[00:00:04] Speaker A: Welcome to the ABCA's podcast. I'm your host Ryan Brownlee.
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Contact them today at 844-620-2707 or infoettingpros.com visit them online at www.nettingpros.com or check out NettingPros on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for all their latest products and projects. Make sure to let CEO Will Miner know that the ABCA sent you now on to the podcast Baltimore Orioles minor league hitting coach Jake Ratz joins the ABCA podcast this week.
Rats joined the Orioles organization In December of 2022, coaching the Dominican Summer League. This past season, Rats coached in the Florida Coast League.
Rats got his coaching start collegiately, where he started his collegiate playing career at Ellsworth Community College. Other stops along his coaching journey were Southwestern Community College, Iowa Western, Butler University and Upper Iowa University.
Rats also spent summers coaching the Northwoods Prospect and Mink Leagues. This episode is a deep dive into coaching this generation of hitters. Let's welcome Jake Ratz to the podcast.
I hear Jake Ratz, minor league hitting coach for the Baltimore Orioles, but worked his way up, was at Ellsworth, Southwestern, Iowa Western, Butler in Upper Iowa. But we go back to your high school days and then junior college days and then playing at South Dakota State. So thanks for jumping on with me.
[00:03:40] Speaker B: Yeah, great to see you, Coach B. Thanks for having me on. Really looking forward to our chat.
[00:03:44] Speaker A: I feel like your coaching path is a little bit of a throwback. Kind of the old days of kind of working your way up at different levels, but also coaching a bunch of summer baseball too.
[00:03:54] Speaker B: Yeah, it's definitely been a unique path.
Pretty much every opportunity I could to coach, I took advantage of it. I've coached pretty much everywhere you could possibly think of as you listed coaching junior college baseball for five total years, lived in a dorm room for all five of those years, coached summer baseball in the Progress too. So was just constantly coaching and it was the best thing for me at that time because as we know, like coaching is so difficult and the added reps that I got at such a young age was so beneficial for me, especially at that level when I was trying to trying to figure stuff out. So just kept on plugging away. I was blessed with a really good group of guys each and every year. And that just kept me coming back. Like I just really had a love for the game and had a love for the guys that I was around. And that definitely helped me progress through the ranks and kept me going just because it was difficult for sure, especially those early years, like I was working for nothing, especially at Ellsworth right away. So every single opportunity I had to make a dime, whether it was on the field, off the field and just getting coaching opportunities, like I definitely took it.
[00:05:07] Speaker A: I was going to ask you about giving lessons too. Did you give many lessons When I had time too.
[00:05:12] Speaker B: I think it was so difficult, especially at Ellsworth. I think that was like I tell people the stories of being at Ellsworth with Travis Acree, who you know, and I'll just give you a glimpse of what a fall day or I guess after the fall season wrapped up at Ellsworth because we're needing to be off the field by October 15th, I want to say because we, we played at a high school field so they needed us off the field October 15th and junior college wise, like you need to fundraise your butt off. So how we fundraise was raking leaves and we had a roster of 60 guys. So at 6am that was our first weight room session. And as a junior college coach, like, you're wearing every single hat in the league. So I was running the weights. Our first group would start at 6am Then we'd have a group come in at 7am that would go till 8. And then after we wrapped up with weights, I would go to the job where I got paid, which was fastenal or the bookstore on campus, and I would crush a shift from 8am to 2pm and that's where I'd make my money because I was a true volunteer at a junior college. And then after I finished my shift, we would rake leaves around Iowa Falls, and we would do that till sundown.
Sundown would happen, would go grab dinner, and then our pitchers would need to lift from 7 to 8pm and then that's when we actually did our practice after that, from 8 to midnight in our rec center that we had on campus, where we had individual groups that ran all the way till midnight. And then midnight rolled around and I walked back to my dorm room and got my three to four hours of sleep and did it all over again and loved every second of it.
[00:07:08] Speaker A: Do you feel like that set you up for success now?
[00:07:11] Speaker B: Yeah, I think it just gave me an added perspective, if anything, just not taking anything for granted. It was a grind, and baseball's hard, especially being in the professional game, where you're going to add it every single day. And the days are long, the weeks are long, it's hot.
Um, there's a lot of frustration and stress that goes on each and every day. And me leaning on that experience and just having that perspective really, really suits me on a daily basis throughout my entire career.
[00:07:42] Speaker A: With a young coach that's trying to get into it right now, what would you tell them about trying to be patient in the process? I know it's really difficult, but trying to be patient in the process?
[00:07:51] Speaker B: Yeah, it's. It's easier said than done, for sure. I think I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by a good group of people that definitely helped me be where my feet were. And that's kind of just a testament to the way I was raised with my parents. Like, they. They did such a great job of raising me the right way of not taking anything for granted. And there's no such thing as instant gratification. And I just think just taking it a day at a time. And yeah, like you said, just taking those opportunities to coach the game are so important because just coaching's hard and dealing with, with humans that fail all the time is very.
And you need to go out and coach. Like if you want to coach, like go out there and coach for no money, whatever it may be, just go out there and get the experience of being around guys and just helping others.
[00:08:44] Speaker A: Do you think that's a kind of a blue collar background of growing up in the Midwest?
