Dan Batz

Dan Batz is widely considered the greatest baseball player in the history of the University of Rhode Island.

Let's start there. The man's last name is Batz. How could he not be great at this game?

Two-time All-American. Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. By the time Dan walked off the Kingston campus in 2004, he had rewritten the record books and was drafted in the 6th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

I was lucky enough to share a dugout with Dan for one season at URI. He was the ultimate leader. A great teammate. Someone I genuinely tried to emulate. I watched how he prepared. How he arrived early and stayed late. How he always got the extra work in. He was always that guy — the one working harder than everyone else in the building.

It's always the best players that work the hardest. Remember that.

What Dan has done since baseball is just as impressive. He owns Pasadena Elite Fitness in Pasadena, CA, and has become one of the more honest and thoughtful voices in the conversation around youth sports development. His message to parents and coaches is one your kids need you to hear.

I connected with Dan recently and asked him about the journey — from backyard catch with his dad to pro ball to what he believes is broken in youth baseball today. What he had to say is worth every word.

Dan was kind enough to give us some of his time and help others understand what really matters.

Here’s our conversation.

Looking back on your playing career — what's the one characteristic or trait that mattered most to your success?

Versatile. I always wanted to be out on the field. If that meant playing a different position than I was accustomed to, I did it. I didn't care where they put me, as long as I was in the lineup. Sophomore year in high school I played left field because that's what the team needed. I had always been an infielder, but in order to crack the lineup I had to be open to it. Same thing happened my freshman year in college — I bounced around to a bunch of different positions, and I was fine with that, as long as I was in the lineup to hit.

The Dodgers drafted me as a first baseman, but my rookie season I ended up playing mostly left field. I was comfortable out there because of past experiences.

You were a multi-sport athlete in high school. How much did that shape you as a baseball player? And who were the people — a coach, a parent, a mentor — who had the biggest impact on you as a player and a person?

A great deal. I played football, baseball and basketball my whole life. I was the quarterback in football and point guard in basketball, which forced me into a leadership role. I was never a real vocal guy — I always tried to lead by example. Both positions are the play callers, so by the time spring came around my sophomore year, I had already been playing varsity football and basketball. All the nerves were gone for baseball. I could just go out and play.

I will always advocate for athletes to play as many sports as they can early on. Too many kids think they'd be missing out on baseball if they were playing other sports. My summers in high school, some days were 7-on-7 football practice in the morning, baseball practice in the afternoon, and open gym basketball in the evenings. It wasn't every day, but it was enough to keep my skills sharp in the off season. I wouldn't trade those memories from all three sports for anything — it was a great time.

As for the people who influenced me — I've had a lot of great coaches throughout my life, but my father had the biggest impact on me as a person. No matter how long his work day was, he never turned me down when I asked him to go in the backyard and work on whatever sport was in season. He always encouraged me to play all the sports I wanted to. Now that I'm a parent and my daughters ask me to play softball with them, no matter how long my day has been, I will always make time.

My parents racked up a lot of miles following me through college and pro ball. It was always a nice feeling seeing them in the crowd in some small town wherever I was playing in the minors.

You were one of the best players in URI history — two-time All-American, A-10 Player of the Year — and still had to grind through the minors. What was that reality check like, and what did it teach you?

It certainly humbled me. My third year in pro ball I was basically in a season-long slump. No matter how much early work and extra batting practice I took, I couldn't seem to break out. That was a new experience for me. I was forced to manage personal failure in a way I never had before. Throughout my whole life I always worked out — for multiple reasons — but during that season especially, I used my workouts as a source of stress relief and anger management. The gym got me through that year, which ultimately helped me transition into my new career post baseball.

When I finally came to the realization that I wouldn't be playing baseball for the rest of my life, I had to start thinking about what was next. I now own a gym in Pasadena, CA — I took my passion for working out and made a career out of it by helping others. I really enjoy it when a dad and a son or daughter come in and want to get started on a baseball or softball training program.

Looking back, I would've gotten more serious about training earlier. Sport specific training has come a long way since I was growing up. We had a pretty good strength program in high school that introduced me to the weight room, but I got a lot more serious about strength training in college — it's the reason I decided to study Kinesiology and Health Fitness. Speed training was just gaining popularity while I was playing, but today's young athletes have access to so many better sport specific programs from some really great trainers. There is no reason why an athlete today, with a solid work ethic and commitment, couldn't reach their absolute full potential and put themselves in the best position for success on the field.

Most parents are focused on right now — the roster, the tournament, the showcase. What do they need to hear about the long road? And what's one thing you wish more parents understood about player development and the journey to the next level?

