So it's been a little while since I've able to get on here, mostly because I have made the move back to JMU to train for the upcoming season. The coaching staff and everyone here has been more than welcoming allowing me to use the facilities, so I'm making the most of this opportunity. It is a big help being down here with the team and some other minor league guys who are really working hard preparing for the spring. I'm planning to start video taping different drills or maybe some interviews with college coaches and players about what they are looking for in high school players and what it takes to be a college player.
As a kid I always attended 'Make the Play' basketball camp run by former Torrington High School basketball coach Tony Turina. Every year there was a guest speaker, the head coach from Notre Dame-West Haven in Connecticut. The quote that I remember most from his speech is 'KNOWLEDGE IS POWER' because he delivered the message loud enough for all of Torrington to hear. I am trying to get some more knowledge although I have never been an avid reader. But, there are several books that I've started that I want to share. I got a few baseball oriented books for Christmas that I'm looking forward to. I've also included a couple books about being successful in life.
The Science of Hitting by Ted Williams is a book that I found in my room at home. My dad bought it for me when I was in high school, but I never finished reading it then. Ted Williams gives some insight into the fundamentals of the swing and some of his hitting philosophies.
Positional Hitting by Jaime Cevallos is a book that a couple of teammates from the summer told me about, but I haven't gotten very deep into it yet. It breaks down the swing fundamentals and I am a fan of learning about mechanics in the baseball swing. There are many, many coaches and instructors who will teach different things about the baseball swing and I don't agree with all of them, but I think it's beneficial to learn about different people's beliefs.
Mental Toughness: Baseball's Winning Edge by Karl Kuehl, John Kuehl, and Casey Tefertiller is a book that many former teammates have read and recommended to me. As the title says it's all about the mental aspects of baseball and being mentally tough with a positive attitude. As I've mentioned in some earlier posts, the mental side of baseball is so important and becoming a very popular topic.
Moneyball by Michael Lewis is about the A's philosophy on baseball and the many new statistical measures that they use to evaluate players. I read the book while I was in college, but it is pretty essential for me to read now that I play for the organization. The main person behind this new age thinking is Billy Beane, the A's general manager.
Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success by John Wooden and Jay Carty breaks down Coach John Wooden's building blocks for success. Wooden is one of my father's favorite coaches and role models, with good reason. I particularly like this book because it gives insight from one of the greatest coaching minds of all time along with corresponding passages from the Bible.
The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino is a book that both of my parents have read and lent to me last year. As I mentioned I don't often read or find many books interesting, but I think I read through this book in 2 days. It's an easy read and I really feel that it's guiding the way to a happy, positive life and to become a better person.
God's Game Plan: The Athlete's Bible was given to me a couple of years ago from one of my college coaches. Its a very readable translation of the Bible and is geared towards athletes. I think my mom has found it on Amazon for a good price.
More to come soon as I videotaped myself hitting and hope to make a video break down my swing compared to some big leaguers. As mentioned earlier I also want to make some videos interviewing other players and coaches about their experiences with baseball. Hope everyone is having a good start to 2011, God Bless!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Focus on the Now
I've heard from many people who have been following the blog and enjoying it, especially the story I wrote about tripping over my own feet. I've also heard some good feedback on topics people would like to hear about. I would love to hear from you via email (mfabiaschi12@gmail.com) to see if I can answer any questions that are applicable. I was talking to a high school friend Chris Pashley about some of my experiences from last summer and he gave me some great insight from a fan's perspective. He let me know that most fans never get to hear about the mental/personal side of a professional baseball player.
Playing any sport requires a level of mental toughness to be able to compete at a high level everyday. There are a couple of reasons why baseball will test you mentally, mostly because even the most successful hitters will fail seven times out of ten. Can you guess how many major leaguers hit over .300 last season? Only 12 out of the hundreds of hitters finished the season hitting .300 or higher. Failure is a part of baseball, and to be a successful hitter you have to be able to deal with this failure. The way that I try to deal with this part of the game is to treat every at bat the same. This seems like a pretty obvious idea, but it is only human nature to think some at bats are less important than others. Batting at the end of a close game with runners on base is very different than hitting when your team is down 15 runs. But, you really should have the same mental approach for every at bat because at the end of the season, all at bats are equal. You shouldn't be trying harder because it is a pressure situation, you should be giving yourself the best chance to hit every at bat. I posted a great video about mental toughness in baseball below.
