Sanders gets international experience in Asia
Grand Junction Rockies manager Anthony Sanders took his work overseas after the 2015 Minor League season came to a close. Sanders was a member of manager Willie Randolph's coaching staff for the inaugural Premier 12 tournament, an event put together by the World Baseball Softball Confederation pitting the world's top 12-ranked senior national teams against each other. The United States team, comprised of non-40-man roster members, finished second, earning the silver medal in the tournament, which was held from November 8-21 in Taiwan and Japan. While in Taiwan, Sanders spoke with MiLB.com's Tyler Maun.
On how he got involved with the Premier 12 team
"I've just kept relationships with a lot of those guys from USA Baseball. I got a chance to play in 2000 with the team, and it was the chance of a lifetime. For me to get the opportunity to come back on the coaching side of it, to share some of my experiences with these kids and help them any way I can, hopefully we can do the same thing we did in Sydney."
On what he's tried to pass on from his own Team USA experience
"It's a lot of unknowns, especially for these guys coming over here for international play for the first time. It's kind of night-and-day from what we're used to as far as the Minor Leagues, even the Major Leagues and some other places. It's just a totally different atmosphere, and I do my best to try to educate these guys before we get here. Once we get here, they know what's at stake. When they put that USA jersey on, if they don't have a different feeling then something's definitely wrong with them."
On the development of the United States team
"It started down in Scottsdale and Phoenix, just watching these guys, the way they communicate, building relationships, the stuff they do on and off the field. It's just a bunch of guys who've seen each other throughout their careers either in the Minor Leagues or in the big leagues. They finally get a chance to come together and form a semi-All-Star team. It's a great feeling."
On the caliber of play in the tournament
"Most of these guys have been to Double-A, Triple-A and the big leagues. They see the talent they've been at. If it's a prospect coming up with velocity or stuff, they've all seen that. Definitely compared to Italy and some other countries where guys might not have seen some of the stuff we're going to see from Japan, this is something they look forward to. They have some success here and put their names on the map, you never know what their future holds when they get home."
On his work in Grand Junction
"I enjoy those first-year guys. To me it's all about development obviously down there. We're not really looking at the record, but this year draft-wise we definitely went young with a lot of those guys you named. Just to see those guys grow from the time they came in, and I saw all those kids in instructional league, those kids are going to have a bright future. We've just got to be patient."
On being a part of manager Willie Randolph's staff
"It's an honor to be around this talent and this coaching staff we have with Willie and [pitching coach] Rick [Peterson] who's been in the big leagues a long time. Just like a young player coming up, you do a lot of watching and listening and take what you think is going to help you in your career. Just the way these guys go about their business, it's very professional. They let me do my job here, and I'm just sitting back watching and enjoying the ride."