I Got My Exit Velocity And Launch Angle Tested At One Of The Most Advanced Batting Labs In The World
A few weeks back at the Barstool holiday party, Paul Lo Duca and I gots to drinking and for some reason Chief told him I parade around Chicago telling people I have a better pop time than him. Two things about that:
1. No, I don’t parade around Chicago saying I have a better pop time than him and
2. Yes, I do have a better pop time than him
Needless to say, that struck a chord with Paulie. He immediately challenged me to a pop time off and that naturally progressed to us doing a charity home run derby, and I’d beat his old ass at that too. But I’m also not Superman – I haven’t touched a bat outside of a handful of swings in about 10 years, so I decided to call up my HS travel coach at the Bulls Sox academy to help me out, Justin Stone.
Coach Stone operates one of the most advanced batting labs in the world. When I originally asked him to do the video with us I wanted to know what kind of radar gun he has. He replied, “we don’t have a radar gun. We have a fucking sonar radar”. Okay cool, I’m used to working with wonky guns at stadiums and carnivals, not sonar radars but that works.
It was crazy – the amount I learned from Coach Stone and his staff in one 30 min “hitting lesson” wowed me. I thought I knew a lot about the art of the baseball swing – I don’t. It’s evolved like fucking crazy over the last decade. I IMPLORE you to contact Coach Stone if you are a college/HS kid looking to take your game to the next level or if you have a son who could potentially be an advanced player. His teachings are new aged and you will see improvement. That’s a guarantee from me to you.
Coach Stone coaches some of the best hitters on the planet as we speak. He’s currently on payroll for an MLB team as their Director of Hitting and does side work for players in different organizations as well. He works out of the Bradley Sports Center, which is about at the intersection of Western and Irving Park Road.
Again – and I say this 100% seriously – if you have a son who is looking for some of the best coaching he can possibly get, hit up coach Stone. You can find him on Twitter at @elite_baseball and his website is www.elitebaseballtraining.com and (773) 739-2170 is the complex’s number.
Fuck you Lo Duca!
PS – high exit velocity was 85MPH. Need to get up to 95 or so, doable with 8 months of intense training (I won’t swing again until him and I figure out where we’re doing the derby)
