Next Level Professional Baseball will host a free Aquafina Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit and Run Competition for area youth on Saturday April 16 at Tallahassee Community College Eagle Field.
The program is designed to provide youth ages 7-14 with an opportunity to compete, free of charge, in a competition that recognizes individual excellence in baseball/softball skills.
Competitors have the chance to advance through four levels of competition, including team
championships at Major League ballparks and the National Finals at the 2011 All-Star game.
All participants must bring a copy of their birth certificate and fill out a registration/waiver form
prior to the start of the competition. Contestants will be able to register onsite prior to the event,
which starts at 10 a.m.
For more information, contact Next Level Professional Baseball, 1460 Market Street, at (850)
765-0364 or visit www.nextlevelbb.com.
Next Level Baseball is committed to helping players of all ages develop the tools and skills-- to play at the next level more precisely.
NLB has taken its game to the next level as well.
NLB's new indoor facility, conveniently located in northeast Tallahassee and less than a mile from its previous location, is scheduled to open Monday. NLB is being recognized as the premier baseball and softball facility in North Florida and South Georgia, and it's easy to see why.
The custom-built facility is state-of-the-art and climate-controlled. It will offer year-around indoor
baseball and softball instruction and training from a professional staff that was raised in
Tallahassee and understands what it takes to get to the next level.
Brandon Reichert, Michael Hyde and Alex Fonseca each played at the prep, collegiate and
professional levels. BillieAnne Gay, director of softball operations, played at FSU and participated
in the Olympic Festival in Puerto Rico.
NLB's new facility will consist of four batting cages, one equipped with an Iron Mike pitching
machine, a flip area, two dirt mounds, stationary bicycles, a Pro Turf surface and the latest
training aides..
It will also feature an MVP Clubhouse, a large game room, flat screen televisions, monitors to
view lessons, wireless Internet, a comfortable client waiting area and the Elite Sports Pro shop.
The shop will carry the best selection of equipment, apparel and accessories at the best prices..
NLB's facility is strategically located and offers easy access off I-10 and Thomasville Boulevard,
at 1460 Market Street.
A new team represents new opportunities for Lorenzo Cain.
 There are signs better times are on the horizon for the Kansas City Royals as they open spring
training in Surprise, Ariz. Needless to say, Lorenzo Cain is excited to be part of the organization's
plans.
Cain, who spent his off-season training with Next Level Baseball staff and is an advisory board
member for NLB, has the chance of being the regular center fielder for the Royals.
Cain, who was traded to the Royals from the Milwaukee Brewers in December, is one of five
players in the outfield mix. While the unit appears set with Alex Gordon, Melky Cabrera and Jeff
Francoeur from left to right, Cain is expected to contribute if he performs this spring.
"Cain is a really good athlete. He lacked some baseball experience; he hasn't played as long as
some of the other kids have so he'll get a lot better," Royals owner David Glass recently told
MLB.com.
Cain, who played at Madison County High School and Tallahassee Community College, made his
major league debut on July 16, 2010. Cain played 43 games for the Brewers last season, batting
.306 with 13 RBI.
Cain was traded to the Royals with Alcides Escobar, Jeremy Jeffress, and Jake Odorizzi for
former Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt.
Cain is wearing jersey No. 6 - the same worn by Royals Hall of Fame center fielder Willie Wilson.
The pair posed for pictures last month during the team's FanFest.
Catching On Is Key to Brewers Instructor
 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Remember Mike Engelberg from the 1976 movie, "The Bad News Bears"?
Engelberg was the Bears' portly, unathletic and volatile catcher, the kid who ate candy bars at practice and cussed at his coach. Charlie Greene Jr., the veteran field coordinator and catching instructor for the Milwaukee Brewers, likes to joke about the Engelberg characterization when he works with both amateur and professional players.
"They put Engelberg back there, but to me catching is a very athletic position," Greene told FanHouse.
