Player Development Academy

Welcome to the next generation of baseball! Rijo Athletics has successfully designed one of the top baseball development academies. We have quickly become the place to go to get seen by major league scouts and college recruiters. This is the place where ballplayers throughout North America come to further their playing careers. We have produced a pipeline of talent that puts us on the national level and have placed several prospects into professional and college ball.

The academy is designed very similar to how professional ball works. Most organizations do not have the time, money or energy to truly develop players. It is the same in college baseball, where winning is more important than developing. We have several major league scouts on staff that are up-to-date with the newest techniques and ideas that will allow you to become the best ballplayer possible. This is the opportunity to train along with current professional players.   

Our complex is set up on 8 acres just northeast of Seattle, Washington. We have everything you have ever dreamed of to get you to the next level, including 6 indoor batting tunnels, 3 pitching machines, indoor mounds, a full weight room designed for sport-specific exercises and an outdoor Astroturf field. We have four trainers that have played professional baseball and our lifting program is run by one of the top strength and conditioning coaches in the U.S. Where else are you going to find live batting practice thrown 90 mph, catchers to catch your bullpens, or hitters to face live pitching and get 500 hacks in a day?

Our prospects train on a daily basis each morning and play occasional games on the weekends. During the afternoon and evening, players are encouraged to work or take college classes. We set each player up with housing and employment. Several players in the past have worked such jobs such as valet attendants at nice hotels, waiters, customer service, and promotional events where they average around $10 an hour. All of the ballplayers get along very well and usually live together, share rides and are focused on becoming the best athlete possible.

This last year, a major league organization flew in their top scouts to check out the talent we have through showcases and games we play against local colleges. So if you have the talent and desire, this is the place every ballplayer should be. Listed below are just some of the options we have here.

Pro Tryouts
College Placement and Training
Video Analysis
Promotion
Simulated Games
Bat/ Arm Speed Testing
Intersquad Games vs. Local Colleges
Professional Training
College Classes at Local Colleges
Help Finding Jobs
Transportation Available
Professional Baseball Player Representation by MLB Agents

TESTIMONIALS:

"It’s been a great day. I haven't ever seen this much talent on one given day. I am glad to have found this place and look forward to coming back." ~ NL Scouting Supervisor.

"I learned more in my first day than I did during my four years in college ball. I wish I would have come here four years ago." ~ Canadian prospect that was recently offered a pro contract.
"Two doctors told me I would never throw again. I self-diagnosed my elbow injury then had Tommy John surgery (ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction).  I am now 8 months in and throw everyday without discomfort, and I'm already pumping 90." ~TJ survivor and future draft pick come June.

"I thought I was in great shape.  Now I am twice as strong and 15 lbs heavier, yet my 60-yard dash went from 7.15 down to 6.45." ~ Outfield and catcher prospect.

"My son calls me all of the time and lets me know his progress, how much fun he is having, and which major league team is coming to see him next week." ~ Father of prospect.

"I went from 79-82 mph to 90 mph with my fastball in just a couple of months. I hadn't ever expected to throw this hard.  Now teams are interested in drafting me, and I have over 30 college offers. One major league scout said I could pitch at any college in the country and I had the dirtiest breaking ball he has ever seen." ~ RHP prospect.

"I really enjoy training next to soon-to-be major leaguers. I have never felt so much like a team as I do here. It’s a great environment; the coaches and other players motivate me each day." ~ A college prospect.

"I showed up somewhat out-of-shape with a dream of playing again. On my first day, I found out my arm hurt, and I couldn't even get loose enough to get clocked. No one judged me or laughed at me, in fact they encouraged me to come back. I have increased my fastball by at least 10 mph, and I can throw all day long. The video stuff really helped me find my flaws very quickly and now I repeat my mechanics and have had a lot of success." ~ LHP college prospect.

"I had my doubts about the whole academy thing so I didn't join at first. Then two of my buddies told me all about the stuff that goes on and how well they were doing. I packed my things from my college and took off to train. I have had more scouts come see me pitch in the 3 months I have been there than in my entire 3 years of college. I have actually turned down several offers as I plan on going through the draft in 2007." ~ A successful prospect.

"I took my bat speed up from 84 mph to 97 mph in one off season.  I am going into spring training in the best shape of my life.  It’s going to be a great year!" ~ New York Yankees catcher.

ENTRY STATS/EXIT STATS
 
Here are a few examples of how hard work pays off:

This young man came all the way from the middle of Canada to train in hopes of playing at a higher level.  Come this June, he will have earned himself a professional contract.  He came in running a 7.15 60 and has been able to get it down to a 6.45 (much lower than the ML average 6.8 60).  His strength was decent, but now he belongs on the cover of Muscle and Fitness magazine!  His arm strength was average for a college guy at 86, but now he's topping 92 and can pretty much roll out of bed and throw 90.  He was best suited to become an outfielder with all of his tools, but we have also given him the ability to catch.  His pop time to second has gone from 2.10 down to 1.80.  His swing wasn't so good, but he has worked so hard on learning how to stay back and extend through pitches.  His bat speed went from 88 mph all the way up to 99 mph. He puts on a show during BP now, often lifting ball 420 feet with wood.  He has taken himself from an average college player to quite possibly one of the top prospects in the country.