I've also been asked what else I do to deal with the struggles that are sure to come at some point in a long season. The speaker in the video above makes a great point about focusing on the present. I am a huge believer in this, because right now is the only thing that you can control. You can't control your performance yesterday and you can't guarantee what your performance will be tomorrow. But, today you can control. I heard a quote that really stuck with me, "The most important day of your career is today." I love this quote because it applies to sports, work, school, and all aspects of your life. My focus when I get to the ballpark is to improve my skills and make the most of that day. We have hours before the game where we work on our swing, defense, and all parts of our game. When it comes time to 'tee it up' and the game starts, I try to focus on each inning, each out, each pitch. If you do this, you are totally focused on the current play, not the error you made last inning, or the home run you hit last night.
I hope this helps some fans get some insight into the mental side of a baseball player. But, I also hope this helps younger players and coaches learn more about baseball mental training, which is becoming more popular every year. Again, I would love to hear any feedback or questions anyone has about this or any topic you are interested in. God Bless!
Playing any sport requires a level of mental toughness to be able to compete at a high level everyday. There are a couple of reasons why baseball will test you mentally, mostly because even the most successful hitters will fail seven times out of ten. Can you guess how many major leaguers hit over .300 last season? Only 12 out of the hundreds of hitters finished the season hitting .300 or higher. Failure is a part of baseball, and to be a successful hitter you have to be able to deal with this failure. The way that I try to deal with this part of the game is to treat every at bat the same. This seems like a pretty obvious idea, but it is only human nature to think some at bats are less important than others. Batting at the end of a close game with runners on base is very different than hitting when your team is down 15 runs. But, you really should have the same mental approach for every at bat because at the end of the season, all at bats are equal. You shouldn't be trying harder because it is a pressure situation, you should be giving yourself the best chance to hit every at bat. I posted a great video about mental toughness in baseball below.
I've also been asked what else I do to deal with the struggles that are sure to come at some point in a long season. The speaker in the video above makes a great point about focusing on the present. I am a huge believer in this, because right now is the only thing that you can control. You can't control your performance yesterday and you can't guarantee what your performance will be tomorrow. But, today you can control. I heard a quote that really stuck with me, "The most important day of your career is today." I love this quote because it applies to sports, work, school, and all aspects of your life. My focus when I get to the ballpark is to improve my skills and make the most of that day. We have hours before the game where we work on our swing, defense, and all parts of our game. When it comes time to 'tee it up' and the game starts, I try to focus on each inning, each out, each pitch. If you do this, you are totally focused on the current play, not the error you made last inning, or the home run you hit last night.
I hope this helps some fans get some insight into the mental side of a baseball player. But, I also hope this helps younger players and coaches learn more about baseball mental training, which is becoming more popular every year. Again, I would love to hear any feedback or questions anyone has about this or any topic you are interested in. God Bless!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Chopper to Third..
One of the most memorable games of the summer was also one of my most embarrassing moments on a baseball field, but it makes for a good story. It was a classic baseball blooper and a play that you would see on Sportscenter's Not Top 10. In order to get the full understanding of this entertaining story I need to describe the atmosphere at this game.
It was July 16th and we were playing in Spokane, Washington. Spokane lead the league in attendance. This was a Friday night with fireworks following the game, so there was a large, rowdy crowd at the game. The official box score from that night shows 6,845 people were in attendance, the largest crowd that we played in front of all summer. In fact, it was the largest crowd that I've ever played in front of, it was a great atmosphere. The Spokane Indian's employees did an incredible job getting the fans involved in the game. They even had a (creepy) mascot, Recycle Man, who would dance on top of the dugouts and try to promote recycling at the games. Needless to say, it's a great place to see a game, with high energy fans and a great stadium.
Now that I've set the stage a little bit, I'll talk about the actual game. Our everyday third basemen was sick and couldn't play in the game, so I was approached by our manager and asked if I could play third base. Obviously being an infielder I jumped at the chance to get in the game and help out the team.
