Sunday Morning Chat: Westwood Chr. Manager Luis Padron

Today we sit down with Westwood Christian Manager Luis Padron, who talks about last year’s state experience, the rivalry with Brito and the close bond he has with his players…

Anthony: Alright, lets start off with giving our readers a little bit of background on your coaching history.

Coach Padron: This will be my fourth year at Westwood. My third year as a head coach. I started [when] we had opened up a league called Miami-Dade Big League Baseball, the league was actually made with a gentleman who I have been friends with named Ricardo Ramirez. It was made for the kids who did not have the grades and those kids who had talent to play college ball and were not going anywhere. So our first year we signed nine kids to play college baseball out of that league. I economically ran the league; I actually gave them a donation for the first year for the league to operate. Paying umpires and [getting] balls. The second year unfortunately we did not have a park and the league flopped.

I spent some time over at Archbishop Carroll, and then moved here to start the program at Westwood.

Anthony: Let’s go back to where it all ended last year. You guys were as close as any team can come to winning the state title without actually holding up the trophy. A one run loss in the title game. I was at the game and saw the spent faces afterwards on all your players and your coaching staff. Can you describe that emotion?

Coach Padron: It was tough. What we like about Westwood is that it’s a small program. Nobody believed in Westwood. My first year here I was actually borrowing guys from soccer and volleyball and basketball to play the game. So, we were getting beat in the fourth and fifth inning, mercy rule. It was a shock to most people that we went that far last year. It was bittersweet because for a school that’s been around for 53 years, had never made it to State in any sport, the kids were sad, but look, out of that group, all those kids are playing college ball and being very successful.

JC Cardenas, I think one day will be drafted before the fifth-round. He’s starting as a freshman at Barry and hitting over .300. Alex Hernandez is playing for Coker; He actually just text me, he pitched six innings yesterday. A couple of guys are at Northwestern Ohio.

On the other hand, it was bad because we lost the game 1-0. We had a chance if I had bunted Alex Hernandez. There were college guys looking at him, and I felt that he helped carry us to states. He had such a great year, and I couldn’t bunt him. It’s against all baseball rules, and I could tell you free and clear that I literally lost that game because I let him hit. He took me there; I thought he would get me to tie the game. I had faith in him. So, it was sad to lose, but we’re working towards one goal and that is hopefully to get to states again this season.

Anthony: You had some players from that team that felt that heartache. How much did that experience fuel these guys to get back there this year and finish the job?

Coach Padron: Look, again, they love the small school mentality. I think we graduate this year 47 seniors in the entire school. For Danny Garcia, Anthony Penas, Oscar Rivera, Jose Suarez, and Robert Hernandez, they lead the team. They have the players meeting and I just tell them to focus on one day at a time. They said it was great playing those four extra games last year. We have a schedule of 21 games. So they want to play an extra four games and that’s what fuels them. These guys are baseball players. These guys are avid baseball players. They love the game and they want to get back to states just to play four extra games and win it.

Anthony: Many teams that have come into a season heavily hyped like you guys are this season, have fallen short of expectations or couldn’t handle the pressure. Yet your team sits at 7-1-1 and playing well. Why do you think they have come out so strong this year?

Coach Padron: I preach not about states, but to go play at the next level, become something in life, and have an education. It is tough to get a job with a two-year/four-year degree. Imagine without having one. I always tell them to play one game at a time; play 90-feet at a time, play fundamentals. I’m not about playing lots of fall games. I’m all about fundamentals. As you know, I only do two tournaments, your Boys of Summer tournament, and one in the fall. And that’s how we do it. We work hard, we shag 500 fly-balls and 400 ground balls a day. In the Summer we lift and run, fall it’s our spring training and I was taught…my best friend is Bobby Ramos who has coached in the major leagues for a long time. To me, the fall is spring training so whoever wins the job in spring training moves on to start during the regular year and that’s why the team is playing together and well.

Anthony: Do you ever relive that feeling after last year’s state title game and imagine what the emotions would be like if the outcome is different this season?

