OBA coach of the year Bianchi helps his players love the game

Toronto Playgrounds 14U minor bantam rep coach Marco Bianchi won Baseball Ontario’s 2019 Rep 14U Coach of the Year Award.

April 1, 2020

By J.P. Antonacci

Canadian Baseball Network

Negative experiences with his coaches drove a teenage Marco Bianchi out of baseball, and he regretted it for years. When he later became a coach with Toronto Playgrounds Baseball, Bianchi was determined that every one of his players would feel valued and respected.

“I wanted to coach so I can ensure that people never stop loving the game and want to play it for years to come,” said Bianchi, Baseball Ontario’s 2019 Rep 14U and above Coach of the Year.

“I have always prided myself on the team being a competitive one regardless of its composition, but I am more proud of being able to see the athletes grow into better people because of their experiences on the diamond,” said Bianchi, head coach of the Toronto Playgrounds 14U minor bantam rep team.

“I definitely believe the lessons and messages I send the athletes as it relates to sport, and to life, are ones that are reaffirming of their approach to the game and their personalities. I believe all people can flourish given a supportive and safe environment.”

Coaching alongside Bianchi for eight summers, Mark Higgins has witnessed the good influence he’s had on hundreds of young athletes.

“He’s very patient. He watches and he listens. He takes the kids’ feedback and opinions very seriously,” Higgins said, explaining that Bianchi has a plan for every team meeting and practice but isn’t afraid to change course to ensure players are buying in.

“He’s very collaborative that way,” Higgins said.

Under their leadership, players play fair and within the rules, not sacrificing their personal integrity to gain a slight edge.

“Above all, he really champions and models a respect for the game itself. A respect for baseball,” Higgins said.

Bianchi played youth ball growing up in Vaughan, coached in 5 pitch by current OBA Director of Coach and Player Development, Dirk Drieberg.

“When I finished university and had more time on my hands, I immediately wanted to get back into baseball,” Bianchi said.

“But not knowing many people who played baseball in Toronto in their early 20s, I opted to try and volunteer coach with known baseball programs in Toronto.

“I contacted a few leagues sharing my interest, but they never were back in touch. Then in a chance meeting through work, I met Steve Smith, the co-coordinator for Toronto Playgrounds Baseball, who invited me to join their coaching ranks.”

Bianchi focuses on building skills and character while teaching his players to play with integrity.

The duo led their team to a bantam house league championship that season, and Bianchi discovered a new passion for mentorship. He coached two more bantam seasons before being approached to be the head coach of a new mosquito select team. A mini-dynasty was born.

“We won the Toronto Baseball Association playoffs in our first year and moved on to provincials, where our season ended in two games. The following season the team went undefeated in loop play and through the TBA playoffs, finishing with a semifinal appearance at provincials,” Bianchi recounted.

“I stayed with the same team in select until major peewee where we made the jump to rep A baseball. The team won a AA tournament in Vaughan, went undefeated in the TBA playoffs, and were a semifinalist at provincials once again.”

Last year Bianchi and his team moved up to AA rep ball. They had a good showing but were eliminated in the TBA playoffs.

“From when I started, only one member of the team remains. The majority of starters have gone on to play higher levels of baseball,” he said. “All told, I have coached five players who wound up in AAA and three more who went on to play Elite.”

You won’t see Bianchi’s players looking into the dugout for the signs between every pitch. Their coach wants them to think for themselves.

“I do not micromanage the games,” he said. “The catchers are given reign to call pitches and the pitchers are free to throw the pitches they feel will make them most successful. Defensive players are responsible for their readiness and runners are supposed to know the situation at all times.”

Bianchi explained that instruction is saved for practices. On game day, players get to show their coaches – and each other – what they’ve learned.

“The coaches’ role is to help facilitate their skills and prepare them for the situations they need to rely on their smarts and instincts. We teach them pitch sequencing and make suggestions on grips for the ball to ensure injuries are prevented. We will run endless drills focusing on the defensive side of the game,” he said.

“We will ultimately field the players in the positions they want to play until they prove they can, or cannot, do it at the same level as their peers.”

Higgins has been impressed with Bianchi’s insight into how children develop.

“That’s the interesting thing about Marco – he’s not a parent, and yet he’s got a really good sense of what they’re capable of at each stage of development,” Higgins said. “He’s good at recognizing the kids’ natural abilities and affinities and putting them in a position to succeed.”

Bianchi’s calm, encouraging demeanour helps players build the confidence needed to try new things. Last season, for example, Higgins’ son Theo played catcher for the first time. There were growing pains, his father reported, but it was a good challenge made possible in part by Bianchi’s supportive attitude.

“He doesn’t focus on the stakes,” Higgins said of Bianchi, who as a coach understands that failure is inherent to baseball and building skills is more important than winning.

“I will not punish mistakes. They need to happen so we can learn and create teaching moments,” Bianchi explained. “I try to remain as objective as possible and will always treat players with respect.”

Higgins appreciates Bianchi’s objectivity, adding that having a head coach without a kid on the team removes a major source of potential off-field drama.

“That’s made such a difference for us. It’s really valuable. He can make choices and communicate with the kids very directly...and it takes a bit of the weight off us,” Higgins said with a laugh.

When Bianchi tallies up his eight-year coaching career (three house league and five competitive seasons), he counts three TBA championships, one AA tournament win, two semifinal appearances at provincials, and countless memorable moments that make all the time and effort worth it.

“I do not have any siblings, children, distant relatives, etc. on the team,” he said. “I volunteer coach for the love of the game and to increase others’ enjoyment of it.”

Toronto Playgrounds 14U minor bantam rep coach Marco Bianchi with his 2019 Rep 14U and above Coach of the Year Award from Baseball Ontario.

Bianchi shared in the celebration at the Baseball Ontario awards night with TP player Milo Brezina, who was named the Fergie Jenkins Select Pitcher Of The Year 13U & Below.

“On behalf of the entire TP Baseball community, the TP Baseball Committee wishes to extend our sincerest congratulations to Milo and Marco on a job well done during the 2019 season,” Toronto Playgrounds said in a statement.

The award may end up being a swan song of sorts for Bianchi, who plans to take a break from the dugout – at least for now.

“I have said that this year will be my last, and winning the award cemented that feeling that I have truly given back to the game I love,” he said.

“It's time to take a break before I choose to rejoin the coaching ranks with my own kids one day, where that objectivity of mine will be challenged.”

Higgins said Bianchi will leave big cleats to fill, but he can step away confident that he achieved his goal as a coach.

“(The players) will have a deep appreciation for what they learned from him,” Higgins said. “They got a lot better in a short amount of time, and they had a lot of fun.”