It takes everything you have and then some. Plus an absolute undying LOVE for the game. Even then it might not be enough. Don't stop, don't quit until YOU say it's over!
"If you want to be good you don't really have a lot of choices. It takes what it takes."
~Nick Saban
HS HITTERS: I'll ask a hitter how many ABs he or she gets in a game which is 7 innings. The answer is always, around 4. That is incorrect, there are 21 ABs in the game if you get 4, that's 17 ABs that you should be studying with intent! Be a hitter not a batter!
PLAYERS: When doing tee work, don't take swings just to say that you took 200 swings today! Every swing you take MUST have PURPOSE! If you're unsure, send a vid to someone that knows your swing. Otherwise all your doing is reinforcing bad habits that will show up on game day!
PLAYERS: If you go to the plate WITHOUT a plan or approach, you're just a BATTER. If you go to the plate WITH a plan or approach, you're a HITTER and hitters will hit. Those little details can make you an impact player.
One of my college guys is home for Christmas. He's at a Nationally ranked program in NC. He was hitting with me today & he said this: "Coach you have to love this game to play it in college & I mean love it! Everyday is ground hog day, you get up & do it all over again!"
It's not alarming to me but look at the number of freshman players that committed to a D1 that didn't make their teams. It's a shame and my heart goes out to these guys now scrambling to find a school. I'm going to leave it at that.
#TimingIsEverything
Hitters: If you're hitting nothing but LDs in practice, the cage and intrasquad games but lose your swing at game time. Your problem will usually be in one of two places.
It's either your Timing or between your ears.
Hitters! It doesn't matter how you stack/load/hinge nor how you launch. None of it will matter if what you do is NOT FUNCTIONAL at game speed and/or you're NOT ON TIME!
PLAYERS:
It's NOT important what you do while everyone is watching, it's more important what you do when NOBODY is watching because that defines you and your character!!
PLAYERS:
When you STOP developing, you're baseball/ softball will be done. You can ALWAYS get better in every part of your game. Hitting (power & average), fielding, throwing, running! Work on your weakest tool the most!!
Players: You will NEVER get a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression. So, PLEASE do not put ANYTHING on any social media platform that will embarrass your mother. Trust me, it's the first place a coach or scout will look.
Players!!! Remember NEVER slam a door or a window shut, you might have to go back through it! What the heck does that even mean?
Be respectful of any college coach no matter the level. You may end up at a school you least expect, a school that wants you.
#GetOnTheField
@butchbaccala
I have been saying what I'm about to say for 38 years. Cookie Cutter approach to hitting DOES NOT WORK. Hitters are individuals and have to train that way. There are some commonalities but when hitters are all trained the same way, they lose athleticism and can't hit at gamespeed
Players: Failures, Disappointments, Setbacks, they all are one thing, OBSTACLES! There are only 3 ways to handle OBSTACLES! Go around them, through them or over them. None of those 3 ways involves quitting! Be strong in your mind & you can accomplish anything.
Athletes, don't get caught up in metrics! They're only a tool much like a scouts radar gun & stopwatch. I've seen players with great rotational acceleration & bat speed that couldn't hit a tied dog. I have seen fielders with amazing footwork that couldn't catch a cold!
#GameSpeed
Whatever makes you uncomfortable is your biggest opportunity for growth.
When we feel comfortable and safe, we are able to perform without growing. If we don’t push ourselves to the edge of our comfort zone, we won’t become who we need to be in the future.
~Bryant McGill
On way home tonight I decided to swing by the local LL field. All fields going 2 Tball, softball, major LL & Junior LL. I counted 30 different parents watching their kids. 25 of the 30 had their faces buried in their cell phones. They weren't watching their kids play. Do better!
Remember that decisions you make as a young adult have the potential not only to impact your life but the life of your family as well, perhaps forever! Choose your actions carefully and surround yourself with people of character.
@PFAbaseball
If they're on the field they are all worth improving! That's why it's called coaching. We have a responsibility to do all we can while we can.
@Cdot_Lewis15
College coaching is a small circle and all of them talk. That's how it should be. If a player is not interested or isn't a good fit, good coaches will always call another school outside their conference🤣 to help a player realize his dream.
@nextlevelbb
If you don't love the game and I mean LOVE the game, you have a zero chance of reaching your full potential. Baseball is a grind and to get through that grind and be successful, you MUST LOVE THE GAME!
