You surprise yourself on some balls off the bat. You don't think you have a chance to catch it. And then your natural ability just takes over.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
You fool around with different pitches playing catch, but it's not the same when you've got to face some guy with a bat in his hand.
I love catching, being involved in every pitch of the game; obviously, it beats you up both mentally and physically.
But through experience I learned to control my body and locate the ball.
Because I'm fairly big, I like to use my body. So I'll control the ball, even when there's a player on me, and then I'll pass.
I had an instinct before and maybe now I don't have that instinct as much as knowing what to do, what shots to hit, where to place the ball, things like that.
You have to have a catcher because if you don't you're likely to have a lot of passed balls.
For me, that's natural. The instinct to score comes naturally and if you have it, you've got to go to it.
They throw the ball, I hit it. They hit the ball, I catch it.
You got the ball in your hands and you're in command, and if you get your good pitch where you want it, nobody's gonna hit you.
I just like the ball in my hands whether I'm running it or catching it.