Softly spoken, a toothpick hanging out of the side of his mouth, a serious expression with the occasional warm smile, Jerry Weinstein was the manager who led Team Israel to victory at the 2016 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers and to a place in the WBC tournament in March. His stoic determination and unflappable nature was the glue that brought the team together. Now, with only weeks to go before Team Israel takes on Netherlands, Korea and Taiwan in the first round of the WBC in Seoul, South Korea, he is looking ahead to the possibilities.
The Team Israel 28-man roster includes a solid core of 21 players who played in the qualifiers in Brooklyn last September. Out of the 28, 11 players have both major and minor league experience, and 16 players have minor league experience in the US.
Weinstein is quietly confident about the make-up of the team. “Given all the variables, we have the best team,” he says. “With this updated roster, we’ve improved ourselves offensively, especially by adding two big leaguers, Ty Kelly and Sam Fuld, and we’ve picked up two new experienced arms in pitchers Danny Burawa and Dylan Axelrod.”
Weinstein notes that this team’s advantage lies in its deep experience. “All these players have experience at the higher levels of baseball, exceeding some of the teams we will be playing,” he says. “Our players are used to pressure and know how to take it in their stride.” Another advantage, says Weinstein, is that Team Israel has great pitching flexibility: “We will be able to keep hitters off balance,” he hints.
Weinstein, 73, is currently the manager of the Hartford Yard Goats, the Colorado Rockies AA team in Hartford, CT, which is under Jewish ownership. His baseball career spans many decades and been part of the Colorado Rockies organization since 2012. Most recently, he served as Developmental Supervisor and was also coordinator for Colorado Rockies offense, catching coach and defensive positioning coach. Before joining the Rockies, he was Director of Player Development for the LA Dodgers, Manager of the Montreal Expos Gulf Coast League team, a roving catching instructor for the Milwaukee Brewers, and the list goes on. He’s also prolific on Twitter (@JWonCATCHING), sharing high level, insightful coaching tips on a regular basis.
“I’m looking forward to competing and to playing better teams than we played against in Brooklyn,” he says, adding that Brazil and Great Britain were, nevertheless, excellent teams. “But compared to Brazil and Great Britain, the teams we will meet in Seoul will be well prepared, will have spent lots of time together at training camps.” 
“Jerry really handled the qualifiers in Brooklyn perfectly,” says Team Israel General Manager and IAB President Peter Kurz. “In this type of tournament, the main issue for the manager is how to handle the players and their playing time, and especially the pitching assignments. In Brooklyn, Jerry utilized to the fullest Jason Marquis professionalism, Craig Breslow’s experience, Jeremy Bleich’s enthusiasm, Josh Zeid’s passion, Corey Baker’s precision and Brad Goldberg’s fastball. He played the pitch counts flawlessly. And having Dean Kremer pitch the last inning was a perfect ending.”
The WBC is another notch in his baseball belt, and he relishes the chance to build on the positive atmosphere he fostered during the qualifiers. “From the first work-out we had last year in New York, there was an instant connection between the players,” Weinstein recalls, of the Team Israel training camp held in Fishkill, New York, prior to the qualifiers in Brooklyn. “There was an emotional investment in a cause, especially for the players who had played in the 2012 qualifiers and hadn’t achieved their goal. They held onto those emotions and it impacted the new players. What surprised me most about the team in the qualifiers was the emotional connection to Team Israel, where even the less observant members of the team we so invested.” Weinstein adds that the eight team members who visited Israel in January this year felt an even closer connection to Israel and felt the importance of representing Israel that he hopes will impact the rest of the team.
Kurz is confident that Weinstein, with the help of the scouting staff led by Alex Jacobs, will be as prepared for the main tournament as he was in September. “Playing in our division against teams who are among the top 10 in the world will not be easy,” cautions Kurz. “But I fully trust Jerry’s ability to provide smooth sailing for Team Israel.”
Watch Weinstein in action, and one thing becomes clear: He’s unflappable. “I never feel any pressure. You only feel pressure when you’re not prepared, and we will be. Even though we still aren’t sure about the caliber of the Korean and Taiwanese teams, it’s more about us than them – we just have to be good at doing what we do. It’s all about the process and the outcome will take care of itself. The players need to enjoy the experience and embrace the moment.”