As #2 Who is #1

Al,

Jake has been coming to me for hitting lessons for about 1 1/2/ years. He is goiing to be a really good hitter. More importantly he has great character on and off the field. He is a very coachable kid.

Orioles42

Coach you have been doing well. He was all set, unfortunately his summer team would not let him go. Sad, but I am very big on committment, and told him to stay with his summer team.

Keep up the good work.

Al McCormick
www.mostvaluableplayer.biz

Al,

Thank you very much. I was also sad to hear that Jake could not get his release. I believe that he needed to explore other options, and I know that he would have worked well in your system.

I am sure between the two of us, we can get another Maryland baseball player to that next level.

Take Care....Orioles42

I played with Jake last summer, great ball player, got great potential. great kid to be around out there on the field, always makes me laugh. hard worker, im gonna miss playin with him, sadly a bad run in with the Jr. Legion program has strayed him away from playing Legion ball this summer.

Hey Guys, great site! I think Carl Travers right now as a Freshman is one of the best defensive catchers in the area. Keep in mind he is 15 years old and is a consistant 2.0 to second, his quickness is increasing everyday and when you watch him catch you will see that he is just a "natural catcher". I also expect him to be a 6.8 60yd guy by his senior year. Very impressive young man who is also making great strides in the weight room and in the batters box. Keep an eye on him!

I agree ....saw Travers at camp last summer....he's a very talented player. Have a feeling we are going to hear a lot about this very impressive young man.

I have had the pleasure of training Dan Shillingburg for the past 5 years. He is a great kid with a pro arm. Aslo had the highest SAT score of any player we had play for Frozen Ropes, 1430, which should be commended. He should contibute the Terry Rupp's program at UMD.
I also like J.P. Derbrowski at Glenelg. He is a competitor and is not far behind Dan defensively. The knock on him is his hitting. However, he is a two sport guy, playing nose guard for the football team which has not allowed him to dedicate a lot of time to swing the bat. I think he wil have a good season in 2005 and would be a pleasant suprise for a college program looking for a catcher.
Another player who doesn't get a lot of attention is Steve Switala of Chesapeake. He has the ability to play at the college level and is a hard worker. Spends more time in the gym than any player I know. Both J.P. and Steve are worth any college looking into.

The question that is beginning to come into play is: With Durakis out hitting all Freshman at Terpville, earning PT behind the dish (or DH), and getting some quality conference games under his belt, will Shillingburg and Moss get the opportunity to contribute right away in 2006 (and with which asset...glove, arm and bat?)

Regards
Bear

That is a nice problem to have for Maryland. Although I like Moss, I just believe the catching situation will come down to Durakis and Shillingburg. Both very good. Durakis is showing me he can hit the ball better than I expected. Congratulations!!

Not sure how Mike will fit into the mix, but some have stated he may be headed to the outfield.

Al McCormick
www.mostvaluableplayer.biz

I have to say that Durakis made a HUGE impression on me in the two games that I saw him in last year. I tend to be really critical of catchers because they have such a huge role in running the team. I was impressed with everything about him - including the intangibles. He's a winner. I'm awful glad to see him doing well this year. You'd have to search for a long time to find a finer young man as well. He's a real class act. Needless to say, I'm a big fan of his.

Rick,

Rick, I don't remember if you were pre or post D'Amour era at SJPH. Call it early senility.

And if you follow former SJPH / Terp 1b Jordan Wilson (RS-Jr), let him remain unconscious at the plate for the next 60 AB's (including ACC play).

All four catchers at Terpville in 2006, will have the opportunity to compete for the dish. The deciding factor will be the capability to catch & throw (vs bat plays). Certainly with Ryan returning after a short 15 game hiatus, even Chad's Dad is pleasantly astonished at the opportunities provided. Other injury's and the need to improve upper-classman position players level of enthuisiam, committment, and performance has provided additional opportunities to several of the younger players. (And all have been taking advantage of it that some are beginning to see 'youth movement')

I have been watching Moss since a pre-teen.
He's will graduate from my alma mater.
It is his athleticism and versatility projection that allowed a few to see an Anthony Buffone type player, if you know what I mean. (And especially those that "watch" Terps over the last decade or two, would readily understand.)

As far as catching intangible per se, the catching skills debate has always been do you pull the trigger on a youngster who has plus arm strength (and teach him how to receive) as compared to a catcher who has above average C&T skills as compared to a catcher who can play elsewhere or maybe even close on the bump in a pinch. The area catchers over the last 35 years that have played at D-1 and local Colleges can be placed, and with certainty, into one of these three categories.

Who wants to start this discussion with names!

Regards
Bear

ps. Keeping my fingers crossed this weekend (with umbrella nearby), the Tigers get so over-confident at the refurbished Shipley Field, the proverbial slow and steady win the race (or war) a couple of times (one will do too).