The very first batter of the game, a speedy left handed batter, hits a routine ground ball to third that I don't field cleanly and make a poor throw to first base. E5. Not the ideal start to the game, but there is plenty of game left, so I didn't get too down on myself. Fast forward about two hours and it is the bottom of the 7th inning, Vancouver leads Spokane 5-4, but Spokane has the bases loaded with two outs. I remember the hitter quickly getting to two strikes, so I retreated deep into the dirt at third. You can guess what happens next, chopper to third. I charge, reading the bouncing ball expecting to get a hop around my waist, field, and throw to first. Easy enough, right? At the last second I realize I misjudged the hops; I bend at the waist to field the ball around my ankles in a horrible fielding position. I try to shuffle my feet and prepare to throw to first, but I never got that far. Before I knew it I was face down on the infield grass, with seven thousand fans going nuts, it was unlike anything I've ever heard before. As I shuffled my feet forward, my right cleat caught the lip between the grass and dirt, and I went down like a ton of bricks. As it always seems to happen in baseball, the next two hitters double and we go on to lose the game 9-5.
I will never forget the rise in the noise level following my epic fall. The noise had built up as the ball was hit in my direction and the fans anticipated a close play at first. Then I hit the ground harder than one of Mike Tyson's knockout victims and the fans erupted. The noise was like the fizz inside a shaken up soda bottle that shoots out when the top is taken off.
My parents were listening to game being broadcast on the radio and over the internet. This is something close to what they heard, "ground ball to third, Fabiaschi charges, fields, and HE GOES DOWN!" I've heard my dad try to do an impression of the radio play-by-play man. I can only imagine what they were thinking as they listened from bed as it was almost one in the morning (because of the time zone difference).
It wasn't until days later that I could laugh it off, but I have one other fond memory from this game. Our pitcher at the time, Mike Hart, looked at me, as the stadium was going crazy and the hecklers already began reminding me that I couldn't stay on my two feet, and said "You're alright, get the next one." For the record I did eventually make the play that ended the inning and got a hit in my next at bat. I felt horrible that I had cost my team the game, but my teammates and coaches were there to pick me up when I had fallen (literally). Because of my competitive nature, it wasn't until some days later that I was able to laugh about it like I can today. I told you it makes for a good story.
I once heard an interesting concept that I always try to apply in my life with baseball. But, it can be applied with any job, school, sport, etc. When you put on your jersey (or suit or whatever you wear for your job or sport) you leave everything else going on in your personal life behind. So when I get to the ballpark, put on my uniform, I'm ready to work and improve as a baseball player and not let other distractions from my personal life effect me. When the game is over, I shower and put back on my street clothes, and I leave behind everything from baseball that day at the park and can pick back up with everything going on in my personal life. So after I finished a game where I embarrassed myself in front of thousands of people it felt good to put on my regular clothes and I reminded myself that the sun was still going to rise the next morning.
It was July 16th and we were playing in Spokane, Washington. Spokane lead the league in attendance. This was a Friday night with fireworks following the game, so there was a large, rowdy crowd at the game. The official box score from that night shows 6,845 people were in attendance, the largest crowd that we played in front of all summer. In fact, it was the largest crowd that I've ever played in front of, it was a great atmosphere. The Spokane Indian's employees did an incredible job getting the fans involved in the game. They even had a (creepy) mascot, Recycle Man, who would dance on top of the dugouts and try to promote recycling at the games. Needless to say, it's a great place to see a game, with high energy fans and a great stadium.
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| Avista Stadium in Spokane, WA |
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| Recycle Man |
Now that I've set the stage a little bit, I'll talk about the actual game. Our everyday third basemen was sick and couldn't play in the game, so I was approached by our manager and asked if I could play third base. Obviously being an infielder I jumped at the chance to get in the game and help out the team.
The very first batter of the game, a speedy left handed batter, hits a routine ground ball to third that I don't field cleanly and make a poor throw to first base. E5. Not the ideal start to the game, but there is plenty of game left, so I didn't get too down on myself. Fast forward about two hours and it is the bottom of the 7th inning, Vancouver leads Spokane 5-4, but Spokane has the bases loaded with two outs. I remember the hitter quickly getting to two strikes, so I retreated deep into the dirt at third. You can guess what happens next, chopper to third. I charge, reading the bouncing ball expecting to get a hop around my waist, field, and throw to first. Easy enough, right? At the last second I realize I misjudged the hops; I bend at the waist to field the ball around my ankles in a horrible fielding position. I try to shuffle my feet and prepare to throw to first, but I never got that far. Before I knew it I was face down on the infield grass, with seven thousand fans going nuts, it was unlike anything I've ever heard before. As I shuffled my feet forward, my right cleat caught the lip between the grass and dirt, and I went down like a ton of bricks. As it always seems to happen in baseball, the next two hitters double and we go on to lose the game 9-5.
