Solid pitching, hitting key to diamond success for U13 AAA Marlins

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/05/2024 (709 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With two previous years being involved with the U13 AAA Marlins baseball program, Ryan Reid has taken the reins of the U15 program for the 2024 season.

Earlier this spring, evaluators had an opportunity to assess 21 players at the Triple Crown Indoor Sports Facility on McDonald Avenue, with 12 players selected to play for Reid following tryouts.

“It’s always a challenge when your tryouts are indoors, even though we are thankful that we have the Wheat City location that is big enough to run quality drills, pitch bullpens and hit in the cage,” he said. “We wanted to build a team based on pitching depth and good defence.

“Clearly, you need to be able to hit as well, but I believe pitching and defence wins at any level.”

From initial practices, once the team moved outdoors to Simplot Millennium Park, Reid and his assistants Jay Burton and Antonio Hermenegildo were able to make some observations on their young teenagers.

“We are a very competitive group. Everything is a competition, which is great,” said Reid. “We have 10 players that have grown up in the AAA program over the last few years with me and so they have a full understanding of what I expect.

“We also had two new major players crack the roster, which has given us solid depth both offensively and defensively. The players we selected are a group of young men that are very eager to learn and develop. I am excited to spend the next few months working with the team to see what level we can get to.”

REGULAR SEASON

To start the 2024 AAA U15 campaign the Marlins hosted Bonivital, sweeping their baseball guests 5-1 and 7-3, with pitchers, respectively, Cash Hunter and Lucas Gamache garnering the wins.

“All of our guys pitched extremely well, especially with the nerves of the first AAA game of the year,” noted Reid. “We played very strong defensively, made the plays we needed to make, limited our errors and made a couple of highlight reel plays both in the infield and the outfield.

“I think the way we communicated as a group so early defensively is encouraging as it shows that chemistry of the group already.

“Hitting is tough at U15 AAA, but I was impressed with out approach at the plate. We were very patient, didn’t chase many balls out of the zone, worked the count consistently and bumped up the pitch count of the opposing pitchers all day which is critical with pitch counts and having to manage pitching depth on a double header.”

What about base running?

“With a set of new signs we are implementing, it takes time to get used to it and I thought the boys were very aware of the situations presented to them and were aggressive when they read the play correctly. So, overall a solid start to build off of.”

While the Marlins might be 2-0 early in the season, there’s always room for improvement, according to Reid. Following the adage “practice makes perfect” the coaching staff will be at the drawing board drawing up game plans for the team’s weekly practices.

Base-running drills are on the agenda as he wants his players to grow their awareness and approach on the base paths plus how to use secondary leads to take advantage of an opponent’s errant play at the plate or on overthrows from the outfield.

BATTING PRACTICE

Work at the plate is also on the practice to-do list.

“We did struggle to handle pitches away which isn’t abnormal so we can build some hitting drills to work through that,” said Reid, adding there will be bullpen work for the players who need to throw to prepare for the upcoming weekend games.

Players will also work on defensive cutoffs, in addition to a standard throwing program featuring lots of reps of ground balls and fly balls.

Moving from U13 to U15 has meant Reid is changing his approach to coaching.

“I am not working with kids anymore. These are young men that have been around the game for years. The one word I use every practice and game is ‘compete.’

“I want a scrappy group that is difficult the play against regardless of the opponent, inning or score. I want them to play aggressive, but be constantly aware of the game situation so we can consistently make good decisions on the field.

“They pick up on things quickly which is great, but one of the biggest things in baseball is the ability to handle failure. Baseball is literally built for you to fail, so you need to stay even, not too high, not too low and just keep playing. We work on the mental side of the game regularly.”

While some coaches have gone away from the bunt, relying on facing weak catchers who do not have an arm to reach second base on steals, Reid will use both the steal and bunt to generate offence — be aggressive on the base paths.

“I love them both. I never want to give a free out away with a poor bunt in an unproductive situation, but a team that can play small ball to manufacture a run in a close game is a team that is going to be successful,” he explained.

“We are also always looking to take an extra base if it presents itself. We have multiple guys on the team that can really run so we want to be constantly putting pressure on the defence to try and create mistakes.”

PITCHING ROTATION

As head coach, Reid acknowledges it is a never-ending battle to organize his pitching rotation and bullpen because of a number of factors, including minor baseball’s use of the pitch count.