When I was growing up, travel ball leagues weren't really a thing yet. We had Little League, then junior high, high school and Legion summer ball. It's crazy how big the travel ball movement has become — not just in baseball, in all sports. I think there's a lot of good that comes out of those teams and leagues, but there's some bad as well. It's all about finding the right fit for your son or daughter. My advice to any parent thinking about getting their kids into a travel program — do your research on the league and on the coaches. There are plenty of serious leagues out there, but also more laid back, skill development type leagues too. Don't force your kid into something they don't want or aren't ready for. That will only lead to burning them out.

The statistics for how many high school athletes go on to play college baseball are pretty low — D1 somewhere under 3-4%. I would never tell a kid not to dream big and set goals for themselves, but they need to be realistic goals. Same goes for the parents. Put your son or daughter in the best situation to have fun while they learn the game. If they aren't having fun early on, it's going to be a very short career. A good coach should be able to teach the game and the skills while making it fun for the kids.

Growing up, my dream was always to play in the big leagues — but I didn't even really think about that until after my freshman year of college, when I had some success and the scouts started to talk to me. I've always made goals for myself. Obviously you need team goals, but personal goals are just as important. My goals changed a lot along the way and I was never satisfied.

What does a coach who actually develops players look like, and how do parents spot the difference?

Do your research — talk to people and get as much information as you can before signing your son or daughter up. This isn't always the case, but more often than not you can tell a lot about a coach by their playing career resume. Guys who have been there before can teach and advise based on real experience. Practices are much more important than games early on in a player's development. Too many youth leagues are putting too much emphasis on winning rings and trophies and compromising kids' arms in the process. It's good to see guys I played with like Steve Holmes in Rhode Island and Zack Lutz in Pennsylvania — both former Mets players — running quality programs and doing it the right way. There are a number of other guys I've played with or know through the baseball community that I love following and watching how they're running things.

Another thing that I believe is getting out of control is the gimmick TikTok and Instagram baseball videos doing the craziest stuff just to get clicks. There is no gimmick drill that will make your son or daughter a good hitter. Consistent tee work, consistent fielding work, and repetitions done the right way — that's what will always make the difference.

How important is being coachable — and what does it actually look like in a player? And was there a specific moment in your career — a failure, a setback — that shaped how you think about development today?

Being coachable is one of the most important qualities a player can have. It's doing everything a coach asks you to do. It's playing a different position than you're accustomed to in order to help the team. It's putting your ego aside and trusting that the coach will put you in the best position to be successful. I'd take a coachable player with slightly less talent over a talented but difficult player any day.

As for a specific moment — my last year in pro ball was a disaster. Looking back, I don't have many regrets, but I do have one. I wish I had put more emphasis on driving the ball and hitting for power, and worried less about striking out. I had a good two-strike approach in high school and college — didn't strike out a lot and got a lot of two-strike hits. Unfortunately that didn't carry over well into pro ball. Two-strike approaches are very important early on because you get the ball in play and things happen. As you level up, the defenses are a lot better.

What advice would you give to a 12-year-old who loves baseball — about staying a kid, playing multiple sports, and not putting too much pressure on themselves?

If you love a sport and enjoy playing it, play it as long as you possibly can — because it won't last forever. If I was a college coach recruiting and it came down to two kids equal in talent — one who focused on baseball all year round and one who played multiple sports — I'd go with the multi-sport athlete every time. I've heard this from college coaches I know, and it comes down to overall athleticism, higher ceilings for development, and fewer burnouts and injuries. Those athletes are often more competitive and more versatile.

Late in my freshman year at Rhode Island, Dan invited me and a few other guys over to his place. We just hung out, talked about the game, played wiffle ball. I peppered him with questions all day. I wanted to learn from him.

As an 18-year-old kid trying to figure out life, I was sitting with a teammate who — in my eyes — had it all figured out. Was “All-Everything” in college. Soon to be drafted and play pro ball. Ready to live out his dream. The kind of guy you wanted to be around because being around him made you better.

Years later, when I was in pro ball and going through some personal struggles, I called Dan. He picked up. We talked for over an hour — about life, baseball, the unknown. Whatever I needed that day, he was there for me.

I've never forgotten that conversation and it’s something I’ll always be grateful for.

That's who Dan Batz is. Not only a great ball player. More importantly, a great teammate. A great friend.

That's the kind of person worth learning from.

Help me keep more kids in the game. If you found this helpful, please forward it to another parent or coach.

Thanks for being here. See you next week Inside the Dugout.

-Coach Steve-

Steve Holmes
Founder, Inside the Dugout
2006 MLB Draft | All-American | Youth Coach | Dad