School Baseball Players: Your Development Doesn't Stop When Practice Ends

At The Factory Sports Training of Georgia, we have tremendous respect for the coaches and programs developing baseball players at our local middle schools and high schools.

Middle school, JV and varsity baseball give young athletes an opportunity to represent their schools, compete with their classmates and learn from coaches who invest countless hours in their development.

The Factory wants to complement that work—not compete with it.

That's why we're inviting local middle school, JV and varsity baseball players to visit The Factory and establish their individual Factory Player Profile through our comprehensive player assessment program.

Our objective is simple:

Measure where you are. Identify where you need to work. Train with a purpose. Measure again.

More Than a Tryout

Our assessment isn't a tryout for a Factory travel team.

A player doesn't have to leave their school program, join a Factory team or change coaches to benefit from what we're building.

We want to provide school players with another resource for continued development.

The Factory Player Profile allows us to establish a baseline of the player's current abilities and then reassess the player approximately every 60 days.

Depending on the player's age, position and experience, we can evaluate areas including:

• Speed and athletic movement
• Hitting
• Fielding
• Throwing
• Pitching
• Catching
• Baseball experience
• Position-specific skills

The results are recorded in the player's profile so future assessments can be compared with previous results.

For a middle school, JV or varsity player, that means we're not simply asking, "How did you perform today?"

We're asking:

"Are you developing?"

Every 60 Days, Let's Measure Again

Baseball players hear phrases like these all the time:

"I'm throwing harder."
"I'm hitting the ball better."
"I've gotten faster."
"My swing feels better."

Those things may all be true.

But whenever possible, we want to measure development.

A Factory player assessment creates a starting point.

Approximately 60 days later, we assess again.

Then again.

Over time, the player's profile begins developing a history:

Baseline → 60 Days → 120 Days → 180 Days → 240 Days → 300 Days → 360 Days

For a middle school player who continues through JV and varsity baseball, that history can become several years of developmental information.

That's something we believe can be incredibly valuable.

Hit With Information, Not Just Repetitions

Taking hundreds of swings doesn't automatically make someone a better hitter.

Quality repetitions matter.

The Factory offers HitTrax technology, giving players access to hitting performance metrics, video analysis and trend information.

This allows a player to do more than walk into a cage, take swings and leave.

We can begin looking at measurable performance.

What is changing?

What isn't?

Where is the player becoming more consistent?

Where does additional work need to be done?

Then, when that player returns for another assessment, we have something to compare.

Train Against Different Pitching

One of the biggest challenges hitters face as they advance through middle school, JV and varsity
baseball is adjusting to better pitching.

Velocity increases.

Breaking pitches become sharper.

Pitchers change speeds.

Spin becomes more important.

Timing becomes more difficult.

The Factory offers the Spinball iPitch Smart Pitching Machine, giving players a much more advanced training experience than simply hitting the same fastball repeatedly.

The iPitch can deliver pitches from 50 to 100 MPH and allows control of pitch characteristics including spin rate and spin angle.

It includes 16 built-in pitcher profiles with 140 pitches and can create both programmed and randomized pitch sequences.

That gives us an opportunity to make hitting sessions more purposeful.

A hitter can work on recognizing and adjusting to different pitch types, velocities, movement and sequences rather than knowing exactly what's coming every time.

That's closer to hitting.

In a game, the pitcher doesn't tell you what's coming.

Training shouldn't always tell you either.

Prepare for What Gives You Trouble

This is where we believe technology becomes particularly useful.

Suppose a player is struggling with higher velocity.

Let's work on velocity.

Struggling with breaking pitches?

Let's work on pitch movement and recognition.

Having difficulty adjusting between fastballs and off-speed pitches?

Let's create sequences that require adjustment.

Preparing to face better pitching as you move from middle school to JV?

Let's progressively increase the challenge.

Trying to prepare for varsity-level velocity?

Let's train accordingly.

The goal isn't simply to make batting practice harder.

The goal is to make the workout purposeful.

Pitchers and Catchers Need Development Too

The Factory isn't just for hitters.

Our indoor bullpen gives pitchers and catchers a dedicated environment to work.

Pitchers can continue developing mechanics, command and pitching performance while working in a controlled environment.

Catchers can work on receiving, blocking, throwing mechanics, footwork and the physical demands of the position.

And just like hitting, we want to periodically measure development and record appropriate results in the player's Factory Player Profile.

That creates accountability.

Instead of simply saying, "I've been working," the player begins seeing what that work is producing.

Fielders Need Repetitions

School practices have to accomplish a tremendous amount in a limited period of time.

Coaches have entire teams to prepare.

That means individual players may sometimes want additional repetitions beyond what can reasonably be provided during team practice.

An infielder may need additional work on footwork.

An outfielder may want additional throwing work.

A catcher may need more repetitions.

A hitter may need additional cage time.

A pitcher may need a controlled bullpen session.

That's where The Factory can become another resource.

Your school coach coaches the team. The Factory can help you put additional work into the individual player.

Middle School Today. Varsity Tomorrow.

One reason we're excited about the Player Profile concept is that development doesn't have to be viewed one season at a time.

Imagine establishing a profile as a middle school player.

We assess you every 60 days.

Your measurements and development begin accumulating.

You enter high school.

You compete for a JV position.

You continue training.

You develop physically.

Your hitting changes.

Your throwing changes.

Your speed changes.

Eventually, you're competing for a varsity position.

Instead of having disconnected memories of that journey, your Factory Player Profile can provide a developmental history.

We want players to be able to look back and see the work.

We Are Not Replacing School Coaches

We want to be very clear about something.

The Factory Sports Training of Georgia respects the role of school baseball coaches.

We're not asking players to choose between their school program and The Factory.

We're not interested in interfering with a coach's philosophy or team responsibilities.

In fact, we would like to develop relationships with local middle school, JV and varsity coaches.

If a coach identifies an area where a player needs additional work, we want The Factory to be a place where that player can get repetitions.

If a player needs more hitting work, let's work.

If a catcher needs more repetitions, let's work.

If a pitcher needs bullpen time, let's work.

If an infielder needs additional development, let's work.

We want to support what our local coaches are building.

Your Uniform May Change. Your Development Continues.

A young baseball player may wear several uniforms during their journey.

Recreation.

Travel.

Middle school.

JV.

Varsity.

Possibly college.

But underneath every one of those uniforms is the same developing player.

That's what we want to focus on.

Not the label.

Not the team name.

Not whether you're currently starting or sitting on the bench.

Where are you today, and what are you willing to do to become a better player tomorrow?

That is what The Factory Sports Training of Georgia wants to help measure, develop and encourage.

We Invite You to Visit The Factory

If you're a local middle school, JV or varsity baseball player—or the parent of one—we invite you to visit The Factory Sports Training of Georgia.

Come see the facility.

Learn about the Factory Player Assessment.

Establish your Player Profile.

Experience HitTrax.

Train against the Spinball iPitch Smart Pitching Machine.

See our indoor bullpen.

Learn how you can continue working on your game outside of regular team activities.

Then come back approximately 60 days later and let's measure again.

Don't just put in more work. Put purpose behind the work.

Measure. Train. Develop. Repeat.

That's what we want the Factory Player Profile to represent.

The Factory Sports Training of Georgia

Supporting players. Supporting coaches. Supporting school baseball.
Building better opportunities for our baseball community.