Florida Winter League - Nov 13
Well. the Florida Winter Baseball League is almost two weeks old. The Naturals are hanging in there so far, at 6-6. Our pitching and hitting has been outstanding, but our defense overall has not been good. We would be 10-2 if we could catch the ball better. But, ifs are ifs and errors are costly! That is a definite area that needs improvement on our club. The good news is, defense is something that can be worked on and improved. So, we need to keep working hard on that. The players have been great so far. I appreciate their desire to get better and get signed by a major league club. All of them just want a chance, just like I did when I signed with the Butte Copper Kings in 1995, a co-op team just like the Seminole County Naturals. My dream started there and continues today, and I hope some of these guys can make a living wearing a baseball uniform for as long as I have. The baseball has been very good at times, and sometimes not so good. But, such is the game itself. There are sloppy games played in the big leagues as well. So far, this league has been a great experience for me as a manager. Our coaching staff consists of me, and Matt O’Brien, one of my former players, who is the pitching coach. Matt is a scout for the Braves and this is his first coaching assignment. I also have a young volunteer who helps out throwing BP at home games and coaches first base. I am not used to being the most experienced person on the bench. My coaching staff in Lakeland, Larry Herndon and Joe Coleman, have over 70 years of professional baseball experience between them. So, if I ever have questions, there are answers. Now, on our bench, everyone is asking me the questions, which is a good thing. It is a maturing process for a young manager and has been a lot of fun so far. The league is great, if any of you that are reading get a chance, come check us out. The schedule is up at www.seminolecountynaturals.com. Until next time……