Perfect Game recently updated my son’s profile page with his new PR on the bump. Alex, who plays for CBA San Diego 12u, achieved his new milestone on a big stage, against the best competition he’s seen — but what makes Elizabeth and me most proud isn’t the number on the radar gun.
It’s everything behind it: the garage workouts, the long practices, the bullpens. The hours spent chasing improvement when no one’s watching.
But there’s something else that matters just as much as the grind — good coaching. The kind that goes beyond lessons and drills. The kind that shows your kid that effort matters because they matter.
Alex’s pitching coach, Chad Starkey, recently texted me some photos of Alex on the mound during the Perfect Game tournament in Las Vegas where Alex hit his new PR. They were great shots — mid-delivery, focused, balanced. “Pretty,” Chad texted. But I was confused. I didn’t take those photos.
When I asked Chad where the photos came from, he texted back:
“Your guys’ GameChanger.”
He’d been watching Alex’s game film on his own time — analyzing his delivery, picking up on small adjustments, and sending me screen shots and notes to share with Alex to help him get better.
That’s what great coaches do.
They care when no one’s watching.
These coaches are easy to spot and Alex has been fortunate to play for and train with several of them. His hitting coach, Jay Fejeran, pulled me aside earlier this year and told me he no longer wanted me to text him video clips of Alex’s game swings. I was taken aback but before I could process Coach Jay finished his thought: “I want Alex to send me his clips with a note on what he’s seeing in his swings. He needs to do that now, not you.”
The combination of a kid who works hard and a coach who genuinely cares? That’s gold. That’s where real growth happens — on the field and off it.
Alex’s curiosity fuels him — understanding his mechanics and how his body moves and feels, fine-tuning his pitches, making adjustments on the mound when something’s off, learning to shake off bad pitches, and showing up the next inning — and the next day — with the same drive regardless of how he performed.
It’s the effort, more than the outcome, that I love seeing — whether it’s workouts with his team, bullpens with Coach Chad, lifting weights with mom and dad in the garage, or mini-bullpens with me on the side of the house.
Alex is learning what the game demands — and what it gives back when you put in the work. He likes to say:
“The grind never stops with me, Dad.”
He’s right. 💯 And it shows. ⚾️
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About Baseball Dad & PR Guy
I started Baseball Dad & PR Guy to share what I’ve learned from two worlds that have more in common than you’d think — youth baseball and public relations. Both teach preparation, communication, leadership, patience, and how to handle life’s curveballs.
Through my 12-year-old son Alex, his teammates, and his coaches, I’ve come to love baseball — all its beauty and all its challenges. My goal is to help baseball parents avoid common mistakes and support the journey their son or daughter is pursuing. On the PR side, my goal is to help young public relations professionals reach their potential.
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