"Catching is the most under-taught position in the whole game and you handle the ball the most. I am trying to tell guys in baseball you are spending all this money, millions of dollars on all these pitchers, and you have some kid back there who doesn't know what he's doing. That's going to hurt the pitcher's development."
Greene, 40, who makes his offseason home here in Florida's state capital, departs Tuesday for Arizona and the start of spring training. Ron Roenicke will take the field for the first time as the manager of the Brewers when the team's pitchers and catchers hold their first official workout at Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix.
The Brewers made headlines this offseason with trades for pitchers Shaun Marcum and Zack Greinke. Greinke is only two seasons removed from winning the Cy Young Award in 2009, when he posted 2.16 ERA along with 242 strikeouts and a 1.07 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched).
"Everyone is excited because pitching has always been our bugaboo. Just like anyone else, you never have enough pitching," Greene said. "I've never heard an organization say we have too much pitching."
While much improved in pitching, the Brewers are looking to establish a regular catcher. The top returning candidates are Jonathan Lucroy (.253) and George Kottaras (.203).
Greene expects to deliver much the same message to that pair that he did to nearly 30 youth players who attended Greene's Pitcher-Catcher Camp here at Next Level Baseball.
"Hopefully, I am able to show these guys some basic fundamentals that they can build on," Greene said as the players gathered their equipment for the start of the four-hour camp.
"A lot of guys don't want to catch, that's why you see a lot of older catchers in the big leagues. A lot of young guys really don't want to pay the price for it. It's a tough job, a hard job to do, but it's very important."
 Many youth baseball players in Florida's Panhandle and South Georgia certainly recognize Buster Posey's name and accomplishments.
Greene also likes to tell the story how Posey wasn't Engelberg -- in any shape or form -- from "The Bad News Bears." Posey was converted from shortstop to catcher at Florida State because of his incredible work ethic, athleticism and desire. Posey was named NL Rookie of the Year last season as he helped the Giants to a World Series title.
"Buster picked it up because he's such a great athlete," Greene explained.
"I tell these kids you are half-pitcher, half-position player. An outfielder doesn't really have to worry about the pitching staff, an infielder really doesn't have to worry about the pitching staff. A catcher does. It takes a very unselfish guy to do that, to put in the time and the effort. You are basically working double.
"For every one Buster Posey, there's thousands of kids who take a while to develop because catching is so difficult and it takes a while to learn."
Greene also stressed to campers they needed to work on their own to sharpen their skills. Even at the professional level, each season begins anew with the most seasoned players working on the most basic skills.
And, naturally, Greene repeated the obvious: Don't take the approach used by Engelberg.
"If you wait on a coach to work with you, you are not going to be that good of a player," Greene said.
"You have to work on receiving, blocking and throwing. All the good ones do those well. They are under appreciated skills, but so important to a team's success."
Read More: Brewers Spring Training Buster+Posey, charlie+greene+jr., george+kottaras, jonathan+lucroy
Next Level offers unique camp
DEMOCRAT STAFF REPORT
• Published: December 17. 2010 2:00AM
Scouts' Camp Gives High Schoolers Glimpse of What Pros Need to Succeed
1/19/2010 4:00 PM ET By Jim Henry
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Many professional baseball teams rely on power pitching arms, or big bats in the middle of the lineup or remarkable athleticism on the field. Charlie Greene, field coordinator for the Milwaukee Brewers, embraces those abilities, too.
Yet, Greene also keeps an eye out for a simple yet important intangible: hustle. Greene believes there's always room in baseball for players who recognize the importance of playing hard and playing smart. It's a message he repeated daily over four days to 60 high school-aged players at a recent holiday camp.
The unique setup afforded the young players an opportunity to experience the same instruction and drills professional players receive during spring training or fall instructional league.
"I know when I travel around and watch my guys, I also watch them when they are not playing," Greene said.
