As rookie farm manager, Mercado can draw on Cape experience

Earlier this year, the Orioles did, in fact, hire someone who this summer will make the big jump from manager of a high school team to manager of the high Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds. That is an accurate statement. But another accurate statement is that calling him a high school coach doesn't begin to provide the full story of the baseball experiences for 42-year-old Robert Mercado.

In his new role as Aberdeen skipper, Mercado will draw often on his time, from 2014 to 2021, as an assistant coach for the 10-time Cape Cod League champion Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.

The Cape has been one of baseball's top college summer wood bat leagues for many years and the league has a rich history. Many big league players have passed through on their way to the majors. It was there that Mercado coached some future big leaguers and worked with the caliber of players he will see this summer in Aberdeen.

"The last seven summers, living the dream in the Cape, man. Lot of hard work, lot of long days, but I love that stuff. It was very special," Mercado told me in a recent interview.

From 2011-2021 he was the head coach of New Britain (Conn.) High School, going 139-80 where he has also been dean of students since 2004.

But the Cape experience, he said, was really special - and not just because Yarmouth-Dennis won the league title his first three years in the league, from 2014-2016.

"Honestly, I'll never forget this," said Mercado. "My very first year in 2014, coming in as a high school coach to become a Cape Cod League assistant, extremely intimidating right? But I realized early on, at the end of the day, these players just want to get better. And if there is something you can give to that player to make them better, they don't care where you are from or what you have done. To be able to share some knowledge that I had, and being a young coach at the time and getting my feet in the door there, it was intimidating.

"But I remember I gave one player a baserunning tip and he used it and he's like, 'Man, Berto, that worked out very well.' Kind of gave you a little confidence. These guys are super talented. But at the end of the day, they need to know you understand them and can find a way to make them better. Being in the Cape was an amazing experience."

It is where he was a coach on teams that included players with big league time, including Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler, a 16-game winner last season who finished fourth for the 2021 National League Cy Young Award.

Through living with a host family, Mercado was also once a summer roommate of several of the players, including current Cleveland right-hander Shane Bieber, the 2020 American League Cy Young Winner. He has also coached Ben Bowden, Andrew Stevenson, Nico Hoerner and Tommy Edman, to name a few, in addition to current O's organization players Michael Baumann, Andrew Daschbach and Chris Hudgins.

Mercado speaks Spanish, which certainly could also be important in his new job. Among those that put in a word for him with the Orioles was Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin, who led his squad to NCAA national championships in 2014 and 2019.

Mercado was hired for the Yarmouth-Dennis position by Scott Pickler, who has been a mentor of his and who is still the manager of the summer league team and has six Cape Cod League titles on his resume. Pickler was the longtime coach at Cypress Community College in California and is a member of both the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Cape Cod League Hall of Fame. At Cypress, he won over 1,000 games and sent over 100 players into pro baseball.

"If I was just a high school coach, I'm not getting hired. Let's be honest," said Mercado. "I understand that. But those experiences in the Cape were outstanding and just the people you get to meet. (Baseball Hall of Famer) Trevor Hoffman, his son was on our team this past summer. He comes by the house, and his son, Wyatt, was one of the guys that lived in our house.

"One day, Trevor Hoffman shows up at the door. I was a little starstruck there. And then we just starting talking about his changeup. Hey, how does he throw his changeup and what were things important to you when you played. It's awesome. Can't make that stuff up. Wonderful experiences."

So having worked closely for several summers with the higher-caliber players in the Cape gives Mercado confidence that he can relate to and help the players he will manage at Aberdeen.

"Definitely does," he said. "If not for the Cape, I wouldn't be in the position I am now. Being a high school coach, I love it and was comfortable there and there were a lot of guys that played college ball. But being in the Cape, it's a short-season, 40-something games, but you have time enough to get to know the players. I was fortunate to live with a host family there where the host house was so big - great family by the way, lived there during seven seasons - there were always three players in the house.

"I got to know a lot of players at a different level through that, see how they click and what their work ethic was like. Have those one-on-one conversations was big. But Scott Pickler, I can't say enough about him and what he has done for me and my career.

"Been able to rub elbows with some great coaches. And getting to talk to scouts in the Cape every day. They ask me, 'Berto, what do you have on this guy? I ask them, 'Hey what do you look for in players?' It's just great, learning and talking baseball. I love it. Being in the Cape was one of the best experiences I've had."

And winning championships just made it even better.

"My very first year in 2014, had a pretty solid team," Mercado said. "I think we started the season 5-12 and one of our coaches at the time who is now at Bowling Green, he said, 'Hey, coach, are we supposed to hit the panic button yet?' And Pick goes, 'We're fine, just got to get in the top four and we'll be OK.' After that, we grew as a team and it can take time meshing players from all over the country. That is part of our role as assistants, to try and create that family environment. We went on a run and ended up winning the Cape League championship. We won it 2015 again and in 2016 won again. Back to back to back.

"Pick always says, 'Berto, we hadn't won a title since Buster Posey and you show up and we win three in a row.' I crack up. It has nothing to do with me, just all the great players that went through there."