These Reds are forming a tight bond

This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon's Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The position of catcher is arguably the most important job on the field and the least glamorous. It also creates some of the tightest bonds on a team.

A catcher’s responsibilities seem endless and include drills, calling games, pitcher and hitter meetings, relaying signs to the defense, not to mention hitting and taking a beating from foul balls and wayward bats. Throughout my years of covering baseball, the catchers are usually bonded both in friendship and with the mutual knowledge of understanding what the other goes through.

On the Reds, especially after catching/third base coach J.R. House came aboard in 2019, the team’s catchers have seemed exceptionally tight.

“I think that way is pretty standard across the board, maybe not as close [as here],” catcher Curt Casali said. “But catchers generally stick together. We’re spending time with each other and the catching coach is only responsible for a handful of guys as opposed to an infield or outfield coach, who has more players to deal with. It can become close and more intimate quicker. That is definitely a positive because there aren’t guys to fight for reps with.”

Whether it was Tucker Barnhart and Casali (2018-20), Barnhart and Tyler Stephenson (2021) or this year’s three-man group of Stephenson, Casali and Luke Maile, there is a community within a community -- and it’s headed by House. They hit together, work on defense together, communicate about pitchers and will likely locker next to each other in Cincinnati.

“It’s definitely a point of emphasis when I got here. J.R. really values that, which is great because there’s a lot of value to it,” Maile said. “It’s having subtle reminders from your peers to bring it every single day. In any walk of life, it’s great culture to have. But as catchers, as difficult as the position can be physically and mentally, having those reminders that we will stick together as a unit is very valuable.”

The culture is being spread to the lower levels. Last week, the big league catchers held classroom sessions for Minor Leaguers in a conference room at the complex.

“Every area has a subculture within the department,” House said. “It’s a way to bridge camaraderie and get the guys to be part of something smaller for the good of the bigger. We’re trying to meet and educate and discuss topics to be on the same page and to make sure we stay ahead of any issues. It’s our little time for us to get together within our department to get better. That’s what we use it for.”

At Spring Training and during the regular season, House creates unique drills to keep the catchers sharp. A few weeks ago, he used a stuffed animal on a string to simulate catching cut-off throws with a runner trying to score. House has stood on a ladder and heaved hot throws from different angles. Almost daily, he uses a high-speed pitching machine to fire balls into the dirt for blocking drills.

“With J.R., you never know what you’re going to get that day,” Stephenson said. “He’s going to come up with something crazy with a drill. It’s fun to do work and have fun with it but there is a serious side. Instead of being so repetitive, having fun with it does ease the stress.”

The Reds signed Casali and Maile in the offseason as protection for Stephenson, who was limited to 50 games last season by injuries. Cincinnati was forced to use seven different catchers in 2022, which was far from optimal. This season, Stephenson will also play first base and be the designated hitter so his bat can be in the lineup almost daily.

Another thing that keeps things cohesive: Casali and Maile were good friends before they signed. They played in the Rays organization together.

“It’s like having two more extra coaches on the staff,” House said. “That part has been easy to get them to intermingle together and help Steve-o to help along his process for what he needs to get to.”

Ultimately, the three catchers hold each other accountable.

“When you’re the guy lagging behind, it’s not a great feeling,” Maile said. “If you want to call it pressure, sure. If guys are producing, you want to be a part of that.”

Said Casali: “Catchers are always just a little bit different thing. We’re always doing our own thing. We wear two different hats – the pitcher’s hat and the hitter hat. We try to find our way and sneak in at-bats when we can. It’s been a great experience so far.”