El Toro’s Talented Catcher Has Caught Attention of Pro Scouts

Chad Hoelker, El Toro High School’s prized catcher, thought the telephone calls would end when he announced last week that he had made an oral commitment to attend the University of Miami in the fall.

Instead, major league scouts have been calling his parents asking what it will take to persuade their talented son to sign a professional contract.

Hoelker, ranked he 29th best prospect in the country by Baseball America, is projected as a second- or third-round selection in the amateur baseball draft in June. The strapping, 6-foot-4, 205-pound senior has everything a major league team is looking for, according to Dan DeLeon, El Toro coach who also scouts part time for the California Angels.

“Mechanically, he has all the tools to be successful,” DeLeon said. “He’s got the size and the arm. He hasn’t allowed a ball to get by him all season. You get the distinct impression during pregame warm-ups that the guy is in control of the team. Potentially, he could be the best player I’ve ever coached.”

Hoelker grew up catching his older brother, Mike, who is now a starting pitcher at Lewis-Clark College in Lewiston, Ida. He was a natural at the postion.

“Defensively, I’ve always been able to catch as well as anybody,” he said. “I got bored playing the shortstop-pitcher Little League stuff, so I offered to catch when I was 11 years old.

“Catching seemed to be where the action is. The attraction was the excitement and the physical nature of the position. You feel you’re in control of the game when you’re catching.”

Rob Johnson, El Toro’s ace pitcher the past three years, said there is no doubt who is controlling a game when Hoelker is catching.

“You don’t have to think much out there on the mound with Chad behind the plate,” Johnson said. “He takes care of everything. I might disagree with him twice during a game on a pitch selection.”

Hoelker said he became a student of the game last summer while playing for the Orange County Cardinals under Coach Randy Vanderhook. The Connie Mack League team advanced to the national tournament in Farmington, N.M.

“I learned an awful lot from Randy about the strategy of setting up hitters,” Hoelker said. “It’s very satisfying for me to call a pitch and see it fool a hitter. Whenever my pitcher gets a strikeout, I figure it’s partly mine.”

Hoelker has spent countless hours refining his catching skills. He often solicited the help of his brother, father or mother to throw balls into the dirt as he practiced blocking errant pitches.

While friends spent hours swinging in the local batting cages, he would crank up the pitching machines to 90 miles per hour and work the pocket into a new mitt. Hoelker’s mitt resembles an infielder’s glove with a deep pocket that makes his job easier.

“He’s got those big, soft hands that allow him to catch anything,” DeLeon said.

A catcher’s equipment is often referred to as “the tools of ignorance.” Hoelker’s equipment allows him the maximum in mobility and flexibility. He uses an ultra-lightweight face mask that “feels like you’re not wearing anything at all.”

Hoelker’s chest protector is the same worn and battered one that he was issued as a 175-pound freshman on the junior varsity team. “They keep trying to give me a new one, but this one is super small and tight, which gives me plenty of mobility,” he said.

Hoelker says he never attended a baseball camp and his only lessons behind the plate came from former El Toro standout Frank Appice, now playing at UC Santa Barbara.

“He showed me some basic stuff, but just about everything about catching I learned on my own,” Hoelker said.

While few can dispute Hoelker’s defensive skills, there is a question about his inconsistency and lack of power at the plate. He started the season slowly, but has raised his batting average to .342 after going six for 10 in a three-day tournament in Las Vegas.

Hoelker is a line-drive hitter who has hit only one home run in his three-year varsity career.

“I hit one as a sophomore at Dana Hills,” he said. “I know you’re going to ask. Yeah, the wind was blowing out that day. I take a lot of kidding about it. My problem this year was that I was trying to hit everything 500 feet. But the past couple of weeks, I’ve felt a lot more comfortable with my hitting.”

Hoelker has added 30 pounds and gained additional power at the plate after he discovered a year ago that he was diabetic. He had problems gaining weight and experienced dizzy spells during wind sprints while a member of El Toro’s varsity football team. Assistant football coach Marty Spalding suggested he make an appointment with a doctor.

Hoelker takes two insulin shots a day--one before breakfast and one before dinner--and insists that learning he is diabetic has improved his game.

“I don’t try to hide the fact I’m diabetic,” he said. “It helped my game learning the facts. Now, I feel stronger, I’ve gained weight (from 175 to 205 pounds) and my vision is 20-20. I don’t have that sluggish feeling in practice any more.”