Coach Padron: I really take it one day at a time. I don’t look ahead. I take it one day at a time. Today I’m blessed that there’s no rain and we get to play Brito, who is 8-1. And I’m looking forward to this game. I can’t even look forward to Thursday’s game because it might not happen, so to me, it’s one game at a time. The kids do; they talk about states all the time and I tell them 90-feet at a time, one out at a time; and that’s what I preach. I preach that in my marriage; I preach that in my job, and I preach that in my baseball.

Anthony: And you mentioned Brito. Before you can even think about states, here you have a team right here in your district playing as well as anybody in the county. Talk about the rivalry you guys now have with Brito.

Coach Padron: It’s great! Because for 53 years we’re nobodies and now the past two years we’re playing good ball. And I don’t shy away from anybody. I’d play with UM if they gave me a game. We’d get whooped, but I’d love it. I think it’s great when scout’s come. Someone like you that takes the time to come and interview me because of what we did last year; this is great for baseball. I prayed this morning that we didn’t get rain. Most people in our position, having beaten Brito once, would probably be praying for rain so they could be the top seed in the district. I’m the other way. I’m praying today so that we can play because scouts are calling me early on and you guys (HSBN) were coming out to see the game. And I just love it. I love the coverage you do! What you do for these kids is just mind-boggling. Nobody has better coverage than you guys, and I love it because I’m all about the young men playing at the next level.

Anthony: How much has the rivalry with Brito gone to the next level knowing that you guys are two of the best teams in the county? But the reality is that only one of you guys are going to make it this year even though it’s two great teams.

Coach Padron: It’s great because you’re on the edge and you’ve got to have that great day. If you make a mistake it’s going to come back and bite you. You’re into every at-bat, and that’s the reason I don’t coach third. Most people question why I don’t coach third. I don’t coach third because I’m in the dugout and I get to speak to the kids before their at-bats and tell them what I’m seeing. It’s just a lot of hype. It’s good for baseball in South Florida. I hope Miami Christian keeps building their program and gets their team and got as great as Brito because that’s great for baseball and that is the key. If you’re coaching to be the best, you’ve got to play the best. With me, there is no soft schedule; that’s what my life is all about. I was an underdog when I was born and when I came to this country, and that’s what life is all about. You have to play the best, to be the best, so I love it.

Anthony: You just mentioned something; you don’t coach third base. A lot of coaches have a hard time giving up aspects of game or control over the game. How important is that for success for you to be able to delegate to your assistants?

Coach Padron: That’s why we win. It’s a whole new coaching staff this year outside of me. It’s all a collective decision making process so we have to have a friendship among the coaches.

We have a young man working with us this season that played for me, Horacio Acosta, that will get drafted this year; a right handed pitcher. We also have Arie Sosa. I love it because not everything is on me. I travel quite a bit. If I give baseball three hours a day I’ve got to add it to my schedule. So I sometimes fall asleep on the couch at two o’clock in the morning reading emails and making price lists and price changes for work. Whatever I give to the game in the afternoon I’ve got to add it to my schedule, and its challenging. Most of the times I’m not here for practice but practice runs smooth because the kids bought in to what I preach. Listen to the guy who is running the practices. Make sure you are catching your ground balls, make sure you run. And that’s why we win. I mean, we all gel and click together.

Anthony: What’s the best thing for you about coaching?

Coach Padron: Start seeing kids at the next level, my God. You’ve got kids like Alex Hernandez who actually sent me a text that said, “Coach, I pitched six innings yesterday and I didn’t win.” And I said, “Baseball is that type of game but your luck might change, stay there!” Then I have another guy who is at junior college telling me that [he] got an offer to play D-1, and I love it. When these kids come back and they hug you and they send you a text, it’s great. Plus I have my younger son that is a great baseball player and he sees that in front of him. So if I’m doing it for others then he says, “My dad would do everything for me the same way.” That’s what I preach.

Anthony: I’ve been doing this for three years now in the tri-county area. From my point of view, you have as close a bond with your players, both now and former players, as any coach that I’ve seen in the tri-county area. Why is that?

