Xan Barksdale: Influence That Changed the Catching Game

Xan Barksdale is a world-renowned catching coach, the author of a best selling book that's helped over a Million people all over the world with his YouTube videos - but he had to start somewhere.

Making it to the big leagues is the dream, but the odds are brutal. Only about 1 in 1,000 high school baseball players will ever reach MLB and only 10% of minor league baseball players make it to the bigs. Xan Barksdale didn't make it to the show, but he found another way to leave his mark on the game.

Baseball didn't end when his playing career did. It just went in a different direction. His story is arguably more interesting for it and most of his impact came after his playing days ended.

After playing in the Atlanta Braves organization, coaching D1, and working with USA Baseball, Barksdale found his niche in a position that doesn't get the attention it deserves. He built Catching-101, a program dedicated to helping catchers get better at the hardest job on the field. Passing the next generation the tools, instruction, and knowledge he wishes every catcher had.

Not only is he CCO (Chief Catching Officer) at Xan Barksdale Baseball, LLC, he’s an avid bodybuilder (he’s ripped). With mentioning, he’s a self proclaimed expert in energy drinks and Little Debbie snacks. We’re 100% here for the snacks.

Mississippi to the Braves Organization

Barksdale grew up in Madison, Mississippi. That’s where he made a name for himself as a hitter before taking his game to Holmes Community College. It was his time there that earned him a shot at Ole Miss and that’s where he continued his college career in the highly competitive SEC.

Then came professional baseball.

Barksdale joined the Atlanta Braves organization in 2004, spending three seasons working his way through the minor leagues. He never made it to the big leagues, but his playing career gave him something he could carry into the next chapter: first hand experience of what it takes behind the plate.

A New Role Behind the Plate

When his playing days ended, Barksdale moved into coaching, joining the University of Louisville baseball staff in 2007. He spent five seasons working with the Cardinals' catchers and hitters before moving to East Tennessee State.

At Louisville, he helped develop catchers who earned all-conference honors and went on to professional opportunities. His work also caught the attention of the broader coaching community. In 2011, he was invited to speak at the American Baseball Coaches Association's national convention, sharing his approach to preparing catchers for success.

It was a natural fit. Barksdale had spent years learning the position, and now he was finding ways to pass that knowledge along.

His work eventually reached the national level, too. In 2017, USA Baseball named him catching coordinator for its 14U National Team Development Program, giving him the opportunity to work with some of the country's most promising young players.

But his biggest project was already taking shape.

The Idea Behind Catching-101

Catchers have a lot to learn, but finding good, position-specific instruction hasn't always been easy. Coaches might have a strong understanding of the game without specializing in catching. Young players might know what they need to improve but have no idea where to start.

Anyone who's spent time around catchers knows the position is about much more than catching the ball. There's the footwork, blocking, receiving, throwing, communication, game management, and constant decision-making. It's a lot to ask of one player, especially a young one who's still figuring it all out.

Barksdale saw an opportunity to change that.

In 2011, he published Catching-101: The Complete Guide for Baseball Catchers. The book covered everything from receiving and blocking to throwing, signs, bunts, and plays at the plate. It was designed to give catchers and the people coaching them a resource they could actually use.

That book became the foundation for something much bigger.

Catching101.com grew into an online resource filled with instruction and drills, giving players, parents, and coaches access to information they could use long after practice ended. His YouTube channel expanded that reach, making catching instruction easier to find and follow.

The idea was simple: help catchers understand their position, give them a way to work on their skills, and make better instruction available to more people.

And it wasn't just about putting information online. It was about building a community around a position that demands so much from the players who play it.

The #1 Catching Event in The World

Catching-101 continued to grow beyond the book and website. Barksdale’s next endeavor was launching CatcherCON, a yearly weekend event just outside Nashville designed to bring catchers, parents, and coaches together around the position. He also expanded into products like a throwing journal to help players approach their development with more purpose.

It's a different kind of baseball business. Instead of building around a team or a single player's career, it's built around an entire position and the people who want to get better at it.

That means helping the young catcher who's struggling with blocking. The parent trying to understand what their player needs to work on. The coach looking for better ways to teach receiving. And the player who's serious about taking the next step.

For Barksdale, the experience he gained as a player and coach became something he could share well beyond the dugout.

The Impact That Happens After the Game

Professional baseball didn't work out the way Barksdale once hoped, but he found a way to turn what he learned into something bigger than his own playing career.

Today, Catching-101 gives players, parents, and coaches access to the kind of position-specific instruction that can be hard to find and CatcherCON is the #1 catching event in the world. His work with college programs and USA Baseball added another layer, putting that knowledge to use with catchers at different stages of their development.

The pieces just come together when a former catcher builds a business around helping other catchers. This position is so unique and so much more than ‘catching’ because it requires you to see the whole field, anticipate what might happen next, and be ready when your number is called. Barksdale has carried that same mindset into his work off the field.

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