Hit King Baseball Academy steps up to plate
Groundbreaking for the Hit King Baseball Academy was held last week. Now bulldozers are scooting around the 20-acre facility in Katy faster than Pete Rose, the “Hit King” himself, ran to first base … on a walk.
When the Hit King Baseball Academy opens in February, the Houston area will have the most comprehensive, premier baseball training facility in the U.S., with:
Four turf baseball fields, an 18,000-squarefoot building with 10 retractable batting and pitching cages, trainer’s room, weight room, locker room, media room, pro shop and sports bar and full-menu restaurant so parents can enjoy a cold one and wings while watching Junior rounding third heading for home.
The Hit King Baseball Academy is under construction at 4256 FM 2855 in Katy. It’s about a 25-minute drive from Houston.
There will be a kiddie playground and quiet classrooms so players can catch up on their homework after catching fly balls. Tutors will be on hand to help with algebra, history, etc.
The pro shop will sell baseball gloves custommade by Cuevas Gloves in Laredo and bats made by OTW Bats in Houston. Current Astros stars swinging OTW lumber: Carlos Correa, George Springer, Evan Gattis and Colby Rasmus.
Lonestar Construction in Houston is in charge of all the hard-hat work.
The four bosses at Hit King Academy are businessman Johnny Johnson, former bigleaguer Ryan Baker, youth baseball empire-builder Derek Hurley and Pete Rose.
Rose’s credentials? He set the all-time mark for Major League hits, 4,256, and holds more records than a bowling-alley juke box.
“Having Pete involved in this from the start has been terrific. He’s been here several times in the past year and is committed to being an active partner. When Pete came aboard, other Hall of Fame greats followed him. They’ve opened their networks to us to help us teach baseball the right way and grow the game,” Hurley said.
The board of directors includes: Tony Perez, Joe Morgan, Frank Thomas (all in the Hall of Fame), Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, Steve Garvey, Eduardo Perez and Gerald Young.
A suggestion for young players — if Joe Morgan offers you a batting tip, take it. He’s in the Hall of Fame, and you’re a kid.
Perez, the slugging cleanup hitter on those Cincinnati Reds “Big Red Machine” teams in the ’70s — four World Series titles in seven years — was at the Hit King groundbreaking .
“Pete got me involved in this,” Perez said. “I think this will be very good for Katy and Houston, and then all over the country. Anything that helps kids learn how to play baseball and have fun, I want to be a part of it... Pete is like a brother to me. I’m proud to help him.”
Perez grew up in Cuba and signed his first professional contract in 1960 — before things got sticky between Cuba and the U.S. His signing bonus? The Reds gave him $2.50 to cover the paperwork to get off the island, and a plane ticket to Miami — coach.
Perez was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2000. He hit 379 home runs and drove in 1,652 runs in his 23-year big-league career. Maybe the most remarkable thing about Perez: He never went on the disabled list. He didn’t let injuries take him out of the lineup. Now players need a rehab assignment if their feelings are hurt.
Perez also threw out the “first pitch” at the Hit King Baseball Academy. For the record, it was high and outside. But since he’s one of the greatest players ever, we’ll call it a strike.
The Hit King Academy will host youth leagues, college and pro showcases, adult and semi-pro leagues, and field select travel teams for players ages 8 through high school. For team and league information, click on hitkingbaseball.com.
Hurley will continue to operate his Bull Pen Scouting & Training Facility in Cypress under the Hit King banner. Hit King teams will be classified as “premier” for tournament play, and Bull Pen teams will be “elite” and “developmental.” Players will be promoted as their skills improve. (If you look way down on Page 1,000 of Hurley’s credits … he taught my son how to pitch, after undoing everything I taught him.)
Once the Hit King Baseball Academy is up and running here, plans start for more facilities across the U.S. Batting leadoff: Cincinnati. Johnson’s brother Bill Johnson happens to be a congressman from Ohio. That won’t hurt with getting building permits.