Coach Padron: I have an open-door policy. I run everything like the major leagues. Some people might say that I’m nuts, but I have a depth chart. I have an open meeting in fall-ball. I have an open meeting when we start summer ball, I have an individual meeting for fall ball and I have a meeting right before the season starts; I don’t lie to anybody. This is a small town, if you win, people want to come to you. People know that Danny Garcia is graduating. People know that Claudio Rubiera is graduating. People know that Anthony Penas is graduating. So kids here that did not get a chance at a bigger program, come here because I don’t lie to them. If you work hard, it don’t matter if you’re a senior or you’re a freshman, you’re going to play. Baseball is not by age or by the graduation year, it’s by talent and how hard you worked. So when you don’t lie to kids, that’s why they respect you and they love you and that’s why I do it.

I don’t lie to parents. I don’t lie to kids. I don’t lie to grandparents. I’m blessed. I have a small program. I have parents that adore me because I always tell them the truth. I always tell them the truth. I don’t promise them that they’re going to be my number one if they’re not my number one. We have a pitching rotation. We have a number one. We have a number two. We have a number three. We have a number four. If that number two gets beat 15-0, guess what, every fourth day, he’s going to get the ball. Can you imagine getting beat 15-0 and then hearing that you’re not going to pitch on your next turn? Not here. If you get beat, you’re going out. That’s just the way it is. I don’t lie to anybody, I tell you like it is. And I’m this way in my family life, I’m this way in my business, and I’m this way on my baseball life.

Anthony: So it seems like communication and trust are the two biggest things for you.

Coach Padron: You better believe it. These kids—this generation, people say that it’s a tough generation. I say that it’s an easy generation if you teach them right. I’m all about respect. We just had a real issue and I charged every kid $3.00 because $40.00 got lost. So the kid got his $40.00 back and everybody pitched in $3.00. Whatever money was left, I bought them pizza. So, that’s why. This generation is…

Anthony: Instead of punishing them, you rewarded them for doing the right thing.

Coach Padron: That’s right. If we lose, we don’t run. If we win, we don’t run. We run during practice. We run during fundamentals. That’s how we run. I believe in no punishment. I’m very straightforward. They call me a hawk. I say like it is. I see everything. I smell everything.

Anthony: Tell me the best thing about coaching baseball here in Miami as opposed to maybe somewhere else.

Coach Padron: Oh, this is a different town. A different town. People call you and think that you’re a superstar. People think that you control these kids [lives]. There’s so much talent. There’s so much talent. People want to play the game. We play all year round. So if you ask me what the best thing about Miami is, you could play this game in Miami and South Florida all year round. That’s why we have such good talented players because we play all year.

Anthony: Now flipping it, give me the one thing that bothers you most about coaching here in Miami.

Coach Padron: People talking and not knowing you. And people thinking that, you know, that this kid came over because you promised him something. Look, we’ve been around for 53 years. Westwood does not give you anything. What Westwood gives you is the small school mentality. Prepares you for college, prepares you to become a good Christian, and if you want to play baseball the right way come and join the program. People say that this kid came over from this public school, or this kid came over from this private school, because we recruited. Look, the best recruitment is, when you put a good product in the field. And that’s what I do best. I’m a marketing guy and I sell spices for a living, so if you have a good label, a good product and you put it on the shelf, that stuff is going to sell. Same thing with baseball. You work hard, you tell the kid the truth, you teach him right, people will want to play for you. That’s how we do it.

Anthony: And I’ve been telling coaches now for a couple years. As I see it, the recruiting takes care of itself really, because like you said, the teams that are winning, the kids are going to gravitate to those programs. And every couple of years, that changes. It’s not a specific coach that’s recruiting, it’s the system and the winning that does it, correct?

Coach Padron: Look, there’s charter schools that you can go to for free. There’s public schools that are huge. There’s small schools like Westwood. When you tell them the truth, I’ve received 20 calls this year, and I tell them, ‘don’t call me, go to the school and get a brochure.’ They know that Penas is leaving, and I’ve had like seven third basemen that want to come over. Why? Because they know it’s his senior year and they know if they come here, third baseman will be theirs if they do their job for the next two years.

You are exactly right. In the end, no coaches are turning away players, and the more you win, the more players will want to play for you, no matter who you are.

Anthony: Coaches always preach about making their players fine men and upstanding citizens. Give me one example of something extraordinary that a former player of yours has done outside of baseball that made you think, “Man, I had a part in what that young man just did.”

