to live with the result. Hitting is hard. Don’t fear contact.
The difference between:
An effortless 80
A max out 80
A smooth 90
A hat fly off the head 90
Don’t tell me what you throw, show me what you pitch at. Effective, sustainable velocity. Raise the floor, not just the ceiling.
𝙄𝙁 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭, use it to step out of your comfort zone. Throw some 2-0 change ups, take a game of at bats and work backside, pick an off speed count and take a bag. Learn new ways to help your team 🆆🅸🅽 in the spring!
Great weekend for 16u Ford going 4-0 with wins over the 16u Oakland Bulldogs, 17u Hit Dogs Campbell, 18u Little Caesars, and 17u WOW Elite. Contributions all around!
Our pitchers have a motto:
𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐊𝐄𝐒
Get there as fast as you can! If on your way, the hitter makes contact, evaluate it. If it’s weak, continue your game plan. Hard contact? Adjust sequencing or modify the quality of your intended location. 🧵
“I want to go D1... I want to go D1...
I want to go D1... I want to go D1...
I want to go D1... I want to go D1...
I want to go D1... I want to go D1...
I want to go D1... I want to go D1...
I want to go D1... I want to go D1...”
If you’re a LHP and you’re not being called for an occasional balk, you’re not doing it right! You have a big advantage, practice your picks often, and push the boundary!
Most pitchers think their command is better than what it is. If you’re walking more than 1 per 2 IP, you’re hurting the ball club. (Shoot for 1 per 3 IP). Here are some tips that can help keep the freebies down, and force the other team to beat you👇
@FlatgroundApp
Good luck to all HS players this spring. Friendly tip: when posting about your personal performance, don’t forget to mention the team.... “The boys played well and we started the season with an 8-2 W! I went......”
....Your fit may or may not be D1. Your baseball career likely has a shelf life of 0-4 years. Your professional career has 40+. Your “status” goes out the window as soon as you step foot on campus. Gather information and choose wisely.
I was overjoyed with the attendance from the college coaches who came to our showcase at Legacy today. Thank You! Players: Keep working! The recruiting process can change on a dime at any time. Continue to grow and develop, chase your dreams!
Don’t listen to ppl who only tell you what they think you can be. That’s nonsense, lazy guesswork. Find someone that can show you brick by brick how you can improve as an individual and player. Make them put it on a calendar, month by month, week by week, day by day!
Velocity is up in college baseball. Data and metrics are analyzed and emphasized. Here are your team ERAs and WHIPs for D1s in MI for 2022:
6.64/1.72
6.63/1.73
6.16/1.68
6.31/1.62
4.67/1.42
8.77/2.02
Stuff might be ⬆️ but the pitching was 🗑
Why does the catcher always throw down to second in between innings? I’m done with that, we’re gonna throw down to third and back pick to first in between some innings too.
PROGRAM NEWS:
@BGSU_Baseball
is BACK!
@BGAthletics
announced the return of the baseball program thanks to a $1.5M fundraising drive.
Here's my piece on the great news:
Want to learn how to 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙩𝙚?
...................
Start by putting 𝙬𝙚 before 𝙢𝙚 and ask yourself one question every morning
...................
What does the 𝙏𝙀𝘼𝙈 need from me today?
Twitter Hitting World...
What’s the purpose in posting ball exit videos of a hitter that’s using every cheat in the book to generate a manipulated number? It’s not the player’s game swing. College coaches aren’t dumb.
@FlatgroundBats
Me “Ok. Then how do you know you want that?”
“...It’s the highest level..”
Me “🙄 Listen kid... Find your FIT. Where do you fit academically? What type of college experience are you looking for? Who WANTS you? .....
(Plenty of D2/D3/NAIA/Jucos can and do beat D1s 🤫)
Listen hitting Twitter.... I gave up 50 home runs professionally... hit 10 of my own at the D1 level collegiately.... if you’re flushing it and it’s not going 370+ on a HitTrax or Rapsodo, please learn how to hit and celebrate your line drives. Become a hitter!
Young individuals today care too much about “status”. Once you get where you’re going, it matters who you are and how you compete. Invest your time and energy into developing yourself!
Back to school 📚
Take pride in putting the student before the athlete! Your academics can open or close doors for you!
Your time is valuable, manage it.
Juiced up about our 18u College Prep Classic this week! Schedule will be on tourney machine tonight. Excited to watch some great baseball from some of the best teams and organizations in the Midwest!
Baseball needs to get rid of all the outdated unwritten rule BS that’s killing the game. Let players have some fun and start marketing your stars
@MLB
#ThreeOhHacks
#BatFlips
#FistPumps
Fastest way to becoming irrelevant as a hitter?
Take fastballs middle 60% of the plate
Quickest way to being a productive hitter?
Mash fastballs middle 60% of the plate
YES YES YES until it’s NO!
Our team has a goal to hit 75-90 mph fastballs better.
.
.
So we’ve trained hitting 75-90 mph fastballs. A lot.
.
.
We’ve gotten better at hitting 75-90 mph fastballs.
Pitchers stop throwing 90 percent of pens from the wind up. If you're fortunate enough to P at college level most of you won't start, you'll come out of the pen. Mix in holds, looks, shakes, times to the plate (1.3 or under) during your pens make it game speed
@FlatgroundApp
Parents:
It’s ok to ask questions...That’s good... But when you ask about “exposure”, dig a little deeper than the surface. Exposure is actually the easiest thing a coach can get for his players.......
Start your morning by asking yourself this question.......
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮?
(Family Team. Spiritual Team. Baseball Team. Employment Team etc.)
17u Legacy Ford - looking for one -DM
👉 Former MLB draft pick / MiLB All Star
👉 Best facilities in MI
👉 Advanced tech Rapsodo 2.0/HitTrax
👉 Performance training options w Randy Young
Get seen? Get signed? I’ll do you 1 better. Get prepared for life as a student athlete!