He’s No Natural : Esperanza’s Eric Cox Worked Long Hours to Learn How to Catch, and His Efforts Have Been Rewarded With Scholarship to Stanford

When Eric Cox, Esperanza High School’s talented catcher, signed a national letter of intent this week to attend Stanford University, he failed to realize its significance.

He had forgotten about the past two summers, in which he played on four different teams, often changing uniforms in the car as his mother, Kay, drove him from one game to another.

He had forgotten about the countless hours spent in a batting cage set up between two telephone poles in a vacant field behind his father’s home in Placentia.

He had forgotten about the weekends spent with his father, Roger, at the Esperanza baseball field learning the mechanics of catching and the tedium of practicing throws to second base.

Instead, Cox became nervous contemplating the academic reputation of Stanford. He wondered if he could make the adjustment.

“That shows what kind of individual Eric Cox is,” said Mike Curran, Esperanza baseball coach. “He’s concerned about everything he does, so it doesn’t surprise me to hear that Eric is a little nervous about going to Stanford.”

Cox should relax. He earned his estimated $60,000 scholarship to Stanford.

Nothing ever came easy to Cox, a 17-year-old senior. Whereas most of his classmates spent summers at the beach, Cox learned how to catch. He played four games a day, three times a week in Connie Mack, American Legion or local high school leagues.

“It was the only way to learn how to catch,” Cox said. “I had never caught until my freshman year at Esperanza. It didn’t come naturally. It was a smart move in terms of my career, but it took a lot of time to become a good catcher.

“The toughest thing to learn was my release on my throws. Learning to shift my feet properly and getting rid of the ball was a tough adjustment after I had played shortstop since I was 6 years old.”

Curran said the summers that Cox spent learning to catch only proved his dedication and eventually paid off with a college scholarship.

“Remember, Eric was catching with all that equipment on in the summer,” he said. “Catching four games a day is like playing four football games a day.”

While the transition from shortstop to catcher was difficult, the position certainly wasn’t new in the Cox family. His father was the catcher for Tom Seaver at USC in 1965 and lettered there for two years. Dr. Cox is a Regional Occupational Program evaluator for high school students in north Orange County.

“I’ve worked a lot with my father,” Eric said. “We’re always exchanging ideas. He knew when I first picked up a bat left-handed that it was a good idea.”

Today, Cox is considered the best defensive catcher in the county. He moves well laterally behind the plate and has an excellent release. He admits his throwing accuracy needs work, but his mechanics are sound.

Cox is a pull hitter who thrives on fastballs. He has some difficulty hitting breaking pitches, and scouts have said they would like to see him hit with more power.

Cox set the school’s single-season record for most hits with 29 last year when he batted .377. But he said he began pressing last year after an excellent sophomore season.

“Everybody started pitching around me or they threw nothing but breaking balls,” he said. “Then, I started pressing when things didn’t go right. I drove my parents and my girlfriend crazy last year.”

Cox went hitless in his first three games this season, but claims a new attitude has changed his approach to the game.

“I went 0 for 9, but I didn’t get down on myself,” he said. “I think that comes with maturity. This is the team everybody has been talking about since we were sophomores. We had the infield planned since the 10th grade.”

The Aztecs, vying for their third straight Empire League title, are leading the eight-team league with an 8-0 record and have lost only to El Dorado in the Loara tournament.

Five Esperanza players--Andy Escobar, Dave Moralez, Tom Redington, Emmitt Cohick and Kevin Clancy--are among the top 25 hitters in the county. Pitcher Steve Halweg leads the county with nine victories.

“Everybody knew this was going to be our year,” Cox said. “We’ve talked about winning the league and going to the Big A for three years.”