Over the past 12 years, Joe Francisco has owned and operated Performance Factory in Farmingdale. He has taught several of the top players in the area and has been successful.
Still he felt something was missing in his academy.
“For years, I’ve been trying to add a pitching coach,” said Francisco.
“I haven’t found anyone that could rival our hitting program, to be honest.”
That changed when Jim Clark introduced him to Bobby DeMichael.
DeMichael and his father, Artie, purchased Prospect Sports in May and immediately turned it into a high-octane academy for both baseball and softball teams.
One of their priorities was to revolutionize pitching lessons by incorporating a year-round classroom atmosphere with the data-driven technology introduced by Drive Line Baseball’s founder Kyle Boddy.
“I really like what Bobby has done–he’s not just the typical 30-minute vanilla pitching lesson,” he added.
Two of the most innovative training facilities on Long Island are joining forces to create a true player development academy setting at Prospect Factory on Milbar Blvd in Farmingdale.
They both have unique visions for how they plan to change the landscape of baseball here on Long Island.
DeMichael, who previously was the pitching coach for LIU Post, already has 45 players registered for his pitching program that focusing on all aspects of developing the body and mechanics before even throwing a baseball.
He has his pitchers use the “Core Velocity Belt” which is a bungee chord that is attached to the pitcher’s hip during lessons.
“I like that it takes the thought process out and eliminates the thinking for the pitcher”, he said. “It creates good direction and makes them feel how the lower half should be working for them.”
He has hired former LIU Post pitcher J.P. Lipovac who has trained with Drive Line in the past. The two of them will be running the pitching aspect of the facility.
Francisco has his own hitting program in mind and he is extremely profound about his vision.
“It’s embarassing to me that Long Island has not been developing position players into the big leagues. Aside from Craig Biggio and Frank Catalanotto, there hasn’t been anyone.”
He notices a tremendous difference in the training regimens between the amateur players on Long Island from the players in the Dominican Republic.
“Why is it that I can throw a rock in the Dominican Republic and I can hit a future big leaguer? The players from the age of 10 to 15 work much harder.”
Francisco’s plan includes a five-year training program that will develop all aspects of a hitter’s game from vision training to live at bats against players much older.
“If a 10-year old can hit an average fastball of a 14-year old, then they can hit an elite fastball of a 12-year old. This program will rival that of the Dominican Republic. It won’t be for everyone but it will be for the elite kids that want to focus on explosiveness.”
He noted that players at 16 or 17 that come to him for lessons often have too much ground to make up in order to become elite college players. They are only exposed to high school fastballs, roughly 78-80 MPH and can’t expect to compete with players from Florida who see elite fastballs at a much younger age.
“I’m a believer in the phrase ‘iron sharpens iron’, the best players bring out the best in each other when they compete,” he added.
Both Francisco and DeMichael have the experience and grandiose plans to make this an effective breeding ground for the top players in the area.
It may sound like a tall order to revolutionize the amateur baseball scene, but with their vivid plan in place, they might just be able to do it.
Blue Chip Prospect owner Jim Clark stated that he will be offering his facility (LI Indoor Sports in Ronkonkoma) as a satellite location for them and he believes they will be able to “provide a pathway. It will give an opportunity to everyone for getting exposure.”
The move is official and the construction is underway.
Follow us on Twitter @BaseballLI or email the author at vinny@baseballontheisland.com
