For some people, “Baseball Heaven” might be a local park or sandlot that holds a lot of memories. On the silver screen, it might be smack in the middle of Ray Kinsella’s corn field.
But Baseball Heaven is a real place — located in a building that’s nearly nondescript from the outside, nestled in an industrial park full of other warehouses. The inside, though, is a different story.
When Mark Persails retired from professional baseball in 2007, after an 11-year career as a pitcher, he came to Plant City and began to work on his passion project — a place for young ballplayers to get better at the game while keeping the fun in it. Florida Baseball Heaven, located just inside the Polk County border, became real in 2008.
Now, the operation runs out of the warehouse building. And, the training facility is huge. The row of batting cages and pitching machines is the first thing one sees when walking through the door, and beyond that is a mock infield where players can work on their defense in a simulated game situation.
In the last six years, the program has come a long way.
FROM THE GROUND UP
Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1994, Persails, a Michigan native, pitched in his hometown team’s farm system for five seasons before being traded to Houston — for current Tigers manager Brad Ausmus — and playing two seasons in AA ball. He spent four more seasons in other independent organizations, including stints in other countries, before retiring after having surgery on his arm.
Persails moved to Plant City upon his retirement, rehabbing his shoulder while considering a career in law enforcement. Before he gave that a shot, though, he found himself giving baseball lessons out in Lakeland.
And, he loved it. In 2008, he considered starting his own venture to do so.
“A buddy of mine from North Carolina, he came down here and we started this thing,” Persails says. “It was me, him, a truck and a bucket of balls, and we were going out to little leagues. Building this stuff up.”
With 11 years in the pros, Persails made plenty of connections that have helped him get the program to where it is today. Some listed coaches include Kenny Kelly, an 11-year veteran of Major League Baseball drafted by the then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and Sheldon Fulse, who played with the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox organizations. Some coaches, such as Matt Singletary, played for Persails while he coached at Plant City High School.
Since moving into the facility, Florida Baseball Heaven and its corresponding Angels Baseball travel teams have seen plenty of growth.
“Everything’s starting to get pretty dang good,” Persails says.
FULL-STEAM AHEAD
For the upcoming fall season, Persails and Angels Baseball are expecting to field at least 12 total teams, in age groups ranging from nine to 18 years old. As of press time, the results of the 16- to 18-year-old tryouts weren’t finalized.
In the most recently completed season, many Angels teams did well. Highlights include the 14-year-old team’s strong performance in Perfect Game play — some of the toughest competition in travel ball. Although they didn’t get the tournament win, the Angels did have the satisfaction of routing the No. 1-ranked East Cobb Astros, 13-1, in one game. Those Angels may not have won the tournament, but Persails and his coaches didn’t mind — the boys gave it their best effort, which is all that matters.
“I don’t care about team accomplishments,” Persails says. “I just care about the kids getting better. … It’s not just about baseball; it’s about developing character.”
Persails recalls that the best coaches he’d ever played for cared about him and his teammates beyond the field. The best coaches, he says, “care about you as a human being.” The coaches all take this to heart, even if they reference it in a way that’ll go over their players’ heads.
“It’s like ‘Cheers,’” Persails says, before breaking into song. “‘Everybody knows your name …’”
For the staff, it’s also about remembering why they and their players took up baseball in the first place: to have fun.
The fact that baseball is essentially a kid’s game hasn’t been lost there and, according to players and parents, that’s a big draw.
“They don’t take the fun out of the game,” Plant City High School junior Billy McKay says. “They don’t treat it like a job.”
McKay, who figures to be a key part of the Raiders’ 2014 rotation, returned to Florida Baseball Heaven this year, after spending time in a different travel ball organization.
“I came back for the people, the surroundings, the fun,” he says. “It’s a great atmosphere. No bad attitudes.”
He and several other Raiders are a part of the program. Athletes from other Plant City area schools, like Strawberry Crest hurler and former Plant City Times & Observer Athlete of the Week Mark Moclair also are a part of the program.
These kids are having fun and, even though racking up team accomplishments isn’t at the top of the priorities list, they’re playing well. Persails and his coaches are pleased with the results and hope to keep this train rolling in the right direction — and getting as much out of the kids as possible.
“I tell our guys, ‘They might kick our butts, but they won’t take our will,’” Persails says. “I stole that from TV.”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
ABOUT FBH
According to Mark Persails, the program has seen more than 100 of its players go on to play baseball in college, and 12 who have been involved with the program in some way, including Lakeland native and Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale.
To be a part of the program, athletes must either attend one of the scheduled pre-season tryouts for their age group or complete a private workout with Persails and other coaches.
For more information, call (863) 644-0500 or visit BaseballHeavenPC.com.