[00:08:49] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, you could say that. I mean, I've just been so fortunate to be surrounded by so many great people my entire life. Like I owe so much the people I've been surrounded by, just like I said with my family and then the friends that I've had growing up and then just the coaches that I've had through high school, throughout college and then when I started my coaching career, just, I've just been so fortunate of the people I've been surrounded by and that's played such a big influence where you're just a product of your environment. I truly believe that and I've been elevated by others my entire life.
[00:09:22] Speaker A: What was the switch for you going to pro ball as far as making that next leap from you'd been in college forever, but making that next leap to go into pro ball?
[00:09:34] Speaker B: Yep. So my ultimate goal as a player was always to play professional baseball.
And I just, frankly, I wasn't good enough. And my goal was always to be a professional baseball player. And once my playing days got done, I wanted to get into coaching and that goal of getting to professional baseball was still there. I knew that I was at a disadvantage getting there just because I didn't have a professional playing background. So I knew that the road was going to be a little bit longer. And that was still the goal though, and probably got into year six, seven, eight of coaching college. And I had some friends and people that I had played with and people that had stayed in contact with that were starting to get into the professional baseball coaching wise that didn't have professional playing experience like myself. So that kind of gave me a little bit of encouragement that maybe, maybe I'm closer than, than I think I am. And I want to say going into that hiring cycle that I finally got hired by the O's, like I, I finally started putting my name out, applying for stuff because I, I had that belief that I could potentially get a shot. And luckily going through the process, I did. And it was the best thing that could have ever happened for me.
[00:10:54] Speaker A: Somebody that's preparing for the pro interview process, what would you tell them?
[00:11:00] Speaker B: Yeah, I'd say the biggest thing is, is professional organizations in my Opinion are looking for people to be brought in that. That bring value to their organization. Like, if you have a unique skill set that's going to make them better, that's going to be the biggest thing that they're looking for. Everyone that works in professional baseball works really hard. Everyone in professional baseball is really smart. So I think the biggest thing when you're trying to get into professional baseball and going into the interview process is what makes you unique. What about you makes the organization better. And then I think the most underrated thing going into the process is you need to be a team player, because professional organizations are massive. You work with a lot of people. You work with a lot of different departments on a daily basis that are handling the same players that you do. So your ability to work with other people and be a team player and have the humility to know when to speak or when you're right and wrong is really valuable. When you get into it, I'd say that's probably the most underrated thing when you get into professional baseball is just understanding how many people you work with and how important teamwork is.
[00:12:18] Speaker A: How hard was that? You know, the college side, you have a lot of autonomy. You know, how difficult was that in the beginning of, like, you are going to have a lot of different voices and people telling you a lot of different things.
[00:12:28] Speaker B: Yeah, it's an adjustment period. I think just getting into professional baseball in itself, for. For me personally, it was a bit of an adjustment. I mean, you're making the jump to professional from college. Like, for me in particular, I did it in a different country. I went to the Dominican Republic for two years, so I was having to do it.
Different language, too, with a bunch of people that I was unfamiliar with, a bunch of players that had no idea what I was saying more than half of the time. So it was definitely an adjustment. But I just say, like, the biggest thing is just taking it a day at a time and just trusting the process with it all.
[00:13:08] Speaker A: Is Dominican kind of the proving grounds now for pro ball. Seems like a lot of guys start in the Dominican.
[00:13:14] Speaker B: Yeah. As far as, like, it was. It was my opportunity to get my foot in the door. I'd say that was the biggest thing. And I wouldn't replace my time down there for anything. Year one, it was challenging for me.
Like I said, like, I was speaking Spanish every single day to every single player, and I hadn't spoken Spanish since high school. And that Spanish that you were learning in high school had no correlation to the one that you're using down there. So I'd say for me personally, year one was, was drinking from a fire hose. But once again, kind of like I touched on in my early coaching experience, it was the best thing for me. And I look back on my experience down there and it definitely shaped me to be a better coach and a better person. Like my perspective that I have on so many things has changed just from, from being down there with those guys. And I was surrounded by so many good kids, hardworking kids and staff members that really made me feel comfortable. And they, they didn't need to do that, but they did such an amazing job of feel like I was at home down there. And year two I was able to settle in because you knew what to expect. But year one was tough. And I'd say the biggest thing with the baseball down there is the game's the game. It's the same thing. You just have some really talented players that you get to work with each and every day.
[00:14:42] Speaker A: Do you feel like it is a 12 month deal that first year you're with a new organization, might be a new college team? Do you really feel like it takes 12 months to, to kind of get your feet wet?
[00:14:52] Speaker B: Yeah, without a doubt. Like I definitely feel just because there was so much transition that was happening, just like I said from like you're going to a new level and you're having to do it in a different language and you're working with a bunch of different co workers that ultimately like you're coming into their organization, you're working through their systems. And fortunate for me, I was, I was very lucky to be paired up with a really good hitting coach that had spent two years years down there.
One of my good friends still to this day, Julian Gonzalez, and he definitely helped me adjust quicker. And then our hitting coordinators and farm director, like they gave us a lot of freedom to kind of do things our way, which was really cool. They definitely told us to kind of just like keep it within the goal post is the way that they phrased it. But yeah, I'd say the adjustment period was right around a year and then year two, you just knew what to expect a little bit more, which was definitely made you more comfortable going into a second year.
[00:15:59] Speaker A: I feel like with the Dominican or with the complexes in Arizona and Florida, it is better to have high school and college guys with those backgrounds because they're used to kind of developing younger kids too.
