Coaching Time
Former Houston Astros pitcher tries to help youngsters buck the Major Leagueodds
Chris SampsonPhoto via The Baytown Blog
Sampson gives a pre-training talk.Photo via Lonestar Baseball Academy/Facebook
Sampson coaching basic skillsPhoto via Lonestar Baseball Academy/Facebook
Thumbs up to Lonestar Baseball Academy!Photo via Lonestar Baseball Academy/Facebook
Sampson and two young campersPhoto via Lonestar Baseball Academy/Facebook
"The minute you get satisfied is the second you fail." — former MLB pitcher, Chris Sampson moments before holding tryouts.
With spring training heading into the home stretch and Opening Day less than two weeks away, former Houston Astros pitcher Chris Sampson, currently unsigned, looks as if he’ll have to find something different to do with his arm this season.
Lucky for him, it’s never been a question of what he’d do with his time and skill once playing the game professionally is no longer an option, merely a matter of when. Knowing firsthand all the training and literal variations of sweat, blood and tears that goes into being one of the few to make the Majors, Sampson knew early on that when his time came he’d reverse the roles and become the man encouraging others to reach their dreams and full potential.
“What are you going to do different than all the other kids that have the same big league dreams as you?” Cox asks.
Simply put — he would find a way to give back while remaining very much a part of the game he loves.
“I am not signed as of yet. This is a crazy game so I'm not sure what’s going to happen,” Sampson says.
And so the Academy was born
To help prepare for the rocky and unknown road that is professional sports, Sampson started the LoneStar Baseball Academy about three years ago. The premise is giving back both as a coach and mentor. With his love for kids, and his passion for the game, Sampson knew the type of facility he was looking for in his hometown of Channelview didn’t exist yet.
This became his driving force to create something the community and young athletes alike needed to excel.
While the clinic has been steadily growing strong over the last few years, Sampson along with another former pro ballplayer, Daniel Cox, decided to take the coaching and mentoring to another level by putting together a team of talented players on a 14U (14 and under) select team to play at a premier level. The team is aptly called The Aces.
Sampson comes to the field with 12 years of professional baseball experience (five in the Majors with the Houston Astros) and Cox played in the minors. Combined, the two have a lot in the way of playing baseball to share with these youngsters, but beyond that, helping mold them into coachable and respectable men both on and off the field is extremely important to them.
Major League Stats
Less than .05 percent of high school seniors playing baseball make it in the Majors.
Taking a few lessons from an experienced player certainly has value. And taking lessons from two experienced ballplayers most definitely ups the ante in terms of success. The daunting statistics are something Sampson and Cox stress during tryouts to show the hard work and dedication required to go that far.
That mentality and diligent work ethic is what got Sampson into the Majors; surely it will have some sort of profound impact on these kids.
“What are you going to do different than all the other kids that have the same big league dreams as you?” Cox asks rhetorically in the dugout.
You can tell these guys put their heart and soul into coaching at the academy, as will this new team of hand-selected budding all-stars. I got to witness tryouts for the 16 kids that were invited at Glenda Dawson High School in Pearland and saw firsthand how these two coaches are looking to take these kids and their game to the next level. When I asked Sampson about the tryouts he said, “I’m about to put them through the same tryouts I went through coming up.”
That mentality and diligent work ethic is what got Sampson into the Majors; surely it will have some sort of profound impact on these kids.
Based on the tryouts that Saturday morning, it became quite apparent that teaching lessons at the baseball academy surely pay dividends when it comes to sponsoring this 14U team. These youngsters traveled from various parts of Texas (some from as far as Austin) and headed over to the field to showcase their skills both in the field and at the plate. Their throws from the outfield were clocked for speed as were their throws from third and shortstop.
Accuracy, speed and overall attitude were all being evaluated with each hit and each throw. Hitting technique was broken down for skill and potential — not necessarily whether they could hit the ball out of the park, but their mechanics were being picked apart to determine what adjustments, if any, needed to be made.
Having studied hitting under some of the all-time greats, this was Cox’s area of expertise as he pulled guys to the side to make minor adjustments. Sampson of course plans to focus on the Aces' pitching staff.
While there’s always room for improvement, at the early ages of 13 and 14, these kids already show monumental promise on the field. Some of them currently play on the 14U Team USA and are hoping to make this team under the guidance and instruction of Sampson and Cox.
A early standout was Austin McNicholas, who not only plays shortstop, but also pitches and catches and is a current member of the 2012 14U USA National Team.
“He is from Austin and traveled down to Houston to play full time with us," Sampson says. "Even as a kid, he leads by example. He doesn't say much, but he works his butt off, and has that quiet confidence about him.
"He wants to succeed and wants to win – all very important attributes for any good athlete.
“My future remains unclear for now. If I don't sign, I will be teaching lessons at LoneStar, and coaching our 14U team until something comes up. I think I could be a good salesman; maybe teach and coach high school? This is fun to me, so we’ll see!” Sampson says about his future.
The 14U season began in February and continues through August.
