“As a player, I squeezed every drop of talent that I had in me and left it all on the field. Looking back, I feel blessed. As a coach, I try to get that out of our players. Have them give their best, and then push a little more.”

When Rick Strickland broke his hand in his Junior year of college at Austin Peay, he was Top 10 in the nation in Batting Avg. and Stolen Bases. It was a blow missing the season, but like he tells his players when one door closes, another opens. He got a chance to play in the Cape Cod League with some amazing talent. “I played with great players and future Hall of Famers. Frank Thomas, Mo Vaugh, Tim Salmon, Jeff Kent, and Denny Neagle. Playing with top talent elevates your game and your mind”

Rick came back and tore it up his Senior year leading the team to its first winning season in a decade and helping turn the program around. “The leadership, that’s what really stays with me. What the team and I helped do for the program was immense.”

Rick’s standout play caught the attention of the Yankees, who drafted him. After spending time in their farm system, Rick brought his passion for player development and innovation to coaching.

Rick is driven by improving players and helping them battle through challenges – mental and physical. “If you want to hit hard or throw hard, you have to train hard. You have to push past what you think you can do to achieve more.”

Baseball is a game of speed and power. What you do in the gym, will show on the field. His obsession with making improvements and player feedback took him down the technology path, where he has been a pioneer. He worked in early-stage development with Blast Motion, Rapsodo, Diamond Kinetics, and Uplift.

A true student of the game, Rick grew up in Chicago as a two-way guy – a player AND a sports reporter. “Starting at 6 years old, I played constantly, but I also had to give my uncle complete recaps of the Cubs and White Sox games. I was his ESPN. What was the score? How did they get their runs? I had to tell him the story behind the game.”

After years of playing, coaching, and “reporting,” Rick can readily spot the story behind each player’s swing and throw. For him, and the CRTR staff, understanding how a player moves in training and practice is key to unlocking how they will perform on the field. Their collective job is to make players better.

With over 375 college commits, 78 professional players, and 2 All-Stars in Andrew Benintendi and Jake Odorizzi, Coach Strickland’s obsession with player development is the centerpiece of every training program. If you’re serious about elevating your game, reach out now to CRTR and get started with an evaluation.

Favorite Players

Willie Stargell, Rennie Stennett, Ivan DeJesus, Chet Lemon, Joe Morgan.

“When I was a kid, I imitated everybody’s batting stance. Learned a lot about hitting then!”

On Coaching New Players

“I start by asking the player two simple questions: Who do you train with? What have you been working on with your coach? Then I patiently watch, observe, and build a plan for that player.”