Preparation Leads to World Series Championship

Steve Bernhardt: Building the Better Ballplayer

The biggest play of the World Series clinching game wasn’t the RBI single by Feliz or the slider by Lidge that ended it; it was Chase Utley’s defensive play in the top of the 7th. Utley changed the game and he did it through the long-term and short-term preparation that we preach at our own Baseball Factory Player Development events.

In case you missed it, the play happened in the top of the seventh inning with two outs and a runner on second base. Akinori Iwamura hit a ground ball up the middle that Utley backhanded. He faked a throw to first and threw home to get Jason Bartlett trying to score all the way from second. The inning was over and the tie was preserved. In the bottom of the seventh, the Phillies gained the lead that they would never relinquish.

Let’s look at the many ways Utley had to prepare himself both physically and mentally to make this play.

Physical Preparation

1. He has spent time working on his agility and first step quickness. That showed as he reacted quickly with a crossover step immediately after the ball was hit and had enough range to get to the ball in the first place.

2. He has put in countless hours of mechanical work and it paid off as he flawlessly backhanded the ball – the most difficult play for most infielders.

3. He has worked on his arm strength as he made a throw that is longer than normally required from a 2B. It shows why second basemen need to long toss regularly and not form the habit of all throws being a ¾ arm slot “flip.”

4. He has practiced throwing on the run. His throw was accurate and bouncing it gave the catcher a chance as opposed to a high throw.

Mental Preparation

1. He knew that the runner on 2B (Bartlett) was a fast and aggressive baserunner.

2. He knew the speed of the hitter – Iwamura is a fast runner and is quick out of the box after contact.

3. He had anticipated the different scenarios in his head for any ball hit to him or anywhere else on the field. This way he wasn’t surprised by the play.

4. He understood how valuable the ball is and that a throw must be made with a purpose. A throw to 1B there would not have gotten Iwamura and a futile throw there would have allowed Bartlett to score easily.

5. He knew to always keep your head up and look for the next play. There was no hesitation between his pump fake and making the throw home.

Everything Chase Utley did showed that he is a “true” baseball player. Thanks to his preparation, both mentally and physically, he made the biggest play of the game and put his team in position to celebrate a World Series victory.


Steve Bernhardt is the Executive VP of Baseball Operations with Baseball Factory. Bernhardt played for five years in the Colorado Rockies organization. As Executive VP of Baseball Operations at Baseball Factory, he oversees all events and instruction. Bernhardt currently serves as an Associate Scout with the Colorado Rockies. He received his B.S. from the University of Richmond where he was an All-Conference player.

College Players Make Big Impacts in Postseason

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

Take one look at the World Series rosters for both the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies and you’ll notice one thing: there are a lot of former college players! Whether coming from powerhouse Division I programs or the Division III ranks, college players have played impact roles for teams competing for baseball’s highest honor. Just take a look at both teams’ rosters:

Philadelphia:

Joe Blanton - Kentucky
Clay Condrey - McNeese State
J.A. Happ - Northwestern
Brad Lidge – Notre Dame
Jamie Moyer – St. Joseph’s (PA)
J.C. Romero – Mobile
Chris Coste – Concordia (MN)
Eric Bruntlett - Stanford
Greg Dobbs - Oklahoma
Chase Utley – UCLA
Ryan Howard - Southwest Missouri State
Pat Burrell – Miami (FL)
Geoff Jenkins – USC

Tampa Bay:

Chad Bradford – Southern Mississippi
Matt Garza – Fresno State
J.P. Howell – Texas
David Price – Vanderbilt
Andy Sonnanstine – Kent State
Dan Wheeler – Central AZ
Jason Bartlett – Oklahoma
Evan Longoria – Long Beach St.
Carlos Pena – Northeastern
Gabe Gross – Auburn
Eric Hinske – Arkansas
Ben Zobrist – Dallas Baptist
Fernando Perez – Columbia

In earlier blog entries, I’ve discussed the benefits that attending college can have on a baseball player. While it’s easy to concentrate on the player development benefits, one can’t ignore the learning opportunities that exist off the field. Learning to balance the training for the future with today’s performance and everything in-between takes time to master, and college is simply the best environment for that type of education.

Chase Utley is an excellent example of raw talent that had a chance to develop into All-Star performance in a college setting. Coming out of Long Beach Polytechnic High School as a shortstop, Chase was drafted in the 2nd Round of the MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, he opted to attend UCLA, where there were plenty of lessons for him to learn away from home. While hitting 15 home runs his freshman year, Chase’s grades were a major problem and put him at academic risk. When Coach Gary Adams showed no pity, Chase learned to balance his baseball career with a solid approach to academics and returned for his sophomore year a man on a mission. His success with the academic piece brought new confidence to the field, an increased work ethic (he learned a new position, 2nd base, at the request of Coach Adams) and a propensity for leadership. Not only is he now a perennial All-Star, he’s known as one of the hardest-working players in the game, and a clubhouse leader: three important ingredients for a postseason player!

