Wolters' other dream profession: Rock star
This browser does not support the video element.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Rockies catcher Tony Wolters answered questions, via the MLB Fans App and Twitter, in the Edward Jones Chatting Cage on Wednesday.
You can watch the full 15-minute video, but here are a few highlights:
It's not just small talk with umpires. Wolters uses conversation to see how he can give the umpire a better chance at seeing that a borderline pitch is a strike.
"We kind of go back-and-forth with pitches, like, 'What did you think about that one?' Where did you have that one?' He'll tell me things like, 'Hey, I couldn't see that pitch.' Just little comments here and there, but for the most part we're back there doing our jobs, and we want to do the best for our jobs."
This browser does not support the video element.
Wolters grew up in the San Diego area. So you can pretty much guess his favorite player.
"Growing up, my favorite player was Tony Gwynn. He was always getting on base. He was kind of a hitter like me. I just try to hit those 150-footers over the infielders. I love his game. He could easily hit a home run whenever he wanted. He was just a gamer out there."
• Spring Training:Info | Tickets | Schedule | Gear
Wolters' first Major League home run came in his 36th game, off the D-backs' Shelby Miller in the Rockies' 11-6 victory over the D-backs at Coors Field on June 25, 2016.
"I was going around the bases trying to figure out how fast I should run … and I almost missed second."
Catching right-hander Tyler Chatwood can really hurt.
"The one pitcher that hurts my hand the most? Chatwood. His ball is always moving in some direction. It will move right at the last second. He just throws as hard as he can every time. There have been comments when I come back [to the dugout], 'You really got my thumb that last pitch.' … I think I probably say that once a game with him."
The changeup isn't the hardest pitch, but it may be the hardest to handle.
"It's an in-betweener. Changeups usually go down at the last second. And it's, 'OK, am I blocking or catching the ball?' ... Sometimes it'll cut. Sometimes it'll fade. With sliders and curveballs, you know the area it's going to go. The fastball, same thing. But the changeup is kind of a funky pitch."
This browser does not support the video element.
Other than Coors Field, Wolters most enjoyed Boston's Fenway Park during his rookie year last season.
"I got to sign the Green Monster," he said. "The fans were awesome. Getting to walk around the stadium, seeing the history, was pretty cool."
Had he not been such a good athlete, he'd want to entertain in another way.
"I'd probably be in a band, be a rock star," he said. "I think that would be a cool job, like a drummer or something.
"Or I'd probably be a coach. That's a hard question. I'd probably be in baseball. But a rock star would be a cool job."