10 Baseball (Life) Lessons I Learned From Playing For Tracy Smith

If you are following the College World Series right now, you’re familiar with the Indiana University baseball program and their head coach, Tracy Smith, or “Skip” as he’s known to his players.

Coach Smith has led the IU Hoosier baseball program to their first NCAA Super Regional and now, first College World Series in school history.

If that wasn’t enough, he was recently named National Coach of the Year by the NCBWA.

This is the second time that Coach Smith has completely turned a baseball program around and brought a team to new heights.

I was privileged enough to be at the back end of his first turn around at Miami University.

My senior year (Skip’s last year at Miami before taking over at Indiana), we tied a school record for wins with a 45-18 record that included a MAC Championship and a berth in the NCAA Regional that year in Texas.

In my four years of playing under Coach Smith, there were many ups and downs.

You didn’t like him every day, but you couldn’t help but respect him.  As he liked to point out at the beginning of every school year, “I’m not here to be your best friend, I’m here to make you better.”

He demanded a lot out of each individual player and always pushed us physically and mentally.

It wasn’t until after my playing career ended that I started fully appreciating the baseball and life lessons I learned during my four years under “Skip”.

Post-college, we continue to keep in touch, and he has been beyond helpful to me in starting and maintaining Next Level Ballplayer.

In honor of Tracy Smith’s College World Series run this year, here are my Top Ten Baseball and Life Lessons I’ve learned from him over the years…

#1 The TRUE Meaning of Team

You win as a team, you lose as a team. You’ve probably heard that before, but it was drilled into our team and our program every chance Skip got. If one person got in trouble (on or off the field), the entire team got punished.

Of course, there would be individual consequences as well, but the team would have consequences even if one player messed up. That breeds accountability, and you better believe the players looked out for each other on and off the field. Everybody was in it together.

Continue reading “10 Baseball (Life) Lessons I Learned From Playing For Tracy Smith” »

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Franco

Posted in Winning Ballplayer | Tagged , , , , |
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Why Too Many Pitchers Never Reach Their Potential (With Pitching Coach Dan Spencer)

If you want to pitch at the “Next Level”, you will face obstacles along the way that will make or break your baseball career.

Your chances of successfully performing at the next level depends on how you respond to the adversity that will come your way… because trust me, it will come.

Every player that plays the game long enough eventually comes to a point where they step up or step down to the challenge of reaching their true potential.

Today, we bring in one of the best pitching coaches in the country to answer a few questions including, “What keeps pitchers from reaching their true potential?”

Dan Spencer has coached baseball at the collegiate level for 22 years.

During that time, he’s won 2 NCAA National Championships (At Oregon State) and was named the National Pitching Coach of the Year in 2007 among numerous other awards along the way.

Besides being an assistant coach at Oregon State for many years, Spencer was a head coach at Texas Tech before taking over his current position as pitching coach at the University of New Mexico.

Many thanks to Dan for taking the time to sit down with us and talk pitching.

In the quick video below, we discuss why some pitchers don’t reach their potential, the type of pitcher he wants on his staff, and his best piece of advice for high school pitchers looking to play at the next level.

… With baseline talent, you are going to progress, even though there are going to be rough days.    - Dan Spencer on the mindset of a successful and confident pitcher.

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Franco

Posted in Pitching | Tagged , , , , , , , , |
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Playing Multiple Baseball Positions (How Important is it?) w Rick Sweet

How important is it to play different positions on the baseball field?

The struggle for every player when they move on to the next level is breaking into the starting line up.

Whether you’re an under clansmen in HS trying to get playing time on the varsity, or a freshman in college trying to get playing time period, or a minor league ballplayer trying to break into the starting lineup… Playing different positions helps your chances.

I was just talking with one of my old college teammates who was drafted by the Cardinals. He made it all the way to AAA as a first baseman.

Only problem was that Albert Puljos was in front of him at the big league level and my buddy couldn’t play any other positions.

It happens at all levels of baseball, especially HS, College and Pro ball- The utility guys that can fill in and play multiple positions are usually the first ones to contribute at the varsity or pro level.