It's mind boggling to me! Pre Game BP where the hitters get hacks with guys throwing soft or huge arc on the ball. Then during game it's a mystery when all the hitters are pounding the balls into ground or lunging. Get someone that can throw great BP, your hitters will HIT!!
@FatherOf4Lunas
A coach that is ego driven can never reach his true potential. Therefore the players will not be led, inspired, motivated or learn and will not reach their true potential either.
Stay with YOUR Process/Journey/Plan. DON'T get caught up with, this kid lifted this & this kids EV was 100. That's great for the other kid but NOT for you. FOCUS on what YOUR doing because that's the only way you'll get where you are going! COMPARISON is the thief of JOY!
~TR
Your mind is the most powerful tool you have on the field & in life. Anytime you step on that field, know that you belong there. Self doubt has no place with you, it destroys confidence. Never be afraid to fail, that's the time we learn the most about ourselves and the game.
Huge congratulations to my former scouting director Dana Brown who has been hired as the GM for the Astros. Dana is an unbelievable judge/evaluator of players & a tremendous person. I wish you continued success. Godspeed Dana.
Players never stop trying, never be afraid to fail, you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish by believing in yourself!
"One of the greatest discoveries a person makes, one of their great surprises, is to find they can do what they were afraid they couldn't do.”
~Henry Ford
In a few hours it will be what most people believe is just another day, October 1st. In reality it has become something greater. Yes it's my birthday but years ago the entire month was renamed MIKETOBER! The time when other baseball lovers/nuts watch playoff baseball non stop!
“Pressure is a word that is misused in our vocabulary. When you start thinking of pressure, it’s because you’ve started to think of failure.” – Tommy Lasorda
I train players on the 1%. 99% of what happens to you in life on or off the field YOU can't control. YOU only control the 1% which is YOU. Mastering the 1% will change your life on or off the field. The game will slow down for you. Start now letting go of what you can't control.
PLAYERS: it may seem like a small thing but it's important! PLEASE change your voice mail greeting to a personal greeting from you, instead of leaving the canned greeting that comes with the phone. It's just more professional.
@nextlevelbb
The very first place I always checked when I coached in college was social media. Same when I was a scout. What would I be looking for??? Anything that would embarrass your mother and expose your true character. Be a leader NOT A FOLLOWER!!
I love college baseball. If you're a great student & a stud between the lines you owe it to yourself to check out some summer camps at
@UDBlueHens
@CoachMamsUD
&
@ChrisCollazo5
are two top shelf coaches that understand how to develop players both as men and baseball players!
@clongbaseball
"Don't focus on the result. Focus on the process that creates the result"
What a great story, there are many young players out there that need to hear your story.
We live in an age of instant everything and have lost the ability to wait. You can't hurry your progress nor should you. Stay calm, ask questions, ask for help if you need it. Trust yourself and those guiding you & work hard. You'll end up exactly where you're supposed to be.
1/2
I've learned a lot about baseball as a player, coach & scout. Here are 2 observations. 1. Gifted, can't miss players never reaching their full potential. Because nobody ever taught them how to handle & navigate through failure. Use the most powerfull tool you have, your mind!
Anything in life worth obtaining will challenge you over and over again until you start to question whether it's even worth it! While you struggle remember this:
"Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.”
~Roger Crawford
Our mind is so powerful and we never use it to its' full potential. Work on the mental part of the game as much or more than you do on your skill sets. You'll be astounded by the results.
"If the mind is willing, the flesh could go on and on without many things."
~Sun Tzu
HITTERS: You can have QABs (Quality At Bats) with a K! Every coach has their threshold mine is 6 swings or more & it's a QAB. I guarantee you that if you Kd your 1st AB and it was 6 or more pitches AND your a hitter. The pitcher is in trouble the next time you come up!
PLAYERS: Practice prepares you so that game day becomes a lot easier. When you leave practice you should be mentally & physically drained. If you are not then you are NOT PREPARED for game day! Repetition is boring but it's the best teacher!
It takes dedication, determination, perseverance, commitment, accountability, responsibility and an obessesion to be better than you were yesterday. Even if you have all those things, you also must have an undying LOVE of the game just to be relevant in the game & succeed!
The results you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding. Make that sacrifice & put in the work. Sacrifice & hard work are the only way you will accomplish your goals while others just talk about it!
@NorCalU1
I'm sorry; but why would you walk in during the playing of the National Anthem? You wait until it's over and then you walk in. It's a semi free country right now so I guess he can do what he wants but I don't have to like it and I don't.