Coach Padron: JC Cardenas. He came from Cuba. He spoke English after getting here with me after 90 days. He graduated with a 3.3 and when Coach Pavao tells me, “Lewis, he’s an unbelievable talent, but he’s a finer young man.” That’s what makes me proud. That’s what makes me proud. He told me that he wanted his son to be like JC Cardenas. So you imagine a coach telling you that he wants his own son to be like a player that you coached. To me, that speaks louder than any accolades on the baseball field.

Anthony: Alright, lets finish with a little game. I’ll start the sentence; you finish it.

Coach Padron: Yes, sir.

Anthony: If I could change any one thing about my coaching career it would be…

Coach Padron: To take it lightly. Be a little bit more relaxed during games.

Anthony: Something people would be surprised to know about me off the field is…

Coach Padron: That I’m not as fiery as I look sometimes. I fall asleep on the couch easily.

Anthony: One of the goals I want to reach before I quit coaching is…

Coach Padron: I reached my goal, Anthony. I promised my deceased father that I would put 15 kids in college in my career, and I’ve accomplished that in my three years of high school baseball. I’ve done more than that. This would be my fourth year, three years as a head coach and I’ve got 26 kids playing college baseball. So I’ve reached every goal that I promised my deceased father, and that’s the reason that I coach baseball because I promised him that any young man’s life that I could change, I would through baseball. That’s what he taught me, but I’ve exceeded his expectations and my promise to my father.

Anthony: The most important lesson I could ever teach my players is…

Coach Padron: Be honest, be good to each other. Tell mom and dad that you love them and be respectful. That’s what I tell them all the time.

Anthony: The greatest player I ever coached was…

Coach Padron: Anthony Penas and JC Cardenas.

Anthony: The coach, and remember this is only one, but the coach that I look up to and respect the most among my peers is…

Coach Padron: Ricky Gutierrez. I talk to him twice a year. He’s a humble man. He tells you the truth. Just a kind man. You know, we only talk a couple times a year, maybe. But he’s just such a humble guy. For a guy that’s had success at the major league level and now coaching high school ball, it’s just the way he is and how he goes about himself. I don’t tell this to anybody, I don’t go out and watch [many] games, but I watched one game; last year at South Dade. And just the way he goes about his business. I really respect Ricky Gutierrez over at American.

Anthony: Going off track a little bit on that. It’s amazing to me how the guys that are coaching high school ball that played big league ball are almost more humble than the guys that didn’t make the major leagues. Why do you think that is?

Coach Padron: Well, they made it. I think it takes a special talent, a special man to make it to the major leagues. Look how many kids are trying to make it to that level and how few make it. So, I think some of these coaches are on an ego trip because they control some of these young men’s lives. You know, I don’t have an ego. Look, I could get whooped today and I still shake their hands. I just spoke to the kid that we’re probably going to face today, and I congratulated him that he’s signing a scholarship to Point Park. I only go to one game and that’s Westminster/Florida Christian during the year and I saw his dad in the stands and I congratulated him. If Danny Garcia has a great day, we’ll win it. If Richard Solongo has a great day, they’ll win it. And if you’re being looked at by a college [scout] I want you to win it. We lost to Florida Christian last year 4-3 and the guy that beat me was Roger Gonzalez and he was being watched by Jim Morris. So I said to God, I said, “God if this is what it’s going to take for Roger to go to UM, let him win the game.” Look, I’m not selfish, I’m about the kids. Because my goal is for my son to one day play college baseball, because I had talent but I did not have the opportunity because I had to go to work.

Anthony: Alright, last one. Our season this year will be a success if…

Coach Padron: It’s been a success. Every senior has committed. UM, Wabash Valley, John Wood College. Every kid has committed to play to the next level so that’s great. Eight seniors, eight commitments, it’s a success already and I said that, early on. If we win district, we make it to state, that’s a bonus. I want the kids to have fun and play those four extra games. If we don’t make it, let the best team make it and God leads the way, but we’ll do whatever we can to try to get there.

Anthony: You’ve given our readers some great perspective. Thanks for sitting down with us, and good luck for the rest of the season.

Coach Padron: Thank you, Anthony, for what you do and what your company does. Again, thank you.

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