The whole point to this article is to encourage younger players to develop skills at different positions whenever possible.

Today’s video with former big league player and manger Rick Sweet, is a great example of why being flexible with the position you play can make or break your baseball career.

Why did I play four positions in college? Because I wanted to play and I had the desire…

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Franco

Posted in Training Tips, Winning Ballplayer |
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What Makes Clayton Kershaw a Great Pitcher and What You Can Learn From Him (with Dodgers’ Pitching Coach Rick Honeycutt)

It’s not hard to argue that Clayton Kershaw is one of the top pitchers in the game, if not the very best. Through his first 5+ big league seasons, Clayton has an ERA of 2.70, two All-Star appearances, and a CY Young award…

… Oh, and he’s only 25 years old.

It’s easy to forget that Clayton was just 13-13 after his first two seasons with the Dodgers and had a very hard time going deep into games.

What changed? What got him over that hump? What can other aspiring pitchers learn from him?

I’m super excited to bring in Dodgers’ Pitching Coach Rick Honeycutt to answer these questions and more.

Rick himself was an excellent pitcher himself over 21 seasons in the big leagues… yes 21! He has been the Dodgers’ Pitching Coach since 2006.

Many thanks to Rick for taking the time to talk with Next Level Ballplayer and share some of his best pitching wisdom.

“Some pitchers are willing to pay that price, and some aren’t. The game will eventually weed those guys out.”

–Dodgers’ Pitching Coach Rick Honeycutt

What in your opinion makes Clayton Kershaw such a great pitcher?

Clayton has one of those internal intangibles – he takes total responsibility for every action he does whether it’s his workouts or on the field.  He is always getting better.  He wants the fullest day that he can, each day.

That’s really what I admire about such a young guy – he’s only 25 years old.  He wasn’t always this good.  Back in 2009, he started seeing that he had to make adjustments.  Fortunately, he was open-minded.  The great ones are stubborn and only work on what they know they need.  They don’t take every suggestion and try to please everyone like I see happen a lot.

Clayton was a pretty young, stubborn player who didn’t want to change anything because he thought he was good enough.  But when he hit that roadblock and saw that he wasn’t being successful, he looked into how to change.

Hitters out there are good.  They study you and know what’s going on.  If you get into the same pattern, they know that.  Adjustments have to be continual.  As soon as Clayton added a third pitch to his repertoire – that slider – he got better.

A perfect example, in 2011, he threw 64 percent strikes the first half.  But the second half, he threw 70 percent strikes and was 11 and one.  You still have to show that hitter that you have the capability of putting the ball in the zone.  The pitcher has to feel like the aggressor and the attacker.  Now, no one wants to be in front of Clayton Kershaw because he has too many weapons.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to aspiring pitchers who want to take their game to the next level?

Have confidence in yourself no matter what people say.  Continue searching how to make yourself better.  You reach that point that you have to always push yourself.

Not to be negative, but you can have Jamie Moyer stuff or Clayton Kershaw stuff. The game can fit any type of pitcher that you are.  Even the knuckle ball guys can be successful.  Find what you can do, do it well, and keep expanding what you do well.

What’s the biggest obstacle you see pitchers face that keeps them from reaching their full potential?

It’s you.  We all have a comfort zone, whether it’s in our workouts or our thought process during the game.  It’s really you.  You have to learn yourself.  Know thyself.

It really comes down to you – can you assess yourself and know what your pluses and minuses are?  Are you willing to make yourself better in where you’re deficient?

You can’t just have a good fastball and nothing else.  If you don’t get your breaking ball over the plate 50 percent of the time, you lose.  We’re talking about Nolan Ryan who threw 100 miles an hour!  A hitter can hit a fastball, especially when they know it’s coming.  So if you can put just a little bit of doubt in their mind about which pitch, it goes a long way.

Know yourself well enough to know what you need to do to play better.  Some pitchers are willing to pay that price, and some aren’t. The game will eventually weed those guys out.

