When Francisco Cervelli was traded from the New York Yankees to the Pittsburgh Pirates, expectations immediately rose. He was, after all, replacing Russell Martin.
Martin was a clear leader of the Pirates and was well-liked by his teammates and fans as well as the media. Martin was known for having a tireless work ethic and was always willing to put his teammates needs above his own.
“It’s been so much fun to see him thrive in this environment, take charge, learn and get better,” catching coach Brad Fischer said. “It’s fun to see him fulfill his expectations.”
Cervelli was an unknown commodity of sorts when he came to the Pirates, and his durability was a large question mark. After all, the most games Cervelli had played in a season was 93, which occurred in 2010.
The victim of several freak injuries, Cervelli had played a combined 69 games in the past three seasons.
Knowing what was at stake, Cervelli worked harder than he had ever before and the results are starting to show. Heading into Monday night’s road contest against the Miami Marlins, Cervelli has established a new career high in games played [97], at-bats [337], hits [103], home runs [6] and WAR 2.2.
Pirates head athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk has been credited by many inside and outside of the organization for keeping players healthy, however in this case, Tomczyk gave the credit to the player himself.
“It started way before us, it started in the off-season,” Tomczyk said. “He has an unbelievable work ethic and he took care of himself even before we got him. Anything consistent he did before he got to us and we just add to it. He has an unbelievable mindset, he knows how to prepare himself on and off the field.”
Perhaps no one knows better of Cervelli’s peaks and valleys than Chris Stewart. Stewart was with the Yankees in 2012 and ’13 and was Cervelli’s teammate.
Stewart acknowledged the freak injuries which include taking a foul tip off his knuckle which broke said knuckle. It created a change in mindset for Cervelli.
“He’s just smarter about his routine so credit to him for staying healthy,” said Stewart. “I said in Spring Training that if he stayed healthy the whole season, that it would have a huge impact and it’s obvious with what’s he’s been doing all year.”
This season has not been an easy one for Cervelli. Catchers are prone to be victims of foul tips, however, both Cervelli and manager Clint Hurdle openly admit that he has taken more hits than most catchers and referred to them as battle scars.
“He battles through and toughs it out,” Stewart said. “He does whatever it takes to help the team win and you can’t say more than that.”
Stewart meanwhile recognizes that Cervelli is the starter. While that may create competition in many clubhouses, Stewart does not feel that way and is content.
“I’m here to win baseball games regardless of if I am in or not,” said Stewart. “I’d rather be sitting on a winning team than starting on a losing team so he’s helping us win ball games and that’s all I care about.”
Much of Cervelli’s comeback involves his attitude as well. Fischer states that Cervelli is a high energy guy and this is displayed on and off the field. His passion is evident with everyone he interacts with and Fischer also says that his desire to prove to everyone that he is an every day player is strong.
As a catcher, Cervelli is already a leader of sorts since there are 13 players he is held accountable for. Cervelli, however, has been able to extend his role beyond that.
“He holds the bar high and plays the game hard,” Fischer said.
Photo credit: Jared Wickerham/Getty Images