Bear,
I've been watching Jordan's progress with great interest and enthusiasm. We're awful proud of him. I got to meet him last year when UM played NC State at Harry Grove after our game with Bishop Walsh. (It sure was great to have won that day!) I was new to SJPH last year. Coach Seibert asked me if I'd be willing to assist him and I jumped at the chance to get back into coaching high school ball. I dearly love working with the kids and watching them improve. I had a really wonderful experience at Walkersville HS for several years coaching JV and learning the game under the great Paul Merrill and Dorsey Gilbert. I was very fortunate. Coach Merrill was a teacher of the small fundamentals that separate good teams from average teams. I learned a lot about teaching fielding and defensive play from Coach Seibert. I've been very lucky to have such talented and successful teachers.

I just resigned from SJPH because of differences that I have with the new coach. I don't care for the lack of preparation of the team and I think he's making decisions that put players at-risk. I didn't see any other alternative. I hate to not be involved with the kids directly anymore and it's killing me to be on the outside of the fence but I guess sometimes you're forced to make tough decisions. I'm also going to miss seeing all of the talent in the MIAA this year. Good golly, the list of really strong players is long and distinguished. Most of the players I've gotten to talk to have been really fine young gentlemen. That carries a lot of weight in my book. Headcases need not apply.

From your post, it sounds to me that Coach Rupp is shaking some things up down at Terpville and trying to get some of the player's attention. I'm all for that! I think he's going to work very hard to turn that into a very successful program.

As someone who does not know baseball jargon - what does this mean? :

quote:

a catcher who has above average C&T skills as compared to a catcher who can play elsewhere or maybe even close on the bump in a pinch.

Well, I know what "close on the bump" means! Sorry, just trying to follow along regarding catchers' necessary/important skills for a team and how coaches evaluate them for possible signing/draft.

quote:

As far as catching intangible per se, the catching skills debate has always been do you pull the trigger on a youngster who has plus arm strength (and teach him how to receive) as compared to a catcher who has above average C&T skills as compared to a catcher who can play elsewhere or maybe even close on the bump in a pinch.

Let's see if I can translate this. (Coaches tend to speak to each other like this, but we understand the basic meaning - so it works. Sometimes even my wife has NO clue what I'm trying to say - but at least I do.)

UM has a pretty robust supply of talented catchers this year. Typically, players learn early on that they need to hit their way into the lineup. As a coach, it does you very little good to have a catcher in the lineup who has excellent catching skills, but he only hits .100. You simply can't afford to give up an at-bat.

We're talking about Chad Durakis who is a freshman at UM who is currently hitting somewhere around .300 (I'm going by memory now), but from what I saw on the stat page of the Terps site, the other teams are running him to death stealing a lot of bases. The decision becomes this: Do you keep him in the lineup because he's hitting the cover off the ball, but he's a bit of a defensive liability (certainly with experience, age, training, etc. he's going to get a LOT better - but you have decisions to make for today), or do you look at finding another place where he can play and help the team by keeping a hot bat in the lineup. Perhaps the best example I can think of is the Orioles' BJ Surhoff. I believe he was a catcher for most of his life, and when he made it to the Majors they put him at 3rd base and later to the outfield and sometimes 1st base. (please correct me if I'm wrong here) It's possible that they can teach Chad to play another defensive position, or use his strong arm in the pitching rotation in certain situations.

These types of decisions are where coaches earn their pay. Another great example of this is outlined in the book "Money Ball" where they talk about how the Athletics moved Mark Hatteberg from behind the plate and turned him into a 1st baseman because he was such a disciplined hitter and fit their mold so well. It made a lot of sense for them to do so because his arm was shot due to injuries, but he was still able to swing the bat and wear out opposing pitchers.

I personally am drawn to catchers. I believe it's the toughest position on the field. I build my own teams around catchers and I expect and demand a lot out of them. Because of that, I pay a lot of attention to the catchers on the other teams and that's why I was so impressed with Chad last year. I figure I can teach anyone to pitch, hit, or play defense, but to be a truly good catcher, you have to really WANT to catch. Good catchers have a very different mentality from other players. These guys are hardcore. They love to mix it up. They thrive on winning. It's a very nasty job that punishes the body. Everyone worries about the glamor boy pitchers throwing 100 pitches and coming out of the game. In the double header, the catchers will make far more throws than the pitchers, and no one ever worries about them. It's hot, dirty, you get beat up and abused - and you have to run the defense, call pitches, and control every aspect of the game. It takes a very special person to do that. That's why the really special kids who do it so well are an absolute joy to watch.

Bear, I hope I did you justice, sir.

Ma'am, I hope I was able to shed some light on this for you as well.

Happy Easter everyone! Sorry for rambling.

Here's a great article on Jorge Posada of the Yankees and it gives a lot of insight into some of the things that make a great catcher.

Posada Article Link

Your almost there. I am not convinced at the rationale for using Durakis, Surhoff, and Hattenburg in the same paragraph.

