While in Georgia I actually saw this product while buying some snacks for our weeklong stay. It got me thinking about smart baseball (not really, but it did attract your attention, didn’t it?). The benefit of being able to stay down in Marietta for the entire week was that by watching (joined by two of our more clever players Mssrs. Yates and Somers) the quarterfinals on, I was able to bump into a variety of college recruiters and professional scouts. While there were differences in what the two groups were looking for (college recruiters appeared to be seeking ‘impact’ players, whereas the pros, understandably so, we’re taking a bit longer viewpoint) to a person they all spoke about the importance of the player’s “makeup”.

College recruiters didn’t want kids embarrassing the university and pros didn’t want to invest several years in a player only to have them quit due to the grueling challenges and ups and downs of the sport, or worse yet, get thrown out due to remarkably immature behavior. One only need look in our own back yard with the fine young man Brandon Snyder (click to see impressive stats), to understand the challenges that loom ahead for prospective professional players. Injuries, slumps (which as you can see, Brandon has quite successfully pushed out of), numerous leagues and still a long way to go, require enormous focus, persistence and drive – hitting gappers isn’t enough (click to read article).

Since all Carney Pirates players have found colleges to play the next level of baseball at, we can now speak of the ‘competitive advantage’ required to stand out among the very, very talented pool of athletes Pirates will team with and face. It was not a fluke that in the Woodbat championship game of 18 year olds, in a game won by the score of 3-2, that one of the runs was scored by next base mentality baserunning which was prevalent from the quarterfinals on. Two different incidents (among eight or nine) in the semis and finals stand out for their baseball intelligence and impact. Batter hits single to left, aggressively leaves box looking for a chance to get to second, makes effectively wide turn at first (especially since ball is right in front of him) leftfielder throws ball to secondbaseman, ball rolls up arm and off shoulder six feet away, batter, never breaking stride, sprints to second diving in safely before a hustling secondbaseman could retrieve ball and get it back to shortstop – safe at second! Next hitter hits grounder to second (which would have been a force play, if not doubleplay) runner moves to third. Next hitter lofts sac fly, runner scores. This happens so much in big games that it is not a theory, it is a reality. Carney Pirates have had the same opportunity several times this year and since they were not seeking it, did not take it. This is what the pro scout told me he loves to look for, since anyone he’s looking at is a superbly talented physical player, he’s looking for the special difference (click to read article).

The next play, also one that Carney Pirates have missed all season long, is the runner at third anticipating a squirted ball (not the obvious wild pitch or passed ball, although we’ve frozen on those as well) and aggressively, but intelligently taking the base off of much faster catchers than we face in the ODL. In the game where it occurred, the next hitter popped up ending the inning and the team went on to win by one run – go figure!

With the above pleadings in mind – parents (since I know maybe only three or four players are reading) take a look at the two attached articles as they relate to the entire concept of mental baseball. Every one of our players is in a position to at least have a shot at a highly successful college baseball career. With the enormous amount of time and effort already invested, the support group owes it to the player to optimize his chances – this is an area that represents enormous impact potential. Hup, hup, ballgame!

Eckstein: known as “Overachieving Smurf” – click the image to see larger and read about him being labelled a true baseball player. The card was as a minor leaguer (four years in minors, then majors in 2001), the photo, MLB World Series.