[00:16:10] Speaker B: Yeah, honestly, when I went there I was, that was the youngest age group that I had coached because I had only coached College, and then I went to the Dominican, and most of those guys are 16, 17, 18 years old. So honestly, they were younger than any guy I had coached. But it's so cool being down there.
You have such an influence on their development and their foundation of what training should be, and you really set the stage for their education and just the way that their day and their work needs to go about each and every day. So that was really cool. And definitely. It definitely teaches you a lot of patience, too. Like, that was one thing. Like, it was my first time working with high schoolers. And just the cultural difference down there, it definitely plays a role. And it was the best thing for me of just taking it a day at a time and taking some deep breaths when things didn't go perfectly as planned, which was. Which was great for me.
[00:17:12] Speaker A: Since you're from America and obviously those kids down there want to get to America. How many of those questions for you or as an American, like, okay, what's baseball actually like in the States?
[00:17:22] Speaker B: Yeah, I think that's a great question. I'd say the biggest thing is the game is the same for the most part. I just say it just gets a little bit more polished. Each and every step that you go.
We. We did our due diligence with our guys down there of providing the evidence of what each level is going to look like, especially from the hitting side, since I'm a hitting coach, like, all right, down here in the Dominican, you may see 60% or 65% fastballs, but when you go over to Sarasota in Florida, that goes to 50%. So I know that down here in the Dr.
Before the game starts, you just constantly want to hammer heaters off the machine because that's what you're going to see in game. But ultimately your goal is to be a major leaguer, so we need to be building those skills. That's going to help you climb the ranks versus just beating the game that day.
[00:18:18] Speaker A: Do you feel like that's the biggest switch with hitting now is the amount of offspeed pitches that hitters are seeing now and having to get attacked with?
[00:18:26] Speaker B: Yeah, it's pretty insane, if I'm being completely honest. Like, even at the rookie level this year in the FCL, there's certain organizations that are throwing fastballs below 40%.
So I've always been a firm believer that timing is really important. But for now more than ever, being able to hit off time is just as important.
So it just makes your swing path and your movements in the box that much more valuable. Because honestly, you just watch a game, there's no such thing as a hitter's count anymore. So you need to be able to not only be on time, but you need to hit off time as well.
[00:19:06] Speaker A: What have you learned from Rob Gray's books?
I saw you tweeted at it. Rob Gray, what have you learned from his books?
[00:19:13] Speaker B: Yeah, so it's, it's funny you asked that. So Rob Gray, one of the things he talked about hitting, really changed my perspective about like what the swing should look like. So he used the example that like too many people think that the swing is like a skyscraper. So like this big stable stature that doesn't move, whereas the swing is actually like a pop up tent when you're going camping. So based off of the circumstances is gonna dictate what your where your pop up tent's gonna be. So from the swing it's like you don't want to be a skyscraper. And I used to think like, oh, like we're trying to train this perfect swing that's gonna cover everything and that's not the case. Like your swing is gonna be dependent off of what the environment is. It's like, for example, like a four seam fastball that's up and away to you is gonna ask you to be really flat to it. Whereas right handed sinker down and in, that's moving down into you is gonna have you be the most vertical to it. So it's not about training the perfect swing, it's actually thinking about training a series of swings that's gonna allow you to be successful.
[00:20:37] Speaker A: I mean, do you feel like that's probably the, what the elite hitters do the best is they're able to break their swing down when they need to, to be able to make contact.
[00:20:46] Speaker B: Yeah, I'd say honestly for the guys at the upper levels and even just professional baseball in general, they don't, I wouldn't say that they think of it as much that way.
It's more or less just like setting the training environments that ask you to do that with your swing and then you're just making it happen from there. So it's less, I'd say less about them thinking about technically having a swing that's going to match up with that and just kind of just like setting them in that environment that's going to challenge those different swing planes and just having them kind of figure it out. I've, I've found that to be a little bit more successful than having them kind of just be so internal with it as well.
[00:21:32] Speaker A: Love it how different is the development plan for a returning player and a new player in the, in the system, if any?
[00:21:39] Speaker B: Yeah, it's a great.
[00:21:40] Speaker A: If any.
[00:21:40] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. I'd say there's a big difference just because if you have a guy that's been the system for two to three years, you have two to three years worth of in game data to kind of base that player plan off of. And in my opinion there's no better data than in game data. So you're able to use two to three years worth of in game data to really use it as evidence of what this individual needs to work on. And ultimately like as a coach, we're trying to be co designers of what their adjustments are looking like. So I wouldn't say that we ever force it upon them. We want it to be their idea to be, for it to be a little stickier. But ultimately that's going to be different than your guy that's coming in into the organization as his first year and we don't have any of that. And it could be a little dangerous in a way to, to work through a bunch of adjustments with guys right away without them having anything under their, under their belt game wise.
