My son goes to a baseball lesson twice a week, usually on the weekends. He has had the same hitting coach for two years now and has improved dramatically each year.
Baseball is his passion. He has loved the game since he was four, the first time he swung a bat. He played in little league every year, and definitely was not one of the best. He was small, but had a fast swing. So he would get on base. But he rarely played. So he would get is one at bat, and make the most of it.
It was hard of him always being the smallest. I understand more than anyone, because that is how I was. Except I was the shortest and the fattest. At least my son never had that issue. But he wanted to get better as a player. He felt like even if he was small, his speed and his swing would help him play more than one at bat.
So around nine years old, we went to his first hitting coach. Hardcore man but one of the best coaches I have dealt with. The only one better is the one we have now. He would spend hours a day practicing the hitting drills that were given to him. He would hit corn with a broomstick. he would balance on a piece of wood while swinging. And his swing improved like crazy. His speed improved. But still, one at bat in Little League, never started.
I could not understand why, but I learned that youth baseball does not make sense. It just doesn’t. You have so many travel teams who just want money and Perfect game who makes lofty promises. Every dad thinks their kid is the next MLB prospect. But when I saw my son hit, I saw much more. But was my view slanted because his last name was the same as mine.
I do not know. But right in the middle of a season, the pandemic hit. And baseball would have to wait. Virtual school ruled the house. We practiced a little, but not a ton.
But a funny thing happened when the pandemic slowed down. My son grew. A lot. Instead of being a 4 foot six 85 pound kid, he now became a 5 foot 7 182 pound of muscle kid. And then he started back at lessons. And he began hitting the ball. He was able to watch the pitches. He was able to drive the ball in certain places. He became what he always wanted to be.
But here is the thing. He is 13 years old. The school he goes to is 6-12. There is one team. And the team consists of 16-18 year olds, and one 13 year old.
Who do you think is getting play time?
He made the most of his at bats. He went in games where we were either up or losing by 10 runs. He would face the fourth pitcher on a varsity team, which most of the time will walk you. And no matter what he would do, he would not be an everyday player. Is it because of talent? No. Not at all. I have enough video evidence to prove that. is it age? Absolutely. And I totally understand that.
But it hurt his self confidence. He is so my kid. I get it. I want to be the best also. I want to be involved in “the game”. But it just isn’t that way.
My job is to encourage my son over and over again. Do I think he is good. That is not even a question to me. Do I think baseball is more than just talent. That also is not a question to me.
So to prove it to him, I bought this radar gun to test his exit velocity. It is pretty accurate, but wanted to prove that with him not playing, it was not about his skill level. So we tested it. It ranked in the top 10 of kids in the class of 2028 per Perfect game. And I did it to motivate him and to build him up.
So today, while we were at his lesson, he was hitting the ball. He has three bats. I know exactly which bat he is using just by the sound. Except the sound today was one I haven’t heard. Pow. Pow. His coach looked at me and said “Can you test his speed please?” This is an odd thing because he hates when I do it.
So I did. It was 5 mph higher than his highest. He is going to be 14 in a couple of weeks. He is working his butt off to be a starter next year. And he takes nothing for granted.
So the title of this was the lesson at the baseball lesson. None of this was the lesson. When I go to lessons, I usually sit on the bench. Today I tried to sit in a chair with arms. I fit perfectly. I have not in three years. it felt weird at first and then normal. losing 130 pounds so far is paying off.
And for two Posnanskis, I just wanted to share that hard work will eventually pay off.
Thank you so much for reading. I am going to post more and more (I hope you enjoy) so plays subscribe for free or consider a paid subscription. And if you are able, please consider buying a little art, sports cards, or buying me a coffee here to support my journey. Thank you for everything.
A lesson in being a great dad!
Practice and perseverance, by both of you, in this microwave society is more than refreshing…it’s inspirational. Bet his next coach wishes he could have 8 more of him in the lineup.