October 2, 2023

To Whom it may concern,

I’m writing on behalf of Ronnie Carlos, whom I have coached on the Toronto High Park Orioles House League team and the Toronto High Park 12U Rep Team in 2022. In that time, I have come to know Ronnie as a very mature 12 year old ball player and a student of the game.

During my coaching tenure with Ronnie I have experienced an individual who shows up earlier than asked, works harder than others, and carries himself in a polite, respectable manner. In addition, Ronnie is a family person who has always presented himself with level headedness and grace. I am extremely pleased to say that he brought a high level of effort and dedication to both his team practices and during game play all season long.

As a ball player, Ronnie is a focused and determined athlete who is willing to invest his time in developing his baseball skills and to be healthy by eating right, getting his rest and exercising to stay in peak physical shape. Ronnie plays multiple positions within the infield, including the corners. He can cover a lot of ground with his speed and acceleration. He has a strong arm and can throw out runners deep in the hole at shortstop with accuracy. He has been very reliable flipping double plays from both second and shortstop with ease. He has great instincts and tracks short fly balls with tremendous skill. As a pitcher, Ronnie was simply dominant. Usually striking out 10 hitters per game. He had excellent command of the strike zone, the ability to change a hitter's eye level, and the ability to change speeds with a terrific curveball.

Leadership comes in many shapes and sizes. Ronnie is a leader who leads by example. Teammates look to Ronnie to be level headed and thorough in his decision making. As a coach you depend on players like Ronnie to lead on the field through play and reliability as a fielder, pitcher and hitter. I was proud to see our players look at Ronnie on the field and in the dugout. He led his house league team to the overall championship and the Playoff Championship. He was able to pitch a complete game one hitter in the championship series. On the 12U rep team his teammates looked to him to come up clutch in hitting situations. Twice last season Ronnie came through delivering key RBI moments, including a grandslam to put our team ahead when we were down. But it was his leadership in the dugout that set him apart. He made his teammates feel positive about themselves, even when they made errors or struck out. It was Ronnie who lifted their spirits.

It's for these reasons that Ronnie will be a great asset to any baseball team in the future. I am grateful to have been a part of Ronnie’s baseball career.

Vinnie De Caria

Coach HP Orioles & 12U Rep Team