I will never forget the rise in the noise level following my epic fall. The noise had built up as the ball was hit in my direction and the fans anticipated a close play at first. Then I hit the ground harder than one of Mike Tyson's knockout victims and the fans erupted. The noise was like the fizz inside a shaken up soda bottle that shoots out when the top is taken off.
My parents were listening to game being broadcast on the radio and over the internet. This is something close to what they heard, "ground ball to third, Fabiaschi charges, fields, and HE GOES DOWN!" I've heard my dad try to do an impression of the radio play-by-play man. I can only imagine what they were thinking as they listened from bed as it was almost one in the morning (because of the time zone difference).
It wasn't until days later that I could laugh it off, but I have one other fond memory from this game. Our pitcher at the time, Mike Hart, looked at me, as the stadium was going crazy and the hecklers already began reminding me that I couldn't stay on my two feet, and said "You're alright, get the next one." For the record I did eventually make the play that ended the inning and got a hit in my next at bat. I felt horrible that I had cost my team the game, but my teammates and coaches were there to pick me up when I had fallen (literally). Because of my competitive nature, it wasn't until some days later that I was able to laugh about it like I can today. I told you it makes for a good story.
I once heard an interesting concept that I always try to apply in my life with baseball. But, it can be applied with any job, school, sport, etc. When you put on your jersey (or suit or whatever you wear for your job or sport) you leave everything else going on in your personal life behind. So when I get to the ballpark, put on my uniform, I'm ready to work and improve as a baseball player and not let other distractions from my personal life effect me. When the game is over, I shower and put back on my street clothes, and I leave behind everything from baseball that day at the park and can pick back up with everything going on in my personal life. So after I finished a game where I embarrassed myself in front of thousands of people it felt good to put on my regular clothes and I reminded myself that the sun was still going to rise the next morning.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Infield Fundamentals
I see so many young players who don't have the proper infield fundamentals and mechanics. Having the proper fielding position is something that every player can master with practice and repetition. The best part is that it isn't difficult to train your body to get into the correct fielding position consistently. This knowledge is applicable for players from little league up to the big leagues and is something every player and coach should know.
I found this picture from my freshman year at JMU. Our head assistant was a great infield coach and was huge on infield fundamentals. I don't think there was one practice freshman year that he didn't correct my mechanics. I really like this picture to show the proper fielding position and I'll break down some key points.
The Base - Having a solid, athletic base, I believe, is the key to having a fundamentally sound fielding position. Your feet should be slightly outside of your shoulders in an athletic position much like you would guard someone in basketball. Your shoulders and feet should be perfectly squared up with the ball.
Sink the Hips - As you can see in the picture I have bent my knees and sunk my hips. A lot of younger players make the mistake of bending at the waist. You should be bending at the knees and getting your back side low to the ground, while maintaining an athletic position. Another common mistake is to squat too deep into a position similar to a catchers squat; we definitely want to avoid that. Getting into the correct fielding position will also lower your eye level and allow you the best view of the ball as it approaches.
Hands Out - You want to get your hands out in front of your body. This picture really emphasizes how far out in front of my body my hands are as I prepare to field this ground ball. Another tip that I learned from my college coach was to start with your glove on the ground. There are a couple reasons for this. Especially at younger levels of baseball, the majority of missed ground balls go right through the wickets because the fielder never gets his glove all the way to the ground. It is also much quicker to move your glove up to field a ground ball, so always start with the glove on the ground and work your way up.
Get Your Head in There - Your head should be in front of your feet giving yourself the maximum vision of the baseball. This is very hard to get younger players to do because some are fearful of the ball popping up and hitting them in the face. For players at a higher level, you can't be afraid of the ball or you will never be a successful infielder. Many times I have seen teammates and myself take a ball off the chin, but that's part of the game.
The Triangle - If you draw lines between your two feet and hands, it should form a perfect triangle. This technique often helps younger players grasp the correct fundamentals.
