Q&A with Michael Barrett
posted: Sunday, March 18, 2007 | Feedback | Print Entry
Cubs catcher Michael Barrett will likely play his 1,000th big-league game this summer, and he's coming off arguably the best season of his career, in which he hit .307, with 16 homers. We e-mailed him questions, he e-mailed answers.
1. We've all watched the scene in Bull Durham in which, during a mound conference, there is a discussion about what to give as a wedding present. What was your most amusing mound conference?
MB: Ryan Dempster and I have the best mound visits. He is one of my best friends, and most of them are beyond intense. We've shoved each other. Sometimes we yell at each other. But I think the best story is that one time he was in a jam, and we were deep into the ninth inning. I came up to the mound to talk to him and I said "Demp, just relax, calm down. You'll get out of this." Then, in the heat of the moment, I think I turned around and looked at the dugout, and I must have thought about something else in that split second, because I turned around and looked at Dempster again and I said "Let's go, Ryan! Get fired up! Get your mind in this!" I had completely forgotten that I just told him to relax and calm down, and now here I was five seconds later telling him to get fired up. He looked at me with this blank face of total confusion. He couldn't do anything but laugh at me.
2. How often do hitters peek back at the catcher in an attempt to steal a sign, or the location of your target, and how do you usually react?
MB: This happens a lot, but in certain cases I think the hitters are actually doing a disservice to themselves by trying to look down at a catcher's location. They are actually giving the pitcher a lot more credit than they probably deserve. A lot of pitchers don't hit the location nearly as many times as a hitter thinks they might. I have called out hitters on this, but at the same time I really believe that getting location isn't always going to help. Let's say I set up inside. Most of the time if I'm setting up inside the hitter is thinking fastball, but if our pitcher throws a backfoot slider then the hitter is already in trouble. Also, few hitters out there can really hit that down-and-away pitch, so I'm not sure if a hitter is going to get a great advantage if he sees me setting up.
3. How often do hitters talk out loud about being fooled, and do some try this in an attempt to fool you into calling a certain pitch?
MB: I don't talk to hitters much. If I'm talking I'm usually talking to the umpire. Some guys don't want to talk to me because they think that their manager will get angry if they see them talking to the catcher, so I'll just throw dirt on their shoes as a way of saying hello. Certainly guys will say hello, but not much more than that.
In today's game, I just don't think that you are going to find many hitters who want to give up an at-bat early in the game and think that they are going to have an advantage with their next at-bat. Every at-bat is so important to guys now that "setting up a catcher" is almost overrated. We spend hours and hours studying hitter's tendencies and come up with game plans for each individual guy, and my job is to decipher what a guy's tendencies are. We're not trying to trick anybody, we're trying to execute those pitches. Greg Maddux taught me to eliminate the hitter in the box. He taught me to just focus on his pitch selection, and if we did that we were going to get the guy out.
4. Some pitchers like to pitch their own game, like Mike Mussina of the Yankees, whereas other pitchers, like Andy Pettitte, prefer that their catchers do all the heavy mental lifting. Who, in your experience as a catcher, is like that -- one who likes to pitch his own game, and one who defers all pitch selection to you?
MB: In my opinion, all pitchers pitch their own games. At first, when I'm with a new pitcher that I haven't worked with a lot, I just put down suggestions, but I'm letting him call his own game until I get to know his strengths and then I am able to come in. Really, every pitcher is different.
One thing I've found, though, is that no matter who the pitcher is, he more often than not ends up pitching to his own strenghts, rather than to the specific hitter's weakness.
5. What defensive play is most challenging for you?
MB: The toughest play for a catcher to make, in my opinion, is also the rarest: the throw to the pitcher covering home plate after a wild pitch. What makes the play so difficult is making the throw really accurate because I am usually sliding away from the plate to pick up the ball. Getting to the ball really quickly is tough, but the throw gets very difficult because your body motion is taking you away from home plate when you release the ball. Usually, I am sliding into the wall or over by a dugout. You have to pick up the ball cleanly, turn your body to the plate, put the ball in there perfectly to the pitcher, and try to beat the runner. Rarely are you ever going to make the same exact throw twice from a certain position. I can't even remember the last time I had to make that play, which is why it's probably the toughest -- and rarest -- in my opinion.
6. How would you describe the personality of your new manager, Lou Piniella, in camp so far, and how is he different from, or the same as, Dusty Baker?
MB: When the Cubs hired Dusty, I expected him to be this loveable guy right from the very beginning. And then, on the second day of our first spring training, he chewed me out because I wasn't doing my work properly. But Dusty was a great manager. So, when we hired Lou, I was now expecting the same things from Lou, but he's been a little bit different so far. Lou is very alert, and you can definitely feel his presence. He gives the impression that he's on the verge of getting in your face; He's like a hawk. He's not all over you if you make a mistake, but Lou has very high expectations. And we have high expectations of ourselves.
