CATCH THIS! : Usually Known for Defense, Catchers Have Gone on Offensive

In baseball the most physically demanding position is catcher.

No other position player--including the pitcher--throws the ball more often during the course of a game. No other player is asked to do more with his body, from blocking balls in the dirt to absorbing full-speed collisions with runners trying to score.

No other player, except the pitcher, has to keep his mind on the game at all times. Catchers usually flash the signals to the infield on what positioning to use with men on base, and must work with pitchers on how to pitch to each batter.

So it’s no surprise that coaches, from high school to pro, are quite happy to have a catcher who is sound defensively. Who cares if he can’t swing a bat?

“If he hits,” Esperanza Coach Mike Curran said, “it’s a bonus.”

But several county catchers have emerged as offensive threats this season.

North County fans have watched excellent players such as Buena Park’s Cesar Carrillo (.500, four home runs, 20 runs batted in) and Esperanza’s David Parrish (.388, six home runs, 12 RBIs), and South County fans have enjoyed El Toro’s Matt Steinau (.515, two homers, 19 RBIs), among others.

The bashing backstops range from sophomores such as Servite’s Ryan Garko (.543, four homers, 31 RBIs) and Cypress’ Matt Gay (.479, three homers, 10 RBIs) to seniors such as Valencia’s Rich Martinez (.574, 29 RBIs) and Brethren Christian’s Aaron Ireland (.426, nine homers, 31 RBIs).

Perhaps the best of the current crop--indeed, one of the best players in the county period--is La Quinta’s Gerald Laird, (.530, seven homers, 28 RBIs), a junior who is already under intense scrutiny by college and pro scouts.

“He’s an outstanding athlete with five tools: He can run, hit, hit with power, throw and field,” La Quinta Coach Dave Demarest said. “In my 24-year coaching career, I have never had a kid with more than two professional tools. He has all five.

“The closest player I’ve had to Laird was Alex Rodriguez [Seattle Mariners] when I helped coach the 1992 junior world team. I see the same traits [in Laird] that Alex had at 17. Who can say where Gerald will be four to five years from now, but he will be a first-round pick next year.”

College and professional scouts cannot officially approach Laird, a junior, until next year. But more than one has said, “If he keeps it up, he’ll be the one we’ll all want.”

Laird admits he has to be careful not to be influenced by such talk.

“I have to let it go in one ear and out the other,” he said. “I just want to concentrate on baseball and do good. I had played football and basketball, but baseball is the one.”

Laird does it all. He has a great swing, good speed (nine stolen bases), excellent arm strength (he has one save as a relief pitcher) and the desire to want to excel at catcher.

“I catch because it keeps me more focused in the game,” he said. “I feel like you run things because you see everything out there, and I get to call most of the pitches during the game.

“They say if you hit as a catcher it is an extra plus. I like to hit, but I work on defense more.”

What is making 1997 a memorable season for Parrish and Martinez is they are rebounding from subpar junior seasons.

Last year, Martinez averaged only .129 in 30 at-bats and was often replaced on offense by the designated hitter.

So Martinez decided to forego football his senior year and concentrate on baseball. He played in two summer leagues and in the winter league. He changed his stance and spent hours lifting weights.

Martinez also wrote a note to himself: “To prove them all wrong.” He keeps it in his hat during games.

The results have been spectacular. Martinez’s longest hitless stretch this season has been five at-bats.

“I’m convinced you can do whatever you put mind to, and that hard work pays off in the end,” Martinez said. “This summer was the hardest I have worked. Through little league and my first year of high school, everything came [easily] to me. After last season, I knew if I wanted to continue playing after high school, I had to work my butt off.”

Coach Mike Sheetz said Martinez has evolved into the most productive catchers he has had at Valencia. But the improvement came from more than daily dedication in the batting cage.

“This is Richard’s third year on varsity and he has become a student of the game and the position,” Sheetz said. “He’s hitting, but he does all the little things like blocking balls in the dirt. You have to have a catcher who runs things and can make decisions.”

