HS Baseball Players
Here's my 1 month challenge to u, good luck💪
1) Run a mile a day
2) Only drink water
3) Create a ⚾️ journal
4) Put the video games ⬇️
5) Practice 1 hour a day
6) Strength train 4 days a week
7) Read the Mental ABCs of ⚾️
8) Tell your parents, thank u, daily
U struck out. You're 0-4. Made an error. Walked the bases loaded. The games kicking your ass..
..U have a choice in how u respond. Pout? Hang your head? Awful body language letting the team know "you're done"
OR
Will u battle. Will u show toughness in the face of adversity?
U can get drafted at a D1
U can get drafted at a D2
U can get drafted at a D3
U can get drafted at a JUCO
U can get drafted at a NAIA
U can get drafted at a small HS
U can get drafted at a large HS
U can get drafted from a small town
U can get drafted from a large town
If you grew up playing:
• Wiffle ball
• Tennis ball Baseball
Raise your hand 🙋♂️🙋♂️
My backyard was a ballpark, my house the green monster, my neighborhood filled w/ kids on bikes w/ bats, gloves & big dreams 🙌
HS Baseball Players
72 hour challenge:
• 5 am alarm
• 20 oz water
• 530 am - workout
• 630 am - full body stretch
• Shower
• Breakfast at school
• School - be alert - learn
• Practice (hit, throw, GBs, bands)
• ZERO gaming
• Bed by 9pm
Do it. Repeat. Win.
HS Baseball Players
Heard this today regarding the recruiting process from a D1 coach:
"How a player treats his parents matters an awful lot. If he shows lack of respect towards his parents we don't want him in our program - regardless of talent"
Read that 100 times.
Baseball Players
Your next week goal ⬇️
• 8 hours of sleep a night
• 20 min a day enhancing flexibility
• Destroy the weight room
• Choose Water over Soda
• Fuel your body w/ healthy foods
• Practice w/ a vision
• Grade yourself each day
• Write it down
• Repeat
Who remembers playing wiffle ball or tennis ball baseball growing up 🙋♂️⚾️
Mid week tournaments.. Ghosties.. Electrical tape to save the day.. Catch it off the roof & you're out.. Heated arguments.. Brother in a headlock.. 🙌
I played pro ball w/ plenty of JUCO, D3, D2 players
I know D3s that roll out 90-92 guys all day, & D1s that don't have a 90 mph arm
Point is: Great players play everywhere. It's about a "fit".. it's about playing, developing, it's about academics & social development
Be smart.
HS Baseball Players
How many of u played "tennis ball baseball" or "whiffle ball tournament/games" growing up? I'm talking, really competitive, loser buys lunch at the local gas station?
Remember how much fun that was? How natural it was?
Yea, we need more of that.
I can go walk around Walmart, target, Home Depot, Lowes w/ hundreds of people....
But I can't play organized sports, outdoors, w/ safety measures in place?
PEOPLE this is wrong.
NEGATIVE BODY LANGUAGE LETS
• Your opponents know they have the upper hand
• Your teammates know your selfish
• Recruiters know you can't handle adversity
• Random spectators form opinions about you
Nothing good comes from negative BL.
KEEP YOUR CALM 🙌💯
11.7 scholarships at the D1 ⚾️ level is STILL the least-funny joke I've ever heard
Future pros are getting preferred walk on spots or 25% offers because the numbers almost never add up in the players favor
I truly believe we can do better. I need an ARMY behind me on this ✊
PITCHERS
Make sure U shake the catchers hand after every bullpen and THANK him/her for catching U this preseason.
They get worked over, they get beat up, at times they miss hitting work during practice & it ALL takes a toll on their bodies 💯
Let them know you appreciate them!
Raise your hand if playing Wiffle Ball in the summer was EVERYTHING 🙋♂️
• ALL time pitchers
• Ghosties
• Hit w/ the ball you're out
• Lands on the roof it's a HR
• Electrical Tape to fix broken balls/bat
• Mowing yard at 1inch for the base paths (dad whooping u after work)
I'm SHOUTING this: Athletes
STOP worrying about what everyone else is doing. Stop using excuses. Stop being so soft
LIFE IS HARD. Adversity is GOOD. Toughness is your armor, fearless is your mentality, & the opportunities are all earned 🙌
No handouts. We WORK. We EAT. We WIN
Incoming FR recruits
I don't care if you're going to play ⚾️ at the smallest D3 Juco, or headed to the most funded power 5 school in the country... bottom line is YOU'RE getting the opportunity to continue playing the greatest game on earth.
