2022 was a year of massive growth for Connected Performance.We have a lot of individuals and organizations to thank for that. In our second annual review we will cover the new additions to our team, the accomplishment of our players, and where we are headed for 2023.
As always, let’s start with the people.
To accommodate for the growth, we saw in 2022 and project for 2023, we hired four new members to our staff. In January, we brought on Ian Walsh who is now the assistant pitching coordinator for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ian heads up our R&D department to ensure our programs are top notch quality for each individual athlete. As we scaled, we brought on Praise Thorsen as a full-time trainer. Praise joined the staff in May of 2022 after serving as Lander University’s pitching coach. Prior to working at Lander Praise was a floor trainer at the Florida Baseball Ranch. Next, in August of 2022 we hired Mason Feole as another full-time trainer. Mason comes on board with a laundry list of accolades including UConn’s all-time strikeout leader, College Team USA Saturday Starter, 10th round draft pick, and San Diego’s top 30 prospect. For Mason’s remarkable story, checkout the link here. Finally, we added John DeRouin in November of 2022. John came to us after building one of the best reputations in baseball in the Northeast. After accepting the position as Rehab Coordinator for the Detroit Tigers, John joined our team to help push the business forward.
Ben’s story
If you read last year’s review, you’d recall Ben Baggett joining Connected Performance as a partner. At the time, he was pursuing a career in professional baseball. Just three weeks after the review was published, Ben was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays. Check out his full story here.
To Our Extended Team
A special thanks to our software development team for making amazing strides on our Connect Platform. Our third release will be releasing soon, and we couldn’t be more excited. Thank you to our interns Brady Compton andDylan Snyder for supporting the staff and dedicating time out of your day to grow the brand.
Consulting Success
Last year we mentioned we have been working with Baldwin Wallace University.
After a full year of consulting with us, Baldwin Wallace ended their year with a trip to the college world series. Their pitching staff set the school record in wins, strikeouts, and strikeouts per nine. For the full story and process, click here. I want to give a special thank you to Brian Harrison, Tom Deangelis, and Steve Hagen for the autonomy and support in implementing our structure and design into their program.
Our consulting services have continued to grow with the addition of Lake Erie College and a few other organizations. We look forward to seeing their results come the 2023 season.
Connect Software
After a complete relaunch and overhaul of our MVP the Connect software has been adopted by some of the top programs and brands in baseball. Organizations like the Velo Farm and a wide variety of schools are seeing the impact and ROI on the development of their players through our software. For more information on how college programs like Lander University leveraged out programming, check out this blog here.
Our Athletes: Show Your Work
Our athlete base had a heck of a year, and our expansion backed those results. We now serve athletes across the globe from Australia to Germany, Czech Republic, Mexico, and Canada.
Let’s start with our very own Ben Baggett. In his first year with Blue Jays Ben posted a .92 ERA with a .61 WHIP. Not bad for only pitching eight career college innings.
Next, Michal Kovala moved up to the number one European amateur player and committed to Georgia Tech.
Below you can see Michal and Garrett Mackowiak pulling down 100 and 95 respectively.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl7Q_EuDS7F/
JJ Niekro dominated his first full season of pro ball earning Carolina League All-Star Accolades.
Vaun Brown put up video game like numbers in his first full season advancing to Double A earning a spot on the MiLB All-Star list, CAL Player of the Month, and named the Giants 10th ranked prospect.
Nate Madej earned SSC Pitcher of the Week 5 times, was named all-conference and all-region second team.
Joe Clancy went from severe elbow pain to touching 95 mph and earning a D1 scholarship.
Branden Brown went from 86 to 94 mph and earned a scholarship to Wake Forest. Check out his full story here.
Luke Summers went from an 87 mph Indy ball pitcher to touching 98 mph and signing with the Colorado Rockies. You can read his full story here.
Brien Johnston was told he would never pitch again. 6 months later he was touching 91 mph and pitching in high leverage games in the best conference in D2 baseball. Check out his journey here.
Finally, Jack Hartman was the first CP athlete to touch 100 mph and was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Ji Man Choi.
These are just a few of the many success stories of 2022. None of this would be possible without the hard work and buy in from our athletes. So, for that, thank you.
Where Are We Headed?
In 2023 we will continue to invest in our software. With the hiring of four new members this year we will be able to take on more athletes and continue to build the personal relationships that set us apart from our competitors. Our consulting reach has grown but we will still be taking on at least two more organization or schools. For inquires or partnerships please reach out to Training@Connected-Performance.com
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Cheers to New Heights,
Alec Hammond and The Connected Performance Team