When most people think of Italy, they think of soccer first. They think of Serie A, the World Cup, packed stadiums, passion, noise and pride. Baseball is usually not the first sport that comes to mind. But Italy has a real baseball history and it runs deeper than many people realize. Baseball made early appearances in Italy long before it was ever organized as a national sport. There were documented games involving American sailors in the late 1800s, and Spalding’s world tour

Twelve weeks into the 2025/26 Off-Season Hitting Program, we’ve reached the stage where improvement begins to stabilize into performance. Early in the offseason, hitters learn movement patterns. By mid-winter, they begin repeating them. By Week 12, those movements are being tested under greater intensity, fatigue and challenge. At this point, average exit velocity and MV–AVG gaps tell us more than max numbers alone. Max velocity shows potential. Consistency reveals which hitt

When hitters are late, the first assumption is usually that they need to swing faster. Strength training begins, bat speed drills increase and mechanical adjustments are made in hopes of creating more quickness. Yet in many cases, the hitter’s swing is already fast enough. They are not late because they are slow. They are late because their timing begins too late. Great hitters are not reacting to the baseball alone. They are syncing their movements to the rhythm and tempo of

If hitting were only about mechanics, the best batting practice hitters would also be the best game hitters. Every coach knows that isn’t reality. Players can look smooth, powerful and confident in the cage, yet struggle when the lights come on. Meanwhile, others with unconventional swings find ways to compete and produce when it matters most. The reason is simple but often overlooked: Hitting is not purely mechanical — it is a performance skill. A swing is only one piece of

Florida has long been the gateway — palm trees swaying beyond outfield fences, warm air replacing the chill of March and meticulously groomed fields welcoming players back to the game. But spring training is more than a destination. It is a story shaped by history, geography and the traditions that make baseball feel timeless. Before heading west, I’m reminded of a piece I wrote in 2015 exploring the origins of Florida’s Grapefruit League. That article examined one of spring

In youth baseball, there’s a question that rarely gets asked out loud, but absolutely should be: Why does a program need to poach? Not recruiting during open periods. Not attracting players organically but actively pull players or coaches away from other committed programs. That question cuts through hype, branding and results and gets to the heart of how a program actually operates. Attraction vs. Extraction There are two very different ways programs grow. Strong programs at

When most people think about hitting a baseball, the focus usually goes straight to mechanics. Hand position, bat path, load and launch angle dominate most conversations. While those elements matter, years of coaching hitters at every level have led me to a different conclusion: the most important part of hitting does not happen before the swing, it happens after it. Every swing provides information. Not just whether the ball was fair or foul, or whether it resulted in a line

As a coach, there are moments that stay with you forever. Seeing a former athlete step onto the Olympic stage is one of them. I first met Mark when he was 10 years old, a young baseball player growing up in Vaughan with a quiet confidence and a strong desire to get better. Back then, the focus was simple, learning the game, building habits, understanding what it meant to prepare the right way. What stood out immediately wasn’t just his ability, but how he approached the work.

One of the simplest ways to understand youth baseball is also one of the most overlooked. Don’t ask how many players a program has. Ask how many players stay. Because in youth baseball, there’s a fundamental difference between programs that develop and programs that cycle. Good programs grow players. Bad programs replace them. Growth vs. Turnover Tells the Real Story Every program talks about development. Not every program actually does it. The easiest way to tell the differe

A week after the 2026 Best Ever Coaches Clinic, I was honored to be featured on Baseball Ontario’s “Clip of the Week” — shared as a highlight from the event. The clip captured a moment from my main stage presentation, centered around a simple newspaper demonstration used to explain how a complete hitter is built. While the visual itself caught attention, the recognition wasn’t really about the trick. It was about the teaching concept behind it — and why it resonated with coac

Youth baseball doesn’t have a talent problem. It h as a culture problem . Across amateur baseball, one practice continues to be quietly justified while actively damaging the game at its foundation: poaching — the recruitment of players and coaches who are already committed elsewhere. It happens at every age. It happens year-round. And it’s hurting community baseball far more than people want to admit. Poaching Is Not Progress — It’s Instability Poaching is often disguised

