Catching up on old times
PawSox’ Roberson was collegiate teammate of Sale
PAWTUCKET — Chris Sale was warming up for a live batting practice session during his first spring training with the Red Sox. There was a central element missing, however, as catcher Sandy Leon wasn’t done hitting.
That opened the door for Tim Roberson, Sale’s former battery mate and three-year teammate at Florida Gulf Coast University, to fill the void. Naturally, there was no hesitation on Roberson’s part as he grabbed his gear and hustled to meet Sale.
“I ran over and Chris was like, ‘Yeah, old times,’” recounted Roberson, one of two active catchers presently on the Pawtucket Red Sox roster.
Those “old times” in the Sunshine State were a sight to behold.
Sitting in the home dugout at McCoy Stadium recently, Roberson talked about what it was like to catch Sale during the left-hander’s turbocharged 2010 junior season in college. Roberson became that season’s primary catcher for FGSU by default after the Eagles lost two catchers to injuries. He hadn’t caught a single inning at the college level prior to that aforementioned campaign, having played exclusively at third base during his freshman and sophomore seasons.
“I was really the only guy left and had to fill that role,” said Roberson.
As luck would have it, the chemistry between Sale and Roberson was already well established prior to the introduction of the pitcher-catcher dynamic.
“The year he had, it was like men against boys. It was unbelievable. As a team and as a position player, we knew we were winning when he took the mound.” – Tim Roberson
They were teammates on the same Florida high school all-star team, became freshman roommates upon entering FGCU in 2008, and took numerous classes together since they both majored in the same field (criminal justice).
Between leaving the dorm for 6 a.m. lifting sessions, along with the many video game competitions and golf matches where Sale’s competitive side shone just as brightly as when he was on the mound for Florida Gulf Coast, Roberson had a pretty good idea of what made him tick.
“The type of person he is … he’s one of the best human beings I’ve ever met,” Roberson said. “He was a lot of fun to be around.”
Looking back, catching Sale in 2010 proved to be a breeze.
“I knew where everything was going. He knew where everything was going and because of that, he always hit his spots. That’s why he’s so good,” Roberson said. “I really didn’t have to do anything other than block the slider in the dirt.”
Sale pretty much toyed with the opposition in the months leading up to getting selected 13th overall in the 2010 Major League Baseball draft by the Chicago White Sox. He was named that year’s National Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball after going 11-0 with two saves and a 2.01 ERA with 146 strikeouts in 103 innings.
No one the Eagles faced in 2010 had an answer for Sale, Roberson recalled.
“The year he had, it was like men against boys. It was unbelievable,” Roberson said. “As a team and as a position player, we knew we were winning when he took the mound.
“He has a trust in himself and a trust in his stuff, but he can get mad when he puts runners on base. He’s one of the most ultimate competitors you’ll ever meet and that’s what you grow to love about him,” Roberson added. “Every time he steps on the mound, he wants to do one thing – go deep into the game and win it. That’s all he ever did in college and that’s what he’s doing now with the Red Sox. As a teammate, you can’t ask for too much more than that.”
The media attention surrounding Sale hit another level after Baseball America dubbed him as the No. 1 prospect in the Cape Cod League in 2009. The idea of laying low or flying under the radar wasn’t an option head- ing into his junior year at FGCU. “Everyone started to recognize who he was and what he was going to be,” Roberson said.
How Sale dealt with the spike in popularity where seemingly everyone wanted a piece of him, whether it was five minutes for an interview or an autograph, was just as impressive as how he carved up hitters. Looking back, Roberson felt Sale established an off-field protocol that continues to serve him very well – even in a baseball-crazed market like Boston.
“You want to eliminate as much as you can and focus on one thing. Simply, it’s going out to the mound and doing your job. He understands that very well,” Roberson said. “With anything in this game, you grow to learn what you need to focus on. I think he has it down to what he needs to do.”
Roberson was playing summer ball in Minnesota when Sale made his MLB debut with the White Sox exactly 60 days after getting drafted.
“We knew it wasn’t going to take him long to get to the majors because we had seen him through the years,” Roberson said. “I was super excited for him”
Roberson managed to keep in touch with Sale during the post-FGCU years. The PawSox catcher noted that he caught one of Sale’s final bullpen sessions while he was still a member of the White Sox. Spring training resembled a college reunion, with the pair at times reliving that memorable 2010 season.
“Junior year was so much fun. We made it fun for each other and it was good to reminisce about those memories a little bit during spring training,” Roberson said.
Even though they’re in the same organization, Roberson has resisted the urge to reach out to Sale during the season. Just like many around these parts, Roberson will be an interested onlooker when Sale takes the mound in Los Angeles on Friday night.
“I like to let him do what he’s doing and try to stay locked in as much as he can. Let him pitch,” Roberson said. “He’s earned everything he’s gotten thus far.”
Told that it’s a feather in his cap to be able to say he’s caught a two-time All-Star Game starting pitcher and one of the leading contenders for this year’s American League Cy Young award, Roberson quickly shifted the focus in Sale’s direction.
“All the credit goes to him. He’s worked his butt off to get to where he’s at,” Roberson said.