Fielding the Ball -You are in a fundamentally sound position, now all that is left is to field the ball cleanly. Make sure that your fielding arm isn't locked out or too stiff as you want to be loose and able to move your glove quickly to adjust to a bad hop. Your throwing hand should be slightly above your glove to ensure a clean catch and to keep the ball from rolling out of your glove. As I noted above, the majority of errors happen when the ball goes below the fielders glove. Remember, start from the ground and work your way up.
I found this picture from my freshman year at JMU. Our head assistant was a great infield coach and was huge on infield fundamentals. I don't think there was one practice freshman year that he didn't correct my mechanics. I really like this picture to show the proper fielding position and I'll break down some key points.
The Base - Having a solid, athletic base, I believe, is the key to having a fundamentally sound fielding position. Your feet should be slightly outside of your shoulders in an athletic position much like you would guard someone in basketball. Your shoulders and feet should be perfectly squared up with the ball.
Sink the Hips - As you can see in the picture I have bent my knees and sunk my hips. A lot of younger players make the mistake of bending at the waist. You should be bending at the knees and getting your back side low to the ground, while maintaining an athletic position. Another common mistake is to squat too deep into a position similar to a catchers squat; we definitely want to avoid that. Getting into the correct fielding position will also lower your eye level and allow you the best view of the ball as it approaches.
Hands Out - You want to get your hands out in front of your body. This picture really emphasizes how far out in front of my body my hands are as I prepare to field this ground ball. Another tip that I learned from my college coach was to start with your glove on the ground. There are a couple reasons for this. Especially at younger levels of baseball, the majority of missed ground balls go right through the wickets because the fielder never gets his glove all the way to the ground. It is also much quicker to move your glove up to field a ground ball, so always start with the glove on the ground and work your way up.
Get Your Head in There - Your head should be in front of your feet giving yourself the maximum vision of the baseball. This is very hard to get younger players to do because some are fearful of the ball popping up and hitting them in the face. For players at a higher level, you can't be afraid of the ball or you will never be a successful infielder. Many times I have seen teammates and myself take a ball off the chin, but that's part of the game.
The Triangle - If you draw lines between your two feet and hands, it should form a perfect triangle. This technique often helps younger players grasp the correct fundamentals.
Fielding the Ball -You are in a fundamentally sound position, now all that is left is to field the ball cleanly. Make sure that your fielding arm isn't locked out or too stiff as you want to be loose and able to move your glove quickly to adjust to a bad hop. Your throwing hand should be slightly above your glove to ensure a clean catch and to keep the ball from rolling out of your glove. As I noted above, the majority of errors happen when the ball goes below the fielders glove. Remember, start from the ground and work your way up.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Creatures of Habit
Baseball is a game of routines. Whether you realize it or not, every player follows routines in between pitches, in the on-deck circle, and before the game even starts. Some of these routines are very subtle, that the average fan would not pick up on, while others are quite obvious like Nomar Garciaparra's extensive batting routine before each pitch. I couldn't find a good clip of Garciaparra's routine, but this is a clip of former minor league prospect Andy Phillips.
Most players have a certain routine when they go to the plate, as you just saw in the video, similar to basketball players having a routine every time they go to the foul line. The mental side of the game is very interesting and I will get into more detail of that at a later time, but I wanted to focus on my daily routine last summer. Many people ask me to describe an average day for a Minor League baseball player, so I'm going to share about my experiences last summer. The following is my daily schedule for a night game played in Vancouver.
9:45 a.m. - Wake up and eat breakfast, usually toast, banana, peanut butter crackers, and chocolate milk.
10:30 a.m. - Leave host family's house for the subway to get to the gym.
11:00 a.m. - Arrive at the gym and lift for about an hour. I would lift 3-4 times a week, so there were days when I would sleep through the morning.
12:45 p.m. - Shower at my host family's house and have lunch. I usually ate a couple PB&Js or often had some leftovers from last night's dinner along with chips, protein bar, a Gatorade, and usually more chocolate milk.
1:45 - Leave for the park. My wonderful host mom would always drop myself and my roommate off at the field.
2:15 - Start getting loose and taking swings off of a tee or front toss. Our hitting coach was great and would always be there to work with me or any other players hours before the game began. There was always a group of guys getting some extra work in, so I would take 3-5 rounds of front toss every day. Front toss is a drill where a person flips the ball underhand from behind a screen to the hitter about 10 feet away. Below is a video of Alex Rodriguez hitting front toss.