Then again, Lou and Dusty are very similar. Both are great managers. Both have over 1,000 wins as managers. Both were great players when they played. Both were outfielders. There are a lot more similarities between Lou and Dusty than people think. Of course, it will take me a little more time to learn more of the similarities and differences between both of the managers, but the time will come.
7. Which National League base-stealer represents the greatest challenge for you?
MB: It was Juan Pierre before I played with him last year, and it will probably be Juan again. Juan is quick, but he's a really smart base runner. Juan has an internal timer that's phenomenal. A guy may have stolen a base on me last year, and after the inning would be over Juan could already tell me if it was because our pitcher was either slow to the plate, or if the guy who stole the base just got a great jump by reading the pitcher. And he got these observations from center field.
He can tell a pitcher's time to the plate from watching him while playing defense, from watching him in the dugout, or from watching him while leading off first base himself. He studies pitchers hard, he reads their movements, and he can time a pitcher -- and catcher -- from anywhere.
8. How should a catcher handle his in-game communication with the umpire?
MB: I'm no expert in this, but I believe that I do have a good relationship with umpires. The best advice that I can give is to have a little dialogue with the home plate umpire throughout the game. Break the tension a little bit. Realize that the home plate umpire is the authority and make sure to communicate with him during the game and as the game goes on. It's important to understand that the umpire is human, he's going to make mistakes like everyone else, and we are going to have a better relationship if we are talking. We [the catcher and the umpire] don't always have the same view of home plate. We don't always agree if the ball crossed a certain part of the plate or not. So if you have a little dialogue with the umpire during the game, when the big play happens there is a little less tension there, because you have already broken the ice with him before that play.
9. Who are your hardest-working teammates?
MB: The first three guys that come to my mind are Neal Cotts, Kyle Farnsworth, and Bob Howry. Most people don't think that pitchers do a whole lot, but I have found that these three guys are constantly looking to improve every aspect of their physical training. They almost make you feel guilty that they are always working out when they are at the field. You never, ever see them at the field doing anything but working out and doing whatever they can to become better pitchers. Totally committed guys.
10. Has Mike Matheny's retirement -- due to concussions -- raised your concern about all the foul tips you take off your mask?
MB: I think it gave a lot more awareness to head trauma that catchers face. Our organization is more conscious of concussions and they have really made an effort to stay on top of that. I've had so many fouled tips off my mask that I can't even remember which one hurt the most. But for all the kids that are out there playing, more coaches need to be aware of the toll that a hard foul ball takes on a catcher sometimes. It's a tough feeling to take.
posted: Sunday, March 18, 2007 | Feedback | Print Entry
Cubs catcher Michael Barrett will likely play his 1,000th big-league game this summer, and he's coming off arguably the best season of his career, in which he hit .307, with 16 homers. We e-mailed him questions, he e-mailed answers.
1. We've all watched the scene in Bull Durham in which, during a mound conference, there is a discussion about what to give as a wedding present. What was your most amusing mound conference?
MB: Ryan Dempster and I have the best mound visits. He is one of my best friends, and most of them are beyond intense. We've shoved each other. Sometimes we yell at each other. But I think the best story is that one time he was in a jam, and we were deep into the ninth inning. I came up to the mound to talk to him and I said "Demp, just relax, calm down. You'll get out of this." Then, in the heat of the moment, I think I turned around and looked at the dugout, and I must have thought about something else in that split second, because I turned around and looked at Dempster again and I said "Let's go, Ryan! Get fired up! Get your mind in this!" I had completely forgotten that I just told him to relax and calm down, and now here I was five seconds later telling him to get fired up. He looked at me with this blank face of total confusion. He couldn't do anything but laugh at me.
2. How often do hitters peek back at the catcher in an attempt to steal a sign, or the location of your target, and how do you usually react?
MB: This happens a lot, but in certain cases I think the hitters are actually doing a disservice to themselves by trying to look down at a catcher's location. They are actually giving the pitcher a lot more credit than they probably deserve. A lot of pitchers don't hit the location nearly as many times as a hitter thinks they might. I have called out hitters on this, but at the same time I really believe that getting location isn't always going to help. Let's say I set up inside. Most of the time if I'm setting up inside the hitter is thinking fastball, but if our pitcher throws a backfoot slider then the hitter is already in trouble. Also, few hitters out there can really hit that down-and-away pitch, so I'm not sure if a hitter is going to get a great advantage if he sees me setting up.
3. How often do hitters talk out loud about being fooled, and do some try this in an attempt to fool you into calling a certain pitch?
MB: I don't talk to hitters much. If I'm talking I'm usually talking to the umpire. Some guys don't want to talk to me because they think that their manager will get angry if they see them talking to the catcher, so I'll just throw dirt on their shoes as a way of saying hello. Certainly guys will say hello, but not much more than that.
