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.

Question #1: You played catcher in college. How does that experience help you when working with professional ball players today?

When in college I did not know what I know now about the swing. But thinking back on that experience, we faced a couple of hitters that were significantly better than the rest.  I couldn’t put my finger on what they were doing better than everyone else at that time, but I know now and wish I knew it then.

Question #2: Have you always been a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals? Do you still keep up with the team as a fan?

I grew up in a small town in Iowa. Our weekly TV game of the week was a Cubs broadcast, so I was aware of the Cubs/Cards rivalry. The games were always good TV. My extended family lived in Dayton, Ohio, and we went to a family reunion in Ohio every summer. I was a serious Cincinnati Reds fan. 

I graduated college with a degree in education and moved to StL in 1978 and became a Cards fan. I loved the Whitey Ball teams. Loved the McGwire and Pujols eras. I follow the Cards; daily results, but I watch every Yankee game. 

Question #3: What makes Barry Bonds' swing, something you use as a template today, such an effective approach for hitters?

Bonds' swing was (still is, in my opinion) the most efficient swing ever. Very quick. Very sudden. Very powerful. He could create tremendous rotary power from within a very small/tight space. He hit "from within a phone booth". He did not have a big forward move. By studying him I learned how he created a stretch of his body against his rear leg that snapped suddenly at launch.

Question #7: Which player would you most like to work with right now in baseball?

People who say "there’s more than one way to swing a bat" or "Teacherman’s stuff doesn’t work for everyone" are simply uninformed. They come to that conclusion thinking I teach home runs. Aaron hits homers, so they conclude that is what I teach. They think I teach launch angle. They think I teach bat speed. They think I teach exit velocity. I do not. You’ll never hear those words spoken during a lesson of mine. In fact, I’m against launch angle and exit velocity swing training. I teach "launch quickness." I teach getting the bat up to your bat speed quickly. Instantly. Not over time and distance. Now.

Aaron has introduced me to friends before as the guy who helped him hit homers. That is not accurate. The launch quickness I taught him helps him barrel the ball. They go far because he’s big and strong.  Everyone who plays wants to barrel the ball. Regardless of player size. Launch quickness is the key to consistently barreling the ball. So what I teach is key to everyone who plays. A big guy’s barreled balls will go further than a little guy’s. The big guy might hit 50+ homers. An average guy might hit 25 homers with 30 doubles.  A small guy might hit 10-15 homers with 40 or 50 doubles. Make no mistake about it, regardless of your size, you must barrel balls to be a big leaguer. Launch quickness is the answer.   

To your question, .as I watch MLB games, 80% or more of the players don’t have launch quickness. They’re good athletes. They have fast twitch muscles, but they don’t have the best mechanics. So, I’d like all of them to learn what I know.  It’s the difference maker. 

Question #8: Do you have any interest in joining a Major League coaching staff in some capacity one day?

I do not want to be a hitting coach or a hitting coordinator. I’ll be 70 in November. I don’t want to work that hard.  I don’t want to take someone’s job either. But, I also want others to learn and teach this amazing swing. I want all players to feel it. It is simply undeniable when you feel it. It’s the cheat code to hitting. So I’d love to be a consultant to an organization where I teach the teachers to teach it. 

Question #9: A writer for Redbird Rants wrote a couple of months back that Jordan Walker should consider working with you due to his similarities to Aaron Judge. Have you ever analyzed Walker's swing on a personal interest level? If so, what adjustments would you help him make to tap into his abilities?

Every organization either teaches the wrong thing (yep. I said it. It’s true), or they don’t recognize when their hitters are violating the most important absolute of hitting: proper weight distribution at launch. Video of all the great hitters proves my point. They all do the same thing, and the rest do something else. It’s a shame every player doesn’t get taught the mechanical advantage of a launch quickness swing. 

I’m available. And I will guarantee successful improvement of everyone I work with IF THEY BUY IN AND WORK HARD.