TPA Nationals 10u Elite — Team Assessment

Spring 2026 · through 15 games · generated June 8, 2026

Fifteen games into the spring season, this is a checkpoint on where the team stands. The everyday lineup has taken shape, and a handful of clear storylines define it: Cooper Johnson has separated as the No. 1 bat, Michael Thomas has played his way into middle-of-the-order production, and two regulars (Biggs, Smith) are working through cold stretches that show up in the strikeout column. James Cooper and Parker have settled off their hot early numbers — normalization over a bigger sample, not a slump; both are still core. The full order bats every game; what follows is the sequence that gets the most out of it, plus where the staff and defense stand at the midpoint.

Recommended batting order

#	Batter	OPS	OBP	SLG	Why here
1	Jed Packham	1.215	.538	.676	.538 OBP, 7 SB at 87.5%, 91% contact, 3 K — gets on and into scoring position
2	Parker Reeke	1.285	.579	.706	94% contact, 7-for-7 stealing, low K
3	James Cooper	1.724	.724	1.000	100% contact, 0 K all season, .643 w/ RISP
4	Cooper Johnson	1.884	.722	1.161	Top OPS, 10 XBH, 15 RBI — the power spot
5	Bailey	1.797	1.120	1.120	7 XBH, .750 w/ RISP — drives in the top of the order
6	Michael Thomas	1.655	.588	1.067	82% QAB, 100% contact, 5 XBH
7	Waylon Reeke	1.107	.607	.500	Best walk-to-K ratio on the team (8 BB, 2 K), 90% contact — high-OBP turnover
8	Mantzouris	1.225	.600	.625	.600 OBP and .600 w/ RISP keep the line going
9	Owen Robey	1.093	.593	.500	.593 OBP acts as a second leadoff back to the top
10	Carson Biggs	0.817	.469	.348	Most K on the team (8, all looking) — 9 walks still push his OBP to .469
11	Fletcher Smith	0.841	.368	.472	7 K to just 1 walk, .368 OBP — expanding the zone; 9 RBI when he does connect
12	William Findley	0.851	.375	.476	3 XBH — pop at the bottom of the order

All 12 bat, every game (10u continuous order — the only reason a name is missing is travel). Jed leads off on a .538 OBP and 7 steals at an 87.5% clip — he gets on and into scoring position in front of the 3-4-5 bats, where a single brings him home. Slots 1–6 are the run-producing core; 7–9 is a high-OBP wave that feeds the top back over; 10–12 are the bats running cold right now, sequenced so the hot core comes up most often. As Biggs and Smith heat back up, they move up.

What moved since the last update (9 → 15 games)

Trending up

Cooper Johnson — OPS 1.471 → 1.884 over the last six games. The clear No. 1 bat: 10 XBH, 15 RBI, 75% QAB.
Mantzouris — 1.033 → 1.225, .600 OBP / .600 RISP.
Michael Thomas — 1.545 → 1.655, still climbing on an 82% QAB and 5 XBH. Producing like a middle-order bat — the one caveat is he has the fewest plate appearances of the regulars (17), so a few more at-bats confirm it.
Packham — steady at the top, 1.167 → 1.215.

Cooling / watch

Carson Biggs — 1.150 → 0.817 over the last six games, RISP down to .222. Team-high 9 walks shows the eye is there, but all 8 of his strikeouts are called third strikes and his contact rate (65%) is the lowest of the regulars — he's taking too many hittable strikes, not just balls.
Fletcher Smith — 1.026 → 0.841, .368 OBP with 7 K to 1 walk. The opposite of Biggs — expanding the zone.
Owen Robey — 1.238 → 1.093, and 0 extra-base hits all season. OBP still strong (.593) but it's all singles — and like Biggs, 5 of his 6 strikeouts are looking.

Pitching

Pitching is broken out in its own sheet — Pitching Insights — with the full depth chart, the hidden numbers behind it, wild-pitch analysis, and rest/usage rules. The short version: Bailey is the No. 1 and the only arm with both command and innings; James Cooper #5 is the No. 2 (staff-high 9 K, his lever is contact not walks); Waylon bridges with strikes. Staff ERA reads high — normal at 10u, where the real run-prevention levers are first-pitch strikes and limiting free bases, not ERA. See the pitching sheet for who to start, bridge, and develop.

Defense & depth

Shortstop is thin. Packham (43 inn) is the everyday SS and Waylon (16 inn) is the only other with real reps there (Packham .786 fielding, 6 errors at short). There's no proven third option — Bailey, James Cooper, and Cooper Johnson (all infield-capable and all pitch, so the arm is there) are the best bets to try; get them live SS reps in practice before a tournament forces the issue.
Catcher load. Parker has caught 34 innings — the most on the team by far. Findley (11), Michael Thomas (9.2), and James Cooper (catch-eligible) are the relief valves; spread the load so Parker stays fresh in bracket play, and watch the 4-inning recovery flag.
Center field is only one deep. Robey owns it (33 inn), but the only other real CF reps belong to Parker (11) — your everyday catcher, who can't cover center without coming off the plate. There's no true backup in center that's independent of the catching plan. Findley is the one to try: he's the most versatile glove on the roster (11 LF / 4 CF / 3 RF) and can slide to center in a pinch — same "but he also catches" caveat as Parker. Worth giving him CF reps in practice so there's a real option when Robey needs a breather.

Three things to act on

Get Michael Thomas a few more at-bats up the order. He's producing at a middle-order level (82% QAB, 100% contact, 5 XBH) on the fewest plate appearances of the group. More reps confirm it's real — and his roster note ("limited innings") is out of date and worth updating.
Build SS depth in practice. One travel weekend and there's no proven backup behind Packham — Waylon has the only other real reps. Get Bailey, James Cooper, or Cooper Johnson live SS work now.
Called strikeouts are piling up — opposite causes. Biggs (8 K, all looking) and Robey (5 of 6 looking) are passive, letting hittable strikes go by — and Biggs still works a team-high 9 walks. Smith is the reverse: 1 walk to 7 K, expanding the zone. Same symptom showing up two different ways. The order keeps all three contributing as the bats come back.

TPA Nationals 10u Elite · 15-game aggregate · BenchCoach