There is Good High School Baseball Talent All Over the Country

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

Many parents believe that the best baseball players in the country have to come from warm weather states. Do you agree?

I would agree that the average high school player in the warm weather states (ie: California, Florida, Texas, Arizona, etc) tends to be stronger versus the colder/seasonal climates. This is most likely a result of these players having the distinct advantage of getting to play outside on a year round basis. While the average high school player in these areas may be stronger, I have found over the years at Baseball Factory that there is upper echelon talent all over the country and in places you might not suspect.

Let’s take this past weekend for example. I traveled to Portland, Oregon to run Baseball Factory’s Under Armour National Tryout and Signature College Recruiting Program in Monmouth, Oregon (just outside of Portland). Keep in mind, this event took place in November so we utilized an indoor facility. Baseball Factory hadn’t held an event in Oregon since 1998, but we have had the pleasure of working with many Oregon based players over the years in events that took place in other states. In fact, 25% of the current Oregon State baseball roster are alumni of Baseball Factory or Team One.

Getting back to this weekend, we worked with a total of 45 players. This group was extremely focused, engaged, and serious about baseball. Everyone showed up on time and they had a strong sense of desire and determination. Once the baseball drills and testing started, this group did not disappoint! As a whole, this was one of our most talented sessions to date this year. Keep in mind that Baseball Factory holds 200 events a year in areas all over the country and into Canada. Would you ever suspect that Portland, Oregon would be one of the most talented groups? I am sure the players and parents that were in attendance this weekend would have.

So if you live in a state that is not known for producing top high school baseball talent or is in a seasonal climate, don’t let it get you down. All it means is that you might need to be a little more creative. Seek out alternate ways for your sons to train like using indoor facilities in the colder months. Just use it as motivation to help your sons work harder!

If anyone from our Oregon session is reading this blog, thanks for a great weekend. It was a pleasure meeting the parents and working with this talented group of players. Baseball Factory will certainly not be waiting another 10 years before we come back to Oregon. Most likely it will be closer to 10 months.

Rob Naddelman is the President of Baseball Factory. Naddelman is a former two-time All Ivy League Third Baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed in a College World Series Regional. He has served as the President of Baseball Factory for the past 13 years, and also is the Executive Director of Baseball Factory's charitable arm The B.A.S.E. - H.I.T. Foundation. Naddelman and Steve Sclafani (CEO) have been featured in Business Week and CNN for their work in building Baseball Factory into the nation's leader in player development and college placement.