As far as Posada, for me if a catcher gets a shut-out from his staff, thats two hits in my book. Thus at the amateur level my shortstop who can pick the ball up, and my catcher, who can receive a shutout, can play for me (thus they can leave their bat in the rack and be taught how to play small ball/situational offense).

The request for discussion for names was for those area amateur catchers over the last few years (or more...20+) and when evaluated and access properly (and probably debatable) would fit into one of those three categories, the exception being that special type of reciever who also mashes.(And there is a local exception in the Wash DC Metro this year!)

Let me try to respond to exSJPH, and then clarify for playamom (since Friday's night game, and then Sat's DH was in a couple of words: exhillarating, distasteful, bitter, promising, embarrasing, motivational, fractional, encouragible, and .... Isn't this a great game?)

Bear Note #1 Durakis, when hitting as he is now, will be the DH.

Bear Note #2 Catchers today, at the amateur level, do NOT typically catch the second leg.

Bear Note #3. BJ is a professional hitter, period. For those around when BJ played amateur ball in the ACC, flat out hit there too. Remember it as it was yesterday!

Bear Note #4. Hatteberg, because of his bat/plate discipline (ie On Base %, Walks to AB ratio) turned himself into a 1b based on the request of a GM with a low revenue parent club (the GM could also play at the amateur level) who recognizes the owner neither has long arms nor deep pockets.

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As far as the question regarding the translation of

"As far as catching intangible per se, the catching skills debate has always been do you pull the trigger on a youngster who has plus arm strength (and teach him how to receive) as compared to a catcher who has above average C&T skills as compared to a catcher who can play elsewhere or maybe even close on the bump in a pinch."

Allow me to break it down (as said today)
into the Three Categories:

1. Do you pull the trigger on a youngster who has plus arm strength (and teach him how to receive)

Coaching staff has much confidence that the HS catching prospect, who has a plus arm, can be taught to catch the ball, transition the ball from the glove to hand, improve his feet work behind the plate, and throw accurately. What they can not teach is the arm strength.
To some coaches, this prospect is low risk. Thus an offer is made (ie pull the trigger)

2. "As compared to a catcher who has above average C&T skills"

Coaching staff has much confidence that the HS catching prospect, has an average arm, can catch the ball, can transition the ball from the glove to hand, has good feet work behind the plate, and throws accurately.

3. "A catcher who can play elsewhere or maybe even close on the bump in a pinch."

Playing elsewhere typically means a corner. With enough foot speed the OF. And with good body and arm, as a closer on the mound in a pinch (or if on the way out, as a minor/independant league reliever)

PlayaMom - feel free to email bear2327@hotmail.com

If your kid catches, and is a teenager, who is he?

Regards
Bear

Bear - I sent you an e-mail a while back - guess you didn't get it.

I agree Pitching/Hitting game...Havre de Grace although a 1A school is currently 13-1...with 6 wins out of their division. Their catcher is Justin Lloyd...6'2 180Lbs 17 year senior. He calls a great game. Plus last week he was #1 in the county with a 600BA...Played RF his sophomore & junior year with 15AS RF last year and was C/OF summer ball. Pop time 2.04 and lowering.
Scouts have told him to go JUCO and should be drafted his second year. 3.67 GPA

Bear and I don't always see eye to eye...but in this case, I have to agree with him (atleast I think...long post for someone who has limited ability to focus for long periods of time...ie. me!).

Matt Deuchler, recently retired from the ChiSox organization due to shoulder issues, was probably the finest example of a kid who projected as a catcher because of arm strength. In high school, no one had a better arm (reference his 92% scholarship to JMU...yes 92%, and unheard of # in a non-revenue sport). The question on Duech was always whether he would hit at the next level. He was a career .300 hitter in college...not exactly tearing it up, but very solid). He was drafted his senior year, and was told his first 2 years in pro ball that he was the best defensive guy they had in the organization through AA ball. So...why didn't he progress further? Well, he struggled hitting (career .300 hitter with little power in the pro game), and he wasn't suited to play another position (ala Bear 1B, 3B, OF).

As for Chad Durakis, I was fortunate to see him play for my 17-18 team as a 15 year old call-up during senior week. Great kid, strong leader, and quality receiver at his age. Got out of coaching, and lost track of his baseball career. However, from what I recall, he was solid catcher with lots of intangibles you look for. He also was built more like an athlete...ie. he could probably play other positions.

Remember, Jason Maxey, the national leader in HRs at Towson this year, started out as a catcher at MD. I remember a conversation I had with Coach Mike Fox (Univ. of North Carolina) about Jason. I asked him if he would have a realistic shot at catching for UNC, knowing the answer...I asked anyway. He said that Jason would be a great 4-yr. DH at UNC.

Catching in HS is one thing...catching at a Div. I program is another...and as for PRO BALL...well you know how this goes!

One of the high school catchers that sort of flies under the radar is Dave Caldwell from Loyola High School. He is great defensively with blocking and has a cannon arm and powerful bat. Trouble is the team he plays on is lousy. He should do very well next year playing for Virginia.