Remembering Rob Hahne: Without Him, There Is No Us

Broadcasting from "the world's most dangerous youth baseball podcast," host Deven Morgan records on location from the Great Park in Irvine - a $1.2 billion youth sports complex that prompts a hard look at where the game is headed and who it's being built for. He's there because his son drew a Perfect Game UBC invite against elite arms touching 97–98, a showcase he frames as deep learning more than competition. The heart of the episode is a tribute to his friend Rob Hahne, who passed unexpectedly at 57 - the connective force behind the universal pitch count push and the ABCA work that made it real. Deven revisits their last time together at ABCA in Columbus and the gut-punch of returning to the field Rob built for the eulogy, then widens into mortality, the Michael Mann line "time is luck," and the end of Max Rojas's high school career. He closes with a teaser for new, more accessible youth training products and a reminder to tell the people you love them, because you have less time than you think.

Timestamps:

00:00 On location at the Great Park, Irvine01:00 A $1.2 billion youth complex and what it signals04:00 The "$20 hamburger" and the cost of youth baseball05:30 Access, affordability, and $300K in scholarships06:55 Why we're here: the Perfect Game UBC showcase07:40 Facing 97–98 and the deep learning of elite competition09:54 Losing Rob Hahne 11:00 Rob, universal pitch counts, and the MLB meeting12:18 "I'll never get to thank him again"13:00 ABCA in Columbus: watching Kyle watch his dad16:27 The eulogy and the field Rob built18:22 The stage of life where friends start dying19:21 Miami Vice and "time is luck"20:43 Max Rojas and the end of a chapter22:06 The Ted Williams treatment and why nothing lasts forever24:15 New youth training products coming28:00 Carrying it forward, for Rob29:37 Tell your people you love them

Links:

https://t.co/R7TLVHE2EU

Lead Offs For 9 Year Olds Are Insane and I Will Die on This Hill

In this episode of "the world's most dangerous youth baseball podcast," host Deven Morgan takes listener questions and goes deep on the nuts and bolts of coaching young players — how to develop first-year kid pitch arms without overusing your two best strike-throwers, why ranking 7-year-olds is absurd, when leadoffs and holding runners should actually be introduced (not before 12), how to use Blast sensor metrics like bat speed and attack angle with youth hitters, and how to structure an 8–12 week competition on-ramp for a national team. The throughline: simple external cues, ball-flight-driven intentions, and equitable opportunity beat the professionalized, performance-first approach that's driving kids out of the game by ten. The episode closes with an emotional reflection on coaching Max Rojas for 11 years — from a seven-year-old to an 18-year-old signing with Tacoma CC — and an amazing Senior night experience.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro & Academy Tryouts Pitch05:50 Listener Feedback: More Nuts & Bolts, Less Doom & Gloom09:00 First-Year Kid Pitch: Why Tommy & Timmy Get Overused13:00 Step Backs, Kershaws & Simple Drill Environments for Young Hitters16:00 11 of 13 Pitched — Ryan Freeman's 10U Example18:20 "It Matters to Him" — My Wife Checked Me22:00 The Math Project Analogy: Turn Two Into Four, Six Into Eight26:00 External Cues for Young Pitchers: Find Home, Big Breath, Adjust Off Middle29:50 The Absurdity of Ranking 7-Year-Olds33:00 Equal Playing Time at 7–8 Rec: Equity Over Attendance37:00 Leadoffs & Holding Runners — Not Before 1244:30 Travel Ball vs. Rec: The False Keeping-Up-With-the-Joneses Narrative47:55 On-Ramping a National Team: 8–12 Week Competition Runway50:45 Blast Sensor Metrics: Bat Speed, Attack Angle & Adjusting Intention56:35 Max Rojas: 11 Years, Senior Night & the Last Time They Play Together01:03:30 Why All of This Matters — Producing Kids Like Max01:07:00 State Playoffs, the Last Page & What Goes By Like a Whisper01:12:25 Closing: Happy Mother's Day & Powered by Driveline

Links:

https://t.co/R7TLVHE2EU

The Step Back Man Swing System, Pitch Count Horrors & Choosing the Harder Thing

In this episode of "the world's most dangerous youth baseball podcast," host Deven Morgan uses Mike Trout's new step-back load to launch a takedown of one-system hitting instruction and tee-obsessed youth development — if one of the best players ever is adding new moves mid-career, what are we doing grooming 10-year-olds for aesthetic perfection? He then dismantles Mark DeRosa's claim that Kevin McGonigle's bat speed "can't be taught," arguing that rising velocity thresholds across baseball prove elite output is far more accessible than conventional wisdom admits. "This Week in Pitch Counts" returns with horror shows — a 14U kid throwing 168 pitches across two days, a 75-pitch one-inning outing in April — contrasted with coaches in Georgia who proactively coordinated workload across a player's two teams. The episode closes with a personal reflection on parenting a junior through his high school season: the highs of a 13-K complete game shutout, the emotional weight of recruiting timelines, and a couch conversation where his son, facing a step up to national-level summer competition, simply said "I'm ready" — a moment Deven values not for baseball, but for what it reveals about character.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro & Housekeeping: Tryouts Now Open03:40 Step Back Man: Mike Trout's New Load & the Myth of One Swing09:20 Why Young Hitters Get "Bodied" by the Bat — Engine Before Skill11:00 The Tee Problem: Blocked Reps vs. Perception-Action Coupling14:00 Train Parents to Flip, Not to Coach Mechanics15:20 The Grocery List of Swing Flaws — Who Cares If He Catches Barrels?19:30 "You Can't Teach That" — DeRosa, McGonigle & the Walled Garden of Performance26:00 This Week in Pitch Counts: 168 Pitches in Two Days34:45 75 Pitches in One Inning — "It Ain't Little League Elbow, It's Who-Cares-About-Your-Elbow"38:15 Doing It Right: Distributed Pitching & the Walt Schiller / Rodney Dickerson Example48:00 Junior Year: Complete Game Shutout, Recruiting Pressure & Learning Over Fear01:01:50 The Parent Signal: Accountability for How We Treat Poor Performance01:05:00 "I'm Ready" — Choosing the Harder Thing01:07:00 Aging, Perspective & What Character Reveals01:11:50 Closing: Roman Reigns, Tryouts & Powered by Driveline

Links:

https://t.co/R7TLVHE2EU