Francisco Cervelli is a player who came in with the Pittsburgh Pirates and made an impact that certainly exceeded fans expectations. He came in as a leader of the team and led all catchers in framing runs above average. But perhaps his patience was the biggest reason for success.
“I just try to keep it simple and not do too much that way I can recognize pitches a little better,” he said.
It sounds very simple, especially when you can back it with a .290 batting average while playing in a career-high 130 games but is it really?
Cervelli looks for every advantage he can get at the plate, and it can change on any given night.
One thing is clear, he does not get cheated upon stepping to the plate. Among all major league players in 2015, Cervelli ranked fourth lowest with 21.5 swing percentage of balls outside of the strike zone.
When Chris Stewart was given this fact, it did not stop him in his tracks. He was certainly not surprised at how disciplined his fellow catcher was.
“He’s got a great eye up there at the plate,” he said. “I sit and watch the games on TV, and I just see him reading the ball out of a pitcher’s hand really early. He reads them earlier than most guys and that’s a huge asset for going at the plate. He works counts and if he’s down 0-2 it’s not long until he has it back to 3-2. It just goes to show he has a great eye at the plate and more often than not will find a way to get on base.”
Stewart does feel that Cervelli has an advantage being behind the plate. He can gauge an umpire’s strike zone, and that can present a unique advantage when it comes time to bat.
Cervelli himself acknowledges this possibility but it can only go so far. It comes down to having a good focus at the plate and perhaps most importantly, being aware of your own skill set.
“First of all, I try to know what type of hitter I am and where I can [get] better,” said Cervelli. “I just try to see pitches and hit what I like. When I start swinging too much is when I have problems. I just want to give good at-bats, and it’s all that matters. If you go there and try to hit base hits every time, you can be frustrated but you can go up there and have a plan to just have a good at-bat.”
Once these tools are processed, it comes down to self-assessment.
Cervelli feels he is in tune with what allows him to have a good approach at the plate. It is why he is hitting .353 through Saturday and also has eight walks to six strikeouts.
“The difference between here and Triple-A is that we are supposed to make adjustments quick,” Cervelli said. “When I swing at pitches out of the zone and I don’t have my lower half, something is wrong. Seeing pitches allows me to control movement of my body.”
Cervelli’s approach is now one which his teammates have had to adjust to.
No longer is this offense known as a power offense and instead teammates have been much more selective at the plate with the mindset of making starting pitchers earn every out.
That certainly is no issue for Cervelli. He takes pride in being able to help out his team by grinding out at-bats.
“I want to be on base because I trust the guy behind me,” he said. “This year that is (Gregory) Polanco, so I want to be there just for my team. I’m not going up there to think about me, my numbers … I just want to help the team. I just know if I can do that then it’s going to be a success.”
This new offensive mindset has resulted in players to buy-in and try to come up with their own unique strike zones. It is no longer about the big hit, but getting on base for the next batter to find success.
“Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not, but you have to stay with one plan,” said Cervelli. “Baseball is crazy because if you get three hits in 10 at-bats, you are a superstar. These guys here just have a good idea about who they are, and we just go from that. We don’t have big power but we can do big damage in other departments.”
