A catcher’s responsibilities seem endless and include drills, calling games, pitcher and hitter meetings, relaying signs to the defense, not to mention hitting and taking a beating from foul balls and wayward bats.
Throughout my years of covering baseball, the catchers are usually bonded both in friendship and with the mutual knowledge of understanding what the other goes through.
On the Reds, especially after catching/third base coach J.R. House came aboard in 2019, the team’s catchers have seemed exceptionally tight.
“I think that way is pretty standard across the board, maybe not as close as here” catcher Curt Casali said. “But catchers generally stick together. We’re spending time with each other and the catching coach is only responsible for a handful of guys as opposed to an infield or outfield coach, who has more players to deal with.
Whether it was Tucker Barnhart and Casali (2018-20), Barnhart and Tyler Stephenson (2021) or this year’s three-man group of Stephenson, Casali and Luke Maile, there is a community within a community -- and it’s headed by House. They hit together, work on defense together, communicate about pitchers and will likely locker next to each other in Cincinnati.
“It’s definitely a point of emphasis when I got here. J.R. really values that, which is great because there’s a lot of value to it,” Maile said. “It’s having subtle reminders from your peers to bring it every single day. In any walk of life, it’s great culture to have.
The culture is being spread to the lower levels. Last week, the big league catchers held classroom sessions for Minor Leaguers in a conference room at the complex.
“Every area has a subculture within the department,” House said. “It’s a way to bridge camaraderie and get the guys to be part of something smaller for the good of the bigger.
Another thing that keeps things cohesive: Casali and Maile were good friends before they signed. They played in the Rays organization together.
“It’s like having two more extra coaches on the staff,” House said. “That part has been easy to get them to intermingle together and help Steve-o to help along his process for what he needs to get to.”