Mission Statement
On Deck was created to provide an intimate baseball training program that will allow players the opportunity to learn the great game of baseball and develop a genuine love for the sport. We will use baseball as a means to inspire self-confidence, team work, and leadership skills—all of which enable players to blossom on and off the field.
We have different curriculums for different age groups (2-14 yrs.), but they are all based on teaching the foundations of the game. It's no secret that the best way to learn and improve as a ball player is through repitition, but here at On Deck, we've come up with a creative way to teach these repitions by keeping our classes both challenging and fun. Some features of our program include:
- Maintaining player journals and portfolios to help each individual acheive their personal goals one step at a time.
- Every class, no matter what the age, includes drills for strength training and coordination development.
- State of the art equipment is used to keep players responding to our teaching techniques.
- A small player-coach ratio allows us to give focused, personal attention
On Deck also offers a travel program (9U-14U). Our goal is to help players improve by offering them a comprehensive schedule of games and weekly practices. But it's not all about individual development. We also aim to build team camaraderie by offering organized field trips and events throughout the season.
On Deck Founder: Raymond De La Cruz
As the founder of On Deck's new teaching model, Ray has created a program that embodies his best experiences as a player and a coach. As a teenager, Ray had the privilege of playing under Brooklyn's legendary coach Mel Zitter, and went on to have a superlative high school and college career. He won a PSAL Championship with Murray Bergtraum High School, and then played for John Torres (now a scout for the New York Mets) at Manhattan college, helping them win a school-record 20 games in his freshman year.
Working as a coach over the past several years, Ray has had the opportunity to create curriculum and run youth programs for players like Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, and Carlos Delgado. He's also worked very closely with baseball organizations in NYC including the City's Department of Parks and Recreation, where he created all baseball curriculum for the Willie Randolph Sports Experience used in 5 different locations across the City.
More recently he has worked with one of the oldest and biggest house leagues in New York—Our Lady of Sorrows Youth Baseball—founding their first ever fall baseball program which included winter training sessions and two out-of-state tournaments. Ray was also responsible for recruiting both outside sponsors to fund the program and a diligent staff dedicated to children's development in their community.
Ray is certified by the Positive Coaching Alliance and also an active member of the American Baseball Coaches Association.
If a player isn't responding well to a drill, I believe it's the coach's responsibility to adopt and find another means of relaying that message. Too often I've witnessed coaches revert to screaming and venting their frustration rather than seeking a more productive alternative.
Coach Ray