Caleb Joseph's NL Central comments

Discuss all things Cardinals Baseball
Post Reply
User avatar
mikechamp
Hall Of Famer
Posts: 10132
Joined: April 17 06, 5:05 pm
Location: Southwestern Illinois

Caleb Joseph's NL Central comments

Post by mikechamp »

These comments came from a chat with current MLB player Caleb Joseph that occurred on December 28. He is currently a free agent, having previously been employed by the Orioles, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Mariners and Mets. If you'd like, you can follow him on Twitter at @YYZBackstop.

This chat occurred while I was enjoying the holidays, so I missed it. Since there's a lockout and all, this chat isn't really dated.

Not as much divisional content, given he's never played in the NL Central. He mentioned a couple current/former Cards, so that's good enough for me. As I've said repeatedly, the insight into other issues is what I'm finding cool about these player chats. Read the bonus Q&As!

The link to the entire chat can be found here: https://www.jotcast.com/chat/live-chat- ... 12133.html

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Was it harder to catch an Andrew Miller slider or hit one?

Caleb Joseph
By far hit... He was easy to catch.. "Just set up down the middle"... "Alright man"
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Having played with him, how crazy is it that some fans in Baltimore consider Matt Wieters a bust?

Caleb Joseph
Very crazy. Matt was right in the middle of all of those successful teams. Played over 10 years in the big leagues. People didn't see how great he was behind the scenes also. He's worth his weight in Gold if you ask me.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Who's your best bud in the bigs?

Caleb Joseph
Trumbo, Wieters, Adam Jones, Robbie Ray, Chargois. I've been fortunate to have some AWESOME teammates!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Who is your favorite catcher amongst the Hall of Famers?

Caleb Joseph
Lots of good ones. Probably Bench.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hey Caleb, thanks for being able to come today. Obviously loads of managers were former backup catchers, and as you are someone who served in that role a lot, I was wondering how you think that tends to give a guy the perspective on the game to be a good manager?

Caleb Joseph
Anytime you're watching a lot of baseball you learn stuff. Having the catchers perspective forces you to think about both sides of the ball at all times versus just hitting or pitching. I think it bodes well for anyone at the C position.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
How does the team deal with a stretch of like 15-20 consecutive games? Are there any tricks for getting rest or a mental health break?

Caleb Joseph
Those are tough... pray for rainouts!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Caleb! My son is all about baseball and expects to be the starting catcher as sophomore this coming year. Any advice you would give to someone early in their development?

Caleb Joseph
Find the pocket of the mitt as often as you can. Make that mitt pop like a gun going off. If you can stay in the pocket of the mitt, "framing" becomes easy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Caleb. It has got to be really time consuming managing pitchers and learning opposing batters. What percentage of your time would you estimate you spend planning how to catch games vs general catching defense vs working on hitting?

Caleb Joseph
Easy answer is probably 60% planning and 40% other. Times are changing though, now most teams just give you a wristband type of deal and trust you"ll just call from that.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
What would you say is something catchers spend much more of their time on than the average fan would realize? (game-planning, studying up on umpires, etc?)

Caleb Joseph
Developing relationships with pitchers. It takes time to earn trust. Lots and Lots and Lots of time investing into them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
At what point in your career did you become a catcher and stop playing other positions at all? Do you think you could hold down first or third base in a pinch?

Caleb Joseph
Yea I could fill in. Key word... Fill In! I played SS growing up, caught a little in HS and moved around in college. I'd encourage kids to move around, that's what all these teams want now, right? Versatility!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Did you find any noticeable differences playing for teams with front offices that comprised of more former pro players vs. guys that never played past an amateur level? Is it something that gets talked about in locker room, like this gm has no idea what he’s doing by trading for this guy?

Caleb Joseph
Yes. Noticeable difference. Forrest Gump had a good quote, "And that's all I have to say about that."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
At what point did you realize that you were going to devote your life to baseball?

Caleb Joseph
I was a sophomore in high school playing basketball and I went in to take a charge and the kid jumped OVER me and knee'd me in the nose. Broke it in a million pieces. That's when I knew I probably only had a chance at baseball.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
How do you and most catchers you talk to feel about robo umps calling balls and strikes? Would you prefer to be able to frame? Do you foresee changes to pitch calling like more high curveballs if it happens?

Caleb Joseph
Please no RoBo Umps. The relationship with the umpires is half of the fun being a catcher. There's SO MANY great guys back there that really wanna get it right and most of the time do get it right!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
What did you concentrate on in the box in regards to your swing? Your hips? Hands?

Caleb Joseph
See Ball, Hit Ball. That simple. But I'm a .220 hitter.... take that into consideration.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Have you ever caught a knuckler? Was it fun??

Caleb Joseph
No, not fun at all. Horrible. Best way to catch a knuckle ball is to let it stop rolling, run to the backstop and pick it up and throw it back.

(I feel like he stole that from Uecker or Yogi.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
What is the biggest thing the players want to change in the CBA in your opinion?

Caleb Joseph
My opinion is the length it takes to get to Free Agency. I belonged to the Orioles for 12 years before I was able to choose where I wanted to play.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
What's it like when a young pitcher or rookie shakes you off?

Caleb Joseph
When a 4 year old tries to tell you how to drive a car.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Do you want the DH in both leagues? What do you think about the extra innings rules?

Caleb Joseph
Good questions. I do like the DH just because its easier to prepare as a catcher, but the "purist" in me likes NL rules. The extra inning rule really saves bullpen guys, so I wish the game could just end in 9 but 11 is better than 17.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
What stands out to you about your time in the minors? Would you like to see improvements down there? If so, what’s an example or two? Or do you feel the league and players’ Union don’t really need to take too much action there? Rite of passage situation? You’ve always seemed like one of the more cerebral catchers out there when I’ve watched you! Thanks for chatting.

Caleb Joseph
I'm happy that many, if not all, of the teams are going to cover housing for minor league players. That's fantastic, that was by far the most stressful thing about the minor leagues, finding adequate housing on about $700 a month.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Tags:

Superorganism
Veteran Player
Posts: 1022
Joined: October 21 20, 8:13 am

Re: Caleb Joseph's NL Central comments

Post by Superorganism »

Seems like a good guy. Thanks for posting.

Post Reply