Nowadays parents are clamoring to put their kids in the best sports programs, like travel baseball. Travel baseball is part of an $8 billion industry known as travel youth sports, where you have to pay to play. Youth sports has become a money making machine and it’s no surprise there has been an 8% drop in the last decade on the number of kids who play competitive sports because of the increased costs. Rec leagues are dwindling and in it’s place professional grade fields are being built so kids can play more competitively. 

Clary Baseball started in 2010 and offers player development baseball instruction and parent consultations. Casey Clary works with baseball players (and their parents) between the ages of 10 and 18 who are looking to get better and improve their skills. The sport of Baseball is always changing and in order to keep up with the competition players have to work on their skills, like footwork, hand eye coordination, and strength + conditioning. Casey found that through his 9 years of working with parents the question he was asked most often was, “is my kid good enough?” This question thrusted Casey on a journey to give parents as much information as possible about the world of baseball through his book: Baseball Parents: Is your kid good enough?. 

Casey’s love for baseball started at age 5 and he played all the way through high school. After his senior year he received a scholarship to a division 2 college, in a small town in North Carolina. After his college senior year he signed as a free agent with a Minor League team out of Canada, called the Winnipeg Goldeyes. He went on to play 4 more years signing with 3 other teams.

Casey doesn’t have many regrets, other than not staying back on the slider. He says, “the minor leagues are a lot of fun but they are also painful. It’s a cut-throat industry and everyone is a “sprained ankle” away from getting released. There are long bus rides and long flights that leave at 5:30 in the morning!” He didn’t make a million bucks but he got paid to play baseball! He says he learned a lot and he learned to listen!  Casey’s rookie year of pro-ball was the most challenging. He was good in college and everyone is good in the pros! He had to make adjustments and make them quick. He had to retain information and adapt daily. He loved it!

Casey is passionate about baseball and wants to share that passion with others. He wants to help other kids succeed and follow their dreams and he wants to help the parents understand what it takes to get their kids there. Casey says, “if there’s anything I can’t over teach it’s work ethic! If you want to get paid to play this game, you have to work at it. DAILY!” 

Learn more about Casey and Clary Baseball at: https://www.clarybaseball.com | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_j6U56ljsaBhD3p_nsC_HA | Social Media: @caseyclary

Show Notes:

Get Casey’s book – Baseball Parents: Is Your Kid Good Enough? https://amzn.to/2PuM6E0