Just kind of let them go out there for the most part, year one and see what they got and just kind of creating those, those practice environments on a daily basis that's going to, that's going to have them explore different movements but ultimately kind of letting them play out their first year. So we can go into like the second year, third year with it being a little bit more direct and pointed at what their low hanging fruit is. And ultimately the biggest thing too that I've learned too is just when you're putting together like these player plans and you're just picking these guys apart for what they don't do well, it's really easy to lose sight of what they do well. You want to keep their strengths, their strengths. And that's definitely one thing that I've, I've adjusted throughout the last few years is, is when you're making these adjustments, like ultimately when you're making an adjustment and you're making a change with someone, there's very rarely just like a solution that's going to change everything. But there's always going to be a trade off that happens. So you need to weigh those trade offs when you're making an adjustment with guys and, and ultimately like you want to keep their strength, their strength because that's them a good hitter or a good baseball player.
[00:24:08] Speaker A: And I was Going to ask you that too. Where's that fine line of not taking away from their strengths? Once you start tinkering around with a.
[00:24:15] Speaker B: Lot of stuff, yeah, it's challenging. I think that's one of the things that makes being a hitting coach so hard. And I think being a hitting coach is very difficult. I think that all of us hitting coaches out there a little crazy in a way just do what we do. We're surrounded by people that are failing so often on a daily basis. And it is really tough when making those adjustments to not want to take away from what makes them good too. So I think that's the biggest thing is just assessing kind of what the player profile is. So when you make the adjustment, it's amplifying what they are player profile wise versus taking away from what, what makes them good.
[00:25:00] Speaker A: How long did it take you to find your coaching voice?
[00:25:03] Speaker B: I'm still trying to find it. I mean, I tried.
I pride myself at the end of each year.
Dang. At the end of each day almost just like reflecting on what I feel like I do well and what are some things I could improve on. And I feel like that's the beauty of coaching is there's no end in sight. It's a constant process of getting better.
And that's one thing that I know that's always going to be the case and always has been just constant reflection of what I could do better and just helping the guys, ultimately that's what you put first, is ultimately if you put the players first, you're going to like where you're at.
[00:25:51] Speaker A: How long do guys shut down, if at all?
[00:25:56] Speaker B: Yeah, I'd say the biggest thing, it's a person to person thing. So a lot of the guys down the Dominican Republic, so a lot of the guys that have been in the organization for a year or two, the most important thing for them, them in the off season is just adding that physicality, I'd say.
So for those guys, after the DSL season wraps up, they, they stop baseball activity for three to four weeks and then they'll go attend like a strength camp where they're not doing any hitting or they're not doing any defensive base running type stuff. Like their ultimate goal is to gain muscle mass because that's their opportunity to do it. So those guys will do a strength camp for about a month or two. Just so they're preparing themselves for the next year of professional baseball. Just because playing every single day, like as you know, just it takes a toll on your body and you need to be able to sustain that, that muscle mass. Whereas if you have an older guy, for example, maybe like a high A or double a guy, they might go right into camp after they wrap up with their affiliate season and that can last anywhere from three to five weeks. And then after camp wraps up, they could maybe shut it down for just a little bit. I think it just really depends on where they're at in their development and where they're at in their career. Like certain guys need to just go out and play more. So guys will play in different fall leagues or winter leagues and just get more at bats under their belt. And some guys have that and just need to, to take some time off. So I think it's, it's a really case by case situation.
[00:27:44] Speaker A: How different is the strength training now than when you get into it, when you're having to do it on your own with everybody at Ellsworth?
[00:27:51] Speaker B: Yeah, I, I'd say it's, they definitely use technology more, that's for sure. We didn't have any technology when we were at Ellsworth, that's for dang sure. But I'd say just doing simple well is. It still works.
Like I think when it comes to hitting or, or weightlifting, like being really good at simple is, is really good. Like people are still following linear progression and guys are still deadlifting. They're still squatting and doing single arm, one leg stuff. I mean it's, it's, it's pretty similar. It's just how you attack it, how you, what your intent is each and every day and how you're taking care of your body outside of the weight room is, is kind of saying, honestly I don't think anyone's reinventing the wheel when it comes to, to weight training these days.
[00:28:44] Speaker A: When does the on ramp start then for the position players to get ready for spring training?
[00:28:49] Speaker B: Normally we'll have guys will do a spring training prep camp. Normally we'll start anywhere from January 28th to like the first week of February. So guys will normally have stuff under their belt the first month or so before they roll into spring training where they're taking live at bats and yeah, going through their cage routine and just getting into the swing of things, just getting on their feet is the biggest thing. So when they get to spring training they're not just hammered by it.
[00:29:30] Speaker A: With the amount of off speed pitches that hitters are seeing now. How are you training swing decisions?
[00:29:36] Speaker B: Yeah, it's a, it's a great question. I'd say the biggest thing is, is understanding that the biggest thing for me when it comes to training swing decisions is one setting the intention of what you're trying to work on.
So if you're working on swing decisions, you need to tell the guy that you're working with that that's what the training is going to be and that's what the intention is.
And when it comes to that, I think one of the things that I've adjusted the most is the way that you throw batting practice.
Just conventional batting practice, you throw in zone 90 to 95% of the time and guys are swinging 95 to 100% of the time.
Whereas MLB average in zone rate is hovering right around 50% and the swing rates around 40 to 42%. So if you're training swing decisions, it doesn't really make sense to throw batting practice in zone at 90 to 95% of the time. So that's one thing that I really believe in when it comes to working on swing decisions is how you can make batting practice better. And ultimately it starts with just throwing more balls. I know like, that may sound kind of unconventional, but ultimately like, like if you want to work on swing decisions, there needs to be a decision making process.
