This episode focuses on insights and information for parents and coaches that might be new to junior baseball in Australia. The guys chat with MTL The Baseball Podcast’s co-producer, Jim Strachan, who shares his experiences as a coach and parent and they also talk about advice from mentors, growing the game in Australia, and building resilience in players and yourself as a parent. The episode also touches on the growth of women’s baseball in Australia and the uniqueness of the club ball structure compared to the US. And as always, there are some great stories from Lutzy and Frank’s days with the Reds and their ongoing baseball journey. Then, Frank shares his great new tune, “Almost Blues”.

Franky and Lutzy welcome back former Reds teammate, head of MLB China and current hitting coach for China’s WBC team Ray Chang. This time, they go deep on their experiences and approaches to handling different coaching styles and personalities at different levels of the game. This episode is full of gold for all players, parents and coaches, but is a must-listen for young players transitioning into new systems like high school, representative teams or college. Frank also shares his excellent new song ʻOlekūkahi Morning Loop.

Sharpen your pencil and grab your notebook because there’s a lot of gold dropped in this episode. The guys are joined by current Cincinnati Reds Assistant Hitting Coach and long-time friend and mentor Alex Pelaez for an informative and insightful conversation about the physical and mental sides of hitting and the journey to finding success at the plate. Al shares his thoughts on simplifying your approach, things for young players to work on – including his top areas of focus and the top three things to STOP doing at the plate. Like always, Frank, Lutzy and Al also tell some great stories from their time together in the Reds farm system and Pelaez also talks about working with current Reds like Elly De La Cruz. Then, Frank shares his new song “Fun Again”.