Sometime from 3:15-3:45 - Meet as a team and discuss the previous nights game for 5 minutes, then break into stretching led by our strength and conditioning coach. After stretching was team conditioning; one day was pitchers conditioning, the following day for position players, and continued forth in that pattern. Next, we would go through a throwing program to warm-up our arms, and would usually have a short, team defensive practice before batting practice. In this time we would work on fly ball communication, cutoffs and relays, 1st and 3rd defense plays, bunt plays, etc.
4:30 - 5:15 - Batting practice. We broke into 3 groups and rotated between: hitting, base running, and defense.
5:15 - Pregame meal prepared by our clubhouse manager. He was quite the cook, which led to many second helpings
6:00 - "Road to the Big Leagues" as we called it. More optional hitting to get a few more front toss rounds to prepare for the game.
6:40 - "On the line" as our manager, Skip, said. We went through a base running routine with a couple sprints.
7:05 - First pitch. Time to "tee it off" another of Skip's sayings.
Post-Game - Return home and eat dinner around 10:30-11:00. My host mom always made great, large dinners and amazing desserts. I even started eating salads (My mom was so proud!)
Shortly after dinner was over, I would get ready for bed and rest up to do it all over again the next day.
Most players have a certain routine when they go to the plate, as you just saw in the video, similar to basketball players having a routine every time they go to the foul line. The mental side of the game is very interesting and I will get into more detail of that at a later time, but I wanted to focus on my daily routine last summer. Many people ask me to describe an average day for a Minor League baseball player, so I'm going to share about my experiences last summer. The following is my daily schedule for a night game played in Vancouver.
9:45 a.m. - Wake up and eat breakfast, usually toast, banana, peanut butter crackers, and chocolate milk.
10:30 a.m. - Leave host family's house for the subway to get to the gym.
11:00 a.m. - Arrive at the gym and lift for about an hour. I would lift 3-4 times a week, so there were days when I would sleep through the morning.
12:45 p.m. - Shower at my host family's house and have lunch. I usually ate a couple PB&Js or often had some leftovers from last night's dinner along with chips, protein bar, a Gatorade, and usually more chocolate milk.
1:45 - Leave for the park. My wonderful host mom would always drop myself and my roommate off at the field.
2:15 - Start getting loose and taking swings off of a tee or front toss. Our hitting coach was great and would always be there to work with me or any other players hours before the game began. There was always a group of guys getting some extra work in, so I would take 3-5 rounds of front toss every day. Front toss is a drill where a person flips the ball underhand from behind a screen to the hitter about 10 feet away. Below is a video of Alex Rodriguez hitting front toss.
Sometime from 3:15-3:45 - Meet as a team and discuss the previous nights game for 5 minutes, then break into stretching led by our strength and conditioning coach. After stretching was team conditioning; one day was pitchers conditioning, the following day for position players, and continued forth in that pattern. Next, we would go through a throwing program to warm-up our arms, and would usually have a short, team defensive practice before batting practice. In this time we would work on fly ball communication, cutoffs and relays, 1st and 3rd defense plays, bunt plays, etc.
4:30 - 5:15 - Batting practice. We broke into 3 groups and rotated between: hitting, base running, and defense.
5:15 - Pregame meal prepared by our clubhouse manager. He was quite the cook, which led to many second helpings
6:00 - "Road to the Big Leagues" as we called it. More optional hitting to get a few more front toss rounds to prepare for the game.
6:40 - "On the line" as our manager, Skip, said. We went through a base running routine with a couple sprints.
7:05 - First pitch. Time to "tee it off" another of Skip's sayings.
Post-Game - Return home and eat dinner around 10:30-11:00. My host mom always made great, large dinners and amazing desserts. I even started eating salads (My mom was so proud!)
Shortly after dinner was over, I would get ready for bed and rest up to do it all over again the next day.
Monday, January 3, 2011
The Six Tools
People often ask how to get themselves or their sons to play baseball at the next level. This may be anything from making the high school team, playing in college, or playing professionally. In order to fully answer this question, you must understand the criteria on which you will be graded on. Baseball scouts and coaches agree that there are five tools that they use to grade players, but in recent years I have also heard of a sixth tool that I will discuss. All of these tools can be difficult for a scout or coach to judge if he only sees you play one or two games, but I will break down each tool to provide some insight into how you may be graded on each.
