As the young baseball player positions himself next to the tee, he swings the bat over his shoulder and thwacks the baseball clean off its rubber stand. Behind, Toronto Blue Jays alumni Jesse Barfield nods his head in approval.
“This kid is a hitter, keep your eye on him,” he tells a group of young players watching.
July 17 and 18 marked the third consecutive year the Canada-wide Blue Jays Baseball Super Camp tour looked to St. Albert as one of its hosts. Throughout the two-day camp at the Legion Memorial Ball Park, Blue Jays alumni showed some 100 youth how to throw, hit and catch the ball.
St. Albert Cardinals player Maddox Popke, 11, said practising hitting the ball as it was softly tossed to him was his favourite part of the day. Smiling widely, he shrugs his shoulders as he talks about it.
“It was really fun,” he said. “I got a hit every time.”
Alongside Barfield, Blue Jays alumni players Homer Bush and Duane Ward taught young baseball players skills such as hitting, throwing, fielding, pitching and base running.
At the end of the two-day camp, the large group was divided into four teams with players putting into practice what they had learned.
The normal rules of baseball didn’t apply, however. Instead of keeping track of outs, every batter got their chance at the plate before teams made a switch.
Travis Parker, technical director of the St. Albert Minor Baseball Association, said it was exciting to see some of the professionals he once admired help young players perfect their game.
His favourite part was hearing the retired pro players talk about their baseball careers during breaks.
“You watch them on TV but then you see them and it’s almost like it’s not the same person,” he said. “They’re telling all these stories like it was yesterday. It’s incredible how much they can relive what happened in their minds.”
Standing in front of the dugout after the camp on July 17, Liam Russell, an 11-year-old St. Albert Cardinals player, said he saw an improvement on the field.
“I improved on straightening my leg when I was hitting,” said Russell, who attended last year's camp and was thrilled to get another chance to learn from former baseball greats. “I just learned that today and it’s going to really improve my hitting.”
By the time the camp ends its tour, it will have visited 14 cities across Canada. The camp’s lead instructor, John Hashimoto, said afterwards that the camp is a great way to develop skills in young players.
Travelling across the country is an added bonus to leading the camp, he said.
“When the Jays started this program, I thought ‘this would be something interesting to do’. Working with kids, this opportunity, it’s great.”
For parents looking for more information on current and future camps, visit: https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/community/baseball-academy/honda-super-camps.
