Drew Spencer and Jonathon Cramman go way back.
They are both proud products of British baseball, spending years coaching kids and young adults in the greater London area. They’ve both been on the staff for the Great Britain national baseball team in international competitions, including the World Baseball Classic. The friendship runs so deep, Spencer was even the officiant at Cramman’s wedding.
And now, their baseball journeys have overlapped in a new setting: Minor League Baseball.
On Wednesday afternoon, Spencer and Cramman participated in a jersey exchange before their respective Minor League teams, the Tampa Tarpons (Yankees’ Single-A affiliate) and the St. Lucie Mets (Mets’ Single-A affiliate) faced off in a doubleheader. It is believed to be the first time in professional baseball history that two former Great Britain national team coaches have faced off in opposing dugouts.
Spencer has been working in the Yankees’ Minor League system since January 2024 as a complex coordinator and a Florida Complex League defensive coach, but he occasionally joins the Tarpons’ staff, which is how he found himself opposing his longtime pal Cramman on Wednesday. His club had the upper hand all afternoon, sweeping the doubleheader with a 7-6 win in Game 1 and a 7-4 victory in Game 2.
For Spencer, the pregame moment with his old friend was the result of a years-long group effort, as countless hours of work building up the coaching pool in Great Britain and believing “they can get there from here” led to this watershed moment.
“He's pushed me to be my best, even going so far as being one of the ones who convinced me to send my resume out to farm directors in hopes of getting a shot,” Spencer told MLB.com via email. “I’ve always tried to do the same for him. My heart is full of gratitude to him, and to people like Jason Pearce of the British Baseball Federation and the leadership of both the Mets' and Yankees’ player development departments for the opportunity that lies before us both."
Cramman is much newer to the Minor League world, having just been hired by the St. Lucie Mets as their bench coach in February. He was recommended for that role by another GB baseball alum, Connor Brooks, who was a longtime scout for the Mets and who had previously recommended Cramman for a bench coach role in the Dominican Summer League in the 2022 offseason.
With his first year in St. Lucie underway, Cramman had a chance on Wednesday to take full stock of the GB coaching brotherhood that got him to where he is today. Spencer is a big part of that.
“I wanted to be a better, more empathic and loving coach from working with Drew, because that's his superpower, and it taught me a lot about the way I led groups of people,” Cramman told MLB.com back in January.
This jersey exchange was also meaningful to many British baseball figures who perhaps haven’t coached on the national level, but who have worked to grow the game domestically in other ways. Michael Wakelam, who is the co-founder of the 108 in London – a massive indoor baseball facility with batting cages and bullpens – was also on hand for Wednesday’s doubleheader and called it a “fantastic moment to celebrate the progress of British baseball,” referring to Spencer and Cramman as “two of its most dedicated coaches, advocates and champions.”
“Drew and Jon have given so much to the game in the UK, devoting countless hours, forging strong connections across the sport and representing Great Britain with genuine pride,” he added.
The Tarpons and Mets are playing all through this weekend to finish out their six-game series, then they meet again for another go-around from June 30-July 5. Whether or not Spencer joins the Tarpons for those future contests, Wednesday’s matchup will remain an important symbol of how far the British baseball coaching talent pool has come.
"It was an extremely poignant moment for me,” Cramman said. “It was only eight years ago that we were grinding away coaching Little League in London together. Drew and I have made plenty of history together, but this one was particularly special and will stay in my heart forever."