In today's game, I just don't think that you are going to find many hitters who want to give up an at-bat early in the game and think that they are going to have an advantage with their next at-bat. Every at-bat is so important to guys now that "setting up a catcher" is almost overrated. We spend hours and hours studying hitter's tendencies and come up with game plans for each individual guy, and my job is to decipher what a guy's tendencies are. We're not trying to trick anybody, we're trying to execute those pitches. Greg Maddux taught me to eliminate the hitter in the box. He taught me to just focus on his pitch selection, and if we did that we were going to get the guy out.
4. Some pitchers like to pitch their own game, like Mike Mussina of the Yankees, whereas other pitchers, like Andy Pettitte, prefer that their catchers do all the heavy mental lifting. Who, in your experience as a catcher, is like that -- one who likes to pitch his own game, and one who defers all pitch selection to you?
MB: In my opinion, all pitchers pitch their own games. At first, when I'm with a new pitcher that I haven't worked with a lot, I just put down suggestions, but I'm letting him call his own game until I get to know his strengths and then I am able to come in. Really, every pitcher is different.
One thing I've found, though, is that no matter who the pitcher is, he more often than not ends up pitching to his own strenghts, rather than to the specific hitter's weakness.
5. What defensive play is most challenging for you?
MB: The toughest play for a catcher to make, in my opinion, is also the rarest: the throw to the pitcher covering home plate after a wild pitch. What makes the play so difficult is making the throw really accurate because I am usually sliding away from the plate to pick up the ball. Getting to the ball really quickly is tough, but the throw gets very difficult because your body motion is taking you away from home plate when you release the ball. Usually, I am sliding into the wall or over by a dugout. You have to pick up the ball cleanly, turn your body to the plate, put the ball in there perfectly to the pitcher, and try to beat the runner. Rarely are you ever going to make the same exact throw twice from a certain position. I can't even remember the last time I had to make that play, which is why it's probably the toughest -- and rarest -- in my opinion.
6. How would you describe the personality of your new manager, Lou Piniella, in camp so far, and how is he different from, or the same as, Dusty Baker?
MB: When the Cubs hired Dusty, I expected him to be this loveable guy right from the very beginning. And then, on the second day of our first spring training, he chewed me out because I wasn't doing my work properly. But Dusty was a great manager. So, when we hired Lou, I was now expecting the same things from Lou, but he's been a little bit different so far. Lou is very alert, and you can definitely feel his presence. He gives the impression that he's on the verge of getting in your face; He's like a hawk. He's not all over you if you make a mistake, but Lou has very high expectations. And we have high expectations of ourselves.
Then again, Lou and Dusty are very similar. Both are great managers. Both have over 1,000 wins as managers. Both were great players when they played. Both were outfielders. There are a lot more similarities between Lou and Dusty than people think. Of course, it will take me a little more time to learn more of the similarities and differences between both of the managers, but the time will come.
7. Which National League base-stealer represents the greatest challenge for you?
MB: It was Juan Pierre before I played with him last year, and it will probably be Juan again. Juan is quick, but he's a really smart base runner. Juan has an internal timer that's phenomenal. A guy may have stolen a base on me last year, and after the inning would be over Juan could already tell me if it was because our pitcher was either slow to the plate, or if the guy who stole the base just got a great jump by reading the pitcher. And he got these observations from center field.
He can tell a pitcher's time to the plate from watching him while playing defense, from watching him in the dugout, or from watching him while leading off first base himself. He studies pitchers hard, he reads their movements, and he can time a pitcher -- and catcher -- from anywhere.
8. How should a catcher handle his in-game communication with the umpire?
MB: I'm no expert in this, but I believe that I do have a good relationship with umpires. The best advice that I can give is to have a little dialogue with the home plate umpire throughout the game. Break the tension a little bit. Realize that the home plate umpire is the authority and make sure to communicate with him during the game and as the game goes on. It's important to understand that the umpire is human, he's going to make mistakes like everyone else, and we are going to have a better relationship if we are talking. We [the catcher and the umpire] don't always have the same view of home plate. We don't always agree if the ball crossed a certain part of the plate or not. So if you have a little dialogue with the umpire during the game, when the big play happens there is a little less tension there, because you have already broken the ice with him before that play.
9. Who are your hardest-working teammates?
MB: The first three guys that come to my mind are Neal Cotts, Kyle Farnsworth, and Bob Howry. Most people don't think that pitchers do a whole lot, but I have found that these three guys are constantly looking to improve every aspect of their physical training. They almost make you feel guilty that they are always working out when they are at the field. You never, ever see them at the field doing anything but working out and doing whatever they can to become better pitchers. Totally committed guys.
10. Has Mike Matheny's retirement -- due to concussions -- raised your concern about all the foul tips you take off your mask?
MB: I think it gave a lot more awareness to head trauma that catchers face. Our organization is more conscious of concussions and they have really made an effort to stay on top of that. I've had so many fouled tips off my mask that I can't even remember which one hurt the most. But for all the kids that are out there playing, more coaches need to be aware of the toll that a hard foul ball takes on a catcher sometimes. It's a tough feeling to take.