@baseballifer11
Amen! This is the exact same path my son took. Played LL baseball, All-Stars etc, Legion Baseball. Got drafted in the 9th round from a JuCo.
PLAYERS: HS, college and into professional baseball! You are being evaluated for EVERYTHING! Every fielding play is being broken down, your read, your route to ball, your hands, your hitting, your attitude, how you handle adversity & failure. Everything you do on & off the field.
@alwaysdadszn
@USSSA
That's unacceptable. I was fortunate enough to coach my son in college & I can tell you in 39 years I have never been thrown out of a game nor have I ever argued with an umpire. It's a game that I love that's the reason you conduct yourself accordingly.
@baseballifer11
Outstanding advice! Most of the college camps are around $250 which isn't bad at all. Believe me, coaches do find players out of these camps.
PLAYERS: The greatest validation you can receive as a player doesn't come from Dad, Mom, a Coach or a Scout. It comes from the guys or ladies (softball) that you play with or against. When you get accolades from other players you know you're headed in the right direction!
Players: Tonight is homecoming in my area. Don't do anything that would embarrass your mother. Athletes you will NOT get a second chance from a college. If a college sees something on social media they can move on because kids are lined up that have character!
#MomIsWatching
@nickstrong
There is no such thing as a Non Popular college as it relates to players that are unsigned. Only 7% of all HS players will go on to play collegiately. If you want to play and the school wants you, SIGN and continue your playing career while the other 93% are sitting at home.
PLAYERS: Someday is a DANGEROUS word! Someday I'll do this, someday I'll do that. How about NOW? How about TODAY? Work on your tools & not your strongest tool. Work on your weakest tool, there are 5 of them, Hitting for power, Hitting for average, Fielding, Throwing, Running
NOW
When we fail in life or in the game, often times we want to give up. Maybe instead we try just one more time!
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.
~Thomas A. Edison
PLAYERS:
When you boot a ball, when you 💩 the bed in the box, you WILL lose control mentally. Make sure it's short lived & move on. Because if you don't things get much worse from there. Control that 7.874 inches between your ears & you control YOUR game!
🧵 1/2
You must know the person before you can properly train the player. Know their family makeup, pet names, what they like or don't like, hobbies. When you really know the player then it's easy to see when something isn't going right for them away from the field.
"Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities; strong men make them."
-Orison Swett Marden
@nextlevelbb
That's great advice! My son graduated HS at 6' 168 pounds. Two years later he was drafted in the 9th round at 6'3" 205. He graduated HS at 17 but the difference became the WEIGHT ROOM.
@BASEBALLSCOUTZ
💯 and DEVELOPMENT of skills should be at top of the list. I have watched so many HS games this year where:
Infielders, no footwork, stone hands, can't read a ball. Outfielders, horrible reads & horrible routes, Hitters, no approach at all. I don't have enough characters.BIG LIST
You've heard envy/comparison is the thief of you. Well I'm here to tell you, tension is the thief of athleticism! In the box, on the bump, in the field. You will not be fluid and you won't be athletic. Control tension with your breathing & mindset & watch what happens!
2/2
2. Helicopter parents are ruining future great players from ever reaching their full potential! Players are tougher than you think. Let them figure it out when they fail. It makes them stronger mentally which can contribute to a longer career.
@GovernorTomWolf
@POTUS
I'm a former fed & I can tell you out of all the gun arrests in one particular year over 150,000 in the 50 states, of those only 62 were prosecuted federally. We have plenty of GUN laws, just US attorneys federally & state attorneys that don't prosecute GUN crimes.
@baseballifer11
Development requires repetition but repetition doesn't come with a trophy or bragging rights. Development happens through repetition when not many folks are around. If you don't develop each skill set, you won't be around baseball very long.
@nextlevelbb
I have seen too many players just as you have described. They were absolute can't miss at a young age. Going to be in Top 25 college program or drafted. Neither happened because the parents and/or player decided NOT TO WORK HARDER and that was the end of a career that never was!
You have had it beat into your head! Don't let anyone out work you. So, make sure the work that you're doing is the "right" work in 2024. So that you will reach all your goals. Time is finite, don't waste it.
#GetSome
#WorkSmart
BASEBALL we love her but she chews players up and spits them out! So remember the following quote:
"You have to love the game even when the game don't love you back!"
