George Carralejo, recently honored as the 2026 ABCA/Soldier Sports Pacific Association Division National Assistant Coach of the Year, is using the recognition to call for a fundamental change in how young athletes are developed. With nearly two decades of coaching high school and college baseball, Carralejo emphasizes the importance of player development and skill acquisition over the volume of games played, a trend he sees as detrimental to youth sports.
"The award is a tremendous honor," said Carralejo. "But what matters most to me is helping young players build skills that last. I'd like to see our youth parents take a step back and focus on the big picture, which is improvement over time and understanding the lessons that are learned during times of failure as well as success."
Carralejo's message comes at a time when youth sports increasingly emphasize playing an unhealthy volume of games, putting pressure on young bodies. According to the American Sports Medicine Institute, pitching while fatigued significantly increases the risk of injury in young athletes. Research has also found that pitchers who regularly exceed recommended pitch counts are more likely to experience serious arm injuries later in their careers. USA Baseball and Major League Baseball's Pitch Smart program, available at https://www.mlb.com/pitch-smart, recommend age-based pitch count limits and proper recovery to reduce overuse injuries among youth pitchers.
"I understand the love of competition. I love to compete, but I also believe in the development of skills and you can get 100 ground balls in a practice, you might get 3 in a game. I do believe we need to spend more time on practice development," Carralejo said. He noted that youth parents often race against the clock, focusing on hitting, pitching, and fielding lessons with no time off. "Particularly in sports like baseball and softball, success is not linear. We need to support our kids during their slumps, not harp on them. The lessons of struggle are just as important in development as the times of success."
Carralejo advocates for several practical habits: focusing on multiple sports to build better athletes, embracing failure to build mental toughness, stacking small wins, having a growth mindset, and enjoying the car ride home. "When I get pitchers coming to play for me in college, I want athletes. Guys who can pitch, who know how to compete, value winning. That's an understated trait. Valuing winning. How many parents ask their kids if they won or lost? Not many. It's just how many did you score? Why didn't you get a hit? I love guys that want to compete and have the base of athleticism to learn new things quickly."
The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) began recognizing National Assistant Coaches of the Year in 1999. Carralejo was selected as the 2026 recipient for the Pacific Association Division and will be recognized during the 83rd annual ABCA Convention in Chicago in January 2027. He hopes the recognition sparks a larger conversation about sustainable player development. "If this award encourages one more coach to develop players more thoughtfully, or one more young athlete to stay patient with their development, that's a win," he said. "The goal isn't to create the greatest player. It's to help create people who learn to compete with confidence, and enjoy the game for years to come."
