Episode Transcript
[00:00:02] Speaker A: Hey, parents and coaches, are your kids using the right glove? The most important skill for youth athletes to learn is how to play proper catch. The problem is most youth gloves are made with bad leather and are too big for small hands. They actually make it harder to play catch. That's why former Major League baseball shortstop Kevin Smith created Cali Gloves. Cali gloves are crafted from 100% Japanese kip leather and are the perfect size for kids.
All Cali gloves come with palm slits, finger loops and elastic wrist lacing that encourage proper hand placement. The right closing patterns and give kids more confidence to go make plays. Cali Gloves even allow parents to break in the glove without stretching out the fit.
It's the glove Kevin wishes he had growing up and the glove all his teammates want for their kids. Visit caligloves.com to learn more and help your kids play better catch.
Cali Gloves K a l I gloves.com
[00:01:10] Speaker B: welcome to this week's edition of in the Clubhouse with DMV Baseball. I'm Andy Kirikidis, joined by my Wonderful Co host, Mr. Keith Glasser. How we doing, sir? Great.
[00:01:19] Speaker A: How are you?
[00:01:20] Speaker B: Good.
We're in the quiet period where a lot of guys are backing the, as the young folks refer to the lab, trying to get themselves ready to go for the fall, which is awesome. You know, guys are committed to trying to get better.
I think one of the things that I want to highlight is you got to take that work and you got to bring it into the game.
And it's great to put together a good trackman report. When you're throwing against air, it's great to put good swings on the ball and you know, when you got your hit tracks and nobody's really trying to, to get you out.
[00:02:04] Speaker A: Did you say air?
[00:02:06] Speaker B: Yeah, throwing against air.
[00:02:11] Speaker A: It's like another one I'm gonna write down. I like that. I'm gonna steal that and use that.
[00:02:15] Speaker B: It's like, it's like the QB in camp when you see, you know, you see the rookie and the seven on seven and he's just dicing everybody up with no pass rush, you know, like, that's great, but you know, when Aaron Donald or whoever's trying to rip your face off, it's a little bit of a different beast. Same as, you know, being a hitter and a guy trying to really get you out or, you know, somebody being in the box trying to be really competitive and, you know, you gotta, you gotta go put that time in and I, I, you know, I recommend it to everybody to get in there. And get after it. I think a lot of times what gets lost is that we've talked about this a ton and I'll get to a conversation I had that kind of spurred this. But you got to take that into a game.
You know that that 100 mile an hour exit below only matters if you can, you can do that in a game.
You can make all the swing adjustments and the mechanical adjustments that you want and it can show up in that environment. But that is a controlled environment where there are no consequences for failure.
And very, very different than the gameplay stuff. And, and kind of where this came from is conversation I had with a, a hidden guy who called me and asked me about a guy, you know, and just thought that he was being a little bit under recruited and, and you know, that he was putting up really good numbers in the cage and stuff. And my question was, well, have you seen him play?
He said, well, no, I've only had him in the facility.
Okay, well there's your answer. Like that stuff that you're seeing needs to translate to the game in order for him to get recruited, you know, by other schools or schools that you might think that he translates to based on what you're seeing in that cage. And I think that that's just, you know, that's a, a piece of information that is really important for kids to understand. Like you need to put that work in, but whatever you do in that environment needs to translate to game time. And how you train can maybe help you get there, right? Throwing to some live hitters versus just a bullpen.
Trying to really challenge yourself in your hitting session, right? Not just those feel good rounds, right? Like the pregame stuff that we are so accustomed to, you know, making sure guys are feeling good before the game. Like it should be a training session, not a feel good session. And just this time of year, guys are ramping up for the fall. Like be cognizant of that and try to create an environment that's going to give you a better chance to take those really good swings and those really good bullpens into a game because that's ultimately what you're going to get judged on.