Don't take that for granted, ever 🙌
Raise your hand high if you think college baseball programs (all levels) should be given MORE support for:
Facilities.
Development.
Assistant coaches pay.
🙋♂️
Raise your hand if College Baseball should have the following:
ALL - MORE paid assistants
D1-2 - Scholarship numbers increased
D3 - more time w/ their players
Grow the game 🙋♂️💯
HS Baseball Players
What does "Respect the Game" mean?
It means....
• You show up on time
• You wear your uniform the right way
• You RUN on the field, & off..
• You play w/ enthusiasm, w/ passion
• You shake your opponents hand, & then try & kick his ass..
• You battle
HS Baseball Players
I beg u to listen up..
A local kid, who has done several of my events over the last few years, great kid, nearly died last week from "vaping"..
If you're serious about playing baseball a long time, STOP that SHIT now!
Be smart 👊
HS Baseball Players
Things YOU control:
• When u go to sleep
• What u eat
• What u drink
• How often u lift, train
• How hard u lift, train
• How much u practice
• How u treat people
• Your attitude
• Your effort
• Your passion
• Your belief
It matters. Goodnight
How bout some love for ALL the D1, D2, D3, JUCO, NAIA & Small College athletes out there. ❤
Y'all should be very proud of yourselves. It takes yrs of hard work & commitment to become a College athlete.
💯🙌
BAD BODY LANGUAGE lets your opponents KNOW they got you on the ropes..
You can't COMPETE at your highest level when you let your emotions take over..
Stay calm in the the face of adversity 💯✊️
BAD BODY LANGUAGE is the 1st thing anyone 👀, and it's the ONLY thing they remember..
"Sure he's a great player, but did you see how he acted when his teammate made an error"
Don't give ANYONE a reason to talk.. keep your calm 💯✊️
I've been focusing in on D2/D3 college baseball recently and WOW.. some of y'all have NO IDEA how good those programs/players are!
Youth players: look into the program, coaching, development, culture FIRST before u worry about the number after the "D" 💯🙌
Poor Body Language on the field is a selfish act..
In order to be a great teammate, you need to see past yourself & your results.. plus, being a great teammate is CRUCIAL on championship teams 💯
The game is BIGGER than us all.. remember, it's NEVER as good or bad as you think!
If you can't control your emotions, Baseball will eat you alive, unfortunately.
Name another high level sport where failing 70% of the time makes you great?
Failure is part of the game and YOU have to be able to manage it.
That's what separates the good from the greats!
Your BODY LANGUAGE is the loudest thing on the field.. good or bad, EVERYONE sees it... for some, it's their only impression of YOU
I'm not saying be happy w/ a bad AB.. an error, or bad performance... BUT be MENTALLY TOUGH enough to handle those rough times & still COMPETE 🙌💯
Negative Body Language on the baseball field is an awful look
It tells your teammates you're done.. you're being selfish
It tells your opponents they got you..
It tells the fans & ANYONE watching that you're letting your emotions win.
Keep. Your. Calm 💯✊️🙌
The D1 "dead period" was again extended, now to April 15, 2021.
Let me get this straight.. the Targets & Walmarts of the world can get fat & rich, but a college coach can't watch or interact w/ a prospective student athlete in person..🤔
#Madness
• In 2012 I retired from Pro⚾️
• Worked in oilfield 84+hrs wk
• Worked 168 hrs straight 1 wk
• Swung ⚒s daily
• Have a CDL, & crane license
• 12 months later, hit 97 mph at an open MLB SB tryout
• 📝 w/ Pirates🙌
I did what I had to do. ⚾️ taught me how to WORK & GRIND
HS Baseball Players
Do you want to improve your game for next spring?
Nows the time, like right now..
• Bigger = High Protein Foods
• Faster = Speed + Agility
• Stronger = Hit the Weights
• Flexibility = YOGA
• Skills = ⚾️ Training
• Smarter = Study the Game
Goodluck.
I just watched a D2 pitcher sitting 92-94 w/ advanced feel for the zone/spin..
..last year I saw a D3 arm 90-94 w/ high spin, he then got in the box (lefty) & hit seed, after seed (107 mph)..