~Dan O'Dowd
@JC643DP
I don't pay much attention to hitting Twitter and I'm certainly not close to the great Chipper Jones. But my guys have been hitting off a tee for the last 39 years. They have done well. Maybe the tee isn't sexy enough for some. But for me it's the lie detector of baseball!
@nextlevelbb
Damn brother you're on fire tonight! My son played JV in 9th grade, 10th grade 11 games on Varsity out of 46 or so games. Graduated HS then drafted in 9th round out of JuCo. Nobody else that he graduated with in HS was drafted. A TON of hard work to get there!
Not baseball related! Is it normal at a 4 way stop for everyone but one person (me), to lose all ability to think rationally or think at all? Good Lord! I had to direct traffic or 3 of them would still be sitting there. I did make 2 of them giggle, the one guy not so much!🤣🤣🤣
Any
#Uncommitted2024
Pitchers, or Lefty Bats please contact me. I have a proven JC in Sacramento looking for immediate impact guys for the ‘25 season. History of moving kids on, proven track record of not OVER recruiting.
Furthermore, I’m truly excited to help in this role.
@ClintHurdle13
💯 TRUTH!! We're chasing metrics and ignoring the question that must be answered by actual baseball people. Can they play, can they compete??? Can they recover from failure? Do they have GUTS & NUTS? Thanks for that Skip, I'm gonna borrow that statement.
@BASEBALLSCOUTZ
I have given so many clinics to surrounding LL's in WV & MD, both for players and coaching clinics as well. Teaching fundamentals to anyone that will listen. I have never taken one cent. I love this game. Youth level is where it all begins! Fun & Fundamentals keeps them in game.
@NorCalU1
@adamhousley
I hear you and you are right. My humble advise to those folks is to not watch any news and do your own research. Question everything, I do. I don't watch any news either.
@nextlevelbb
Even if you're prepared for all of those events before you get to college. You're not prepared for those events when you're there and living it every single day. Only the mentally & physically strong will be able to survive and compete!!!
I'm wondering how many times a HS coach can make the 1st & last outs at 3rd & make the last out at home plate b4 the head coach puts some one in the 3rd base coaching box that knows what they're doing? Absolutely crazy!!!🤪
"Everyone is guilty of all the good they did not do."
~Voltaire
Let's all try each day to do something good for someone else each and every day. Those small acts of kindness can and will make a difference!
Players, your actions speak so much louder about who you truly are, those actions define your character which will mean everything as you navigate through your life.
"The difference between who you are and who you want to be, is what you do."
~Bill Phillips
@MWRecruitingLLC
Players!!!! Go where you're wanted & where you can get on the field. Baseball at the collegiate level and above is a small window of time & opportunity, don't waste it!
@RealTimmyMac
I counsel all my guys and their parents on where I know their son can play. So they try and pick 10 schools and I get it down to 5. They then attend those camps that are commensurate with their abilities. A few weeks ago my 291st player committed. Saves a ton of money for them.
PLAYERS:
There are 2 things that you can anticipate or be really sure they're going to happen when you play. A BAD HOP & a BAD THROW. Both can be overcome with FOOTWORK! Find yourself a jump rope and do 1,000 every day!!!!!
How we grow or change our lives often times is through the things we fear the most. The words "Don't be Afraid" is in the Bible 365 times. Do what you're afraid to do.
"The magic you're looking for is in the work you're avoiding!"
~Dipen Parmar
🧵
PLAYERS:
If you are training for the level you're at now, you will never get where you need to be. You should be performing 2 levels above where you're playing now. A HS Junior should be playing like a Freshman in college. HS Freshman should be playing like a HS Junior.
Players: Never stop moving/ working. There is always something you can be doing to make yourself better. Inside and outside of the classroom.
"It is with people as it is with riding a bike. Only when moving can one comfortably maintain one’s balance.”
~Albert Einstein
INFIELDERS: You CAN'T throw a baseball or softball UNDER the 1st Baseman, at worst it's a long hop or short hop which can be picked & puts the hitter back in the dugout! But you can throw a baseball or softball over their head where they have no chance to catch the ball.
Players, remember the most valuable thing in your life which you can't ever get back, is time. Please don't waste it! Remember also that coaches have that same limitation of time being finite. They're giving you a gift they can't get back. Use your time wisely!!!
Players:
Don't let your temporary emotions end up giving you permanent regret! NEVER ever make a decision based upon emotion, it will be the wrong decision!! Make all your decisions without emotion!