Undefeated: From Winless To Perfection

In the Spring of 2006, Coach Jerry Cochran and I met on several occasions, along with phone calls and emails. The topic of the day was, "Should we move our sons up to Major league (ages 11-12), even though our kids were 10 years old"? With the age changes in Little League Baseball, this gave them an option to play their age with one more year in Minor League or play up against older kids, but play as an 11-year old twice.

We decided to take a team and move them up giving them 3 years in Major League. The team we inherited was not very talented, but worse, the players were not teachable, nor was there overwhelming parental support. We lost every game going 0-12. We were no match to the other teams who had outstanding players such as Austin Rainer, John Martinez, and Kong (never knew his real name).

The next Spring of 2007, we knew we would be much better with our two youngin's coming back with a desire to win some games. First, we added 12-year old, Jacob Daughtery, who left his team to became available in the draft. His dad agreed to help the coaching staff, so we were able "freeze" him without losing a draft pick. Jacob is a solid player with good skills and a consistent bat, not to mention a great kid.

Next, to the draft board and with the first pick we chose Cade Wilson. Cade was an 11-year old with a great arm, along with family support. Thanks to one of the Minor League coaches who alerted me during the tryouts to watch Cade. I knew for us to contend, we needed more pitching, and Cade was the best pitcher in the draft. The other option was 10-year old, Nicholas Hunter or 11-year old, Spiderman (Joshua Martinez). They both were taken in the first round after Cade. This pic is Cade delivering a pitch in the 11-year old All-Star game with Jon Mark ready at SS

For the first pick of the second round, we drafted a kid with a broken arm and could not try-out, 11-year old Ryan Huseman. I had my eyes on Ryan for a year when he was in Minor League. My assessment was a good hitter, who could also play SS when Jon Mark pitched. Next came 12-year old, Eric Fitzwater, another good kid who had left his team frustrated about playing time and a coaching conflict. Eric was a natural outfielder with a good glove and long, fast legs. He also was well-liked by his teammates.

Next came Chris Gonzalez, who after the draft, decided to stay down in Minor League. The next two picks turned out to be players who could not consistently contribute to the team because of illness, injuries, and other factors - Joseph and Kevin. Our last pick was another kid whose parents were uncomfortable moving him up to Majors, so he remained in Minor League.

A few days later we had our team ready but with two vacant spots. Coach Jerry worked some magic and talked Bunker Scruggs into signing up. Bunker, a 12-year old, was a huge addition as a great hitter and SS, plus a tremendous attitude and teachable spirit.

A few nights later, I was driving to the field to look at the list of undrafted players from the ranks of Minor League. Coach Jerry called me and said, "There's no need to come over here, another player has just signed up late, he looks good. Since we need one more player, the league is going let us have him, his name is Taylor Sisemore. I turned around and drove home and asked Jon Mark about Taylor. His response made me smile, "Dad, he's really good, tall and athletic." Taylor was our power hitter leading the league with 4 Home Runs, none bigger than the 2-run shot that still hasn't landed in a playoff win versus the Astros. This is Jon Mark catching in the 2007 playoffs

We finished the season 7-5, which included a late-season rally winning 3 in a row. We were the hottest team in the playoffs sweeping the Astros in two games. And winning the first of three against the Cardinals. We lost a disappointing second game by one run. And then in the third game were met by a hungry 12-year old, Daniel Grider (another great kid), who pitched the game of his life striking out 13 of our batters and beating us 6-0. Our defense broke down in the first inning with 3 run-scoring errors and that pretty much sealed-the-deal with our offense being shut down by Daniel's pitching. This is the 2007 Mets after the championship game to the Cardinals.

This Spring of 2008, Coach Jerry and I knew that we were the team to beat, with 5 returning All-Stars; Cade, Craig, Ryan, Jon Mark, and Blain Medland (whom we added as our full-time Catcher) and a huge desire to get back to the championship round and finish it this time. Along with our All-Stars, we added good teachable role players: Matthew, Joshua, Jeremy, Taylor, Mac, and Robby.

How did you go undefeated?
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1. The Draft: adding the right players for positions we needed.
2. Good Attitudes: getting teachable players, if possible, with a supportive family.
3. Pitching. Good pitching beats good hitting most of the time.
4. Smart Base Running: takes speed, listening to coaches, and practice.
5. Defense. We have drilled into their heads to ask, "What will I do if the ball is hit to me?"
6. Strong Up The Middle (P, C, SS, 2B, and CF). If the middle is strong, teams have difficulty taking extra bases, stealing, and advancing on passed balls.
7. Guard The Lines (3B, LF, RF, and 1B) to prevent extra base hits.
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2008 has been special and fun. Let's hope the playoffs are an extension of the season. Thanks Coach Jerry for hanging with me and taking over this season, so I can assist and be a dad and a fan. Go Mets!