Hot Dog Baseball Senior Spotlight: As a coach, there are times that I love it when a player proves me wrong. I thought Chino Valdes Mejia was going to be a really good defensive 3rd basemen. He had great hands, a quick release, and made great throws across the field. I was convinced that wouldn’t have the range to play short stop and that he would probably make a nice, productive bottom of the order hitter at best. I couldn’t have been more wrong and I’m thrilled to admit it. Last year during the preseason, Chino wanted to start taking some reps at shortstop. He was our returning starting 3rd baseman, but was sure that he could handle work up the middle. As the season got started, we ran into a few games where our other middle infielder had thrown a lot of pitches and we wanted to try to move things around to rest their arms. We reluctantly moved Chino over to short “just for a couple of non-conference games.” It’s almost been 2 full seasons since then and he’s held on to the position even since. You probably wouldn’t use any superlatives to describe his play at short stop. He doesn’t have the best range, the strongest arm, or the quickest hands…he simply makes plays. In baseball, especially high school baseball, you win a lot of games simply by not beating yourself. Chino has been a catalyst for doing that the last 2 seasons. The other part of the “I couldn’t have been more wrong” is Chino’s offensive production. He quickly showed that he was going to produce consistent, quality at-bats. Early on last season he worked his way up the cleanup spot in the order and has remained there. He’s not going to wow anyone with towing home runs or blazing speed. But just as he does on defense, he consistently does his job and gives us a chance to win. As Chino’s Hot Dog baseball career wraps up, we’re going to remember him for his steady presence, consistent play, and always doing it with a smile on his face. THAT is a winning baseball legacy.