This blog is a running update on our summer 2021 program and a look inside the ins and outs of what we do with our teams. Topics here range from backend processes including philosophies and strategies from our coaching staff, as well as details on our practices and games. Colorado Rogue Baseball Club is a high level player development centered program, which provides our players with game reps and next level exposure opportunities on the weekends, while supplementing those games with in depth practice and training during the week. We believe in doing the majority of our coaching during practices, and using the games to let players show their skills, and learn from their successes and failures in order to continue to drive development process forward.
BASE PRACTICE SCHEDULE & COACHING STAFF
May 14th, 2021: Ryan Serena – Program Director/Varsity Head Coach/Infield Coordinator
POST-TRYOUT PLAYER REPORTS
December 1st, 2020: Ryan Serena – Program Director/Varsity Head Coach/Infield Coordinator
Our summer officially began on November 1st, when we hosted our first round of tryouts for players interested in our program for the summer of 2021. This tryout brings together both players that have been in our program previously, as well as new players who are getting their first taste of Colorado Rogue Baseball. This year, we had about 80 players come out, by far the largest group we have had for a summer tryout in our 6 years as a program. As we go through our tryout, our goal is to collect a number of measurables on each player in order to get a baseline of where their skillset currently sits, as well as any general notes from coaches on each player. Below is an excerpt from the email we sent to players who registered for the tryout, outlining the specifics of what we’d be measuring at our tryout.
- Player Height and Weight
- Baserunning
- Home to 1st Time
- Home to 2nd Time
- H1/H2 Difference
- Hitting
- Average and Max Exit Velocity
- Average Launch Angle
- Hard Hit %
- Launch Angle of Hard Hits
- Coach Notes
- Pitching
- Fastball Velocity
- Strike Percentage (On All Pitch Types)
- Coach Notes
- Catching
- Glove Path Efficiency
- Block and Recover Times
- Transfer Times
- Throwing Velo and Pop Time
- Coach Notes
- Infield and Outfield
- Throwing Velocity
- Fielding Video
- Coach Notes
Our tryout this year was a success, and we were able to get a very good look at each of our players and gather the metrics and notes outlined above. As myself and our coaching staff began to put together a plan for what the summer of 2021 would look like, we made a decision that we were not going to start making specific teams immediately after our tryout like we had in years past. There were a number of different reasons for this approach, which is not one most programs take.
- We are huge believers in the winter months as the ideal time for players to make big strides in the development of their skills and tools, so we did not want to start setting rosters in November and devalue the training and the growth that can happen over the course of the winter months for the guys who put in the time.
- We are looking for players in our program who want to compete, both in games against outside competition as well as for a spot within our program. Our Varsity, JV, Underclass structure makes it so that players at all ages can earn a spot on our top team, so we wanted to encourage players to work towards that goal throughout the winter, rather than just securing a spot on a given team.
- The summer of 2021 is still up in the air in terms of what it will look like as far as a starting date. CHSAA has pushed back the spring baseball season, so the summer will definitely be delayed to a certain degree, allowing us more time to make roster decisions and still have families feel like they have ample time to plan their summer. We felt like making team decisions 8 months in advance was not ideal this year (or ever??).
- This approach allowed us to add a few additional players throughout the winter, without pigeon holing them on a certain team. Overall we look for players who want to be a part of our program as a whole, which we feel like we can justify by providing our players at all competition levels the same development processes.
With all of the reasons above laid out, we did feel like it was important to give every player that committed to our program an idea of how they performed on the day of our tryout, and where they stack up against the players in their graduating class, as well as against the tryout as a whole. This is where our tryout reports come in! The report below is an example of a what a 2023 player received after committing to our program.