So I'm not saying that you need to be a BP thrower throwing 30% in zone, but it should probably be closer to 60 to 70% than it should be to 90% if that's what your intention is for the training, and that's really important is what your intention is for that session. I'm not saying that if you're a college team hitting pregame BP and you have 40 minutes, that you should be spraying, spraying balls all over the place to work on swing decisions. Once again, like your intention's completely different. But if you're working on swing decisions and you're hitting arm or you're hitting machine, you shouldn't be throwing in the strike zone 90 to 95% of the time because there's no decision making process. And a way that I like to leverage in game data, in game evidence for individual guys is just matching where their swing rate is and where their chase rate is and then exposing that in their training. So for example, if you have a guy that likes to chase fastballs above the zone and you're the coach throwing BP to him, if you're going to miss somewhere, miss where he chases in game, that's, that's what his chase zone is. This is your opportunity as a coach, this is his opportunity as a player to work on that swing decision piece. And, and I Understand that coaches aren't robots. I'm not a robot. Like I miss all the time. But like if you're trying to make your, your practice intentional and you're working on swing decisions, one assess where their chase zone is and then just hammer it with the kid. So he's actually working on that in the cage so he can continue building that skill and he can carry that into the game.
[00:32:56] Speaker A: And you mentioned off timing. Is there a way to train off timing with hitters?
[00:33:01] Speaker B: Yeah, you can. We. I like to do mixed bp, so I know that it's a little bit more challenging for, for some to throw mixed BP than others. But if you're able to throw mixed BP to guys, I think you're able to work on hitting off time and it really opens up a lot of avenues for conversations as far as overall approach.
Like you could just continue to spin guys down below the zone. They could keep on changing it. And all you need to do is just walk up to the guy and ask him what his thought process is. And there in itself is a really good conversation for you as a coach with the, with the player. So like mix BP and then just, I'd say just hitting multiple machines, like doing two headed monsters where you're constantly challenging different timings.
I'd say those are the, probably the biggest ones.
[00:34:12] Speaker A: How long take you to get comfortable with throwing mixed bp?
I mean, you don't really have a pitching background. I mean you probably pitched a little bit Xavier, but. But not much.
[00:34:21] Speaker B: Yeah. So I, I didn't throw mixed BP much before I got to the Orioles. So that was a work in progress. But luckily for me, once again, circling back to being the junior college coach right away was like you had to throw bp, you had to hit a fungo. So I was throwing BP each and every day early on, regardless of how good or bad it was, and bad a lot. I felt my F still to this day feel bad for the guys that I throw to. So.
But mix VP wise, I don't know. Like it was, it was fun. Like I think as a, as a coach, it brings out the competitive nature in you. So I think the pitch mix is always developing. Like right away I only felt comfortable throwing a fastball and a curveball and now it's expanded to a fastball, slider, curveball. So it's just a couple different wrinkles. But I don't know. I'd. I'd say it's pretty similar to throwing batting practice. If anything, you enjoy throwing it a little bit more because it's your opportunity to go out there and compete and show the hitters that you work with that you still got a little in you and you can still beat them every now and then.
[00:35:34] Speaker A: What about drills for contact? Seems like bat to ball is actually making a comeback. And I know people kind of said, well, strikeouts don't matter. It seems like we're coming back to the middle where contact actually is kind of important. Jordan.
[00:35:47] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
A strikeout is not the same as every other out. Like, I, I don't agree with that and never have. I'm being completely honest. I'd say the biggest barrier to entry when it comes to being a professional hitter is, is being able to handle velocity. Like everyone from the Dominican Republic all the way up is, is throwing really hard. So your barrier for entry is being able to handle velocity and that kind of goes hand in hand with your contact ability. So being able to handle velocity off of high speed machines like we definitely like to hit velocity, whether it's with baseballs or foam baseballs, Marv baseballs, whatever it may be. But your ability to handle the heater is your barrier for entry to professional baseball. And just being able to handle velocity is where that starts.
[00:36:46] Speaker A: How much of that too is recognizing this player has pro bat speed but maybe doesn't have pro timing?
[00:36:56] Speaker B: Yeah, I'd say.
Can you repeat the question? Sorry.
[00:37:01] Speaker A: How much of that? Because I think this is a scouting thing more than anything. I think scouts do a really good job of kind of vetting swing speed out of kids that aren't going to make it and then how much of that is on the development side where we just need to. To get them better timing?
[00:37:17] Speaker B: Yeah, I think ultimately timing is dictated by the movements that you're creating in the box.
The better that you move in the batter's box, more than likely the better your bat path's gonna work and the bigger your margin for error is when it comes to timing. So I'd say when it comes to timing, the biggest thing is, is if you find a way to move better, especially if you're able to dominate the, and the stride and your posture is in a good spot, you're normally going to set yourself up to be on time for the most part, at least deliver the barrel through the zone as long as possible with all the technology.
[00:37:59] Speaker A: That you have access to. What would you have wanted to use as a player?
[00:38:04] Speaker B: Yeah, I think for me it would have been nice to have trackman just having in game data and in game evidence to kind of drive my, my in game practice or my, my practice each and every day would be the, the biggest thing. Just because I was, you know, just an arrogant kid and didn't think that I needed to work on anything. And I think just having that added evidence probably would have helped me at least like, nudge me in the right direction of being able to train accordingly. Because I think that's the biggest thing is, is I, I made the decision not enough and I wasn't able to perform in game well enough because of that. But I feel like if I would have had access to some more in game evidence, that would have definitely helped my, my ability to, to get better.