"Is he dogging it, is he walking around? I want guys with high energy who want to get out there and bust their butt. Like Joe DiMaggio. The great quote by him was he hustled. They asked him why and he said because it might be the first time someone in the stands is seeing him play. That's how you project to people and show off your skills.
"That's what we try to tell our guys, that hustle and desire are so important."
Next Level Baseball's sixth annual holiday camp here at Tallahassee Community College attracted players, ages 15-18, from as far away as Dallas.
Individual talent levels ranged from players trying to make their respective high school teams to those who have signed college scholarships and are considered professional prospects.
"This is different, more so than a showcase where you are just going out and seeing what you can do," said Zach McCulley, 18, a senior left-handed pitcher from Pensacola (Fla.) Tate who has signed with William & Mary.
"It's more hands-on, where you are going through everything from mechanics to pick-offs to your mental preparation. It's structured and you have to be disciplined. It's definitely something I can take into my senior season and into college next year."
The camp's staff featured professional coaches, scouts, current players and former players from around the country.
Next Level Baseball also held a similar holiday camp in Atlanta, which two years ago featured Tim Beckham. Beckham was the first overall selection of the 2008 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays.
Veteran St. Louis Cardinals scout Roger Smith, a national cross-checker, worked the Tallahassee camp with his son Ross. Ross Smith was a 14th-round selection of the Cardinals in the 2009 amateur draft.
Roger Smith said the evaluation process of amateur players has changed greatly over the years. He also wished more players played multiple sports in high school, though he understands the sports-specific approach.
"It seems like a lot of the kids nowadays are specific in the sports they are playing because there's so much emphasis on available scholarships and opportunities," said Smith, 58.
"I am not saying that's good for bad, but it's different from when I grew up and you played different sports. Every sport has something to offer, both physically and mentally. I think a kid becomes a better athlete the more sports he plays because there are more muscles involved, the mental approach is different for each sport. You may hear something from a basketball coach that's good for baseball, and vice-a-versa."
Smith also embraced the organization's decision to hire Mark McGwire as its batting coach. Smith knew a day would come like a week ago Monday, when McGwire finally discussed whether he had taken performance-enhancing drugs during a career marked by towering home runs and splashy headlines.
McGwire's admission of steroid use while shattering Roger Maris' season home run record in 1998 was seen by many as a first step toward rehabilitating a tattered image.
McGwire appeared at the team's annual Winter Warm-Up promotion and received a standing ovation from fans on Sunday in his first public appearance in St. Louis since his admission. By spring training, the team hopes, McGwire can slip into the background and do his job.
"Mark is a good person," Smith said.
"He has some things to handle and how he handles it is entirely up to him. But I think he has a lot to offer our big-league club. He has a lot to offer our hitters, plus his leadership in the clubhouse. I think he's a great addition."
Smith and his fellow scouts return to work this month.
Doug Reynolds, a 17-year veteran with the Milwaukee Brewers and the organization's East Coast cross-checker -- and co-founder of Next Level Baseball with fellow Brewers scout Ryan Robinson -- is currently in Phoenix, Ariz., for the club's pitching symposium and annual scouts meetings.
Like fellow employee Greene, Reynold's message to campers was to work hard and make the most of every opportunity.
Former major-league pitcher Tim Davis watched the campers and smiled. It brought back good memories.
"This is neat to see because these kids have baseball as a priority in their life and this is an opportunity for them to feel and experience how drills and teaching are implemented at major-league spring training or instructional league levels," said Davis, 39, a former sixth-round selection (1992) of the Seattle Mariners out of Florida State who now teaches and coaches middle school baseball in Hosford, Fla.
"I made some good friends in baseball, but life happens. It goes by quickly. After you have awhile to sit back and reflect on what you did, places you went and the people you played with, you realize you took it for granted while you were there.
"You want to stress to these kids to enjoy their time and give it their all."
Buster Posey's Star Turn No Surprise to College Teammates, Coaches
10/22/2010 3:37 PM ET By Jim Henry
 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Mike Martin Jr. doesn't want to be the one who told you so about Buster Posey.
