Hosting sports clinics in Wallkill
Numbers have always been a part of baseball. Most fans could tell you the batting average of their favorite player or the number of games won by their favorite pitcher. But statistics have become more sophisticated. And Kedeem Octave has learned how to interpret them. The New Windsor native worked for the Minnesota Twins last year. And he’ll be helping the St. Louis Cardinals in 2020. As a Cardinals employee, he’ll be spending more time on the field than he did with the Twins. In between seasons, he’ll host clinics and one-on-one lessons at a facility in Wallkill. The money he raises will fund scholarships.
Kedeem and his brother Stephen both played for Cornwall. As a junior, Stephen was a catcher for the 2012 team that won the state championship. He later played for Franklin Pierce and is now continuing his career in Australia.
Kedeem injured his shoulder as a teenager and finished his high school career at Trinity Pawling. He attended the school on a scholarship provided by Boston slugger Mo Vaughn.
After high school, the older Octave brother played for Wilmington University and for an independent team before accepting a job as the director of Baseball Operations at West Point. From there, he moved to Virginia Tech and then the Twins.
“Analytics is a bigger part of the game,” he explained during a visit to the newspaper office this week. “I dove into it during the past year and it sparked interest with the Cardinals.”
Among the stats he’s been tracking are “rotational acceleration,” “exit velocity,” “attack angle” and “time of contact.” He’ll monitor these factors at the Gear Up Facility in Wallkill. He’ll also offer lessons, camps and clinics as well as a College Night for high school juniors. He mentioned the possibility of Face Time with Major Leaguers.
If you’re interested in working with Kedeem Octave, you can contact him at ksoctavefoundation@gmail.com. You can also reach him on Facebook or Instagram.
We inquired about the scholarship he’s offering. It’s his way of paying forward the help he received from Mo Vaughn at Trinity Pawling. Applicants for the Octave Award will be asked to write a one-page essay, which will be reviewed by a board of directors.
The baseball clinic will be open in the off-season only. But it won’t be just a one-year operation. “We’re here to develop players,” Kedeem Octave said.