Eight weeks into the 2025/26 Off-Season Hitting Program, the data is starting to clearly separate development from potential. Week 8 is an important checkpoint because it shows which hitters are learning how to repeat their movement patterns, not just swing hard. At this stage of the offseason, improvements in average exit velocity and MV–AVG gaps tell us far more than max numbers alone. The athletes who are tightening gaps while maintaining or increasing averages are the one

This past weekend at the 41st Annual Baseball Ontario Best Ever Coaches Clinic, I had the privilege of presenting at one of the most respected coaching events in the sport — a clinic that continues to grow and is recognized as one of the longest-running (5th longest) coaching clinics in North America. Approximately 500 coaches were in attendance, all eager to learn and improve their craft on and off the field. Being in a room full of coaches who genuinely care about developin

Every year in youth baseball, families face the same difficult decision. Should we stay, or should we leave? Sometimes the answer is obvious. Often, it isn’t. Parents and players are navigating a crowded landscape of programs, promises and opinions — and in that environment, it’s easy to believe that somewhere else must be better. But more often than people want to admit, the grass isn’t greener. It’s just painted differently. What Parents and Players Say They’re Looking For

This January marks a milestone moment for me as I return to the Ontario Baseball Best Ever Coaches Clinic for the 10th consecutive year as a presenter. Over the past decade, this clinic has become one of the most important spaces in our province for sharing ideas, challenging old assumptions and helping coaches better serve their athletes. I’m grateful for the opportunity to once again stand alongside so many passionate coaches who are committed to growing the game in Ontario

In baseball circles, you often hear the phrase: “Just because you played at a high level doesn’t mean you can coach.” On the surface, that statement is true. Playing ability and coaching ability are not the same skill set. One is performance. The other is communication, teaching, leadership and development. But somewhere along the way, this phrase stopped being a reminder of humility and became a shield, an excuse used to dismiss experience, devalue expertise and protect rele

One of the most unique and impactful aspects of the 2025 Coach Q Hitting Camp was the wide range of athletes involved. This year’s group included hitters from 9U through 21U and college-level players, all training under the same development framework. While ages, physical maturity and experience varied, every athlete was evaluated against national age-group benchmarks, ensuring the data provided meaningful and accurate context. Over the 10-week program, athletes were tested a

Four weeks into the 2025 Off-Season Hitting Program, we’re starting to see the early signs of growth that happen when movement starts to clean up and hitters begin to understand how their body and barrel work together. Week 4 is our first major check-in of the year. It gives us a clearer picture of which patterns are stabilizing, where hitters are gaining speed, and how well their swing is holding up under more challenging drills and timing variations. Across all age groups,

Delfina and Mike Checchetto (Pro Ball Player) Every once in a while, you meet a young athlete who changes the way you see the game. Someone whose presence reminds you why we coach, why we teach, why we pour our hearts into helping kids grow. For me, that person is a special young girl named Delfina — a competitor, a dreamer, and one of the most inspiring young athletes I’ve ever had the privilege to work with. I’ve spent time teaching both Delfina and her brother Matthew, thr

Canadian baseball has officially entered a new era. What was once the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) a tradition-rich summer circuit with more than a century of history, has now been reborn as the Canadian Baseball Professional League (CBPL). This change represents one of the most significant shifts in Canadian baseball in over 100 years, transforming a historic league into a modern, nationally focused professional platform. The story of the new CBPL begins back in 1919, w

We’ve officially kicked off the 2025 Off-Season Hitting Program, and Week 1 gave us exactly what we needed: a clear, honest baseline to build from. Every hitter walked in with their own strengths, habits and movement patterns, and over the next several months we’ll take those pieces and shape them into complete, consistent swings. This program is built around long-term development. It’s structured, progressive and designed to give players the tools, movement patterns and conf

For the first time since Joe Carter touched them all in 1993, the Toronto Blue Jays are back in the World Series. Thirty-two years later, Canada’s team has finally climbed back to baseball’s biggest stage and this time, it’s not a Cinderella story. It’s the result of smart roster construction, calculated player development and perfectly timed performance. The 2025 Blue Jays didn’t just sneak into October — they owned the AL East. Finishing 94–68 and capturing the division, t

The swing is one of the most intricate and fascinating movements in all of sports and every fall, hitters from across the city gather at...

There’s a magic to baseball in Canada. It ’s not just about box scores, big-league debuts, or national tournaments, it’s about stories....