MAX VENABLE began his professional baseball odyssey in 1976, when the Los Angeles Dodgers drafted the hard-hitting outfielder in the third round of the amateur draft that June. And for each of the following 17 seasons, he found himself in spring training as a player, the final two years in that run coming as a professional in Japan. He then immediately embarked on Phase 2 of his professional baseball life, which saw him work as a minor league manager or hitting coach through the 2010 season.
So when the 2011 baseball season arrived ? he had been the hitting coach at Triple-A Portland in 2008-09 and at Double-A San Antonio in 2010 ? and Venable found himself without a professional baseball employer, he had some adjusting to do.
"I missed being in pro ball," said Venable, whose coaching career had allowed him to work with his son Will ? who is now with the San Diego Padres ? at Class A Fort Wayne and Triple-A Portland. "There were some opportunities in rookie ball and stuff (last year), but I talked to my wife and it wasn't right. I mean, I'm 55 and those long bus rides "... no. I got a lot more family time and I actually really enjoyed that. It's been refreshing to be home (in San Rafael) doing the family stuff so it's been nice."
Yet when First Base Foundation founder Noah Jackson asked Venable if he might be interested in managing the Bay Area Warriors college baseball team this
summer, Venable said yes. The job, he reasoned, fit in nicely with his schedule as a private batting instructor in Marin County."I'm just looking to be part of baseball," Venable said. "I feel like I have a lot to offer for kids. So when Noah called to ask if I wanted to coach the Warriors, I said perfect. I wasn't able to get back into pro ball so I've been giving lessons throughout the community and when this opportunity came up, I thought, 'Great, I'll be glad to do it.'"
Clearly, both Venable and his players have benefited from that decision. Venable appears to be the same eager, energetic coach he has always been, the Warriors wrapped up the season on Wednesday, going 35-15-1 for the season and the players say they are learning a lot.
"You really tune in to what he's saying because he knows what he's talking about," said Warriors shortstop Cody Slader, who will be playing at Chico State next season after spending the past two seasons at San Diego State playing for coach Tony Gwynn. "He's been through everything, so all the hitters know that you've got to respect this guy and listen to what he says. Among all my coaches, this guy's the one you want to be playing for."
"Definitely, you listen," said former
Former SF Giant player Max Venable works with Gibson Hoch, 10, on his swing on Thursday, July 19, 2012, in Kentfield, Calif. Venable now offers batting lessons in addition to coaching the Bay Area Warriors college team. (IJ photo/Frankie Frost) Frankie Frost
San Marin standout Ryan Burke. "He's probably the highest level coach I've ever played for. And even if you hit a ball well, he might see something that you could have done better. You're going to see results if you're hitting with him. You learn a lot playing for him."Venable said part of his coaching success comes from the fact that he knows what it is like to struggle ? "Baseball is not easy," he says emphatically ? after serving as a part-time player and pinch hitter during a 12-year major league career that began with the Giants in 1979. He added that the fact that just having had a major league baseball career also helps his cause.
"I think that's true," Venable said. "The players tend to stop and listen because they want to know, they want the right information and they want to get better. "... There's stuff I've learned throughout my baseball career that is kind of important and I can help them with that."
Warriors pitching coach Jesse Foppert, himself a former major leaguer with the Giants, is among those who feel like they are benefiting from being around Venable.
"He's great; I'm learning a lot," said Foppert, who is also the head baseball coach at Marin Catholic. "He's made the summer enjoyable, for sure. I really like hearing about what it was like when he played, what it was like when I played. There's little things that come up every day that I'm curious about, so I'm just picking his brain about everything."
Venable said there are differences working with his hitting students (some as young as 10) and his Warriors players compared to the professional athletes he has tutored through the years. But he said his game plan is essentially unchanged.
"The hitting part still remains the same," Venable said. "You know, I'm trying to teach discipline and being patient, knowing what pitch you hit and look for that pitch in a hitter's count until you get into a count where you might have to look for the ball, meaning two strikes. There's obviously a difference in skill level because (the pros) got drafted for a reason. But these kids are trying to get better. We see it every day. They're trying to go to the next level, wherever that may be. I'm trying to help them improve and go to the next level and keep playing."
Whether or not that next level ? the majors ? opens up to Venable, he said he is satisfied with where he is at with his life.
"There's no disappointment," Venable said. "Of course I wanted to get there as a player and I made it. And I always thought I'd like to get there as a coach, but it just didn't happen. The timing wasn't right. I think I have all the ingredients to be a big league hitting coach, but it just didn't work out. But I don't have any regrets. I've worked hard ever since my first day as a coach. It just didn't happen."
So does that mean Venable no longer aspires to be coaching in the majors?
"I would never pass that up, because it's in my heart," Venable said. "I love baseball. But there's a lot of baseball people out there who probably should be coaching who are not coaching. And there's not a whole lot of jobs. I'll give it one more try if I can, but I'm not losing any sleep over it. It would be nice, but I'm happy with what I'm doing."
Contact Dave Curtis via email at dcurtis@marinij.com
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