One Player's Pop

Recently, I visited with OPP, in the chat room, as I have several times over the past SEVEN years now.

We were chatting with a high school senior catcher, and, as the young catcher expressed his ideas about how things would work when he shows up next fall for college to make the team, I started cautioning him a little about how things progress for catchers in college.

“Shouldn’t have to do many bullpens,” the young catcher stated. I pointed out that the college team now has about 15 pitchers and that he would need to learn the special characteristics of each pitcher.

And, OPP, chimes in and says, “You will need to learn to appreciate pinch hit opportunities and double headers……… You need to catch the pitchers, so they can gain confidence in your abilities to catch their pitches. When they gain that confidence in you, the coach will find out that they have that confidence in you and help you get a spot on the team.”

Of course, as a college catcher’s father, I instantly flashed back to my son’s freshman years, and thought about pinch hits opportunities, bullpens, and ninth inning entries into the game.

And, for a brief moment, the thought went through my head wondering how the hell does OPP really understand that concept enough to consider a young high school catcher’s perspective and communicate that concept to the young catcher. OPP’s son is a pitcher, not a catcher, now with the Pittsburgh Pirates, of course, and Zach never played college baseball.

Then, slow as I am sometimes, realized OPP has had the opportunity to observe his son at the next level beyond college baseball. His son, the pitcher, works with those catchers, watches as they work earning their pinch hits, sees them get the opportunity to play in a game because the starting catcher is resting after catching the first half.

Then I realized he was talking to the young high school catcher and me……….

Thanks, OPP, for all your help.