[00:39:02] Speaker A: You always tore the leathernecks up though, so just from being in the other dugout, I thought you were fine.
[00:39:09] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, I had my days.
Not, not a lot of them, but I had enough, I guess.
[00:39:15] Speaker A: And with, with the amount of data that you do have on each player, what's that fine line between knowing, okay, when to share this information with them or when to just leave it alone?
[00:39:26] Speaker B: Yeah, it's a great question. I'd say it's a case by case thing. Like, we've talked about timing a lot when it comes to the swing, but the more and more I coach, the more and more I think it's really important for conversational timing.
And not everyone wants to be told what they need to be told at the same rate. So I think just building relationships with the players and understanding when they need to be told certain things is an art in itself. And I think it's our job as a coach to just constantly be pulling back the layers of what this guy needs to improve on, assessing what should be brought to his attention so it's not overwhelming. And then when you have that opportunity with that individual to bring it to their attention because the timing's right, you go for it. Just because there's been so many times where just because you have the right answer doesn't mean that the guy needs to hear it at that exact moment because they're, they're, they're not ready to hear it. When guys are ready to hear something, they're going to be more willing to probably make that adjustment versus you just trying to, to shove it down their.
[00:40:49] Speaker A: Throat and they'll come to you. Correct. Like, no doubt. Willing to make change when they're ready. Like they're going to come to you and ask. Correct.
[00:40:57] Speaker B: No doubt. This game's too hard for them not to like the mental model that I like to use it as. I think it was Andy Haynes. I want to say that used this, and I've used it since, as you're just constantly collecting bullets with guys, like, you're constantly observing, you're constantly watching, and when you're ready or when they're ready to have a conversation with you, you have a bullet ready for them.
And that's always something that I've carried with me, and I've found that to be a lot more valuable because if you're collecting bullets and then you're using your bullets when they're not ready to hear it, then. Then you completely wasted that bullet. So.
But yeah, like you said, just guys will come to you. This game's too hard.
But ultimately, like, guys come to you at different rates, and it's. It's your role as a coach, in my opinion, to just make sure that you have a good enough relationship with guys to understand when that time is with your knowledge.
[00:42:00] Speaker A: Now, if you had to go back to Ellsworth and start fresh, what would you add with that group that. That maybe you weren't doing? What would you add, knowing what you know now?
[00:42:10] Speaker B: Yeah, I'd say the biggest thing would be just training.
Representative design is the biggest thing. Just training velocity, training shapes that you're gonna see in the game. I, as a coach back then, like, you want to get that reassurance that you're doing a great job as a coach. Coach. So for me personally, we would go through, like, our rounds of tee, our rounds of flips, our rounds of stock bp, and guys would see a lot of success. And I would walk away from it as a coach being like, oh, like, I did a great job. Like, I'm. I'm doing a great job coaching because these guys are seeing all this success in practice, and then they get to the game and they can't perform. Whereas now, like, I think of it the complete opposite, where, like, training dirty to perform in the game is the most important thing. If that means that we're not performing in practice at the same level as those other environments. And that's okay because ultimately the ultimate goal is to perform in the game. And you need to practice what you see in the game during practice to be ready for that.
[00:43:24] Speaker A: How much do you have to spend with the new players on, like, pre game routines and in game routines?
[00:43:31] Speaker B: Yeah, I think that starts with our education.
Like, that's something that I like to pride myself on each and every day is you're. You're having conversations with guys on their routine each and every day, and it's constantly evolving for guys at the Age that I'm working with, 16, 17, 18. They're still trying to figure out who they are as individuals. So like the routines might change pretty frequently. The approach might change pretty frequently just based off of kind of what the game is telling them and kind of what they need to work on individually. So it's, it's honestly a day to day thing. But the biggest thing is, is when they find something that they feel like works for them is, is keeping them on track because it's really easy to, to tinker and bounce around and ultimately like if you find something, there's a lot of value of you as a coach is keeping them on track with what makes them good.
[00:44:34] Speaker A: What'd Dave Schrag do for your career?
[00:44:37] Speaker B: A lot. I mean, he gave me the opportunity to be a Division 1 baseball player and then he gave me the opportunity to be a Division 1 coach.
So I owe a lot to Dave Schrag. Like he's always treated me the best and probably not when I deserved it and like he's always taken me under his wing and I owe a lot to him because he gave me the opportunity to fulfill my dream to be a Division 1 baseball player. And then six years later he turned around and let me achieve another goal and dream of mine of being a Division 1 baseball coach. So I owe a lot to Coach Shrag. He means a lot to me.
[00:45:20] Speaker A: And he had great high school coaches too.
[00:45:23] Speaker B: What's that?
[00:45:24] Speaker A: You had great high school coaches too?
[00:45:26] Speaker B: Yeah, Dave Schemmel and Dave Shammel.
[00:45:29] Speaker A: Baseball people that don't, that don't know a lot about Iowa high school baseball. That area for high school baseball is really good. Very good.
[00:45:36] Speaker B: Yeah. Yep. For my time at Xavier I had Dave Schemmel and Jim Arp and when it came to a perfect game, fall ball type workouts, I had Jim Van Scoy and Jim Van Scoy, he taught me a lot about baseball. He's definitely a big influence on my development as a player and as a person. Honestly like he, he shaped, he was, he played a big role in shaping the person that I am today.
