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His title is president of baseball operations.
But don't be fooled. When Devon Travis agreed to launch the baseball program at the Wellington Sports Academy, he had no intention of sitting in an office, making phone calls and delegating the on-field work.
"I'm not like a president who shows up in a suit and tie," he said. "I'll never be hands-off. I'm a ditch digger, man. I go home dirty every day."
Anyone who has followed Travis' career can relate. He burst onto the Palm Beach County baseball scene at age 12, leading East Boynton Beach to a runner-up finish in the Little League World Series in 2003, and later starred at Palm Beach Central High and Florida State.
As a 13th-round draft choice, Travis defied the odds by making it to the major leagues as an undersized second baseman. He spent four seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, batting .274 with 35 home runs and 153 RBIs, before a series of shoulder and knee injuries curtailed his playing career in 2018.
Wellington Sports Academy: Jon Bostic unveils plan for 'full-blown private school'
Now, just short of his 35th birthday, he brings the same fire he showed as a player to his new job.
Travis shows up at 6:30 a.m. to open the batting cages, allowing players to get in some extra work before class, then spends much of the day on the field working with the academy's various teams. In between, he takes care of all the administrative duties required of a CEO who oversees a large coaching staff and 116 student-athletes.
On a recent morning, Travis worked on pickoff and rundown drills with the academy's JV team, showing an attentive group of 14- and 15-year-olds the proper way to defend a first-and-third play.
"The staff and the kids feed off his energy," said Scott Benedict, Travis' high school coach at Palm Beach Central who came out of semi-retirement to join the academy staff. "He's got more positive energy than anybody I know on this planet."
The academy has been a longtime dream for former NFL player Jon Bostic, also a Palm Beach Central graduate, and Travis. It opened in September in a massive building (not yet completed) in the southwest corner of Village Park in Wellington, offering a full academic/athletic program for baseball players in grades 6-12.
Players attend class part of the day and then rotate among the weight room, the indoor batting facility and the practice fields. The academy will add other sports in coming years.
During a recent interview, Travis talked about the daunting task of organizing seven teams — Premier, Prospect, Varsity, JV and three middle school teams — while assembling schedules, handling logistical issues and dealing with pushback from Palm Beach County high school coaches.
Q. What have the last six months been like for you?
Q. Some of the county's best players transferred to the academy this season, including Anthony Iaciafano (Park Vista), Camden McFadden (Palm Beach Central), Lucas Bratten (Wellington), James Domo (St. John Paul II Academy), Eric Flores (Dr. Joaquin Garcia) and others. Has this caused resentment from the high school baseball community?
Q. Wellington Sports Academy is something of a mystery program that doesn't appear on any county high school team's schedule. Who will you be playing?
(Note: The other ABA teams are Elite Squad Academy in Boynton Beach; A3 Academy in Tampa; TNXL Academy in Ocoee, Fla.; Georgia Premier Academy in Statesboro, Ga.; P27 Academy in Lexington, S.C.; ECA Academy in Goldsboro, N.C.; and PDG Academy in Fredericksburg, Va. Wellington also was able to schedule two out-of-county high school teams, Archbishop McCarthy in Broward and Key West.)
Q. So the team will be spending a lot of time on the road?
Q. What does the academy have to offer that public or private schools don't?
Q. What are your overall goals for the first season?
Q. Do you see the baseball program expanding in coming years?
Q. You've been doing TV work as a college baseball analyst for the ACC Network. With your new responsibilities, are you going to continue?
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Devon Travis building new Wellington baseball academy amid pushback
Continue reading...
But don't be fooled. When Devon Travis agreed to launch the baseball program at the Wellington Sports Academy, he had no intention of sitting in an office, making phone calls and delegating the on-field work.
"I'm not like a president who shows up in a suit and tie," he said. "I'll never be hands-off. I'm a ditch digger, man. I go home dirty every day."
Anyone who has followed Travis' career can relate. He burst onto the Palm Beach County baseball scene at age 12, leading East Boynton Beach to a runner-up finish in the Little League World Series in 2003, and later starred at Palm Beach Central High and Florida State.
As a 13th-round draft choice, Travis defied the odds by making it to the major leagues as an undersized second baseman. He spent four seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, batting .274 with 35 home runs and 153 RBIs, before a series of shoulder and knee injuries curtailed his playing career in 2018.
Wellington Sports Academy: Jon Bostic unveils plan for 'full-blown private school'
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Now, just short of his 35th birthday, he brings the same fire he showed as a player to his new job.
Travis shows up at 6:30 a.m. to open the batting cages, allowing players to get in some extra work before class, then spends much of the day on the field working with the academy's various teams. In between, he takes care of all the administrative duties required of a CEO who oversees a large coaching staff and 116 student-athletes.
On a recent morning, Travis worked on pickoff and rundown drills with the academy's JV team, showing an attentive group of 14- and 15-year-olds the proper way to defend a first-and-third play.
You must be registered for see images attach
"The staff and the kids feed off his energy," said Scott Benedict, Travis' high school coach at Palm Beach Central who came out of semi-retirement to join the academy staff. "He's got more positive energy than anybody I know on this planet."
