Any current or former Minor league baseball players here?

[Revolver]

I guess that's what's been in the back of my mind of late. you've got three of the greatest athletes of all time in Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders, and Michael Jordan 2 of which made the Majors and contributed but many baseball experts still only consider sanders, and Jackson somewhat "Average" by pro standards,

then there's Jordan who's non arguably the best basketball player in League history couldn't hit minor league pitching, and had the ball bouncing off his head in the out field.

so I'm investing all this time and quite frankly money. Prime 9 baseball academy in Spring Texas is like $120.00 for one our of private lessons with a former MLB pro. and will it pay off?

and i'll freely admit by "pay off" I mean make him a prospect. you know what fuck it man i'll be honest I'm trying to make a pro.

Stop trying to make him a pro and make him a contributing member of society since chances are that he'll never make it.

 

[Revolver]

I respect your opinion Revo, you are a consistent poster. so my question to you is. if I said I let him play video games and ipad for two hours a day would you object?

Yes, I would object. Kids should play other things than video games or be on an ipad. Instead of just pushing baseball expose him to other sports as well so he doesn't get tired of doing the same thing.

 

[Jack Handy jr]

You will probably make your kid hate the game and quit by the time he's 14.

bro no bullshit on everything I hold dear he loves batting he likes being out there I'M the ONE that's getting burned out! lil shit called me "lazy" the other day lol. he's the one that's saying are we going to the field dad? and I have to fight my inner couch potato get my ass up and go I' mean I did start this anyway:icon_neut

 

[wlu29]

My boy is gonna play in the big leagues

 

[ripskater]

so Baseball talent is say 2/3 of ever making it? No matter how hard you work in that particular sport if there's not talent there you probably wont make it to the show huh? I think Baseball is unique in that aspect MMA,Football,Tennis,Boxing,cycling you don't have to be overly "talented" if you have great bordering on insane work ethic.

I was only a high school level baseball player but here is my take.

It's a different skill set. For hitting you need great eyesight, you need to be able to track the ball through the pitch and judge it accurately, you need have great reflexes and reaction time. The beginning step for this is training their balance, and agility. If they have no balance, they will not clearly see where the ball is. Part of this equation is eyesight and that is God given. Although George Brett and Barry Bonds had an eye doctor that worked with them. There is an interview on George Brett's show of him and this eye doctor. 12 Major league teams hired this doctor to test and scout athletes for baseball.

I think the best route to take is to have a kid train multiple sports, and get an athletic coach to help him become the best all round athlete he can be. I have sorta done this myself with some training methods I learned. I would have them play multiple sports when they are young. I would not repetition a kid to death on hitting or throwing. That's a recipe for injuries and burnout. Because you are using the same muscles and motor patterns continuously.

I would get a knowledgeable hitting coach a few times before season just to work on any flaws in a kid's swing. My kid had an uppercut. We got a hitting coach. 3 sessions and working with me in the yard and my kid started stroking the ball and having more fun.

 

[Corona]

Lmao at mark derps beisbol career. Mike GOAT could probably play in the NBA if he wanted.

 

[Corona]

I played Class A ball for the Burlington Drifters back in the early 00's, had to give it up because I blew my hammy.

Feel free to ask any questions.

Did you ever play in the SKYDOME!?!?

 

[ripskater]

This is the reason some less athletic guys are great baseball players. The things in this video have to do with the conditon and ability of your eyes and your brain and nervous system and mindset.

[YT]zdw5KKQ5Yow[/YT]

[YT]Jd73j7GDKJ8[/YT]

 

[Skydome]

thanks man I'll freely admit I'm one of those "Dads" that's grooming his son to be a baseball prospect.

I think there might be some talent there. but he's only 6 we've been at it now for over two full years. I always get compliments from other dads in his lil league about how he's a "natural" and how good he is.

the thing is, I spend a ridiculous amount of time on batting, throwing, and catching like two to some times three hours per day. he enjoys batting, his throwing is so so his catching is legit good.

I'm asking because I don't know if I can keep up this pace for the next 12 years to try and make him a prospect.

I've already essentially stopped going to my BJJ class and it's only been a couple of years and I'm getting burned out because of the time I've invested in making him I guess "good" compared to other 6 and 7 year olds that are out there goofing around, still cant catch and need the Tee to hit.

I met Pete Rose a couple years back and though he looked tired instead of asking for a pic I asked him for any advice in making a "hitter". he said to throw at overhanded from the start.

so I've been doing all these slow to medium speed over hand pitches for two years damn near three hours per day and I think I'm getting tommy johns lol. seriously it's wearing me down just the time of it .

is two to three hours even normal at this age. I've read the whole 10,000 hours of practice philosophy that lyoto Machida talks about and am trying to do it to make my boy a prospect.

what's your thoughts? criticism is welcomed.

The main thing is he has a passion for the game at such a young age, that's something that can't be taught.

Don't force baseball on the kid, but if he enjoys going out there and practicing with his father for 1-2 hours a day, I see no problem with it.

The main thing to remember is that making the majors is a very, very slim chance. Your goal at this point shouldn't be creating a major leaguer, but making it fun to him. Little kids have a tendency to get bored with anything easily, and the fact your little one hasn't so far is encouraging.

Just work on the fundementals at this point, try to make the drills as fun as possible, remember he's only 6. Don't get too technical with his swing or anything like that, as he'll be getting bigger and his swing will change with maturity.

One of the most useful drills I've ever seen for kids( I also seen this used by minor leaguers)

Execution:
Start by placing the ball in the middle of the plate thigh high. Take a few swings.

