By: Carlos Collazo
@CarlosACollazo
“We just dove into it a little bit and said, ‘Hey if you’re willing to leave the traditional mock up of high school, if you guys would be willing to trust us with the baseball part—which they kind of did already—we will hopefully facilitate the academic side good enough to get you guys ready,’” Brian Martinez said.
Now, TNXL players go through a four-day-a-week, four-and-a-half-hour-a-day schedule that consists of position-specific development, hitting coaching and strength training. If players have a 3.0 grade point average or better through the Florida Virtual School, they can do all of their classwork at home and focus exclusively on baseball when they come to the TNXL facility. For those who fall under that threshold, classwork begins at 9 a.m., when a paid proctor is on hand for tutoring and assistance with coursework.
At both IMG and TNXL though, the work on the field is both the focus and the draw.
“In my eyes with TNXL, I don’t care about the wins and losses,” Martinez said. “What I care about is making sure you are prepared moving forward once you get to college or professional baseball. So that’s what I take away.
“What IMG and what we are focused on, is preparing them for the next level. I’m not saying that some high schools can’t do it, but this isn’t about wins and losses and their district championships or state championships. This is about being prepared, becoming young men, learning how to time manage, and also have a grueling sports schedule.”
