The Tri-City Dust Devils began the 2008 season with just two catchers, Jhaysson Agustin and Jordan Pacheco.
And one of them Pacheco, an infielder with the 2007 Dust Devils was just learning the position.
And things got a little scary the day before the team left for Vancouver for opening day when Agustin got hit on the left wrist in batting practice.
A good, well-balanced catcher is harder to come by than you might think. A good hitter is one thing, but to be able to handle a pitching staff and be a dependable receiver is another.
Ask Lars Davis, a third-round pick out of Illinois last season, who struggled to field the position all season. One of his biggest problems was a large frame hes 6-foot-3 that he just couldnt move around deftly enough to block wild pitches and handle the daily grind behind the plate.
But Pacheco should be an interesting study behind the plate this season. Hes a bit smaller at 6-1 and is much more agile. He played second base and shortstop for Casper and Tri-City last season.
If youre asking how that prepares him for a season behind the plate, youre asking the right question.
He profiled more as a catcher than as an infielder, said Dust Devils manager Fred Ocasio. So far hes done a good job. Hes dropped a couple of balls so far, but he catches a pretty good game.
Granted, Ocasio made those comments before Sundays 7-4 loss to Salem-Keizer, during which Volcanoes runners stole four bases against Pacheco, whose throws to second at times had a tendency to sail high and right.
He did throw out two runners, though: One at second and another at third with nice throws a few feet above the bag.
Pacheco was as surprised as anyone when asked to make the switch.
I was a little bit in shock. I didnt know what they saw in me, Pacheco said. They gave me a bunch of reasons, though.
Lately, the Dust Devils have given Pacheco and Agustin a little bit more company behind the backstop, bringing in Johnny Bowden, another 2007 Dust Devil; and major leaguer Adam Melhuse, who is coming through on a rehabilitation stint.
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Diamond and the Rough
Diamond and the Rough
In the wide world of sportraiture, I have always struggled with baseball . The culture of the diamond makes it hard to single out the gems on a team. While I am far from an expert, my theory is that baseball teams depend on depth more than any sport. You could have the best pitcher in history on your team, but he's only going to throw in a minority percentage of your games. This means teammates often jeer at whomever I'm photographing.
I was reminded of this during the Dust Devils' media day when Leonardo Reyes messed with Isaiah Froneberger while I was shooting head shots of all the players:
Dust Devils finish off 3-game home sweep of Bears
Dust Devils finish off 3-game home sweep of Bears
It's been a trying summer for Tri-City outfielder Jaron Shepherd.
The 2011 draft pick came into Saturday's game against Yakima hitting just .250 with two extra base hits and two RBIs.
That all changed in a hurry, as the speedy right fielder had his first career three-hit game, leading the Dust Devils to a 7-2 victory in Northwest League action.
LIVE BLOG: NWL division series, Dust Devils at Boise Hawks, Game 2
LIVE BLOG: NWL division series, Dust Devils at Boise Hawks, Game 2
With a win tonight, the Tri-City Dust Devils would win their first-ever playoff series. They looked awfully good during a 6-0 win over the Boise Hawks last night at Memorial Stadium.
Christian Bergman put together his normal brilliant outing, tossing seven shutout innings — his eighth outing of 7 innings or more and also the eighth time he's held the opponent without a run.
But one thing I've been impressed with about this team is they do the little things to win. It's true that guys like Tim Smalling, Brian Humphries and Tyler Massey are among the league leaders in extra base hits, runs and RBIs, but guys like Jared Simon, Leonardo Reyes, Juan Crousset and Jaron Shepherd have done a great job keeping things going with clutch hits and plus at bats.
LIVE BLOG: Dust Devils vs. Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, Game 2
LIVE BLOG: Dust Devils vs. Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, Game 2
Congratulations to Dust Devils manager Freddie Ocasio for earning his second Northwest League manager of the year honor!!
Tri-City got two other nods on the NWL all-star team. One was Christian Bergman – a no-brainer — and the other was left-handed reliever Kenneth Roberts. I knew it was going to be a tough choice in the end, but some awfully good pitchers were going to get left off the team.
I thought Nelson Gonzalez had an excellent shot at being named, and Tyler Gagnon certainly deserved some consideration after winning NWL pitcher of the week twice this season.
LIVE BLOG: NWL division series, Dust Devils at Boise Hawks, Game 1
LIVE BLOG: NWL division series, Dust Devils at Boise Hawks, Game 1
Getting an early start on today's NWL Divisional Series blog between the Tri-City Dust Devils and Boise Hawks.
Hitched a ride to Boise with Dust Devils radio play-by-play man Jason Schwartz at 10 a.m. this morning. Our other passenger was Erik Mertens, best known as Erik the Peanut Guy. It was a fun trip with two great guys, and we all had a lot to talk about.
Erik and Jason had a good discussion about their favorite team logos and team colors — both are long-time aficionados. They were going back and forth with thoughts about improving the Dust Devils logo. I'll tell you, these two might have missed a calling as graphic artists.
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