Not only does collegiate competition prepare players for a career in professional baseball, but it gives them the experience needed to have success in the postseason. For the most part, college players are simply more composed in crucial game situations than players coming out of high school. They’ve competed at a high level, facing major league-quality players in college with success. More importantly, they have learned from failure on major national stages.

For an example of tough lessons learned, look no further than David Price. After helping to lead Vanderbilt to the #1 ranking in the country and striking out 17 Austin Peay batters in the 1st game of the Nashville regional, Vanderbilt was upset by Michigan with Price on the mound, who surrendered the game-winning home run. That’s not to say that Price lost the game all on his own, but in the 15 months since the ’07 Draft, wouldn’t you think that David has been using that tough loss for motivation? For an answer to that question, just look back at his ALCS performance.

As a wrap-up, I’m not making a case against high school players. Talent is talent, no matter what level you’re playing- just look at Cole Hamels, who has shown unwavering discipline in tough situations and simply dominated this October. Still, you can’t ignore the fact that overall, college players are more likely to move through the Minor Leagues and are more prepared to make an impact early at the Big League Level!

Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.

Get the Trophies and Banners Ready - Part 2

Jason Budden: Un-Common Sense?

Last week, I recognized the premier performances in the American League through the first week of May. This week, let’s examine the top performances in the National League, at this early point in the season (all stats are through games on May 14).

National League

MVP

Lance Berkman, Houston Astros, .392, 42 Runs, 13 HR’s, 38 RBI’s, 6 SB’s, 1.260 OPS
When I first started analyzing the top players in the National League, I was having a tough time deciding between Lance Berkman, Chase Utley and Chipper Jones. I had this long argument put together analyzing the three players’ stats. I argued that Berkman was the MVP at this point in the season, mainly because he was hitting homeruns and driving in runs late in close Astros games. I was pretty impressed with the thought and analysis that went into this argument.

Then Berkman went on a stretch during which he went 22 for 31 (that’s a .710 batting average) with four homeruns, 11 RBI, seven doubles, two stolen bases and 14 runs scored. During this eight game stretch, he scored in every game, hit homeruns in four and had at least two hits in seven of the eight. This included a five-hit game, four-hit game and two three-hit games. Plus, the Astros went 7-1 during that stretch. Unbelievable! I wasted all that time putting together my initial argument just to have Berkman blow the other two out of the water last week. Thanks for wasting my time Lance!

Runner Up #1

Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves, .415, 27 Runs, 10 HR’s, 31 RBI, 1.158 OPS
What a season for good ole Larry Jones, Jr. If he can get through the season without getting injured I will be surprised, but while he’s healthy, he is going to continue putting up impressive numbers.

Runner Up #2

Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies, .325, 32 Runs, 13 HR’s, 28 RBI, 3 SB, 1.075 OPS
Utley got off to a blazing start, hitting 10 homeruns in his first 22 games. If I had decided to blog about this back on April 24, he clearly would have been the early season favorite for NL MVP. But I didn’t…

Honorable Mention

Considering how bad the AL was, I figured I’d mention these players that are having very impressive starts as well (BA, R/HR/RBI, SB, OPS):

Nate McLouth, Pittsburgh Pirates, .305, 32/10/31, 3, .996
(1999 Team One Midwest)

Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins, .325, 34/9/23, 13, .968

Derrek Lee, Chicago Cubs, .314, 32/10/27, 3, .964


Cy Young

Brandon Webb, Arizona Diamondbacks, 8-0, 2.41 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 41 K’s
This life throws us many curveballs, but there are certain things you can count on. The US Post Office will deliver your letter rain or shine, Chick Fil A is going to be closed on Sunday, Britney Spears will be back in rehab at some point and of course…Brandon Webb will be dominant. Since his arrival in 2003, Webb hasn’t posted a season ERA over 3.59. This year has been no different as he has posted a 2.41 ERA and is leading the league in wins (8). In fact, he has won every game he has started so far this year for the Diamondbacks. Hitters are batting only .197 against him in 2008 and he has been virtually untouchable for righties, who are hitting only .162.

Cy Young Runner Up & Rookie of the Year

Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati Reds, 6-1, 1.12 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 57 K’s in 48 1/3 IP
Volquez is my Cy Young Runner Up and also my early favorite for the National League Rookie of the Year. His only loss this year was a quality start in which he gave up two runs (one earned) in six innings, while giving up only four hits, walking two and striking out nine. He hasn’t given up more than one earned run in any of his eight starts this season. The 24 year old from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, has games in which he has struck out eight, nine and ten batters (twice).

Runner Up

Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs, .315, 17 Runs, 6 HR’s, 26 RBI, .996 OPS
This season has been a roller coaster ride for Soto. He started the season 2 for 10, followed by an 8 for 17 stretch and then another slump. At one point in late April he went 0-8 during a two game stretch, striking out in all eight at bats. He followed up those strikeouts by going 13 for 26 with three homeruns, ten RBI and seven runs. Basically, you never know what you are going to get from Soto on a day-to-day basis, but in looking at the whole picture, you can clearly see a player with amazing potential.

Next week, we’ll crown our early season Champion!