“There are many factors to consider,” he said. “Opponent matchup, upcoming schedule, catchers rotation — can’t catch if you pitch on that day — injuries, rest, and who is hot and who is cold.

“We try to plan our pitching rotation and bullpens days in advance of any game. The most difficult is the tournaments where you could have up to six games in three days, hence needing/requiring pitching depth to succeed.

“We have some stud pitchers on our team … I do consider matching or pairing pitchers that have different styles to give the opposing lineup a different look if possible.”

When it comes to placing players in specific positions among the seven not part of the pitcher/catcher battery, Reid said each player’s skill set will help on his coaching decisions.

“Over the years I have learned to try and be flexible in placing players in games. You try not to pigeonhole a kid in one spot as there may be a time to have them play somewhere else later in the season and you don’t want them to have zero experience there,” he explained.

“Having said that, we do have some players that are more equipped and experienced in the outfield and some more for the infield. Typically who is pitching and catching tends to dictate where they play.

“I also, if possible, try to give players rest after they have thrown a bunch in that game so we don’t overextend their arms but the game generally dictates that.”

Reid has the luxury of having 12 players who can pitch, whether as starters or coming on in relief. However, he does not differentiate starters and relievers when it comes to attaching a specific label on his players.

“I don’t look at them as starters or relievers because in any particular game I can use all 12 of them for both. We have a group I want to ensure gets lots of work, but in a tournament situation you can almost guarantee all of the players will have to get on the bump at some point.

“Regardless of if it’s one inning or maxing out the pitch count, I want them to compete every batter.”

CATCHER BATTERY

When it comes to the catchers, Brady Reid and Carter Hermenegildo are pencilled in on the game card, but Reid also has the luxury of a few others who can work from behind the plate.

“I try not to set pitcher and catchers as a pairing often,” he said. “I want my catchers to be able to handle all of our pitching staff. Every pitcher has different mechanics and a different pitch mix so they need to be able to handle all of them.

“I really try to split them on double headers to attempt to keep their legs somewhat fresh for offence or if they are called on to pitch.”

No one player is the Babe Ruth on the Marlins roster, with at least five able to go deep, and up to seven who can park the ball over the outfield fence if they hit the fastball with power.

“We have power throughout our lineup for sure,” said Reid. “The top six or seven are very difficult to deal with. Not only power, but good hitters that get on base.

“That isn’t to say our bottom of the order is weak … they are not by any means. But if we can get clicking all the way through it is a lineup I would not want to play against.”

With his 12 players, the coaching staff has set out five goals for them to follow every day:

• Hustle in every aspect of the game;

• Show up early for practice focused and ready to develop and learn;

• Compete at everything, always;

• Leave the dugout wherever you are in a better place than when you got there;

• and, respect the game — opponents, umps, coaches, parents, fans — play the right way, as you do not want to anger the baseball gods.

HEAD COACH

When it comes to his own playing career, Reid started at age five and stopped playing at age 37 when his body told him he could do it anymore. Now he coaches son Brady, 14, and young sibling Carson, 12.

“Both my sons started baseball when they were five and I have been coaching them every since,” he said. “It’s a family generational sport for the Reid family.”

He added with a chuckle, “We are now four generations of baseball players that have come through our families, and basically if you don’t play baseball in our family you are kicked out of the house. We love the sport.”

Like father, like son — a fierce competitor when he played, Reid can see himself in his son Brady. The lefty pitched for 30 years prior to retiring from the game as a player.

“Brady is similar to me in that he and I both could run, steal, be aggressive on the base paths,” he offered. “Where we are different is our demeanour. I was a very emotional player. My son is calm all of the time no matter the situation.

“I wish I could have played that way, but based on my own experience, that is why I try to preach calmness on the field.”

The Marlins will play host to Pembina Hills Friday night at Simplot Millennium Park, with first pitch at 6:30 p.m.

Home games are also scheduled on June 23, with a doubleheader versus Carillon at 1 and 4 p.m. Midwest is here on June 26, while Oil Dome arrives on July 10. Both games start at 6:30 p.m.

Provincial qualifiers for the Marlins will run over three days in Glenboro starting on July 19. Provincials are in Seine River from Aug. 2 to 4.

» jxavier@brandonsun.com

» X: @julesxavier59