Baseball Factory Staff Q & A: Matt Schilling, Senior Director of On-Field Instruction
Baseball Factory Staff Q & A: Matt Schilling, Senior Director of On-Field Instruction
Q: Where did you go to college?
A: Coastal Carolina University
Q: What position did you play?
A: Second Base
Q: What factors did you consider when choosing your college?
A: There were a few factors that I kept in mind when looking for a school to play at. First was that I wanted to play top competition. Coastal gave me that opportunity. They also have a really nice facility. I also wanted to play in warm weather, where we could play more games and practice outside. I also received a great scholarship from Coastal which sealed the deal for me. Academically they were comparable to other schools I was looking at.
Q: How were you recruited?
A: I actually did the recruiting first. I started contacting schools I was interested in playing for and sending them letters and trying to get them to come see me play. Finally, Coastal came to see me and once that happened my on-field ability got them to follow up with me and then they started recruiting me heavily.
Q: If you were to go through the recruiting process again what would you have done differently? What would you have done the same?
A: I would definitely actively market myself out to colleges again. I would also identify schools that would fit me and recruit those schools to start. Something that I wish I would have been able to do would be adding a video to my arsenal, which would have been huge. I would say that the video aspect would have helped put me in front of a bunch more schools that would have been interested in me.
Q: What advice would you give high school players going through the recruiting process?
A: First and foremost, be realistic. You need to know what level you are able to play at. It doesn’t make sense if you only go after Top 25 teams when you can’t compete at that level. Secondly, market yourself. This worked for me and it still is true in today’s recruiting. You need to go out there and do research and help get your name out there. You cannot sit back and let things happen. You need to take a proactive approach in the college recruiting process. That is the only way it can work out.
Q: What was it like being a scout for the Atlanta Braves?
A: Informative. I got to see and hear from high level baseball people what tools they look for. Maybe more importantly what tools they do not put as much weight on. Being around the Scouting Director and other baseball guys improved the way I saw players.
Q: As a former scout, what skills/traits would you say make a baseball player stand out among the rest?
A: Speed. Foot speed, hand speed, bat speed and arm speed. Speed is everything.
Q: Can you name a player that you have seen in scouting trips that exhibits these skills/traits?
A: Position players that I have seen with these tools are David Wright, Lastings Milledge, Delmon Young, Justin Upton and BJ Upton. The best at this were the Upton brothers. Those boys always stood out.
Q: How did you get started with the Baseball Factory?
A: I actually grew up with the President of the company, Rob Naddelman. We played Little League, High School and American Legion ball together. I have always stayed in contact with him, but when I was coaching at Coastal he used to send me players videos to check out for our team and one day they offered me a job that I couldn’t pass up.
Q: You are the head lessons instructor. Describe your training style.
A: Informative. I don’t just tell the kids to do something. I explain the reasoning of why they should do this and then show them to reinforce the principle I am teaching. I want the player to have all the information they need to understand why they should do something one way versus another.
Q: What is your favorite part about working with young baseball players?
A: Seeing them come in and work hard and then fulfill their potential or at least get closer to it. Whether a college player comes in to get better or a high school player tries to make his JV team, or even a youth player trying to improve. All of those types of players are rewarding to work with and see their goals come to be.
Q: How important is the mental side in the game of baseball?
A: The mental side of the game in my mind separates the players playing everyday in the majors versus the guys that struggle and stay in the minors. At the highest level all the players have tremendous tools; however, the mental aspect is the big separator. The guys who can handle it are the guys who tend to make it and stay for an extended period of time.
Q: What is your favorite MLB team?
A: Boston Red Sox
Q: Who is your favorite current player?
A: Albert Pujols
Q: What current Major League player do you believe best represents the professionalism, talent and character that the American pastime was created on?
A: Albert Pujols. Albert handles himself on and off the field better than anyone. He is never in the news for anything bad. People don’t even know that he adopted a child with downs syndrome. He goes about his business and handles things very professionally. He is a down right stud.