This prospect joined us after moving his wife and newborn out to the Seattle area from Chicago, IL.  He played 4 years at a Division 1 school where he went undrafted.  The only reason he wasn't drafted was because his team didn't win a lot of games; very few scouts ever saw him play.  He is an outfielder.  He came in running a 6.88 60.  We improved his form and trained like crazy and got it all the way down to a 6.39.  Several scouts couldn't believe it - they made him run it again and even remeasured it.  His arm strength went up from 82-85 to the 90 mph mark.  His overall strength gains became incredible after we altered his workouts.  Upon arrival, he could do 14 closed-grip pull-ups.  Before he left, he set an all time academy high of 33 pull ups - and his bat speed sat in the 98 mph range after entering at 91-93 mph.  His gamble paid off and he was lucky enough to sign a professional contract.

This carpenter/construction worker surprised us all.  Instead of going to college, he worked for 4 years after high school and played ball in a senior men’s league in Canada.  After meeting him, we agreed to allow him to join and he did exactly what he came here to do - work.  He had a serious desire to be the best pitcher in his hometown.  Well, let’s just say he surpassed that rather quickly.  He was clocked around 79-82 mph upon arrival, and now he's pumping 90 mph - octane “gas” as he calls it.  He's put together an arsenal of pitches that simply dominates hitters.  He has one of the best cutters scouts have ever seen.  They frequently ask how he does it.  Several major league teams are afraid to take a chance since he is, in their minds, a little raw because of the lack of college playing time. So he has chosen to attend college and accept one of the many full rides he has been offered.

Another guy that is hard to miss is a 7-feet LHP from Canada. He came to us after having his UCL repaired.  We quickly found out why he needed the Tommy John surgery and now he can throw effortlessly all day long.  He adjusted his mechanics and learned how to apply force in a straight line, while lengthening his driveline and adding several miles an hour to his fastball.  His spin velocity on his curve ball and slider are unbelievably tight, and his location has become near pinpoint.  He has quickly become the talk of the town in the baseball industry after not being able to pitch at all.

The New York Yankees released this young man. He played at a top Division 1 school in the Pac 10 and later signed a pro contract as a catcher. Upon arrival, he knew he had the tools to play in the big leagues some day.  He just needed a little more time to come into his own.  He played in the independent leagues before joining.  This last off-season he made a commitment to himself to do everything possible to back into affiliated ball. His pop time went from 2.20 down to 1.85.  Bat speed jumped from 84 all the way to 97.  His arm strength went up dramatically from 86 to 91, and the most impressive thing we saw was his 60-yard time go from a 7.8 down to a 7.0. He will be able to steal bases, unlike most catchers. His contract was bought out by the St. Louis Cardinals organization, and he is well on his way to a long career.

After several doctors tell you that you will never pitch again, most people would just simply hang up their spikes. That wasn't an option for this guy!
Two elbow operations didn't stop him in pursuit of what he knew he had left.  He came to us 7 months post-op from having a new ligament implanted in his pitching elbow.  Just 2 months later, he was throwing 90 miles an hour.  Upon arrival, he hadn't touched a baseball since the day his elbow popped.  We got rid of several flaws that caused the UCL to bust, and he was rocking and rolling in no time.  He went on a mission to prove every one of those doctors wrong and he did just that.  He transformed his body and his mechanics to become a machine.  There is no telling where he will end up someday. He is a great example of how hard work pays off. He was blessed with a lightning fast arm that could land him in the big leagues as a premier closer.

When college coaches hold tryouts they have no idea how many guys are going to come out to walk on.  That’s just what happened in this young man's first year of college.  He showed up hoping to make the team - but 75 guys did also.  The coach did not keep any of them.  He already had his roster full from scholarship players.  He decided to leave college and train with us in hopes of being able to make a team come next spring.  All of his numbers have gone up dramatically. He can finally hit the curveball with authority. His arm no longer hurts, he's twice as strong, cut 1/2 a second off his 60-yard time with form running/ overall conditioning, and his bat speed has gone through the roof from 78 to 89. He now not only has a chance to make the team but also has an opportunity to start at the college level.

Not everyone is a first round pick but this guy was – “was” being the keyword.  Playing in the major leagues did not guarantee anything for this pitcher.  Once he had arm surgery, he needed a place to train - he found that with us.  We happened to have several catchers (pro and college) to catch his bullpens.  He was only able to attend until he went off to spring camp, but he wished he could have trained with us because of the environment our players had created.  He had been in several major league spring trainings and worked with several pitching coaches.  All of that landed him with a year off to recover from arm surgery from doing it their way.  He now knows how to stay healthy and has picked up a few extra mph's and more quality pitches to put him back in the bigs later this season.

This diehard ballplayer has played baseball professionally on 3 of the 7 continents in the world.  Talk about for love of the game - he went from living in his car and unemployed to full time employee living in a nice house, signing a professional contract to play in the Golden League, and best of all, he recently got engaged to a beautiful young lady.  At 26 years old, he finally feels he is starting to hit his peak and come into his own.  His numbers are impressive, cutting his 60-yard time down from 7.4 to 6.7, bat speed went up 9 mph, and he not only got his arm stronger, he saved himself from having to have his elbow surgically rebuilt.  He is truly a throwback ball player that would play for food money.  There is no telling where he may be playing some day, the only absolute is that he will be playing.

There are numerous other guys and stories not mentioned here.  An old scout once told me, look at every great athlete and you will find an incredible story.  Too many good ballplayers give up on a dream. With a lot of hard work and proper training, those dreams can become a reality.

For a phone consultation, please call (425) 486-4878


Rijo Athletics Baseball
22620 SR 9 SE
Woodinville, WA 98072