Jeff Schaefer’s Second Act: Developing the Future of Baseball

by Tucker Terranova

Jeff Schaefer is simply a baseball guy.

It was a realization that came to the five-year major leaguer after his retirement in 1994, when he hung up his cleats and joined a denim company started by friends. But it didn’t take long for Schaefer to realize where his heart truly lied.

Schaefer, who hails from Patchogue, achieved what just an estimated 0.05% of all baseball players have done in making it to the major leagues. He had the opportunity to share a dugout with the likes of Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson and Mark McGwire during his time in the show, but his real calling appears to be finding and developing the next household names.

Schaefer is the founder of the Pro Stock Royals, a year-round baseball academy in Charlotte, North Carolina. Alongside former major leaguer John Ennis, the academy operates with the goal of preparing players for the evolving college landscape, where they may face opponents up to five or six years older in some cases.

The academy grew out of Schaefer watching the landscape of college baseball change over time, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The academy came about from watching the recruiting process change,” Schaefer said in an exclusive interview with Axcess Baseball. “When kids started getting extra years of eligibility and expanded rosters, it seemed like everybody became a free agent. I knew something was going to have to give. It wasn’t sustainable for the sport to keep going this way.”

Most of his players are post-grads, a trend Schaefer believes is tied to the sport’s shifting structure.

“There’s just no way a Division-I program can carry 40 kids,” Schaefer said about recent NCAA roster changes. “With just 11.7 scholarships available per roster, the recruiting process has drastically changed. Gap years used to be a lot less common and for specific reasons, but now they’re a great thing for a kid.”

That belief in preparing players for ultra-competitive college programs is the academy’s mission statement. PSR plays many Division II and junior college programs during its spring season, while providing intensive skill development, physical conditioning and mental preparation for the jump to college. Its facilities outmatch a typical high school, as PSR shares Stick Williams Dream Field with Division I Queens University of Charlotte.

Schaefer stressed the importance of players entering college physically prepared and getting in front of the right people.

“Our development goal is that when we put them out on the recruiting trail, they’ve already built up the strength and conditioning piece that goes on when you get to college,” he said. “There is a big jump from high school to college baseball, so we want to prepare them for that.”

PSR’s first season was a success, finishing with a winning record and a full staff of MLB, MiLB and former college coaches helping players find homes at the next level.

Schaefer believes every player needs an advocate in today’s recruiting landscape, which led him to found Advocacy Baseball Consultants. Its mission is in the name — giving high school players a connection to colleges in their region.

“They need somebody that understands the recruiting landscape and can help them navigate it,” Schaefer said. “Colleges aren’t coming to see the high school kid as much as they used to.”

Over the years, Schaefer has used his connections to help more than 250 players achieve their dream of playing college baseball — something he says takes time to build and is invaluable for a developing player.

“We have a network of college coaches across the country that, when we call, they’re going to answer the phone,” he said.

The respect is mutual. College coaches appreciate receiving players from a trusted source while on the recruiting trail.

“Colleges can only be in so many different places at so many times,” Schaefer said. “They appreciate when I give them a kid, as well as helping these families find the right place. Everybody has dreams of becoming a major leaguer, but those dreams can fall apart pretty quickly.”

If there is anyone to trust on making it to the bigs, Schaefer is as good a source as any.

After a standout high school career, Schaefer committed to the University of Maryland. He played alongside future Miami Hurricane and first-overall pick Neal Heaton while winning the 1978 Connie Mack World Series in New Mexico. At Maryland, he earned All-ACC and All-American honors before the Baltimore Orioles selected him in the 12th round of the 1981 draft, followed by stints with the Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics.

His pedigree caught the eye of USA Baseball, where he has been involved for 16 years.

Schaefer serves as the Northeast and Southeast regional director for the National Team Identification Series (NTIS), helping select players for the 15U and 18U National Teams, which compete worldwide. While evaluating came naturally to him, he said there is a skill in mentoring elite players in a short time frame.

“There was a transition where I had to learn how to pass along information in such a short time frame to these kids,” Schaefer said. “You have to know your players and understand what brings the best out of them. Some kids need to hear that it’s going to be okay, while some may need me to be harder.”

He has worked with many future major leaguers but cited current No. 1 prospect Konnor Griffin as the best player he has seen at that age, with former Arizona Diamondback and current Long Island Duck Seth Beer second.

“Konnor was just a freak athlete,” Schaefer said of the now 19-year-old shortstop and center fielder in the Pirates’ system. “You could tell from the second he took the field that he was a special talent.”

While much of USA Baseball’s major league talent comes from the Southeast, Schaefer said the Northeast produces players with a grit coaches love — and more big leaguers than ever.

“You run into somebody from New York down here, and the whole dialogue, the whole approach, the whole body language never changes. We’re just different up there,” he said. “There’s such a hustle, such a grind, such a competitive nature. There’s a fight in these guys. We’re not afraid to compete.”

Alongside associate regional director Andrew Zike, whom Schaefer called his protégé and an excellent evaluator despite no collegiate playing experience, USA Baseball has seen a significant increase in Northeast talent on its recent national teams.

It’s the culmination of a lifetime in baseball for Schaefer. He accomplished what a small minority of players do by making the majors, but his greatest impact may come from helping others get there.

“I was never that guy who was going to change a franchise. I was the guy who would get a spot start for a vet on a travel day, play sound defense and make the routine plays,” Schaefer said. “I’ve watched the game my whole life a different way. I love the strategy — the athletes who stole bases, the sacrifice bunts, moving runners over. I love seeing a kid hit their first real home run and the joy that brings them.”

Schaefer has lived a lifetime in baseball and continues to find joy in its small intricacies. It’s what brings him back to the field every day. It’s what makes him a baseball guy.

Check out the Pro Stock Royals’ website using this link: https://prostockroyals.com/

Check out Advocacy Baseball Consultant’s website using this link: https://advocacybaseball.com/