Hoelker is anticipating a banner senior season, which includes signing with Miami, the fifth-ranked collegiate baseball team in the nation. He visited the campus at Coral Gables in February and then chose the school over USC.

“I chose Miami because of the coaching staff, the Coral Gables area and the baseball facilities at the school,” he said. “The draft is still a possibility . . . it’s another option.

“I’ve heard talk of the second or third round, but I’m not going to worry about it until it happens. If it happens, then we’ll sit down and talk. If nothing else, it would be nice to have the option of college or a professional career.”

SOME OF THE COUNTY’S CAN’T-MISS KIDS

Orange County’s top high school baseball prospects for college or the pros:

Name: Joe Aguirre School: Garden Grove Position: P Year: Sr. Comment: Great pitcher on so-so team last season Name: Aaron Boone School: Villa Park Position: SS Year: Sr. Comment: Son of former Angel Bob Boone Name: Tom Barraza School: Western Position: P Year: Sr. Comment: Stanford and California are interested Name: Kevin Bill School: Ocean View Position: C Year: Sr. Comment: Was second-team all-Sunset League as junior Name: Dennis Briggs School: Katella Position: 3B Year: Sr. Comment: Hit .465 and scored 23 runs last season Name: Chris Briones School: Brea-Olinda Position: C Year: Sr. Comment: Hit .325 as junior; good defensive player Name: Derek Brown School: Fountain Valley Position: 3B Year: Sr. Comment: Hitting .438 this season Name: Bill Courtney School: Tustin Position: P Year: Sr. Comment: Went 8-0 with 48 strikeouts last season Name: Walter Dawkins School: La Quinta Position: OF Year: Sr. Comment: Hitting .561 this season Name: Ken Dolan School: San Clemente Position: P Year: Sr. Comment: Hopes to rebound from shoulder injury Name: Ricky Ellis School: Mater Dei Position: OF Year: Sr. Comment: Hit .379 with 23 stolen bases last season Name: Derek Fahs School: Fountain Valley Position: P Year: Sr. Comment: Off to a 7-1 start this season Name: Steve Friedrich School: Troy Position: C Year: Sr. Comment: Hit .333 last season; great defensive catcher Name: Cade Gaspar School: Capistrano Valley Position: SS Year: Sr. Comment: Great defensive player; coming off broken arm Name: Dave Gonzalez School: Mater Dei Position: OF Year: Sr. Comment: Hit .344 last season Name: Shawn Green School: Tustin Position: OF Year: Sr. Comment: Hit .426 with 27 steals last season Name: Chad Hoelker School: El Toro Position: C Year: Sr. Comment: 29th-ranked prep player by Baseball America Name: Matt McCready School: Los Amigos Position: C Year: Sr. Comment: Hit .381 with five homers, 25 RBIs as a junior Name: Matt Maffei School: Laguna Hills Position: C Year: Sr. Comment: Hit .341 last season and also pitches Name: Nathan Malacone School: San Clemente Position: C Year: Sr. Comment: Two-year starter Name: Paul McDaniels School: Estancia Position: C Year: Sr. Comment: Left-handed catcher; three-year starter Name: Cliff Mierendorf School: Servite Position: P Year: Sr. Comment: Hit .365 as a sophomore, but .265 last season Name: Ben Munoz School: Tustin Position: 2B Year: Sr. Comment: Hit .493 with 36 runs and 27 RBIs last season Name: D.C. Olsen School: Fullerton Position: C Year: Sr. Comment: Set county home run record as junior Name: Rick Orr School: Sunny Hills Position: P Year: Sr. Comment: Was 6-2 with a 2.20 ERA last season Name: Jonathon Petke School: Capistrano Valley Position: OF Year: Sr. Comment: Hit .355 with five home runs last season Name: Guy Pinelli School: Troy Position: P Year: Sr. Comment: Was 9-3 with a 1.92 ERA last season Name: Chris Reed School: Katella Position: P Year: Sr. Comment: Fastball has been clocked at 85 m.p.h. Name: Steve Sandoval School: Servite Position: 3B Year: Sr. Comment: Hit .332 and was 2-1 as a spot starter Name: Mike Seal School: Irvine Position: OF-P Year: Sr. Comment: Signed early with Loyola Marymount Name: Shade Summers School: Esperanza Position: P Year: Sr. Comment: Was 8-0 with a .220 ERA last year Name: Greg Tippin School: Canyon Position: OF Year: Sr. Comment: Hit .354. Committed to USC Name: Tony Treul School: Magnolia Position: OF Year: Sr. Comment: Four-year starter; hitting .500