Hitting for Average - Being able to consistently make solid contact in order to hit for a high batting average. One quick statistical measure of this tool is batting average, but scouts also look at your walks vs. strikeouts. My college coach always told us to aim to draw more walks than strikeouts. Anything close to a 1:1 walk to strikeout ratio is good. Scouts will also look for the ability to know the strike zone and not chase pitches that are out of the zone.
Hitting for Power - Having the ability to drive the ball to all parts of the field consistently. This is usually an easier tool to measure by looking at home runs and extra base hits. Scouts will also look at bat speed, physical body strength, and the velocity of the ball coming off the bat. They will often project someones power potential based on their physical build. I have also heard that scouts measure someones potential power by how high the ball goes on a pop-up or fly ball. People with a lot of power tend to hit higher fly balls.
Fielding Ability - Showing the ability to field the baseball consistently and with good fundamentals. This tool will vary by position, but you can usually tell if someone looks comfortable and confident defensively. Catchers should be able to receive the ball with ease, and block balls that are thrown in the dirt. Infielders should show good fielding position, good hands, and always make the routine plays. I will post more on infield defensive drills and fundamentals. Outfielders should be able to track down fly balls with good speed and reactions, as well as be able to charge base hits and field them cleanly.
Arm Strength - Having superior arm strength will allow you to make plays that others simply can not. This can be easily measured by throwing velocity. Having a strong arm will help infielders make long throws to first base, catchers throw out stealing base runners, and outfielders throw out a runner trying to score, or take an extra base. I also include throwing accuracy and consistency in this tool.
Running Speed - This tool is commonly measured by running a 60-yard dash. This is often regarded as the tool that is hardest to teach. Having excellent speed will help a player in almost every aspect of the game. For high school players, aim for a 60-yard time of 7.0. College players with plus speed will run a 6.8 or faster. Major leaguers that run 6.6 or better are considered fast, but the average Major League 60-yard time is rumored to be around 6.9-7.0 seconds.
Mental Makeup - This is the sixth tool that I have added because I think it is that important to being a successful baseball player. I have also heard many scouts and coaches talk about the importance of being mentally tough and having a great work ethic. Mental makeup includes everything from body language, hustling, the way you deal with failures, being a good teammate, and your work ethic on and off the field. This tool is something that every scout looks for immediately. There have been many players who were quickly crossed off of a scouts list because they showed poor mental makeup.
Now, don't panic if you don't have all of these tools because there are only a handful of guys in the world who are superior in every tool. My advice to anyone looking to improve their tools is to master the tool(s) that you possess. If you hit for average, work to increase your batting average and get on base more. Most importantly, don't try to be a player that you are not. The type of player that you are should match the tool set that you have. For example, I am not a guy who hits for power, so it would be foolish for me to have the same batting approach as Alex Rodriguez.
Hitting for Average - Being able to consistently make solid contact in order to hit for a high batting average. One quick statistical measure of this tool is batting average, but scouts also look at your walks vs. strikeouts. My college coach always told us to aim to draw more walks than strikeouts. Anything close to a 1:1 walk to strikeout ratio is good. Scouts will also look for the ability to know the strike zone and not chase pitches that are out of the zone.
Hitting for Power - Having the ability to drive the ball to all parts of the field consistently. This is usually an easier tool to measure by looking at home runs and extra base hits. Scouts will also look at bat speed, physical body strength, and the velocity of the ball coming off the bat. They will often project someones power potential based on their physical build. I have also heard that scouts measure someones potential power by how high the ball goes on a pop-up or fly ball. People with a lot of power tend to hit higher fly balls.
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| Ready fielding positions |
Arm Strength - Having superior arm strength will allow you to make plays that others simply can not. This can be easily measured by throwing velocity. Having a strong arm will help infielders make long throws to first base, catchers throw out stealing base runners, and outfielders throw out a runner trying to score, or take an extra base. I also include throwing accuracy and consistency in this tool.
Running Speed - This tool is commonly measured by running a 60-yard dash. This is often regarded as the tool that is hardest to teach. Having excellent speed will help a player in almost every aspect of the game. For high school players, aim for a 60-yard time of 7.0. College players with plus speed will run a 6.8 or faster. Major leaguers that run 6.6 or better are considered fast, but the average Major League 60-yard time is rumored to be around 6.9-7.0 seconds.