Lots of great college Baseball players around this country.. not just D1 🙌
My 1 yr as a JUCO HC (all truth)
• 6 players older than me
• 2 that were cut in HS
• Slowest FB 71, fastest 92
• 1 player w/ a child
• 1 on parole
• The 🏀 point guard
• Half the roster had jobs
We won 10 games. We ALL grew as people. Wouldn't trade it for anything 🙌
Poor body language could END your career path.. NO COACH (at any level) wants an "energy vampire" on their team, or a "me first" player
Positive body language will only lengthen that career.. ALL COACHES want "spark plugs" "energy givers" "team first" players in their program 💯
Amateur Baseball Players
I was told by my 10th grade gym teacher that I would never play D1 baseball.. our area was too small, no one knew where Elkland, PA was, & I was only good in our area, but not D1 good..
He was right. I played professionally..
'Under pressure, you don't rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training.
That's why YOU train so hard
That's why YOU wake up early
That's why YOU stay late
That's why YOU do extra work
That's why YOU follow a routine
That's why YOU sacrifice
Preparation.
If I told u go play JUCO baseball for 2 years, gain valuable experience, develop your body, get your classes taken care of, then go to a D3 school, work even harder, do everything right. Senior year u get drafted & your pro career starts. Would u sign up now?
Happens every year
Major D1 baseball might not be in your cards.. there's ONLY so many roster spots for SO MANY talented kids. It doesn't define YOU.
Accepting another school or level where YOU might develop MORE because YOU play MORE isn't taking the easy route, it's making a MATURE decision 💯
You know what's so hard for me to believe, with all these multi-million dollar college football coach contracts floating around and NILs endorsement deals.
Why in the hell does Baseball still only have 11.7 scholarships at the D1 level when there's a 40 man roster in 2022..
😤
There will be a D3 starting pitcher get drafted this year, & there will be a D1 starting pitcher that doesn't..
There will be a D2 middle of the lineup player taken, & a D1 middle of the lineup player passed on..
It doesn't matter where u play, it matters how u play 💯
BASEBALL is the hardest SKILLED sport there is 🙌
A really athletic HS student is probably going to be relatively good at Football & Basketball..
..BUT you can't just walk onto a baseball diamond, pick up a bat, ball, & glove & expect to have that same level of success! 💯
Here's 4 easy ways to gain velocity this offseason:
1) Stretch (everyday)
2) Get stronger
3) Use
@jaegersports
bands religiously
4) Play LONG TOSS and grow your arm
💯
If I was a head baseball coach at the college level I would be raiding the JUCO levels.. the toughness & experience they bring can rebuild your foundation quick!
JUCO players are built different 💯😤
Anyone else agree that wiffle ball (tennis ball ⚾️) were the greatest parts of your summer?🙋♂️🙋♂️
We had full blown tournaments. Brackets. Gasoline burnt batters boxes (sorry dad). Ghosties. Sibling fights. String fences w/ paper distance markings. Electrical tape
Glory days 🙌
Don't let ONE bad game.. At Bat, Error, bad pitching performance dictate what kind of player you are!
Don't put UNNECESSARY pressure on results 💯
Work hard. Practice. Study the game. Strength train. Be a good teammate. Be coachable.
Let everything else take care of itself!
Recruiting Talk:
There's a D2 conference in Pennsylvania called the
@PSACsports
, and the baseball in that conference would flex on a good amount of D1 programs..
.. know what's out there. Educate yourself. ✊
The greatest hitters in the world fail between 68% - 75% of the time.
Going 0-4, or 1-4 in last night's game isn't the end of your career, & it doesn't define WHO U are as a player!
It just means Baseball is really HARD and u need to keep working..
Don't stop believing 💪
Recent conversation:
Parent: I see your gunning my son, he's low 80s normally..
Me: Oh yea
Parent: What's he at, his pitching coach asked..
Me: 74
Parent: That can't be right, is your gun calibrated..
Me: We don't calibrate Stalkers. I call the gun the humbler.
Parent: ...
If YOU'RE not OBSESSED w/ the game of Baseball, skill work, and the weight room...
...don't say you want to play at the next-level.
Obsession beats talent 💯🙌
Recruiting 101:
JUCO is a tremendous route for a lot of young players..
• More time to develop skills/body
• Real experience, NOW
• High-level competition
• Core classes that transfer to 4 yr
JUCO Bandits leave campus tough, tested, and built for battle 😤✊
Baseball owes YOU nothing, never forget that...
• Play hard
• Play w/ passion
• Dedicate time to the game
• Stay humble
• Stay consistent
• Keep your nose down
• Invest in yourself
• Respect those who came before u ✊
Results will follow
Minor League Baseball players are professionals. For those of u that haven't a clue. 😤
They are of the 0.1% that play this game at an extremely high level. They do things most could only dream of on a baseball field.
If u get the chance, go support them ✊