[00:05:09] Speaker A: If you are the parent of a high school baseball player with college aspirations, you already know the recruiting process can feel overwhelming. Endless showcases, non stop emails and big promises with very little clarity. That's why we recommend Diamond College Showcase Camps, the nation's premier academic baseball showcase. At Diamond College showcases, every college coach in attendance is there with a purpose to coach, instruct, evaluate and recruit every player is seen, every player is engaged, and every family leaves with a clear understanding of where they truly stand. This is not a mass camp. College coaches run the drills, evaluate every athlete, and provide honest professional feedback that you can trust. Diamond College Showcase camps are built for serious student athletes who value both baseball and academics. If you're looking for transparency, clarity, and a recruiting experience that respects your time in your players future, Diamond College Showcase is the place to be. To learn more, visit diamondcollegeshowcase.com yeah, I mean, when the lights are on, it's got to show up.
And I, I think that there's,
[00:06:19] Speaker B: there's,
[00:06:20] Speaker A: this is a hard game from the standpoint that you, you can't necessarily create a lot of the pressure that you need to.
Whether it's practice with your team inside in a facility with the guy you're, you're hitting with or fielding with or catching with or pitching with. There's, there's a semblance of, of pressure when you actually get in a game and something's on the line. And I think that, you know that that part of it needs to be cultivated and continually tested and worked somehow some way.
[00:06:52] Speaker B: Right.
[00:06:54] Speaker A: And I just think that there's, you know, there's a lot of really good facilities out there and this is by no means an attack on, on any of these. This is just, you know, the reality of the situation that there's a lot of people that are out there coaching guys up outside of team settings and you know, do not have the opportunity or do not get out and watch them play to see how, what is translating in game.
Right. So, you know, it's hard and I, I had a conversation like this a long time ago when I was a head coach, when there was. I got a strongly worded email from somebody who ran a facility that, because I didn't keep a player who was trying out and I couldn't tell you the name, I couldn't tell you year, I do remember the metric numbers, but it was an infielder who ran a seven six and struck out seven of his nine at bats against our pitchers, like our legit college pitchers.
And I got a strongly worded email that players from the area that he was from would not want to come to RPI because I cut that player and he was good and being young, um, and I took a tad bit of offense to that. I wrote an email back that said, I'm sure you've seen me play or not me personally, I've certainly, I've, I'm sure you've seen our team play multiple times where you can ascertain the fact that this young man should be on the roster and also playing on my team.
Not to mention that I had three returning infielders that were some semblance of all Liberty League the previous season.
So, you know, my point in, in saying that and sharing that story is that there's there, there's belief and, and, and good intentions on people's part, but they also have no concept of what it is that they're, they may be stepping into. Right. Like, you know, you never, you had the gall to send an email to a coach of a team that you've literally never seen play. You have no idea what my roster looks like. You have no concept. You just know one tiny little piece of what happened. And obviously I wrote, you know, it was, I wrote a strongly worded email back. I was not rude by any stretch of the imagination. But those are the things that you can get into where it's, you know, what he was doing in your facility may or like, may have been good, but what happened when he got into two inner squad games during a fall with a collegiate team? He was completely and utterly overmatched and not ready to play college baseball.
You know, so those things have to show up in game is my point. Right. Like, you can be really, really good against air, but when there's a dude in the box and an umpire behind the plate and there's people in the stands and there's something on the line, you gotta be good then too. Because if it's not, the opportunities that you're gonna get are gonna start to dwindle because it's, there's more of a compete factor that has to show up. And you know, what you, what you're doing in a non, non competitive, non pressure situation needs to show up in those moments. And I think that's what you're driving at with, with this topic and what you brought up.
[00:10:28] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, simply put, you know, I don't, I don't really have a ton more to add to it. I just think that in today's day and age where it's really easy to grasp onto metrics that validate things. Right. Or things that happen in controlled environment. And those controlled environments are really valuable for development.
Right. Those hitting facilities. Some of these guys do a fantastic job of training kids and getting them better.
Same thing on the pitch inside. You see guys at Velo, they see them throwing better breaking balls, they start to move better.
But you still have to bring that into A game, it still has to show up.
When coaches are going to be there, they need to see you do something that proves it.
Those physical skills are going to translate in some way, shape or form.
[00:11:22] Speaker A: Yeah, you know, the gameplay stuff matters. I've beaten that drum for, for a while.
You still have to be able to play the game of baseball.
[00:11:31] Speaker B: Every coach that we have on here talks about it.