Move the tee in and forward to simulate an inside pitch. Take a few swings.

Move the ball outside and back to simulate an outside pitch. Take a few swings.

Then use the 3 placements above but vary the height to simulate the strike zone even further.

At this age, hitting off a tee is one of the most useful things a kid can do.

 

[Skydome]

I was only a high school level baseball player but here is my take.

It's a different skill set. For hitting you need great eyesight, you need to be able to track the ball through the pitch and judge it accurately, you need have great reflexes and reaction time. The beginning step for this is training their balance, and agility. If they have no balance, they will not clearly see where the ball is. Part of this equation is eyesight and that is God given. Although George Brett and Barry Bonds had an eye doctor that worked with them. There is an interview on George Brett's show of him and this eye doctor. 12 Major league teams hired this doctor to test and scout athletes for baseball.

I think the best route to take is to have a kid train multiple sports, and get an athletic coach to help him become the best all round athlete he can be. I have sorta done this myself with some training methods I learned. I would have them play multiple sports when they are young. I would not repetition a kid to death on hitting or throwing. That's a recipe for injuries and burnout. Because you are using the same muscles and motor patterns continuously.

I would get a knowledgeable hitting coach a few times before season just to work on any flaws in a kid's swing. My kid had an uppercut. We got a hitting coach. 3 sessions and working with me in the yard and my kid started stroking the ball and having more fun.

I am available for hitting lessons Jack depending on where you are. I slashed .182/.201/.301 for Class A Burlington Drifters. I can give you a link to my baseball reference page if you want.

 

[ThinkGreen]

One of the most useful drills I've ever seen for kids( I also seen this used by minor leaguers)

Execution:
Start by placing the ball in the middle of the plate thigh high. Take a few swings.

Move the tee in and forward to simulate an inside pitch. Take a few swings.

Move the ball outside and back to simulate an outside pitch. Take a few swings.

Then use the 3 placements above but vary the height to simulate the strike zone even further.

At this age, hitting off a tee is one of the most useful things a kid can do.

Good stuff. Hitting off a tee is useful at every single level. Just look at this guy:

 

[Jack Handy jr]

I am available for hitting lessons Jack depending on where you are. I slashed .182/.201/.301 for Class A Burlington Drifters. I can give you a link to my baseball reference page if you want.

thanks for e tips bro. i'm in spring tx now. I recently moved here thinking texas was all bout youth and hs football. they re insane in this area about lil league baseball too.

 

[Jack Handy jr]

Good stuff. Hitting off a tee is useful at every single level. Just look at this guy:

Tony Gwynn one of the baseball goats of my 80's childhood RIP.

 

[Renegadewonder1]

thanks man I'll freely admit I'm one of those "Dads" that's grooming his son to be a baseball prospect.

I think there might be some talent there. but he's only 6 we've been at it now for over two full years. I always get compliments from other dads in his lil league about how he's a "natural" and how good he is.

the thing is, I spend a ridiculous amount of time on batting, throwing, and catching like two to some times three hours per day. he enjoys batting, his throwing is so so his catching is legit good.

I'm asking because I don't know if I can keep up this pace for the next 12 years to try and make him a prospect.

I've already essentially stopped going to my BJJ class and it's only been a couple of years and I'm getting burned out because of the time I've invested in making him I guess "good" compared to other 6 and 7 year olds that are out there goofing around, still cant catch and need the Tee to hit.

I met Pete Rose a couple years back and though he looked tired instead of asking for a pic I asked him for any advice in making a "hitter". he said to throw at overhanded from the start.

so I've been doing all these slow to medium speed over hand pitches for two years damn near three hours per day and I think I'm getting tommy johns lol. seriously it's wearing me down just the time of it .

is two to three hours even normal at this age. I've read the whole 10,000 hours of practice philosophy that lyoto Machida talks about and am trying to do it to make my boy a prospect.

what's your thoughts? criticism is welcomed.

Jack, have your kid play other sports and take up other activities besides baseball. Lorenzo Cain did not play organized baseball until his 10th grade year in high school. JJ Watt is a huge advocate of kids playing other sports and not specializing in a specific sport at such a young age. Either way, good luck with training your child, but remember burn out is a very real thing in sports.

 

[Renegadewonder1]

If I wanted to waste 3 months of my life, I would be on a pro handball team no problem. Benefits of being a high level athlete.

Sure auger and I bet you could become the UFC HW Champ with only three months of training as well.

 

[auger38]

I'm not fat

 

[Renegadewonder1]

Reem is not fat either, so that should be your first match in the UFC.

 

[Sharkey]

If you have a weak arm, your best chance is playing first base. Get flexible and catch a shit ton of balls coming at you off the bounce.

Batting is a different story. If you don't have good hand eye coordination, don't even bother. Also, you would need to find a few pitchers who can throw with heat, and have a multitude of solid pitches to help you out.

Good luck finding those guys.

All in all, you're not making it anywhere if you're only starting now. Hard work your whole life trying to go pro? Probably still wouldn't make it anywhere.

Maybe I'm out of the loop because I haven't played baseball since the 80's, but are pitching machines not available anymore? We used to use those all the time in practice and the operator was able to manipulate how the ball moved if placed in the machine a certain way.

 

[auger38]

originally I thought this whole thread was about how TS could go from being a joe nobody to being a baseball pro. Hitting from a machine isn't the same thing as hitting from a real pitcher. Arm paths, release points, they all change pitcher to pitcher and are things a machine can't replicate.

 

[auger38]

Reem is not fat either, so that should be your first match in the UFC.

Why would I waste my time on a has-been?