[00:46:02] Speaker A: Roberto Makata wanted me to ask you about your guys winning percentage when you guys coach together.
[00:46:08] Speaker B: It's pretty dang good.
Between spring training and then I was able to go up the to Erie, Pennsylvania and fill in for, for our Double A coach earlier this year.
Yeah, our time together is, it's been a lot of fun. I mean Berto is great. He always takes care of me and I'm always just super fortunate to spend time with him. Because he always treats me so well. But, yeah, Berto and I, we have a pretty good track record together.
[00:46:37] Speaker A: And what's the advice on that, too? Because I think as a young coach, when you're just trying to get another job, if you're fortunate, but also you want to make sure you're in the right situations too, but you've been in some challenging situations as well, and I think you're a good example of that is. Is you are in some really challenging situations, too, which I think there's some benefits to being in some challenging situations as opposed to maybe in a program that. That has a lot of resources and success. I think you see both sides of that. But I think as a young coach, I think it's just as important to be in places that are challenging, too, to see if you can stick it out.
[00:47:11] Speaker B: Yeah. Especially early on, I think it was really important for me to get in front of groups constantly and just talk in front of the group. Group. I think that's a skill that you need as a coach. And if I were to go to a school where I was the fifth assistant, right away, I wouldn't have had that opportunity to do that. And I think that was one thing about where I'd spent a majority of my early coaching career was like, I had to be the guy that was addressing the group and was the guy that was being held accountable when we weren't performing. So that in itself just made you grow up and make decisions each and every day that had repercussions.
And that. That in itself was probably like, the biggest piece of growth for me as a coach early on, where if I would have gone to a different situation, that probably wouldn't have been the case.
[00:48:07] Speaker A: And I. You were always mature, too, though. Like, you know, you always felt older. And this is a compliment. Like, even when I knew you, when you were younger and just getting into it, you always had that maturity and you always had Handle things professionally. That was one of the things that always. I was always impressed with. With you, even as a young coach. Like, you never came across that way. Like, you. You were always professional. You're always very mature. Like, you could tell that if you stayed in it, you're gonna. You're gonna do really well.
[00:48:33] Speaker B: Appreciate that. Yeah, this. This game and this life is really humbling. So the second that you're. You're not humble, life or the game will. Will teach you otherwise. So that's definitely something just from past experience that is. Has molded me into the have.
[00:48:52] Speaker A: Do you have a fail Forward moment you have something that you thought was going to set you back, but looking back now, it helped you move forward. Could be professionally or personally.
[00:49:00] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean I feel like my entire career almost, I'd say maybe the, the one that comes to mind is, I don't know, this might be the easy one, but like my Covid situation.
So when I went to Butler it was December 2019, so just finished up coaching junior college ball for, for five years and wasn't making much money doing it. Like I was honestly living paycheck to paycheck for the most part, but got this opportunity to go to Butler which was a big opportunity for me in Indianapolis. So it wasn't the cheapest place to, to live by any means. And as you know, like it was as a volunteer, like a Division 1 volunteer where and they make their money during the summer working camps and doing lessons during the time. So when I went into that job as, as the Butler volunteer, I was really banking on making all my money during the summer.
Well then Covid happened as we know and there was no opportunity to make much money money when it came to camps and lessons. Everything was shut down. So for me it was, it was really challenging financially to just afford rent and luckily for me like I was able to, to stay afloat because a golf course in the area opened up around like May or June and was able to make minimum wage cutting grass and edge in bunkers and edging cart paths at 4 in the morning in Indianapolis. And. And then luckily the opportunity to go to Upper Iowa as a full time assistant came about and it was a win win. I mean I was able to have a salary for the first time ever. I had been working off stipends my entire career. So I was having a salary finally six years in and I was living an hour away from my parents and there was so much uncertainty at that time where like you didn't know what was going to happen. So being close to my family was, was a huge piece for me and was able to work with Jeremy Ishii, who another guy who has taken care of me and has definitely molded me into the coach that I am today. And ultimately my time at Upper Iowa is what set the stage for me to, to get into professional baseball. But in the moment when Covid happened at Butler, it kind of felt like the, the world was kind of crumbling and underneath me. But ultimately the more that I stay in this and the, the older I get, everything happens for a reason. And that was definitely one of those times as well.
[00:51:47] Speaker A: You're in good shape still. I mean what are your morning or evening routines?
[00:51:51] Speaker B: Yeah, so I'm, I'm an extreme morning person so a lot of the people that I work with think I'm crazy. So I normally wake up at 4am that's when my alarm normally goes off in the morning and first thing I do is walk out to my kitchen, mix up some pre workout and throw on MLB Network and grab my theragun and kind of go through a massage gun routine on my couch while watching quick pitch on MLB Network and getting caught up on some of the highlights from the previous day while sipping on my pre workout.
Normally that wraps up around 4:30 ish or so.
[00:52:29] Speaker A: Hey, what's your brand of pre workout?
[00:52:32] Speaker B: Right now I'm on Transparent labs. I want to say, I think it's called bulk.
