BASEBALL REALITY CHECK . . . SOME THINGS HAPPENING ON THE BASEBALL BEAT 

 

CUBS SCOUT TEAM

Yes ! The Chicago Cubs Scout Team is alive and well and expanding ! My partners , Area Scout Tom Myers and Scout Don Moriarity are actively pursuing talent nationwide with much success . We had a great showing in the PG World Series in July at the Cubs Spring Training complex in Mesa AZ and expect many invites to play in the best showcase events around the country . The Las Vegas contingent of Peyton Cole ( Palo Verde HS ) , Ryan Sepede ( Bishop Gorman HS ) , Cody Culpepper ( Sierra Vista HS ) , and Austin Kryszczuk ( Centennial HS ) all showed very well and many D-1 programs as well as pro scouts were inquiring about them and their plans . We had two pitchers top out in the mid 90s and a pitcher who just completed his freshman year strike out 5 of the first 6 batters he faced . Lots of excitement , team chemistry , and smiles abound . A great way to play this game by the way .

UMPIRES AND THE K-ZONE

Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse . . . . . . . they did ! Now more than ever , we need to go to an automated system for calling balls and strikes . The technology is there and very very accurate . This is the last part of the game that needs to be made ” perfect ( and fair ) ” . So if a ” perfect game ” is thrown , it REALLY IS a PERFECT GAME ! What a thought ! ? ! ? There simply is ZERO BASIS founded in SOUND REASONING for keeping things the way they are . Every argument for keeping things the way they are completely falls apart when there is in actual debate for and against . Try this one on for size :

” Bottom of the 9th , 7th game of the World Series , bases loaded , home team at bat down 2 – 1 , count is 3 balls and 2 strikes . Pitch is thrown and K-Zone had it 2 inches out of the strike zone . Strike 3 is called , game over , home team loses , player is upset , nothing happens except the hitter is really pissed off . MLB front office says we need the human element in the game .

OR . . . . .

” Same scenario . Pitch is thrown right down broadway , belt high , and splits the middle of the plate in half . Umpire calls ball 4 , game tied , next batter singles , game over , home team wins 3 – 2 . MLB office goes out of their collective minds ! ”

Whatever happened to the human element ? Or . . . where is the outrage / support for the hitter ?

Home plate umpire goes Jim Joyce on the visiting team  ( remember Armando Galarraga and his perfect game that was probably not a perfect game even if it was and we had replay back then ? ) . Tell me . . . . . what is the difference between those two scenarios ? Well . . . . . in one , the hitter gets screwed . In the other , the pitcher gets screwed . Neither should happen and it can be prevented but the game as it is , with umpires making mistakes , seems to overwhelmingly favor the pitcher . Don’t believe me ? Go to Baseball Savant website and prepare to be enlightened .

LAS VEGAS HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL AND THE DRAFT

Sorry but it is still tanking with really no end in sight . Only 2 high school players drafted ( again ) . Late round picks ( 28th and 38th ) . Sorry again but these were token picks . Scouts turned in a report as a ” token gesture ” but with little interest . BY THE WAY – they said that EXACT SAME THING about the current reigning NL MVP so there is hope for those two guys ! Go to college ! Get better !

THE SCENE AND HEARD

Many of my clients are telling me that those organizations with the 3 letter names like XYZ and ABC are now incorporating many of my swing thoughts into their practice routines ! For example : swing UP – aim for the TOP of the cage – NOT the back – NO GROUND BALLS .  Well . . . . . . welcome to the real world of hitting instruction . Don’t worry y’all ! I don’t profess to take CREDIT for what TED WILLIAMS knew back in the 40s and 50s . That is beyond my pay grade . But I WILL continue to ARTICULATE WHAT I VALUE because I have the utmost faith in my clients that have a high caliber of athleticism and the brain capacity to understand their swing , thus taking it from the knowledge phase to the execution phase .  In other words , they can MAKE IT HAPPEN so THEY will get the CREDIT ! The culture is changing and it is a good thing .

TEAM ADIDAS / ADIDAS BASEBALL ACADEMY

Thanks to Jamie Rosenthal for being a driving force in taking an idea to implementation . He is the founder of the ADIDAS BASEBALL ACADEMY . Thanks to him , we now have a 3 letter name we can call ourselves too !  Welcome to . . . . ( drum roll please ) . . . . . . . .  ABA  . . . . . . . . .    Jamie figured out a way to bring a lower cost alternative to those who can’t afford an aggressive club ball schedule but wanted access to good coaching for a reasonable fee . He secured Tarkanian Middle School as the facility where ABA will operate . With two fields , we have the flexibility to field multiple teams and offer the same level of high quality instruction in a group environment . Many improvements are being made to the fields and this is an awesome opportunity with unlimited potential . Tony Gallo , the father of MLB power hitting corner infielder Joey Gallo , will handle the pitching program and Brian Kaplan , former Dixie State College Director of Baseball Operations , whose son Blake secured a scholarship to Chicago State University – a D-1 program in the WAC ( same conference as Cal State Fullerton and Fresno State ) , will handle a multitude of programs including the hitting regimen that will be overseen by myself . ABA currently has 3 teams  –  10U  –  11U and 12U team in addition to the two club teams in the 10U and 13U division .

SUMMERLIN SOUTH ADVANCES TO THE LITTLE LEAGUE REGIONALS in SAN BERNADINO CA

Awesome ! Congratulations to the players and their families . This will be an experience you will never forget . . . . . one way . . . . . or another ! Team Adidas has 3 players on that team :  Nico Guevara – Tre Trueba and Spencer Hatch . Go for it ! Make it to Williamsport !

1 Reply to "BASEBALL REALITY CHECK . . . SOME THINGS HAPPENING ON THE BASEBALL BEAT "

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    Gentleman Jim
    August 26, 2017 (2:37 pm)
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    This site is refreshing ! I appreciate the honesty .


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