[00:11:33] Speaker A: All your metrics and everything are, are awesome. It's a, it's a foot in the door. It's something that, that you should be proud of that you, you work to that, that goal. But ultimately, like, it has to continually show up in game and you have to be able to play defense, you have to be able to hit. You know, you have to be able to handle velo. If you're hitting, you have to be able to get hitters out. Right? Like, you have to have good body language. You got to be able to run the bases. There's a lot of things that you need to be able to do that you can't necessarily do if you're just taking, you know, a handful of hitting lessons three times a week. Right. And I know for a fact that there are a lot of really good hitting guys out there, running facilities, pitching guys.
I know that there are. I've seen it with my own eyes. And you know, again, this isn't a knock on, on, on them, on you guys, if you're listening. Like, it's not a knock. Like, it's more from a recruiting standpoint of like, what, what you're doing to get those kids better. The kids need to understand they need to take that into the game.
And you know, there's, there's a disconnect there. Then, you know, we need to figure that out. But you know, what, what, what, what's happening is, you know, I think we've, we've. The pendulum, I think, is swinging back. But like you, we, we chase metrics and all these things and think that I, because I hit the ball hard, I can, I'm going to get recruited. And you know, there's more to it than just what your exit Velo is or, you know, because I throw the ball hard, I get to be able to be a college guy, like maybe, and it might only be for a year because if you can't do all the other things, you can't hold runners, you can't throw strikes, you can't throw a break ball, get swing a miss not in the zone. If you're a 19 to the plate, it's gonna Be really hard to do. So, like, there's a lot of other things in playing the game that actually matter, that need to show up outside of practice, a facility, whatever it is that you're doing.
[00:13:36] Speaker B: I'll give. I'll give. One more.
One more quick story. I think this will kind of drive it home.
This from like four or five years ago.
I'll leave. I'll leave names out of it because the kid's still playing and the coach is still coaching.
But I remember having a conversation with the coach about a kid, talented kid, right? Good frame, could run a little bit, good arm in the outfield, had some juice and, you know, caught this coach, you know, at one of the games. And this guy that I've known for a long time, so we were just kind of chatting up and they say, hey, what do you, you know, where are you at with this kid? Like, what.
What are you thinking?
And he said, dude, I want to like him.
Like, he checks a ton of boxes, he's got bat speed, he can run a little bit. I think he's got a chance to be really physical.
But I've seen him five or six times now, and he's never done anything to impact the game.
And it was kind of like a really good example of like, that kid's a talented player and he went to a Division 1 school. This was another Division 1 school. But it was one of those things that that guy had seen that kid play recognized. Like, that kid is talented, but also he's been doing this long enough to not get fooled with, like, hey, I got to go with what my eyes are telling me. And, like, I just haven't seen this kid produce enough for me to feel good about taking a chance on his tool set.
And sometimes coaches are overlooked at stuff and they just go, you know what? That's a better athlete than we usually get. And I'm going to take a chance on that guy, right? And there's nothing wrong with that. I've been in that. I've been in that conversation where it's like, listen, I know this kid's got some warts, but athletically, he's a type of kid that I think we can do something with and, like, you can take a chance on that guy. But certain programs, depending on the level you're at, depending on the players that you're recruiting for that position, aren't going to be as comfortable until they see that level of production.
And sometimes that can. And oftentimes I should say that will over.
That'll overrule just a pure tool set.
So that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
[00:16:06] Speaker A: Love it.
[00:16:08] Speaker B: Got anything else you want to say, Coach?
[00:16:10] Speaker A: No, sir.
[00:16:11] Speaker B: All right.
Well, thank you for listening, everyone. Tune in next week. We will talk to you then. Thank you.
Thank you for listening this week. If you're watching on YouTube, go ahead and hit that subscribe button and smash that like button for us. Check us out on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, as well as Spotify. You can follow us on Twitter and Instagram MD Baseball. If you want to find out what me and Keith do to help find families and players navigate the recruiting process, go ahead and check us out on emdbaseball.com take a few minutes to check out our new online academy. I promise you'll get some good information out of that. Thanks again for listening. Check in with you next week.
