from the Yankees Magazine

October (?) 1997

BY JON LANE

The grades are in for `97, and Jorge Posada showed he had what it took to pass the muster in the major leagues.

Posada was named the backup catcher in spring training, replacing Jim Leyritz. Jorge Posada knew it was only a matter of time before he'd get a real chance to prove his worth to the Yankees. After all, he grew up with baseball in his blood--the passion bequeathed in him though observing his father, Jorge Sr., scout major league games. The innate ability to call a game, handle pitchers and swing a pretty good stick catapulted him through the Yankee farm system to catch Dwight Gooden in mini-camp last season, and subsequently a spot on the bench during the World Series.

However sitting on the bench wasn't enough for Posada; it was hard enough he was third-string behind Joe Girardi and Jim Leyritz during the Bombers' championship run. Entering 1997, Leyritz was gone and Posada proved himself worthy of an understudy after winning the annual James P. Dawson award as the Yankees' top rookie in spring training.

Understudy being the operative word. Girardi's savvy, defense, durability and handling of pitchers firmly entrenched him as the starting catcher since his arrival last season, leaving Posada and Yankee observers to wonder when he would ever get his full-time shot. Catching Gooden alone after establishing a connection during mini-camp was one thing. Playing every day is something else.

"He was in a tough situation [up here] where in the minor leagues he played every day," said Derek Jeter. "To come up here and not play every day, it's kind of hard to produce and get into a groove. Once he started playing every day he got better and better."

Without warning, Girardi suffered a non-displaced fracture of the left 3rd fingertip against Baltimore on September 4th, vaulting Posada in a position to handle the physical and mental responsibilities of being a major-league catcher, while in the heat of a pennant race. All he did was solidify his standing as a reliable player ready and willing to step in at a moment's notice--going 7-for-21 with a home run and five RBI during the Yankees season ending eight-game homestand. He provided the most fireworks on September 17 against Detroit with a 3-for-4, four-RBI performance, including a two-run dinger, in a 6-2 win. The four RBI established a career high.

After the game Posada felt he needed to be more aggressive at the plate. "I wasn't being aggressive early in the count so when it was early in the count I just took advantage of that," he said while recollecting his performance. "I have a good eye and I have to keep swinging the bat."

In grading Posada's first real test, it's safe to say he passed with flying colors. His hitting earned him bonus points; his work behind the plate merited a gold star.

"I think he's done a great job," said Jeff Nelson. "I've always enjoyed throwing to him and he's always moved around the plate well. As far as calling the game, he's just learning the pitchers so I think he's done a pretty good job of knowing whose stuff is good that day or when a reliever comes in and what their strengths are--I think he's picked that up pretty quickly. I always enjoy throwing to him because he moves around and give you a good location. If a guy gets on base, he's got a good arm to throw him out so you're confident in that."

"He couldn't have done any better," added Gooden about Posada's overall play. "He's getting better the more and more he catches and his offense is definitely going to improve; he's shown that. I think he's going to be a very, very good catcher in the near future and he's probably ready to be a number one catcher now."

Playing under the spotlight of a pennant race meant nothing to Posada, except stepping up when the team, and especially his pitchers, needed him the most. "He doesn't let anything bother him," Nelson said. "He could easily, being that the Yankees are in the playoffs and being a winning team all the time, let all that get to him, but he doesn't. He handles it very well and it's almost good that he did get the opportunity to play when Joe went down because he got his feet wet a little more instead of sitting on the bench wondering when he was going to play."

"I think I took great advantage of [the opportunity]," Posada said. "Every time you're out there you learn, you get more experienced and you know the opposing hitters and pitchers. I think it's a great experience anytime you're out there. That's the only way you can learn."

Posada's progression also was vital to the Yankees' chances in the playoffs. In the past two seasons, Leyritz was an adequate backup to Mike Stanley in 1995 and Girardi last year. It was unknown how capable Posada was due to limited playing time. Now the Yankees again have needed depth behind the plate--a testament to the farm system according to Joe Torre.

"Jorge got an opportunity to play which is good for us and good for him because he got a chance to catch all the pitchers and now we have a little more of an experienced backup into the postseason than we would have otherwise," Torre said.

"I think it was good because we're going to need him, just in case Joe goes down, in the playoffs, instead of if he went down and Jorge had no time at all during the season," Nelson added. "But now he's hitting the ball well, he's won some games for us, he's come through in the clutch and he's catching a great game so it's definitely a plus for all of us."

Posada received compliments from his teammates on how he handled his rookie season. Not to mention Gooden, who by chance had Posada behind the plate in each of his starts, forming a chemistry between the two since that first session in mini-camp. "Since then he felt comfortable with me. I was calling the pitches he wanted to throw, I got used to him and I get the best out of him," Posada recalled.

Gooden remembered a similar situation with the Mets in the early 1990's, when Charlie O'Brien served as his personal catcher. "I was kidding with Jorge the other day, calling him a young Charlie O'Brien!" he said with a laugh. "They have similar mechanics, the same type of frame, the same attitude and as a young catcher--once in a while fooling around making mistakes.

"I'm very comfortable throwing to him, no offense to Girardi," Gooden added. "He works hard and takes his game very personally. If a pitcher, or myself, is struggling, he's struggling as well. I threw to him a little bit in mini-camp last year and I liked the way he set up and worked then so I felt very comfortable throwing to him and I think, with the exception of having Girardi here, he's definitely a first-line catcher."

It really was inevitable when Posada would scratch the surface of his potential. He's been around baseball all his life--with his uncle Leo once a minor league hitting instructor for the Los Angeles Dodgers and now a baseball instructor in Miami. Jorge Sr., currently a scout for the Colorado Rockies in the Caribbean, imbued the necessary know-how to complement his son's gifted skills in molding a prototypical, thinking-man's catcher. "He would go over different prospects with me and what he liked about them," Posada said. "I always put that in my mind and tried to do what he liked in a baseball game. He taught me a lot being right next to him. I've been around baseball all my life and that's a big help.

"Since I was a little kid I always had my hopes on making the big leagues and nothing was going to stop me from making it here and nothing is going to stop me from becoming the player I want to be," Posada added while reflecting a six-year plight through the minors. "You set your goal on the highest point and I think I have a lot to go to reach the point I want to be."

In the case of Posada, patience has its virtue. However the work ahead of the young apprentice is far from over. As this issue of Yankees Magazine went to press, Posada was in preparation for the 1997 postseason and the defense of his team's championship. Last October he was on the bench, but he took the time to observe, to learn and to handle the thrill of victory. With each memory stored in the bank, the lessons will never stop. Posada insists he needs to take it to another level, and credits his continuing development to Jeter--his best friend--outside the game, and Girardi when he dons the mask.

"Joe is helping me with the mental game of baseball and he's very tough at that," Posada said. "He's like my big brother here and he's helped me tremendously. He's been around the league and he knows what needs to be accomplished to be here. He once told me, 'Don't lose your job because somebody is working harder than you are. Lose your job because somebody is playing better than you are.' I always think about that."