Prime Time Plans

We recently wrapped up our fall with individual meetings. Each player brings with him a written self-evaluation so he will begin to think about what he needs to do and so I can understand what he is thinking. I change the format every year. I was going through old evaluations and came across this one from the fall of 2006.

It is the all-time Hit King Jordan Basile describing his approach after the fall of his freshman year. Suffice it to say, he had a specific plan from the start. He went on to earn a starting position mid-way through the season, and batted .345 that year. In later years, he also glossed himself as having "The sweetest swing in the SUNYAC."

Here is what he wrote (he was a left-handed leadoff hitter):

Describe your preparation while you are on deck or in the hole: I tell myself right away whether I am going to take a pitch, and work on keeping my hands in and not hitching.

What do you look for first pitch/early in the count?: A ball to hit on the inside half, can be a curveball if he’s a right-handed pitcher. Early in the count or if I have [one] strike I’m looking to drive a pitch.

What is your approach with two strikes?: Looking to hit anything close, most of the time. In a 3-2 count I like to take a big swing because it’s usually down the heart of the plate.

Strengths: I love to hit the fast pitching and I know the strike zone so I am able to work the pitcher.

Weaknesses: Left-handed pitchers with hard-moving slider; pitches above the belt.

…

Long-term (career) goals: I’d like to set some hitting records… 

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The bottom line is each player needs to have a concrete idea of how to go about something -- anything from hitting, to pitching, to off-season workouts. HAVE A PLAN. Jordan did and worked at it.

A Jordan Basile story: When Jordan would take his final round of batting practice, he would always point his bat three times -- once to the left field line, once to center field and once to right field. He would then proceed to hit a ball to left, then center, then right. He could hit the ball wherever he wanted. And he ALWAYS hustled.

One of my greatest thrills over the past 22+ years as a pitcher was striking out Jordan in the Glenwood League All Star game. He fouled off a bunch of pitches, but I finally got him on a sweet curveball.