24 Years of PrivateBaseball Lessons

With the Corona Virus keeping us all at home FSB has moved to virtual baseball lessons. All you need is a T, bucket of balls, a net and an internet connection. Coach Ben can do hitting and pitching and give detailed feedback through his MLB licensed motion analysis program. Virtual lessons are a reduced rate of $45 for 30 minutes and $90 dollars for an hour session. Email Ben at Benmangan@futurestarbaseball.com to set a time.

Ben Mangan didn’t start playing baseball until he was 11, and, according to him, he was the worst on his little league team. But, with a little determination and lots of practice, Ben became an all star by the following year. In high school at Bishop O’Dowd he led the league in RBIs as a hitter and wins as a pitcher. He was all-league player twice, and runner up for Player of the Year before moving on to play for the UC San Diego Tritons.

After a successful freshman season where he lead the team in saves, an injury to his pitching arm (MCL) plagued the rest of his college playing career, but did not lessen his intense interest in baseball. Time off the field let him sit back and study the mechanics of the game, and further focused his attention youth fitness and injury prevention.

Ben spent several years teaching in Oakland at the old Carter Middle School (where the Ricky Henderson Baseball Field of Dreams is now located). While there, he won a Governor’s award for improving academic achievement and a Prudential award for being “a truly exceptional teacher.”

As Ben’s private weekend coaching sessions became more popular, he invested in professional training equipment. He retired from academic teaching to focus on baseball, fitness and the confidence and leadership that comes from those endeavors. Success in this area speaks for itself as he has guided players from little league onto high school teams, through the college recruitment process, and all the way to the MLB major league draft.

Jeremy has a long history of successful coaching. He learned the subtleties of the game at an early age and always shared tips with teammates as a kid. A natural coach, he took coaching positions for NOLL Seniors, as well as the North Oakland Smoke in the Connie Mack league.

In 2003 he began coaching at the high school level in Washington state, advancing his teams at Tumwater, Black Hills and Steilacoom High School.

Jason Young, a pitcher who played with Colorado Rockies, was one of several young stars Jeremy helped to advance. Jeremy also game coached Jon Baker who was drafted in 2002 by the Oakland Athletics and was mentioned several times in Michael Lewis’ 2003 book Moneyball.

Perhaps most famous person Jeremy has coached was Andy Samberg, who never played a single pro game, but has starred on Saturday Night Live for several years. Perhaps that is where Jeremy picked up his great sense of humor.

Florida A&M University spotted “CJ” as a future star during his high school years, offering him a Rattler baseball scholarship and awarding him the “Newcomer of the Year”.

Upon graduation, CJ decided to give back the local community, serving as an assistant coach in Decatur, Georgia for a special program that developed young athletes in preparation for competitive regional middle and high school leagues in the area. His Gresham Park Reds team was ranked #1 in the nation, winning state championship and the Georgia USSSA World Series in 2006.

When he isn’t working in corporate operations and database management, he’s building teams and demonstrating leadership on the baseball diamond. In recent seasons he’s even helped staff and managing coaches for the SF Giants youth baseball camp.

• Tailored Instruction: Baseball lessons tailored to each player’s individual needs and ability level guarantee that the areas needing improvement receive the attention they need.
• Personalised Feedback: Coaches can provide players with fast feedback on form, technique, and strategy, which enables them to make necessary corrections and improve their style of play.
• Goal-Oriented Training: With personalised lessons, athletes work with their coach to establish specific, achievable goals to motivate and hold them accountable for their progress.
• Customised Drills: Coaches can create drills and workouts that focus on a player’s areas of weakness and leverage their strengths to increase the effectiveness of practice sessions.
• Mental Preparation: Individualised instruction covers mental components in addition to physical skills to improve overall performance on the field.

• Experienced Coaches: Future Star Baseball has a group of exceptionally skilled instructors with a thorough knowledge of the game and a track record of advancing athletes at all levels.
• Personalised Approach: Future Star Baseball customises private baseball lessons to the needs and objectives of the player to maximise skill development and improvement.
• Modern Training Equipment: Players can maximise their practice sessions and simulate game-like conditions for improved preparation with our state-of-the-art facilities.
• Flexible Scheduling: Future Star Baseball ensures that participants may receive quality instruction whenever it’s convenient for them by providing flexible scheduling options to fit busy lifestyles.

• Hitting Instruction

With advice on your stance, swing, and timing, we’ll help you improve your hitting to hit the ball harder and more consistently.

• Pitching Mechanics

We assist with your pitching mechanics, such as proper ball grip, throwing action, and improved aim.

• Fielding Techniques

Improve your throwing and catching techniques, as well as your footwork and glove placement, to become a great defender.

• Catching Skills

If you’re a catcher, master the fundamentals of catching, including how to throw out runners, block pitches in the dirt, and catch a ball.

• Base Running Strategies

Learn the best practices for running the bases, such as when to steal bases, how to slide, and how to read the defence to your benefit.

What Coach Ben has to say:

“I know what it means to sit on the bench and not play. I understand how it feels to be terrified that you’ll be hit by a pitch – but I also know how fun it is to get good and be the best on the team – this is probably what has shaped my coaching career the most.”

What Coach Jeremy has to say:

“I think people don’t realize how profound an effect the game has on character. What I see good coaches doing with young players on the field is showing them how to learn, learning about situations, learning about anticipation, learning from mistakes– this game is deep– “