One-on-one with "Teacherman", the man who helped Aaron Judge become the player he is

Approximately 32 miles northwest of Busch Stadium is a town called St. Peters. It's home to the Mid Rivers Mall, a few parks, and a Vetta sports complex. Beyond those landmarks, it mirrors most other suburbs of the greater St. Louis area.

However, nestled in this suburban locality is Teacherman Hitting Facility. This innocuous facility is owned and operated by Richard Schenck, a man more commonly known by the alias "Teacherman". In his domain, Schenck is able to transform baseball players of all ages and abilities into certified hitters.

Schenck is most known for his work with American League MVP Aaron Judge during the 2016-2017 season. Judge, only 24 at the time, was about to enter his second season -- first full season -- in the majors, and he was seeking some help from his agent and former player himself, David Matranga. Matranga had worked with Teacherman in the past, so the familiarity was there.

According to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, Richard Shenck had never heard of Judge prior to this meeting. Schenck wanted to help Judge get to baseballs faster in the batter's box. “His swing was terrible. He had an amateur swing," said Schenck of Judge. "He was a good athlete but couldn’t get his barrel up to speed quickly. That’s what you need to do in order to hit. That’s what we worked on. Initially, I wasn’t impressed with his swing.”

Since the two started working together, Aaron Judge has won the American League Rookie of the Year in 2017, three Silver Slugger Awards, one MVP (though he's a shoo-in for the 2024 AL MVP), and he broke the American League single-season home run record in 2022. Judge credits many people with his offensive prowess, but few others receive as much gratitude as Richard Schenck himself.

Due to Teacherman's proximity to the St. Louis Cardinals, it's been posited by some that the team and players should reach out to Schenck for some assistance in the batter's box. For the past few years, the Cardinals have failed to create a potent offensive club like they had in the early 2000s and mid-2010s. The expertise of a man like Richard Schenck would surely do the Cardinals justice.

I connected with Teacherman recently to discuss his career, his approach to coaching, and his interest in the St. Louis Cardinals. Questions and answers are taken verbatim from my conversation with Schenck. You'll want to make sure you read the final question I asked Schenck.