Like Martinez, Parrish played football. He has been Esperanza’s quarterback, helping them to Sunset League championships the past two years. He is also the son of Lance Parrish, who caught for seven teams in 19 major league seasons.

Parrish has accepted a baseball scholarship to Michigan but said he didn’t become a full-time catcher until high school. “Coach Curran felt that was the position I could excel at, and he was right,” Parrish said.

His defensive skills were fine, but last season Parrish was a disaster with the bat. He averaged .161, with more strikeouts (10) than hits (five).

So this past summer he balanced baseball workouts with summer football passing league, spending as much time as he could in batting cages and American Legion games.

“[Hitting] was the area I tried to improve more than anything,” Parrish said.

Curran said Parrish has plenty of baseball ability.

“You will see him take off in college since he’s not playing football there,” Curran said. “The one constant for David was he could play defense and throw. This year, he is hitting. You don’t get better unless you play the game. When he plays it everyday, you will see a very good catcher.”

Parrish does hope to play pro ball, where he will probably be compared to his father, who slugged 324 career home runs (295 as a catcher, fifth on the all-time major league list) and was a member of Detroit’s 1984 world championship team. “But I’m ready for that,” David Parrish said.

Hitting has not been the problem for Carrillo, who batted .397 with seven homers and 23 RBIs last year for Buena Park. He’s on a similar pace this season but is proving to be an even tougher out.

“To be honest, I am blessed,” Buena Park Coach Russ McHale said. “Not only do I have one of the best receivers, but he is also a tremendous team leader. I still come from the old school; I want a strong catcher. If Cesar was hitting only .209, he would be in the lineup.”

Carrillo said he strapped on the shin guards and chest protector as a sophomore “because it was the quickest way to make the varsity.” Now a senior, he is hoping his hot season will attract some attention from college scouts.

“I will go to school no matter what,” Carrillo said. “I know my game isn’t as good as some. But if I dedicate myself, something may happen.”

Ireland is another senior who came to catching late. When he came to the Brethren Christian varsity two years ago, the starting catcher had graduated and Ireland said he would try the position.

His sophomore and junior years gave no clue as to the prowess he would show as a senior. Ireland credits Rusty Priestly, Bretheran’s coach during Ireland’s sophomore year, for making changes in his stance during some private tutoring this past winter. He’s on a hot streak; four of his nine home runs came in two games last week.

“I’ve never had a year like this,” Ireland said. “My first couple years I could get on base, but this year is a difference in confidence. I go to the plate knowing I can hit, and I knew I had to have a good year to have a better shot at college.”

Steinau, whom El Toro Coach Tom McCaffrey said is “my most heady player,” won’t be playing baseball next year. His scholarship at Montana is for football, and the university no long fields a baseball team. But Steinau credits the football scholarship for sparking his big baseball season.

“[Getting into school] took all the pressure off,” Steinau said. “I’m just having fun out there.”

Servite’s Garko is continuing to build on the promise he showed as a freshman, when he batted .460 for Servite. This will be his second consecutive season of at least 30 RBIs.

“Hitting has been easier this year because I have some experience,” Garko said. “I’m not so much the ‘new guy’ on the team; I’ve found my place and know my role.”

Garko also benefited from private tutoring by hitting coach Randy Kapano. “I learned about having an approach to hitting,” Garko said. “And I’ve done so much with my swing, I know when I’m doing something wrong.”

Many area coaches consider the number of good hitting catchers this season to be unusual. The speculation for the upsurge ranges from better athletes going behind the plate to weaker pitching to more emphasis on hitting instruction.

Nevertheless, most coaches won’t trade a good defensive catcher for one who’s good with the bat.. “Catcher as a position is so vital,” Valencia’s Sheetz said. “He can make the difference in the confidence of your pitching staff. The hitting is more than normal this year, but that’s because you don’t expect much out of catchers offensively. The most important thing is what they do defensively.”

Said Tiger catcher Martinez: “In catching, the No. 1 priority is always defense. I knew I had to work on my offense, but I did not want my defense to slack off.”

All well and good, but, honestly, wouldn’t it be more fun to be the next Mike Piazza instead of the next Charlie O’Brien?