Griffin Molding Better Hitters at IMG

The late, great Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams would have made a fascinating dinner guest with John-Ford Griffin. Recently, I had the better part of a 30-minute phone conversation with Griffin about his duties and experiences as the hitting coordinator at Bradenton-based IMG Academy. The morning chat we had this past week will be one I long remember.

I learned just how much I didn’t know about the art of hitting, and just how much wisdom Griffin possesses of what to do with a baseball bat.

More than 15 years ago, I first came across Griffin when he was playing baseball professionally. Living in the Cooperstown area, while based in Central New York, I often attended Syracuse SkyChiefs home games. Then the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, for three consecutive seasons (Ô05-’07), Griffin logged time with the club just one level below MLB play.

Griffin could hit back then. You just knew the lumber he swung was like a wand. There wasn’t a thing the Sarasota native couldn’t do to a ball, after the pitcher’s release. In Ô05 Griffin had a breakout campaign. 30 home runs, 103 RBIs, 130 hits, as the SkyChiefs representative at the Triple-A All-Star Game, Griffin would soon get his first taste of playing in the big leagues.

As a September call-up by the Blue Jays, Griffin saw action in seven games. Two seasons later, Griffin was given another look by Toronto. This would be his last experience in an MLB locker room. 10 professional seasons, 11 teams, and a doctoral degree earned in the science of hitting a baseball well prepared Griffin for his current occupation.

In Manatee County, over on Bollettieri Boulevard, student-athletes looking to take their game to the next level; collegiate or professionally, are learning from one of the best in the game.

So, what’s a former Number one draft selection by the New York Yankees in 2001, and before that a standout slugger at Florida State University for three seasons where his career average was .427, doing teaching kids of different ages how to be a better hitter?

"It’s for the kids. I’ve been where they want to go,“ says Griffin, who was an All-State athlete at Sarasota High School. "My resume is built for this. I have a passion for this game. I want to see their dreams come true.“

IMG Academy had four student-athletes selected in the 2022 MLB Draft. Elijah Green, an outfielder, was taken fifth overall by the Washington Nationals.

Griffin is quick to give praise to IMG Director of Baseball Don Simonds for steering the elite program in which he works.

A dozen baseball fields compile Griffin’s "classroom.“ Each field is fitted with cameras to collect data on players and to later analyze at-bats. Griffin tells of having 220 kids in the program, who are divided up into 13 teams. 170 hitters, in all, are the former pro’s students.

"It’s as advanced as it gets,“ Griffins tells of what IMG’s baseball program offers. "We use the latest technology. The product is as good as it gets.“

Griffin, a college neighbor of current Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash, emphasizes a family atmosphere between the baseball staff and their students. Along with checking hitters’ swings and their place in the batter’s box, Griffin reinforces to his students to respect the game.

"I tell them, the game isn’t about you. Baseball is a team game. Our message is clear – to have fun but have success with it.“