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Franco

Posted in Mental Baseball, Winning Ballplayer |
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What It Takes To Make It To The Big Leagues (Video w/ KC Royals Director of Pro Scouting)

Chances are, if you’re a Next Level Ballplayer subscriber, you’ve dreamt of one day playing in the Big Leagues. Shoot, I STILL have dreams about it, and that ship has definitely sailed.

While that dream might seem far away if you aren’t already in the Minor Leagues, the inside information you’re about to get today will help you no matter what level of baseball you’re at today.

Gene Watson is the Kansas City Royals’ Director of Pro Scouting. He’s been a scout for over 15 years and now reports directly to the General Manager on players both inside and outside of their organization.

Over the years Gene has seen hundreds, if not thousands, of baseball players enter minor league baseball, with dreams of making it to the Big Leagues. Few actually make it (around 1% depending on who you ask).

I was able to meet up with Gene at the Royals’ Academy in the Dominican Republic to ask what it takes to make it to the Big Leagues.

Thanks again to Gene for sharing these insightful nuggets in this quick 3 minute video.

“You gotta be able to manage success and you gotta be able to manage failure. The filter is always on. Whether it’s your life style or not it’s a job”

- Gene Watson

KC Royals Director of Pro Scouting

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Franco

Posted in Interview, Prospect Perspectives, Uncategorized |
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From Not Recruited Out of High School, to Almost Getting Cut in College, to Pitching in the Big Leagues- Chad Reineke’s Awesome Baseball Roller Coaster and Pitching Lessons He’s Learned Along the Way

I have a great story for you guys today. We’ll get to today’s big league pitching advice video on what to do after giving up a big hit, importance of staying positive on the mound, the best pitching advice Chad’s ever heard, and more…

But first a quick behind the scenes look at our interview guest of the day, Chad Reineke.

Chad wasn’t recruited out of high school and ended up walking on at Miami University (Ohio) where he  struggled his freshman year and almost got cut his sophomore year.

Going into his Junior season, there was no guarantee he would make the team, let alone get legitimate playing time. That year Chad established himself as a solid middle reliever on a Redhawks team that came one out away from winning the MAC Tournament Championship.

When Chad’s senior year can around, getting drafted was the furthest thing on his mind. He was more concerned with stepping up in a bullpen that had lost some key components, including the closer who was drafted by the Yankees.

Throughout Chad’s college career he continued to work hard and develop. By the time senior year came around, he was regularly hitting low 90’s on the radar gun and successfully stepped into the closer’s role.

One night the Redhawks were playing down south on a warm Spring night and there happened to be two Astros scouts in the stands looking at Miami’s first baseman Mike Ferris (eventually a 2nd round draft pick that year).

In the 8th inning, one of them wanted to leave. The other one talked him into staying one more inning incase Ferris got one more at bat. Before they knew it, there was a pitcher on the mound throwing mid 90’s.

Of course that pitcher was Chad Reineke, who had no idea there were scouts in the stands. That night Chad topped out at 97mph.

I saw a lot of incredible pitching performances in my four years of playing at Miami University (Ohio), but that night was something special. Dominate doesn’t begin to explain it.

The funny thing is that those Astros scouts never came back to see him pitch.

Then sure enough when draft day came around that June, the Astros selected Chad Reineke in the 13th round based on that one warm Spring night. You just NEVER know who’s watching and what might happen!

Fast forward to today and Chad is in his 10th season of professional baseball and has pitched in the big leagues for the Padres, A’s, and Reds.

He was a free agent this past off season when he decided to play in the Dominican Winter League where today’s interview was filmed.  No team had signed him at that time and there was a decent chance that his career might be over.

I was amazed at how at peace Chad was at the time, “I would love to keep playing baseball, but if nobody signs me then I’m ready for the next step in life, whatever that may be.”

The Red’s ended up inviting him to Spring Training with NO GUARENTEES, and he ended up earning a spot on their AAA team , the Louisville Bats. So far Chad is leading the team in wins and is 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA…

A great story that keeps getting better

Chad has been a good friend of mine since my freshman year at Miami University, and I appreciate him spending some time on camera sharing his best pitching advice he’s heard over the years.

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Franco

Posted in Interview, Pitching |
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