Justin Peedin joined Israel Baseball a year ago as Director of Baseball Operations. Following a very busy year, we caught up with him to hear about his year and what he's looking forward to in the new year.
What were the highlights of the past year for you?
There were many highlights in my exciting first year. The main highlight for me was the incredible relationships I’ve made with everyone that makes the IAB machine run; players, coaches, and the many others that help with logistical needs.
What suprised you about Israel baseball?
What surprised me about Israel baseball was the amount of devoted people that we’re lucky to have in our organization. From kids to coaches and helpers, so many have devoted a big part of their life to providing the best baseball experience.
What were your main challenges?
I think we all face similar challenges when it comes to convenience. Whether its transportation, carpools, weather inconvenience, travel time, umpires, etc. When I saw that something became a serious issue, I did my best to communicate with everyone so that we could come together to find the best solution. In most cases, I feel we were successful.
What are you most looking forward to in the coming baseball year?
I’m most looking forward to seeing the kids having fun playing the sport we all love! I’m looking forward the bonds we all make and life skills the kids learn from baseball.
How do you think baseball in Israel is developing?
I’m extremely excited for this coming year to see how things are developing after my first year. We’ve added some incredible people to the IAB family and there are others that are taking on bigger roles to help improve our level of play while bringing in many new kids.
My hope is that we can start construction on our two new proposed facilities in Ra’anana and Bet Shemesh. When we have those, I cannot wait to see how things advance.
What are your goals for the coming year?
My goal is to do everything I can to provide the best experience for everyone involved. We have worked hard to put the pieces in place for a successful year and I’m excited to see how things emerge.
What is your message to all the players for the new year?
Have fun, work hard to get better, and be a good teammate!
I want to see EVERY ONE of you at our national team tryouts so that you can have the opportunity to represent the best country in the world - ISRAEL!!!