Developing young ball players
PBA calls on alumni to help with new skills development program for Tigers rep teams
Watching Toronto Blue Jays prospect Mike Reeves and veteran coaches Steve Terry and Bob Davidson working with young ball players gave Peterborough Baseball Association president Shawn Micks a good feeling.
The PBA launched its new skills development program for its rep Tigers teams at the Hastings Field House on Saturday.
It’s just the beginning of a program Micks expects will filter down to house league select and possibly house league players in time. The program, being led by Davidson, has a simple goal – help players, and even coaches, improve.
“We’re modelling the Peterborough minor hockey development program, both the PHA and AAA, where they’ve brought local guys back to work with the kids,” Micks said.
“It’s a different voice than the coaches they hear all year and different strategies. We want to create something where the kids are getting instruction from guys who are close to what the up and coming direction is on development and baseball mechanics.”
Micks said the PBA consulted some of the top local baseball minds about their development program and he says the likes of Davidson, Terry, Geoff Davidson, Garrett Fitzgerald, Hugh Sullivan, Ryan Hannon, among others, jumped in with both feet. They’ve created a program tailored for specific ages.
“The awesome thing is they’re PBA alumni who are all doing this totally volunteer,” Micks said. “There is nobody who runs this as a business. There are no corporations. They’re just guys who want to give back. I’m getting phone calls and text messages it seems every other day from guys who want to come and help out. It’s just fantastic.”
PBA coaches are also involved in the program receiving mentoring and had their own session two weeks ahead of the first players’ session to get everyone on the same page.
“Ideally, no matter who drives by what baseball diamond in Peterborough if you see a rep or select team there they’ll be working on the same things to be passed along from year to year,” Micks said. “Hopefully, at the end of the day, it’s a better experience for all of the kids.”
Teams from junior rookie to bantam will have two 90-minute sessions each month in Hastings until May and outdoors at Riverside Park through the season. The cost is covered in the PBA registration fee.
“We’re hoping in March to have some open workouts for house league select kids,” Micks said. “So far there has been so much great feedback.”
There were several reasons for wanting to create a development program, Micks said. Rep teams are picked in the fall but there was little consistency for what teams did between the fall and sprig to prepare for the next season. In addition, he said coaches expressed a desire for specialized instruction.
“We have a lot of great coaches who were up front and came to us in a group and said ‘I know a little bit about pitching but I need some help. Who can I get to work with my pitchers? I know a little bit about catching but I don’t know the ins and outs of catching so how can I get some help with that?’” Micks said.
He said from the first meeting he had with the guys now leading the program he knew he’d found the right people.
“They’re so passionate about the game,” he said. “They could talk all day and all night about baseball. They love it. That’s exactly who I want my kids to be around.”