June 1996 I was drafted by the Chicago Cubs. Three days after graduating HS I was on a plane to Fort Myers, FL for Rookie Ball. I soon found myself sharing a clubhouse with new faces from all over the country and the world. It was my first true taste of the game outside the small community I was from. I went on to have a strong first season but what I remember most was the teaching that happened.
Our manager was a guy named Sandy Alomar Sr. He was chill, always making us laugh and had the experience and knowledge to help us all. Many years later when I got a shot in the big leagues with the Rockies he was one of our coaches. Talk about full circle.
Development seems to have a different definition out there. People look at it different. For example, because of the baseball world I’ve spent much of my life in I would never sit in the dugout and call all the pitches for my pitchers and catchers. That’s their job, not mine. My job is to teach them, help them know what to look for, understand why and when, talk about their thoughts and choices in the dugout and team meetings and then let them play.
Looking back on that season I now know just how important it was for me to experience. Not just as a player but as a future teacher. To this day I will never forget how our position players were made to play the game. They were taught the game. They put on their own hit and runs. Were given the green light to steal. Put down sac bunts. Perform squeeze plays. Defensive alignment was put on by the players and of course us pitchers and catchers were responsible for ourselves. Were mistakes made…Haha, of course, we were all kids but we all know the best and quickest way to learn is to get our hands dirty.
That season was two and a half months long. I think about the process of that season and it’s awesome to think about how much we all learned in that short period of time. I do remember that we made the playoffs but didn’t win it all. That wasn’t the end goal. Our coaches jobs were to prepare us for the future. We were taught how to play the game. How to see the game. How to read the game. We were taught and then allowed to play.
Development never ends.
We Teach…They Play
Founder of Baseball Dudes. Blessed with three beautiful children and an amazing wife. Baseball is my life, after my family, and I love sharing what I have learned from it. Thanks for taking the time to view what we offer here at Baseball Dudes.