Well, how can we put this politely?
Martin Jr., Florida State's assistant baseball coach who is credited with converting Posey from a shortstop to catcher with the Seminoles in 2007, is the one who told you so.
Many times, in fact.
"I sure did," Martin Jr. said with a slight chuckle, his voice rising as he continued to describe Posey, a rookie catcher, and fledgling star, with the San Francisco Giants.
"I meant it and believed it. I told anyone who would listen before the draft, this guy is a 10-time All-Star, he's the greatest thing I've seen on a baseball field, off the field, and he's going to make somebody really, really happy."
"Everyone asks me about Buster, and the only thing I can really say is he's special."
-- Jimmy Marshall, FSU Teammate of Posey's and current pitcher in Dodgers organization
Just ask the Giants.
Despite Thursday's 4-2 defeat, the Giants still lead the best-of-seven National League Championship Series and are one win away from reaching their fourth World Series since moving to San Francisco in 1958.
Posey, of course, has enjoyed a starring role in the team's success, punctuated by the southern grin and polite, dry delivery he was known for at FSU.
"Everybody asks me about Buster, and the only thing I can really say is he's special," said former FSU teammate Jimmy Marshall, a relief pitcher in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.
"He has slowed the game down faster than any other rookie. If you watch him play, everything's so easy. I know it's not easy – he makes it looks easy. He's so calm and collected through everything. He plays the game, takes what comes with it, accepts the failures that he has and moves on."
Bustermania has certainly caught on in San Fran.
In Wednesday's 6-5 win, Posey went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a pair of two-out RBI and a single off Phillies right-hander Roy Oswalt in the decisive ninth inning. He also made a terrific catch-and-tag on a short-hop throw from center fielder Aaron Rowand in the fifth to retire the Phillies' Carlos Ruiz at home plate.
Posey was expected to be an impact player: he was the fifth overall selection by the Giants in the 2008 amateur draft out of FSU.
Yet, his remarkable progress -- .305 average, 18 HR and 67 RBI in the regular season, 11 base hits in eight postseason games and management of one of the league's best pitching staffs -- this early has been surprising.
 Right?
That's Buster being Buster, according to his former teammates.
"I don't think anybody, even Buster, would have expected (him) to do as well as he's doing in terms of his numbers," Brandon Reichert, a senior first baseman with the Seminoles in 2007 and current vice president of Next Level Professional Baseball here, explained, "but if anyone was going to do it, it would be Buster. He has that kind of ability."
Many believe it is Posey's uncommon focus that has helped him succeed at every level. He's detail oriented and never wants to call attention to himself. He seems unimpressed either by his play or the grand stage. Only 23, Posey boasts the maturity and poise that "makes you think he's 43," Reichert laughed.
What the Giants have seen from Posey is what FSU saw – and embraced.
"The intangibles, the work ethic, the discipline, the ability for people to like you, the skill set, it's all there," Martin Jr. said. "There was never a dip in the confidence, there was never a dip in the personality, that ability to short-circuit. He doesn't do that. He gets it."
The Giants promoted Posey on May 29, but he mostly played first base before the Giants traded Bengie Molina to the Texas Rangers. In a unique twist of fate, Posey and Molina, the Giants and the Rangers, could meet in the World Series. Texas needs one more win over the Yankees to advance.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy, a former major-league catcher, says Posey has "a gift," the ability to be both an offensive and defensive force at the position.
That's not a surprise to the FSU community.
Martin Jr. told you so.
"You know, as coaches we are always chasing 'it' and you don't know until you get the player to see if 'it' is there," Martin Jr. said, "And Buster's always passed the test. He's going to figure it out.
"That's the thing about Buster. He's going to do something that beats you every night. Whether it's with his glove, whether it's arm, his mind. He's going to get you. He's the epitome of a winner. I told that to everyone who would listen."
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