Background
I am 47 years old. Am married to Rachael and have 3 children (Christopher 21, Zachary 19 and Brooke 16). I graduated from Hudson’s Bay HS in Vancouver, WA in 1996. In June of that year I was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 4th round. From there, I went on to pitch professionally for the next 14 years for various organizations (Cubs, Rockies, Cardinals, A’s, Seibu Lions in Japan and the Uni President Lions in Taiwan) briefly reaching the big leagues in 2004 with the Rockies. Click HERE for my complete career stats.
After my playing career was over, I accepted a Minor League pitching coach position with the LA Angels in December 2011 and spent the next 3 years coaching their newly drafted pitchers in Cedar Rapids, IA (1 Year) and in Orem, UT (2 Years).
Playing Career Highlights
- 2000 AA Southern League Champions
- 2004 Led the AAA Pacific Coast League with 14 wins
- 2004 Made Major League debut vs. the Expos on 8/22
- 2004 Made my one and only MLB start on 9/26 (Rachael’s birthday) vs. the St. Louis Cardinals
- 2005 Started the AAA All Star game, was Winning pitcher and MVP
- 2006 Tied NPB record for rookie in Japan to start career 5-0
- 2008 AAA Pacific Coast League Champions with the Sacramento River Cats
- 2008 Winning pitcher of the AAA championship game and MVP
- 2009 Pitcher of the Month (March) in the CPBL (Taiwan)
- Finished playing career with over 1500 innings pitched and 1200+ strikeouts
My WHY
My family is my life. We have been blessed to live the life of Baseball. It has taken us all over the country and even allowed us to travel overseas. The one downside to that lifestyle is that we had to pick everything up and move twice a year. With that, we would be apart for weeks, sometimes months, at a time. Rachael and I got used to it, though it was never easy. For me, the toughest part was being away from my children so much and the pressure it put on Rachael with having to do everything on her own. We are lucky to have both of our parents close by, who were always there to help, but it still was tough. Rachael was our rock for all those years and persevered through a life that I have seen destroy many.
Fast forward to now, we are beyond grateful for the families that have put their faith and trust in us to train and mentor their Dudes in the game of Baseball and in Life. Their trust and support put us in a position that allowed me to walk away from the Professional Baseball life and be at home full time. Being able to see my family every morning and every night of every week of every month is a new, and blessed, experience for me. It’s amazing and I have our Baseball Dudes families to thank for that.
To my past, current and future students…Your parents put you in my hands to help teach you about Baseball and Life. My goal is to help you learn about yourself. Help you learn about Baseball. Help you become a more confident player, and person, on and off the field. As we work weekly, there will be really good days and there will be some where things don’t come so easy. It’s a process. You will need to learn to trust it. I will be honest with you at all times. If you are getting good results but doing something that won’t work long term, we will take a look at it. Be open minded and ready to learn everyday.
It’s important to me that you be the best Baseball player you can be and that I help you get the most out of your talent…BUT, what matters most to me is developing YOU. Your character. Your make-up. Your confidence and preparing you for your future as a successful person, on or off the field. We will use Baseball to learn about life. There is so much we can learn from it and that’s what we will do. Baseball is a great game. Respect it daily.
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My Approach to Instruction is Honest, Simple and To The Point.
From day one, you will hear, see, and (if you work with me in person), feel what is the proper way to do whatever it is you are working on.
My philosophy is to not implement something that will just get you through the season, but to teach you the right way from day one. The sooner in your baseball life that you learn the way the pros go about their business, the better you will be in the long run.
For example, a pitcher’s number one job is what? Throw strikes! Often, when I ask a player this question, the answer I hear is “Strike out the hitter”. Well, we can’t strike out the hitter if we can’t throw strikes, right? So in order to throw strikes, there are a few things that need to happen. First, there needs to be a good foundation (delivery). This needs to be consistent, or repeatable. Every delivery needs to be the same, pitch after pitch. For this to happen, it takes rep after rep after rep. You shouldn’t get off the mound until you can consistently have the same arm path, same rhythm of your delivery, same direction with your stride foot, same action with your front side, etc. A pitcher needs to be an expert catch player. If a young pitcher can’t repeat their delivery while playing catch, there is no way they will be able to repeat on the mound.
Now if and when a pitcher does get to this point, then it’s time to talk about what it means to compete. Most young pitchers have no idea what it means to give their best. When asked, a common answer is “concentrate” or “work hard”. Yes you need those, but I am talking about giving 110% effort. Getting every bit of energy out of their body to put everything they can behind every pitch. It is awesome if a young pitcher has great mechanics, but if he doesn’t know how to compete with his best stuff, he has no chance. If a kid never gives more than 75-80% effort on the mound while in little league (46′ pitching mound), and the pitch still has a hump in it at age 12, then it just isn’t going to work on the big field. Any pitcher who has worked with me, knows how important this is.
Now, for the main focus of my instruction. Before you keep reading, look away from the screen for a minute and ask yourself, to be successful at anything in this world, what is the common denominator…? You HAVE to be a mentally strong person! To be the best player you can be, you have to be: accountable, confident, consistent, committed, a competitor, fearless, a leader, open-minded, passionate, responsible, motivated, trustworthy, selfless and have a relentless work ethic. Every player you see on TV has these qualities. At Baseball Dudes, there will be a consistent focus on this aspect of life/the game. Many blog articles will talk about the mental side of baseball. By itself, this part of the game can make or break a player at any level.
-Chris Gissell
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Training Options
**30 Minute Options**
These options are for players ages 7 and up. With these sessions we will strive to perfect their baseball skills. There is enough time to cover one skill (Pitching, Hitting, Fielding or Speed & Agility).
One Player Only
$45
**60 Minute Options**
These options are for players ages 9 and up. With these sessions we will strive to perfect their baseball skills while also focusing on their overall strength and speed & agility.
Private…$80
Partners…$45 each player
Please note that my schedule is is often full with limited availability. Please contact me for availability. Thank you.
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Send Me a Message (Chris Gissell)
If you would like more information and/or to set up a training session(s), please fill out the form below, click submit and I will get back to you within 24 hours. Thank you.
