Anyone know about or have an opinion of ABI(American Baseball Institute)

"The solution to the college athlete is simple. Be the best ball player possible before wasting any or all eligibility. We recommend putting college baseball off until you have the necessary skills to compete at that high of a level".


I don't get this philosophy (you asked for an opinion).

You would consider this option for your son but not a JUCO program?

That is the philosophy behind a lot of the prep schools that are popular for basketball players too. It's why you have 26 yr old seniors in college playing sports.
It works for some people... of course in baseball there would be no (or very little) chance of a pro team signing these guys.

I watched the video and found it confusing. Many of the clips are Mike Marshall training clips. These mechanics do not attract a lot of scouting exposure. Also, I am not sure why an elite professional training school would show players using aluminum bats to hit with. Again, not an attraction to scouts. It sure looks like a beautiful place, but I am not sure it is represented accurately. These are just my thoughts, though.

The Web Site is poorly done.

Although I never looked into having my son attend this facility I have been there a few time for varying reasons.

The area (Tampa Bay) is in a hotbed of pro baseball recruiting and the place is run and managed by "connected" former pro trainers and/or players.

This is the Facility (not necessarily the entity) where Josh Hamilton rehabbed and got back into the game from.

A local (Ocala, Fl) player, Nick Ebert, who was drafted by the Yankees after his Junior year, late rounds, and went undrafted after his Senior year (U of South Carolina) went there over the Fall and was recently signed by the Yankees as a free agent. I am sure he did not get much money, but he is getting his chance.

If I had realized that these places existed when my son underwent his knee surgery his senior year of high school, and money were no object, I might have seriuosly considered this strategy for my son. (We went the route of a personal speed trainer and continued with his hitting instructor)

The facilities are all top notch, I believe that the folks who run it are too. But you have to understand where you fit in...this is a business and they will take your money. But if your son truely is a prospect, and perhaps as my son did, experience a significant setback, or remain undrafted after 4 years of college like Nick Ebert, it may be a program worthy of consideration.

They may be as legit as Bershire Hathaway, but that website does them no favors. They should put up some bio's on the About Us Link and put in some pricing. I'm sure it ain't cheap so they might as well weed out the tire kickers.

quote:

Originally posted by Dad04:
They may be as legit as Bershire Hathaway, but that website does them no favors. They should put up some bio's on the About Us Link and put in some pricing. I'm sure it ain't cheap so they might as well weed out the tire kickers.

The website is horrible, I know that one shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but seriously, it needs an overhaul. As far as I know they have no affiliation with the cardinals and that stff was from a while back, I am pretty sure. The stuff with the cardinals were taken at their training facility (cardinals).

I did some checking, there are really very few they have worked with that have been successful, remember that Josh Hamilton had the talent to begin with, you can't take a frog and turn into a prince if the magic isn't there. Testimonials a giveaway, if I have a successful player that I have turned out, I am going to use them for my advertising. But perhaps if you have no one, the way they have done it is easier.

I understand the player that is out of college trying to reach his dream, the suggestion is that you work while not in instruction (there is only so much instruction one can have in a day), but I am not sure of their plan for HS player and I would imagine the ideal situation would be to live close by and work with them.

Metal bats, how funny is that.
JMO.

Is Roy Silver involved in this organization? If so, he is a very good baseball man.

PG,
I thought that he is with Winning Inning?
Wasn't he the one who worked with Hamilton?

I just called The Winning Inning and asked if there was any affiliation between them and ABI and although they operate out of the same complex they are seperate entities completely and are not affiliated. Roy Silver and Randy Holland (who I had dealings with) are with The Winning Inning and not ABI.



So...sorry for any confusion that I may have caused.

In FAQ's, states that player's are generally between 20-27, must be 18 and out of HS to attend.


If interested why not just call them and inquire what their program is all about.

The American Baseball Institute is a top notch facility and first class program. I believe they have many free tryouts that are open to the public with lots of major league teams represented. This is unlike most pay for play operations. They send many players into the majors and have talent coming in from various countries. All of the people that work there seem to go out of their way to help minor league players. I was very impressed with a tryout my friend and I went there for. Very well run, with lots of talent, scouts, and many players getting an opportunity. I believe I read in the paper that they have a scholarship fund as well.

Hi, I thought i would add some tidbits to your questions about ABI. I placed my son there in Janaury 2009 after playng his sophomore season at a JC in Northern CA. He did good and was looked at by a couple of pro teams AZ and MN. He was not drafted or signed. He was not offered any D-1 offers and this is where he wanted to play so he could have a solid chance at playing pro ball. In hindsight, that is what we thought. I knew he needed specific daily training before he used any other eligibility of college. He began training and became more confident of his skills and abilities. The most impressive thing was gaining arm strength and the daily grind of training as oppose to trying to WIN a game. It was expensive for me but its worth it to invest in your son (At the time $1600/mo, now I hear its like $2400/mo). He stayed there and trained for 8 months straight with Neiman Nix and sometime Roy Silver. ABI(American baseball Institute) and TWI (The Winning Inning) are SEPERATE, but Roy was willing to assist in helping my son based on hearing about his tools and skills. Roy then contacted a college for my son to attend near the Tampa area. After 8 months at ABI, pro teams of ATL, CHI and SEA seemed interested. He enrolled in College (NAIA) in the Fall and played in the Spring of 2010 being his RS Junior year. He had a really good year and was Drafted in the 35th Round. Had my son never would have trained at the ABI/TWI, he would have never been drafted because he would have lacked the speciifc skills needed to play at a high level with confidence daily. Unfortunately, he was released after spring training this year. He and I both truly wish we had the $$$'s to be training at ABI right now. Its unfortunate. He is now trying to do it on his own to get back on with someone sense we cant afford it. Best beleive if we could afford it, he would be at ABI/TWI getting his specifics in; live batting, arm stregnth conditioning, peer comraderie, weight training, grounders, DPs, being around guys who have played Pro ball etc etc. I am sharing this with you guys to let you know, ABI is good for certain people who need training specifics and if you have bottomless income, its worth it. I hope this helps you as a father because if i were in your situations, I would want to know the TRUTH about what ever i planned to invest my money in. Thanks for sharing what you know and i really hope its helps SOMEONE. BTW, several PRO players train with Roy Silver there before spring training. And yes, Josh Hamilton trained and lived there under Roy's guidance and tutelage before getting back into the game. Now he's an All Star as you know.