The academy has been a longtime dream for former NFL player Jon Bostic, also a Palm Beach Central graduate, and Travis. It opened in September in a massive building (not yet completed) in the southwest corner of Village Park in Wellington, offering a full academic/athletic program for baseball players in grades 6-12.
Players attend class part of the day and then rotate among the weight room, the indoor batting facility and the practice fields. The academy will add other sports in coming years.
During a recent interview, Travis talked about the daunting task of organizing seven teams — Premier, Prospect, Varsity, JV and three middle school teams — while assembling schedules, handling logistical issues and dealing with pushback from Palm Beach County high school coaches.
You must be registered for see images attach
Q. What have the last six months been like for you?
- A. It's been a lot of work. When I first got here, I was thinking I was coming home just to coach baseball. ... I guess when you're the quote unquote 'president,' whatever that means, it comes with a little bit more work.
- I don't see my family too much. I have a 21-month-old son and a 4-month-old daughter, and I think I saw them seven hours in total last week. But for these kids and this community and my end goal here of what I hope to achieve for all these young players, it's worth it for me.
Q. Some of the county's best players transferred to the academy this season, including Anthony Iaciafano (Park Vista), Camden McFadden (Palm Beach Central), Lucas Bratten (Wellington), James Domo (St. John Paul II Academy), Eric Flores (Dr. Joaquin Garcia) and others. Has this caused resentment from the high school baseball community?
- A. I'm sure there's great resentment. For me, I played for the best high school coach I believe that ever lived in Scott Benedict at Palm Beach Central, and it would have taken a heck of a lot for my family to ever take me away from there. But if it's truly about the kids and putting them in the best environment to play this game for a long time, what would be the problem with the best players going to play the best baseball?
- I completely understand the resentment. I get it. If I was on the other side, I would get it. But I'm about the kids, and if Anthony Iaciafano didn't come here, I'd still love him and root for him.
Q. Wellington Sports Academy is something of a mystery program that doesn't appear on any county high school team's schedule. Who will you be playing?
- A. I think a big reason why people don't know who we're playing is because we were unable to get any public high school program to play us. ... To get the answers to that question, you'll probably need to direct it elsewhere, but it's pretty sad that we can't play Wellington or Palm Beach Central or any of these high schools that are here, because I love Palm Beach County. I would love for these kids to play against their friends that go to these schools.
- Moving past that, we play in a league called the ABA (Academy Baseball Association), with seven other teams from here to Virginia. The league has 116 seniors who are signed to play college ball. ... I played good high school baseball when I was growing up, but nothing like this. Without question, I believe this is the best league you can play in in the entire country.
(Note: The other ABA teams are Elite Squad Academy in Boynton Beach; A3 Academy in Tampa; TNXL Academy in Ocoee, Fla.; Georgia Premier Academy in Statesboro, Ga.; P27 Academy in Lexington, S.C.; ECA Academy in Goldsboro, N.C.; and PDG Academy in Fredericksburg, Va. Wellington also was able to schedule two out-of-county high school teams, Archbishop McCarthy in Broward and Key West.)
Q. So the team will be spending a lot of time on the road?
- A. That's the only part that I don't like, that all the games aren't local, so the parents can't go. But then I say, 'Well, if your goal is to play in the big leagues or in college, you're going to be on the road.' When our kids get to college, they're going to know what it's like to sleep in a hotel, to be in a room with another player and have to respect his space, to have long bus rides. When I was in the minor leagues, I had 12- to 14-hour bus rides, and we're going to have that when we go to Virginia.
Q. What does the academy have to offer that public or private schools don't?
- A. First and foremost, the coaching staff that we have here is strong. Scott Benedict is here and he runs a lot of the stuff; I learn from him every day. Brad Peacock won a World Series and pitched in the big leagues. Sean Burnett pitched in the big leagues. CJ Farias currently works for the Mets and he's our catching coach. Michael Karpinski is my right-hand man for everything.
- We pour into these kids with all we have because we believe in their dream, not our dream. It's about having a coach that you know you can trust, that you know cares about you with all his might, that can get you better. I don't think there's another staff in the country that loves their players more than we do, I can tell you that.
Q. What are your overall goals for the first season?
- A. I don't really give a damn about wins and losses. I just care about exposure (for the players). We played St. Thomas University last week. We played Palm Beach State in the fall. While other teams are playing scrimmages, we're playing colleges.
Q. Do you see the baseball program expanding in coming years?
- A. We wanted to start with a number that we felt comfortable with. This isn't about money or numbers for me, this is about care and trust and leaving a mark in the community where I grew up. I wake up with a burning passion every day. My job here is to get every kid to the next level. ... I turned down a major league coaching opportunity to come do this. That's how much this means to me.
Q. You've been doing TV work as a college baseball analyst for the ACC Network. With your new responsibilities, are you going to continue?
- A. Yes, it helps me grow relationships with these college coaches. And I get to do the Little League World Series this year from Williamsport. It's going to be my first time back.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Devon Travis building new Wellington baseball academy amid pushback
Continue reading...
