St. Albert-area baseball players had the opportunity train with the best of the best July 9 to 11 in the first annual Gregg Zaun Pro Camp.
The former MLB World Series champion and Blue Jays alumnus brought his camp to St. Albert after hosting training sessions in Surrey, Ont., and Kelowna, B.C., and Zaun said the Alberta camp had the highest turnout, with about 44 participants.
Zaun is continuing his involvement in the baseball world through kids camps after being fired as an analyst from Rogers Sportsnet in 2017, due to “inappropriate behaviour and comments.”
In an interview, Zaun said seeing kids grow as players is really meaningful to him and is the reason why he wants to pass along his skill set to the younger generation.
“My teaching method is not only how but why, and when you see the lightbulb go on, and there’s been 100 lightbulb moments in these three days,” he said.
In addition to learning from a former catcher like Zaun, kids also spent some quality time with former MLB pitcher Mike Johnson.
Young baseball players ages 10 to 18 came from St. Albert, South Jasper Place and Sherwood Park for the camp, which was hosted at the St. Albert Legion Memorial Park. Summer showers forced the players indoors for the final day, however, to 5 Tool Fieldhouse in north Edmonton.
Zaun said the camp focused on giving kids a good fundamental base, so they would stay in the game longer. They focused on hitting fundamentals, pitching, infielding, outfielding and base running.
“It’s a big thing for me, it’s a difference maker in the games no matter what level you play at,” Zaun said, about baserunning.
Often players are not getting in the necessary 1,500 repetitions of a movement it takes to become an automatic reaction, and Zaun said that is precisely what it takes.
“Most of the game happens in less than half a second. If you’re thinking about what you’re doing, you’re in trouble,” he said. “That’s why I like teaching, I want to make sure it’s done properly and keep the passion alive.”
St. Albert Minor Baseball Association (SAMBA) hosted the camp and provided facilities free of charge. President Kurtus Millar said anytime the association can get camps like Zaun’s from out of town, it just presents another opportunity for development.
“These pro players, they really know their stuff, it's just cool for the kids,” he said.
Millar noted six SAMBA teams were out of town this week for a big tournament in Kelowna, which negatively impacted attendance of the camp.
“But all the feedback is the camp was fun, the kids learned a lot,” he said.
