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It seemed like 10 minutes as I
waited, searched, and scanned
for #5. Then he appeared directly
in front of me and began to trot
down the dugout steps. “Josh!
Josh Vitters! Do you have a
minute?” I called out to him. He
gave me a puzzled look and said,
“
Sure.” I met him just outside
the dugout toward the bullpen
and re-introduced myself to him.
He remembered me from Des
Moines. I asked him if he would
have a chance to talk to me the
next day before the game. Instead
he told me, “How about now. I’m
not in the lineup today. “
So while the Reds took batting
practice, amidst the loud stadium
rock music, Josh Vitters and I
talked hitting. We talked about
his old swing and his new swing.
We talked about how well he hit
in AAA ball when he was called
up and how poorly he had done
for the Cubs the previous three
weeks. We talked about the anal-
ysis I did for him. He didn’t come
out and say I fixed his swing but
he said my analysis helped him
see where he needed to improve.
He even gave me a quote to use
in my hitting guide.
I left Wrigley feeling energized.
I now had a second testimonial
from a Major Leaguer for my
hitting guide. Vitters gave me
his email address and a couple
months after the season I wrote
to him. There was no response. I
had to remind myself I was still
an outsider looking in. But I kept
knocking.
Early this winter, while plan-
ning a local swing clinic for high
school players, I stumbled onto
an unbelievable website called
Pro-ball.com. It seems there was
an adult instructional baseball
clinic coming up in January. It
was being taught by 14 current
and past major league coaches.
This list included three major
league hitting coaches – the guys
who actually instruct the best hit-
ters in the world.
I immediately found the direc-
tor of the clinic and put together
a, “Please invite me” package of
information. I had to sell myself.
Being a photographer, I included
a photograph of other pro camps
where I had taken pictures. I
included print outs of swing
strips I had done when analyz-
ing swings. I sent him the MLB
hitting guide I had written (that
now included testimonials from
Zobrist and Vitters). I told him I
had a killer PowerPoint presenta-
tion on the MLB swing pattern
(
even though I didn’t at the time).
I even told him I could throw bat-
ting practice.
Then I waited.
Ten days later I received a
phone call from the director, who
told me he liked my enthusiasm.
We talked about the camp and he
asked if I could bring my video
analysis equipment. He said the
adult players get their swings
looked at by the MLB coaches
in the evenings and it would be
good to have an extra set-up for
overflow. I didn’t have to think
twice to order those Arizona
plane tickets. Knock knock!
Day 1 at the Peoria, AZ Sports
Complex (the spring training
home of the San Diego Padres):
When I arrived, I walked into the
clubhouse and found a locker
with my name over it. It was in
the coaches’ room. The first day
I videotaped 68 adult players
hitting on the field alongside the
other video guy who comes to
the camp every year.
That afternoon I loaded the
swings into my analysis program,
ready for whatever came my
way. I was sitting at my com-
puter at 5 p.m. when the camp-
ers began rolling into the locker
Personal Profile
Rob Picciolo. Bench coach for the Los Angelas Angels gives a "chalk talk"
to the 72 adult baseball campers at Arizona's Proball camp
