This pitcher out of Concordia Lutheran High School gives us the rundown of his experience with Dynamic Sports Training over the years, and how he’s taking on this training period during these unprecedented times.
Shane Baz is a twenty-one-year-old out of Cypress, TX, and was a top prospect in the 2017 MLB Draft. He was drafted out of high school by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2017 and traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018, who he is currently with. Baz originally started training with DST in 2015 at our DST West location and switched to DST North when the location opened about two years later. “I originally started coming here because it was convenient for me. But I mean, once I got in here and started to understand what was really going on and how elite the training was, how good Kevin Poppe was with us, it was really easy to stay,” said Baz.
In talking to him about the biggest thing he’s learned while at DST, he answered his work ethic. “Really about how hard I have work and how much time I have to put in,” Baz said. “Understanding what the best athletes in the world do and how they train to get where they are.”
Being traded to the Rays was a new experience for this young player. “It was different having to relearn a new organization from the top-down, and I’d probably say that was the biggest challenge,” he said. “But so far, I’ve had such a good experience with the Rays and they’ve taken really good care of me.” During this training period, Baz is focusing on the minor details that he needs to “re-train” and shaking off some bad habits in his game. He feels confident in putting his offseason work into Poppe’s hands.
“Shane Baz and I have worked together since high school. It’s really been awesome to see his evolution from an electric arm without a full understanding of his craft into someone who is ahead of his peers in understanding. Shane has always had a fun personality; He brings a lot of life to the group, and the guys love him. He got in here early this offseason with a real mission to make an impact in the big leagues next season. Knowing him for so long and knowing his talent- I definitely won’t doubt him, ” said Kevin Poppe, Director of Operations at DST North.
Baz left some advice for young athletes that aspire to be at a high level of play: “I would say, surround yourself with the best environment that you can. Just so that you can constantly influence and motivate yourself to get in good habits. And also have fun- you have to enjoy what you’re doing.”