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| Hustling off the field |
Now, don't panic if you don't have all of these tools because there are only a handful of guys in the world who are superior in every tool. My advice to anyone looking to improve their tools is to master the tool(s) that you possess. If you hit for average, work to increase your batting average and get on base more. Most importantly, don't try to be a player that you are not. The type of player that you are should match the tool set that you have. For example, I am not a guy who hits for power, so it would be foolish for me to have the same batting approach as Alex Rodriguez.
The Results are in
Our team in Vancouver had great chemistry, I think mostly because of the many characters on the team. It is always interesting when baseball teams come together because there are usually guys from all over the country, and in this case, all over the world. Our roster included players from Connecticut, Maryland, Florida, Texas, California, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Nevada, Massachusetts, West Virginia, Venezuela, and the Domican Republic. Combining over thirty guys from all different areas and backgrounds is sure to create an interesting dynamic. Then add the fact that we spent everyday together for three months sharing a locker room and many long bus rides and it is no wonder that we had many lasting memories together. But, there are more people who were a part of the team. We had three coaches: a manager, pitching coach, and hitting coach. We also had a strength/conditioning coach and an athletic trainer that were with us at all times. Still there are more people who became part of the team, our broadcaster/announcer was at every game, and I can't leave out our trusted bus driver who got us home safely through all hours of the night.
One of my favorite memories off the field was our team's week long ro-sham-bo championship (also known as rock, paper, scissors by amateurs). The team was broken down into four geographical brackets based on where each player was from. We met in the locker room at a specific time each day for a week and eventually a champion was crowned. I am proud to say that I'm open to challengers, as I was the winner of the tournament. It was pretty entertaining to watch a group of professional athletes get so competitive over such a simple game.
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| Showing off my September stache |
Our bullpen also started a "no-shave August" idea that the whole team quickly embraced and lead to "mustache September" as seen in this picture of my mustache. There was also the constant struggle to find the right music to play in the locker room with many different tastes in music. On a given day we would hear anything from country to spanish music. However in the time leading up to the game the starting pitcher would have the final say on what music was played. I also learned there is not too much on television in the mid afternoon, as we watched countless paternity tests on the Maury Show, hence the title of this post. There were also the never ending comical interviews conducted by our announcer who was one of the funniest guys I met all summer. The video below shows some of the entertaining interviews and more insight into the 2010 Vancouver Canadians.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Road to the Show
Myself and my baseball friends from JMU play the MLB The Show video game for PS3, and there is a special game mode that is titled, Road to the Show, where you start as a minor league player trying to work your way up to the big leagues through the different minor league levels. This is actually pretty similar to real life, because there is usually a 'road to the show' that takes years.
Hope you all had a safe, happy holiday, and Happy New Year!
As I talked about in my first couple posts, I played in Vancouver last summer, which was the short-season A minor league affiliate of the Oakland A's. The minor league baseball system is different than any other sports' minor league system that I am familiar with. The NHL and NBA have some minor league organizations, but the NFL doesn't have any minor league ranks. Minor League Baseball is a much larger, more complex operation that many people don't fully understand, so I'm going to explain the different ranks.
When any player gets drafted or signed as an undrafted free agent, they become part of that team's organization, but they don't necessarily play for that big league ball club. This summer I was drafted by the A's and became part of their organization, but I didn't play for the major league team in Oakland. Every big league team, such as the Yankees, Red Sox, A's, etc. have many minor league teams at various levels. The A's have 7 minor league affiliates, all in different levels (all teams have a similar minor league structure). A list of these teams and all other minor league teams can be found by clicking the following link: Minor League Teams. The A's minor league teams, listed in rank from the lowest to highest level, are the Dominican Summer League Athletics, Arizona League Athletics (Rookie Level), Vermont Lake Monsters (Short-season A), Burlington Bees (Low-A), Stockton Ports (High-A), Midland Rockhounds (AA), and the Sacramento River Cats (AAA). The team I played for last summer, at the short-season A level, moved to Vermont and their logo is shown below, along with the logo of the Burlington Bees, the next level on my 'road to the show'. The goal for myself is to continue to improve my skills and keep progressing through the minor league ranks into higher and better levels with the end goal of reaching the major league team.
Hope you all had a safe, happy holiday, and Happy New Year!
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