California teen baseball player with Asperger's wins Willie Mac Award

From the Contra Costa Times in Calif.

Taylor Wolett is neither an athlete nor a sports enthusiast, but the 13-year-old Vacaville resident freely admits that baseball has positively impacted his life.

Afflicted with Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism, and dealing with Type 1 diabetes for the past four years, the teen has dealt with more hardship than a majority of kids his age. Then, seemingly out of left field, the boy who's never really played a sport joins the Junior Giants, a community arm of the San Francisco Giants, and wins a coveted award.

"It really was just amazing," said Taylor, offering a big smile.

Earlier this summer, Taylor was casting about for something to do. He doesn't easily make friends with other teens, he said, and a pal had joined the Junior Giants. So he did, too. He tried his best and even confessed to having fun.

"I really liked just hanging out and talking with people," he said.

So when he was told about winning the Willie Mac Award, named after famed Giants slugger William McCovey and which honors a player "for exceptional sportsmanship, attitude and leadership abilities throughout the season," Taylor was truly shocked. And his mom, well, she cried.

"My son won an award. It was a huge honor," emphasized Catina Wolett. "Everything with him is magic every day, because he amazes me every day."

Taylor described himself as a kid who happens to have a high-functioning form of autism and who wears an insulin pump to aid his diabetic condition. He's intelligent and charming, added his mom, but has moments where he'll do something just because you tell him not to. He's not good with a lot of rules and regulations, due to his Asperger's, which is why the Junior Giants team was such a good fit.

According to Junior Giants officials, the program is noncompetitive and was "created to provide underserved children the opportunity to run the bases, rather than the streets," and promotes good character and leadership along with a strong foundation of fun.

Taylor hopes to play with the Junior Giants again next summer and hopefully open up his world a bit more.

The Junior Giants, his mom said, "are the best thing that ever happened to Taylor. It raised his confidence."

Meanwhile, the teen plans to kick back and indulge in other pursuits -- playing with his model trains, relaxing with dogs Koda and Phantom and working on the 1976 Buick Skylark he bought with his own money.

"I'm into the old classics," he explained. "I'm into the old music, I'm lost in the old generation, as my mom puts it."

Catina Wolett offered another description.

"He's special," she said. "But like a shooting star."