Sports Spotlight: Wrigley Bates

Winter Garden’s Wrigley Bates, 13, isn’t letting the ongoing coronavirus pandemic slow down his game as he looks to be the next great pitcher. This summer, he is working on his pitching game at home and with Team Orlando Baseball.
 

How, and when, did you first get into baseball?

I have an older brother, and we had a big backyard in my old house, and we would always play Wiffle ball and he was older than me, so he was always better than me. He learned how to play baseball around the age of 3, and as I got older, he would always play with me and teach me — then I got to Little League.
 

What has been the biggest change you’ve seen in yourself since you first started playing baseball?

I feel like I’ve grown as a teammate. I’ve learned to play really good team ball, and play for the team and not play for myself. When you want to hit a home run or a double off the wall, but in the time you need a bunt to get your teammate over and to just keep the rally going — it’s what’s on the front of the jersey and not the back.
 

What’s your favorite part about pitching?

My favorite position right now is probably pitcher, because you face different batters, so you have to mix up your pitches, your timing and when you’re going to throw it. And it’s not just pitching; you always have to back up the (defense) — you have to be another infielder. 
 

What’s the hardest part about pitching?

The pressure you have on you, because if you start throwing balls and all of a sudden you’ve thrown a lot of walks, it gets in your head, and it’s hard to bounce back from that. You never want to let your team down, so you always have to do your best. 
 

How do you deal with having a bad game?

I feel like you have to rely on your teammates. If you give up five runs in the first inning, you know your teammates are going to bounce back and give you five more — then it’s a whole new ballgame, and you’re starting back 0-0. 
 

Is there a highlight moment for you during your time playing baseball?

In Little League, we had All-Stars, and I made the All-Stars every year — I loved playing All-Stars, because it was during the summer and I got to play with my best friends — we were in 10-year-old year, and we were down 10-0 in the first inning. Everyone was down after that, but we ended up pitching our way back. We did end up losing, but it wasn’t the fact that we lost. We kept on fighting back.
 

What are you trying to work on this summer?

I’m really trying to get better at pitching. (My dad, my brother and I) built a pitching mound. We put that in our backyard, and we’ve been having pitching lessons with a Minor Leaguer from the Nationals who went to West Orange High School — named Andrew Karp — so he has been coming over and giving me some pitching lessons to help me get better.