Patrick Jones Baseball

Jim Rickon is currently a scout for the Cleveland Indians. He has been with the Indians organization for over 20 years as a player and coach. He has served as a hitting coach, coordinator, and now scout. In this episode he talks about some of the things that he's learned over the years, the differences between scouting and coaching, and why labeling players by their body language and work ethic my not be a good idea. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode we have Cody Decker, who played professional for 11 years and is now involved in player development and sports media. Cody had a variety of roles across his career. He gives advice on what he would do differently if he could go back in time, pinch hitting advice, and some of his plans for the future. borderyouth.org See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Can you develop pitchers without actually seeing them in person? Ben Brewster and Tread Athletics have been doing that for several years, and have been doing it extremely well. Ben is the Co-Founder of Tread Athletics, a company that specializes in remote training for pitchers. They provide extensive educational resources for their clients along with formalizing an in depth plan for each pitcher. In this episode, Ben explains how he got started doing remote coaching, some common flaws he sees in pitchers, and an example of what it would be like to work with Tread Athletics. TreadAthletics.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What makes high school baseball beneficial? To me it's actually closer to what college is like. Same teammates everyday, competing against teams in your league, and winning is relevant. It's important for the game that high school baseball is still held in high regard. No better way to find out what it's like to be in high school sports than to bring on a current high school Athletic Director and Head Baseball Coach. Jim Maciejewski is currently the Athletic Director and Head Baseball Coach at Mauldin High School in Mauldin, South Carolina. In this episode Jim talks about some of the problems he sees at the high school level, dealing with parents, how he runs his baseball program, and a story of a player who struggled in high school but continued to work and is now in MLB spring training. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Experience. Wisdom. Those are the first two words I think of when I think of Jeff Banister. Jeff has been coaching in professional baseball for over 35 years. He has been a MiLB manager, Field Coordinator, and MLB Manager. He was the Pittsburgh Pirates manager from 2010-2014 and then was the Texas Rangers manager from 2015-2018. Jeff is currently the Director of Player Development at the University of Northern Colorado, where his son is playing. Jeff's journey in baseball was anything but easy. He developed cancer in high school, spent six months in a hospital, and was told he was probably going to get his leg amputated. In college, he was in a collision at home plate that left him paralyzed for two weeks. Before turning twenty-one years old he had over ten surgeries. In this episode he opens up and talks about that experience as a kid, what he's learned as a coach, and what the best thing about being a manager is. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Former college coach and current director of coaching development at USA Baseball, Andrew Bartman, stops by to share some wisdom this week. Andrew has been at several colleges at the NAIA and JUCO level. He shares some stories of why coaching at that level can be such a challenge and at the same time a great learning experience. In this episode Andrew talks about giving back to the community, staying present with your family, and some of the great resources that USA Baseball has for coaches that are free! Feel free to reach out to Andrew directly if you have any questions: andrewbartman@usabaseball.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"Defense wins Championships" We've all heard it a thousand times. However, it can take a back seat to hitting because it's not as much fun to talk about (My opinion). Defense is one of the things that allows hitters to stay in the lineup when they're struggling. It allows players to not feel as much pressure at the plate because they know they provide value on the other side of the ball. In this episode with Tyler Packanik, currently the Volunteer at the University of Missouri, we talk about ways to develop infielders at a faster rate. Tyler played college baseball is Marrieta College in Ohio. After his playing career he has had several coaching stops including Ohio University, Bucknell, Stetson, and this past season coaching travel baseball for the Orlando Scorpions. In this episode Tyler gives some tips on ways to utilize video at practice, drills that you can do with all skill levels, and how to get better when you don't have a coach around the hit you ground balls. Tyler's websiteFollow Tyler on Twitter:

Currently in his 7th season as Volunteer Assistant and the University of Louisville, Adam Vrable loves what he gets to do, coach. His passion for baseball sticks out like a sore thumb when you listen to him talk. Adam played College Baseball at Coastal Carolina where get graduated with a degree in History. After graduating he began his coaching journey, with stops at The Citadel and Charleston Southern. He also was involved in travel baseball coaching in South Carolina right after graduating from South Carolina. In this episode Adam explains what it's like coaching at Louisville, why they compete in everything that they do, and working with baserunners, outfielders, and hitters at Louisville. Blast Motion Code: pjb25 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For over twenty years Jim Wagner has been working with pitchers of all ages. He currently runs his own pitching facility, Throwzone Academy in Los Angeles, California. Jim's very first client was a 10-year-old named Trevor Bauer, who just this past year won the Cy Young award. In this episode Jim talks about the age kids should start throwing curveballs, educating parents on pitch counts, and utilizing a radar gun and white board for competition. Blast Motion Code: pjb25 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Currently the recruiting coordinator at the University of Charleston, Ian Macdonald takes us behind the curtain to see what it's like to be solely focused on recruiting high school baseball players. We talk about recruits using social media, some of the red flags that coaches are looking for and doing extensive background work before offering them a roster spot. Ian also explains how they take advantage of the rules at the DII level, which includes unlimited amount of staff and expanded rosters. They have eight coaches on staff, two teams which consist of forty-eight players, a Varsity and J.V. team. This allows them to develop players who may not be ready to play right away on their varsity team. For further information on how they look at college recruiting and what they're looking for check out Ian's website. Ian's website See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We sit down with the hitting coach for the Duke University softball team, Josh Bloomer. Josh started his career as a high school math teacher for 15 years. During that time he was the Head Softball coach at Louisville Male High School, where in his last year as head coach they finished #1 in the country. After that season he was offered the position as hitting coach at Duke University. He talks about his transition from high school to college, and some of the things that go on behind the scenes when you're a college coach. Josh also talks about implementing technology into Duke's program, specifically Blast Motion, and what some of the metrics he focuses on. Lastly, we talk about creating buy in, and some of the ways he went about doing that in his first year at Duke. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Brent Walker is the Associate Athletic Director of Championship Performance at Columbia University. He has spent several years working with all sports including baseball. He has several professional baseball clients whose performance on the field has benefitted from working with him. In this episode Dr. Brent Walker discusses the role parents should play in sports, techniques to help your players when they’re struggling, and the value of writing things down on paper. If you’re interested in working with Dr. Brent Walker please email him @Bww2108@columbia.edu See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If you love pitching, you're going to love this episode with Bill Hezel. Bill's coaching journey is unique. He coached college baseball for seven years, while working a full-time job, oftentimes having to sleep in his car in-between practice and work. He eventually took a job at Driveline Baseball where he is now the Director of Pitching, as well as being a pitching consultant to the Philadelphia Phillies. In this episode, Bill gives a behind-the-scenes look at what he does at Driveline, the best ways to develop pitchers, and what he looks for when hiring future employees. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Data..It seems that people love it or hate it in baseball. However, I'm here to re-assure you that it's okay to use data. In this episode we have Dave Hyland, currently a Professor of Finance at Xavier University. Dave teaches a Sabermetrics course at Xavier and explains what he teaches his students, and how he got the idea to start the class. If you're someone who is interested in data in baseball, then this is going to be a great episode to listen too! Dave's email: hylandd@xavier.edu See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Head Coach at UMBC (University of Maryland Baltimore - County), Liam Bowen, drops by to talk about what it's like taking over a program a D1 program. Liam explains why you need more evidence to convince players to make changes, and why he wants recruits to be curious from a developmental standpoint. Liam took over as head coach at UMBC in late 2019 during the season. He explains how he's transitioning his team's mindset, and why mindset is everything. Lastly, we get into recruiting, how is Liam recruiting in 2020 with the pandemic going on? The difference in recruiting position players vs. pitchers in 2020? Why being a mid-major D1 is actually an advantage from a recruiting standpoint, especially with the dead period going on."We're not going to recruit a conference champion, we're going to develop a conference champion" See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Currently bench coach for the Minnesota twins. Mike actually went to the same high school that I went to, Moeller High School, and now his son, Luke, is playing at Xavier University, where I graduated from as well. Small world. Mike started out as a Manager in the minor leagues for the Diamondback. He also served  as a field coordinator, and was the director of player development for the Arizona Diamondbacks for the last 7 years prior to getting the job with the Twins in 2020.In this episode Mike gives advice on what he’s looking for when interviewing candidates for a job in professional baseball. Mike has done 100s of interviews during his time with the Diamondbacks and has first hand knowledge of what an organization is looking for when hiring someone. Lastly Mike talks about some of the things he’s learned over his career in professional baseball. His Dad played 18 years in the MLB , grandfather player 15 years, and Mike’s brother David is currently the Manager for the Cincinnati Reds.&

After graduating from college Matt didn’t immediately get into coaching. He started as a car salesman. After doing that for a year he became an assistant coach at East Georgia College. After one year he was promoted to Head Coach, a title he retained for the next three. Matt then made the decision to become the volunteer at Miami, Oh. After one season he was promoted to Pitching Coach. In this episode you will learn what a D1 pitching coach is looking for when he is out recruiting, how he develops pitchers at Miami, and some ways you can individualize in a team setting.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Loved talking shop with one of the best hitting minds in the game, Darin Everson, Hitting Coordinator of the Colorado Rockies. In this episode we talk about how we as coaches can help players become their own hitting coach, home schooling his son, Jared, while he was managing for the Rockies in 2016, and the importance of teaching players to “be where your feet are at”. Marv Training Bands marvtraining.comDarin's website: www.elitebaseballacademy.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Current hitting coach of the Chicago Cubs stops by the podcast to discuss a variety of topics. Anthony has coached in the minor leagues, was a coordinator, and now a coach at the big league level. In this episode he gives advice on how help players during a season, working with players from different countries, and what he noticed watching players in the Dominican Republic train. If you're interested in having Anthony speak to your team via zoom please send him a DM on Twitter @anthonyiapoce See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mechanics, lifting, defense, and hitting are all fun things to talk about. However, one of the most overlooked things in player development is nutrition. On this episode we have Brandon Guyer, former MLB player who is now a certified nutritionist. Brandon gives example of some things that he would do to help with nutrition on the road during his career. We also talk about the mental game, and how nutrition plays a role in that, and lastly Brandon gives advice on what kinds of food and nutrients you should be consuming as a baseball player. Brandon's website is fullyequippedathlete.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.