It’s hit or go home
Jays’ backup catcher Luke Maile didn’t pull his weight offensively last season — and it’s still eating him up inside
DUNEDIN — Luke Maile is a ballplayer, not a boxer. But he wasn’t pulling any punches this week when looking back on his 2017 season.
The Blue Jays’ No. 2 catcher was brutally honest on Saturday about the fact that he was highly disappointed in his offensive output and vows to be better in 2018.
Quite frankly, he’d better be, or he might be out of a job.
“Nobody has fun playing this game when they’re hitting .150,” said Maile, who hit .146 in 130 at-bats for the Jays last year. “It’s tough to sleep at night. It’s tough not to think about it when you’re eating lunch, eating dinner. It controls your life a little bit. But I intend on changing my sleep habits this year by being able to get a couple of hits before I put head on the pillow.”
Russell Martin will, of course, be the club’s No. 1 catcher, though he spoke this week about being smart in terms of when to take days off and rest his 35-year-old body. The Toronto-born catcher said the best year of his career was in 2014 when he appeared in 111 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates (107 as a starter) and took about every third day off. That season, Martin hit .290 with a .832 OPS.
So, Maile has a big opportunity in front of him. If Martin stays true to his word, he will probably play more games in the majors than ever before.
Defensively, Maile is outstanding, particularly calling a game. Almost without fail last season, whenever he was in the lineup, he was loudly praised by that day’s starter.
But his struggles at the plate took a toll and Maile realizes he has to produce with the bat or his long-term future as a major-league catcher may be in jeopardy, though manager John Gibbons is still a big fan.
“When he came back from his knee injury, I thought he swung the bat much better in that final month,” said Gibbons. “There were a number of times when he got nothing to show for it (even though) he barrelled most of the balls. But in that role (as a backup catcher), I like a guy that does a great job with the pitching staff and he proved to us last year that he can do that.”
“I think we need him,” added
Jays starter Marco Estrada. “He’s a guy I liked pitching to. Even if the bat isn’t there, he brings a lot to the table when he’s behind the dish. He calls really good games and he’s got a cannon, so not too many guys try to steal off him. It’s a lot more than just hitting.”
Maile started his minorleague career in the Tampa Bay Rays organization with a reputation as a catcher who was good defensively and could hit. He hit no lower than .268 in his first three years in the minors, with some pop. It hasn’t followed him to The Show, however.
“The numbers that I put up (last year), somebody should be able to do with one arm and one leg,” he said. “It wasn’t good. I’ve admitted that many times. I’m not going to stop admitting it, but I am going to forget about it too.”
Maile readily admitted that whenever the media approached him after a game last season and relayed to him the praise the starting pitcher directed his way, he would roll his eyes. Basically, he was sick and tired of being told all the time that he caught a great game, while going 0-for-4.
“I wasn’t really annoyed (at you guys), it was more with myself,” said Maile. “I definitely don’t want to be put into a box where you get that ‘defensive’ label. I’m willing to earn a different label this year. I think the key for me having success at the plate is staying healthy, swinging at better pitches and I think just overall being more patient. I think last year I got into some situations where I pressed a little bit too much.”
As Gibbons pointed out, Maile played in pain for much of last season, which was later found out to be a torn meniscus in his knee, and that took away some power in his swing. But he doesn’t use that as an excuse.
“I don’t doubt my talent up there, I don’t doubt my size and my strength," said Maile, who stands at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds. “I think I get into trouble when I start to put too much weight on each and every at-bat. It’s a good fault to have, but it’s a bad fault to have at the same time. I care so much. I want to do so well, I want to impress, all the normal feelings that you have as a ballplayer, but making everything slow down is something I need to learn how to do more often.”