The Fun is Just Beginning

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges


Congratulations to all of our Exclusive and ACR players that have signed their National Letters of Intent or have been accepted early to schools! I know I speak for everyone at the Baseball Factory when I thank you for the opportunity to work with you and your families. We wish you nothing but they very best and we look forward to following your collegiate careers.

You should be very proud of what you’ve accomplished. To have the opportunity to play college baseball is one thing, but to make the decision early in your senior year is a great achievement. So, order your college sweatshirt, baseball hat and bumper stickers- you’ve earned it! But do you have any idea what lies ahead? As with most things in life after high school, it’s not going to get any easier from here.

Now that you’ve made your decision, you enter a select group of “labeled” senior baseball players. While you won’t have to deal with the pressure to perform in front of college coaches, you have new expectations to deal with. You come into your season with a big “X” on your back that says “committed,” and everyone from teammates to opposing players to parents will be comparing themselves to you. Whether it’s fair or not, that’s the way it is and going to be! Whispered statements like “That’s the kid that committed to Coastal Carolina” carry a lot of assumptions, and whether you’re ready or not, you will be representing that school when you take the field. It is going to be a lot like this when you enter college as a student-athlete, so you better get used to it now!

One thing to keep in mind is that while you’ve consistently been among the best on your teams or in your district, you will be joining a team filled with the best. On top of that, you’re starting at the bottom of the totem pole and have to prove yourself all over again! The accolades you received over the years won’t mean a whole lot when you step on the field at the college level. Instead, your performance during fall workouts will set the course for your freshman campaign and beyond. At the very least, you need to remember that commitments and scholarships are only year-to-year. A commitment during your high school career will get you on campus. But must prove yourself everyday in the classroom and on the field because someone is waiting to take your spot! Remember, you have not accomplished anything yet at the college level!

Finally, one of the hardest transitions any college student has to make is to learn time management. Trust me, it’s tough to have to choose between hanging out with your friends and concentrating on what has to get done. Unfortunately, how fast you learn to focus on the “needs” rather than the “wants” will have an impact on your success as a student-athlete. Being the best you can be on the field and in the classroom is a big time commitment- there are no shortcuts! So, there’s no better time than now to prepare yourself for your season and your future. This is a great opportunity to “plan to work” and “work your plan” before you have to deal with the increased distractions and peer pressure of a college environment.

It’s so easy to fall behind and near impossible to stay ahead. The next few months will be a critical time for you and can have major implications for your collegiate career. Being on your own, dealing with the ups and downs and playing more games than any other sport in college athletics will be one of the toughest transitions you will ever have to make, and you have to be prepared. Again, don’t forget to enjoy the moment! But get ready to work harder than you ever have. And don’t say I didn’t warn you!

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.

Wrigley Field Here We Come!

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

On Sunday August 17th, The Baseball Factory is powering the Under Armour All America Game at Wrigley Field. It is the first time that a high school game has been played at Wrigley Field. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU, with the honorary first pitch coming from Mr. Cub (Ernie Banks) at 1:20 PM CST.

The game features the 36 best high school players in the nation. The players in attendance were either seen at a Baseball Factory or Team One Event, or were highly recommended by our network of professional scouts. These players should all go on to have fine college or professional careers.

As a parent, I can’t imagine the joy and pride I would feel if my child was selected for such a prestigious honor. To be recognized as one of the best 36 players in the nation is truly remarkable. With 450,000 kids playing high school baseball in the United States, these 36 players represent the top .01% of our nation’s high school crop of baseball players.

Good luck to all the players in attendance. I would be lying to you if I said that I wasn’t very excited for the festivities and to see the players perform. I also want to thank Under Armour and the Chicago Cubs for their support of the event. It has been a great collaborative effort between our three organizations to put on this program.

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.

A Plan of Action – Part 1

Steve Bernhardt: Building the Better Ballplayer

Last week I wrote about the need for more practice time for young players trying to get better. If you are committed to that idea of true player development, then follow the steps I’ve outlined for you this week. There is no overnight fix, but dedication to this process will make you a better player for sure.

Step 1: Create an honest evaluation – This should include a self-evaluation as well as an objective evaluation from a baseball professional. In the self-evaluation phase, players must be honest with themselves. They know their own abilities and shortcomings well, but are often hesitant to admit any weakness. Without addressing these things they can’t formulate a truly helpful game plan. A professional scout is the best person to offer an objective evaluation of the player, but coaches and former players also have the ability to outline a player’s strengths and weaknesses. A player who wants to improve must be able to put away his ego and accept constructive criticism during the evaluation process. Moving forward he must be willing to work not just on accentuating strengths, but on attacking weaknesses as well. Knowing these strengths and weaknesses is the first step.

Step 2: Formulate long-term goals – Players need very specific future goals to work towards. These goals should be realistic and encompass the big picture. They must be more than game statistics; they must drive the player in all areas on and off the field. Once a player determines where he is now as a baseball player and where he realistically wants to be in the future, he is ready to move forward in the player development process.

Check back next week as I will touch on two more steps in the player development process: Developing a game plan and formulating short-term goals.

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.

The Lost Art of Player Development

Steve Bernhardt: Building the Better Ballplayer

Twenty high school games, sixty-five summer league games, eighteen fall league games and a handful of practices mixed in. Too many young players follow a schedule that nearly mirrors this one. With many of the practices being relaxed batting practice sessions with a round of infield or a scrimmage included, it is no surprise that youth baseball today is turning out more experienced players but not necessarily better players. Game experience is an extremely important aspect of developing a player, but it is only one of many elements involved in truly building a better baseball player. By shifting more of the already designated “baseball time” from games to practices players can accelerate their development process.

Take a look at what players at higher levels are doing. Professional players at the absolute pinnacle of the sport spend over a month before the season in Spring Training. Most college programs practice exclusively for a full six weeks in the fall and then practice for several more weeks leading up to their spring season. With this being the case, why do younger players—those still needing the most skill development—practice intermittently through their high school season and only a handful of times throughout the entire summer and fall? It’s simple: games are easier and more fun.

Building a better baseball player is a large undertaking that takes a major commitment from both player and coach. It takes desire and time. It takes hours on the field and in the gym as well as the passage of time to allow the hard work to turn into results. The misconception today is that the players have the desire, but not enough time. Quite the opposite is usually true. They want success but don’t have the deep down desire to really work for that success. They have plenty of time, but they just don’t use the time they have the right way. They are spending enough time on the game, but the ratio of game time to practice time is too lopsided.

Baseball should certainly be fun. We want more young players playing the game and that comes from enjoying their time on the field. In most cases, the fun of baseball in a player’s eyes is the result of team or individual success. A player’s chance for success increases by either becoming a better player or by playing more games. Unfortunately the latter is chosen more often today—let’s just play as many games as possible and eventually everyone will have a taste of success. If coaches learn how to make an instructional practice environment fun and effective we can get back to the true development of young players.

This commitment to the development process encompasses much more than hitting in the cage during the winter and showing up for every game throughout the season. Developing as a player involves improving not only baseball skills, but also speed, strength, conditioning, mental understanding of the game and the ability to deal with both failure and success. To truly maximize one’s ability, all of these areas must be addressed. Stressing development more will produce better players, better teams and a better brand of baseball at the high school level.

If you’re ready to commit to becoming a better baseball player then check back next week when I outline the six-step process you’ll need to make it happen.

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.