As I write this column, I just watched a video where parents at a 7-year-old Little League game in Colorado brawled on the field over a disputed call. This is just a small showing of the tension that exists at all levels of youth baseball. The reason things have gotten out of control in the baseball … [Read more...]
Draft dilemma: Go pro or go to college?
Tyler Beede (Auburn, Mass.) opted for Vandy after being drafted in 2011, then signed with the Giants in 2014. (Getty Images)To go pro or to go (or stay in) college? This has been a question that many top baseball players have faced over the years. For the best baseball prospects, they have a college … [Read more...]
Mazzoni: The best baseball parents share these qualities
As a college coach, I so often get asked about the role of parents in the raising of a baseball player. People often assume that the parents of the players on our college team are hard to deal with, but the reality is that nothing could be further from the truth. On occasion, we have a parent who … [Read more...]
Want to stand out at camp, recruit?
I’ve been a college baseball coach since well before any of the players reading this story were born. I’ve likely run and worked at as many showcases, camps and recruiting events as you have played games in your baseball career. So when I tell you what I would do as a player if I was to go back in … [Read more...]
Mazzoni: What college coaches want in hitting recruits
While I’m first and foremost a pitching coach, I have been working with, studying, coaching, scouting, and recruiting hitters my entire adult life. While each college coach has his own style of the type of player and hitter he is looking for, most of us fall into the following recruiting style: We … [Read more...]
A pitching coach’s thoughts on Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery is becoming an ever increasing part of my life as a college pitching coach. Here are some of my thoughts on TJS: … [Read more...]
What traits can we learn from influential leaders?
While New England Baseball Journal’s list of the most influential people in this issue includes people from a variety of walks of the baseball world, many of them share many of the same qualities that make them influential. And as each of us aspire to be the best we can in and out of the world of … [Read more...]
Observations from a summer on the road
Like most college coaches, the months of June and July are extremely busy recruiting for me. Between tournaments, showcases and camps, there really is not a day that goes by without 15-20 different events that you can attend. I’d say that our full coaching staff (I coach at Sacred Heart University) … [Read more...]
Your summer development plan
If you are the typical summer baseball player, age 13-18, chances are you are living the standard summer: playing on a travel team, going to tournaments, playing a ton of games on the weekend and trying to figure out this whole recruiting process as you go. Here is what I suggest your ideal summer … [Read more...]
What college coaches want in pitching recruits
While there is no absolute science when it comes to what college coaches look for they recruit pitchers, it’s safe to say that the more you have the qualities below, the more likely you are to play at a high level in college. … [Read more...]
Stop overthinking and focus on one thought
aseball is a sport that leads to a lot of thinking. We have more statistics than any other sport and certainly it’s the most mechanical of all team sports. It’s definitely a thinking person’s sport, even for players. We think about our mechanics, our batting average, ERA, the weather, our family in … [Read more...]
What college coaches think at prospect camps
Like most college coaches, I’ve run and attended hundreds of prospect type camps over the years. It’s part of the job and the recruiting process. As a high school player (or parent/coach), you already have attended many of these camps or soon will. So I thought it might be both fun and informative … [Read more...]