I go between that and go. So those are, those are the two go tos. For the most part when I want something delicious I go with go sour watermelon. But right now I'm on Transparent Lab bulk because it was on sale and it's a pretty decent product and it only has I want to say 180 milligrams of caffeine per serving whereas most pre workouts these days days are 300 plus and I just, I just can't do that. So.
But make my way over to the gym. We, the apartment complex we have here has like a community gym. So I walk over there and go through my workout that will Normally take anywhere from 35 to 35 minutes to to an hour just based off of what my day looks like for that day.
But normally alternate between weightlifting and cardio and normally like to keep it a little bit lower intensity this time of the year just because I, I do throw a lot when it comes to our training and it's so dang hot in Sarasota, Florida this time of the year where I just sweat out so much. Where my main goal this time of the year during my morning workout is just to kind of move the body a little bit and hit some zone 4 and zone 5 cardio to make sure I'm taking care of that today. Thicker.
[00:54:00] Speaker A: Did it take you long to adjust to the weather? I mean, you and I coach most of the time in the upper Midwest. Did it take you a while to acclimate to the weather or do you ever get acclimated to the weather?
[00:54:11] Speaker B: I don't, I don't know if I. I don't think I have, honestly. And when I went down to the Dominican Republic, it was a different type of heat. Honestly, the. The sun down there is. Is a different beast. I think that was the biggest thing was the sun down there is just. Just so potent that by the end of the summer, you look at all your clothes and they're just faded because the sun is that strong. And, like, I would just constantly find myself reapplying SPF 70 every 30 minutes. And it just didn't make a difference for me. So.
And then I came up here to. To Sarasota, and it's. I'd say the sun's not as intense as it is down the doctor, but the humidity is a real thing here in Florida. So that definitely kicks my butt on a daily basis.
When you're in a cage every day with no airflow, when you get out there and there's a little bit of breeze, it's, it's better. But when you're. When you're in the cage every day and you have that humidity and you have that heat with no airflow coming through, yeah, it's, it's. It's definitely different.
[00:55:15] Speaker A: What other resources are you diving into right now? I mean, we mentioned Rob Gray, but what other resources are you diving into?
[00:55:23] Speaker B: Yeah, I'd say this time of the year, just with the year wrapping up my. I. I've been doing a poor job of. Of it. I'd say the. The most recent book that I've. I've read that I recommend pretty frequently is. Is the Inner Game of Tennis. I know that's a bit of an older one, but.
[00:55:41] Speaker A: Yeah, but there's people listening in that that know nothing about the inner game of tennis, so it's a great read.
[00:55:46] Speaker B: The inner. The Inner Game of Tennis is. Is great, especially when you're dealing with hitters and people that just don't know how to talk to themselves in a nice manner. And it benefited myself pretty frequently, and it's defin. Helped a lot of players that I've worked with.
I'd say that's probably the biggest one.
Obviously, listening to the ABCA podcast pretty frequently still to this day, it's definitely shaped me to be the coach that I am today. That's why this being on here right now is kind of a full circle moment, because I just. I can't tell you how much the ABCA podcast and convention has. Has meant to me throughout my coaching career. So staying on the ABCA podcast is. Is big for me as well.
[00:56:32] Speaker A: Well, when was your first convention?
[00:56:36] Speaker B: It was 2016, I want to say it was in Nashville for sure. I I remember that it was Nashville for sure. It was, yeah. January 2016, I want to say so was a pretty avid goer right out of the gates. The last couple years I haven't been able to attend just because of scheduling conflicts. But this year in Columbus I'm trying to to make because I just recently moved to Akron, Ohio. My girlfriend and I just moved up there. She coaches college volleyball and she's working at University of Akron now. So Akron, Ohio is home now and it'll be really close to our new home. So I don't have any excuse now and definitely looking forward to it. So it's such a great event and always a fun networking experience and just great educational experiences as well.
[00:57:31] Speaker A: What are some final thoughts for Letch go?
[00:57:34] Speaker B: Nothing on my end. I just, just really appreciate you. You having me on and I just encourage anyone out there that wants a chat hitting to. To hit me up. I mean I was that guy listening to these podcasts, listening to these great guests that are on this podcast, messaging them, just following up with some of their thoughts and just encourage anyone out there that wants to talk hitting just, just message me like, I love talk.
That's what I love to do. So if you want to reach out and hit me up like definitely encourage anyone out there to do that.
[00:58:10] Speaker A: Jake, thanks for your time, man. So happy.
I'm really happy for you. Thank you.
[00:58:15] Speaker B: Appreciate you Coach B. It was great catching up. Appreciate you having me on.
[00:58:18] Speaker A: I'm happy for Jake. He made a lot of sacrifices along the way to get to where he is.
Those of us who've been through it know how difficult the process can be to getting jobs and you always pull for people that are doing it right to get opportunities.
Thanks again to John Litchfield, Zach Hale, Matt Weston, ABC Office for all the help on the podcast, feel free to reach out to me via email r brownleeabca.org Twitter, Instagram or TikTok CoachBabca direct message me via the MyABCA app. This is Ryan Brownlee signing off for the American Baseball Coaches Association. Thanks and leave it better for those behind and you know that way Yep Wait for another day.
[00:59:10] Speaker B: And the world will always return as your life was.
[00:59:17] Speaker A: Never for your name and you know.
[00:59:21] Speaker B: That way.
[00:59:25] Speaker A: Wait for another.
[00:59:30] Speaker B: D.
