PITTSBUGH — When Michael McKenry was acquired from Boston Red Sox’s Triple-A Pawtucket on June 13, he immediately was thrown behind the plate not having caught a single Pirates pitcher. But McKenry handled it well, recording a 3.73 ERA over his 54 starts behind home plate (485.0 innings caught) during the 2011 season. His work behind the plate gave him the nickname, “the fort” by Pirates broadcasters Greg Brown and Bob Walk.
But at the plate, however, McKenry struggled, batting just .222 with 17 runs, 12 doubles, two home runs and 11 RBI with Pittsburgh. This offseason, McKenry worked on hitting during the Fall Instructional League, which was held in Bradenton, Fla.
“It went really well. It was my first time in Bradenton,“ Said McKenry, who was in Pittsburgh for PirateFest last weekend. “The facilities there are great…I didn’t know what to expect. It was really my first time to see all that. It’s beautiful. I actually stayed in Pirate City with all the young guys. I played ping pong at night with them. I just had a good time.”
McKenry also worked with Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle this offseason. Hurdle has spent some of his Managerial career as hitting coach, most recently with the Texas Rangers in 2010, who won the American League Pennant.
The lessons learned from Hurdle were invaluable.
“My work with Clint was phenomenal,“ McKenry said. “I actually came back up to Pittsburgh right before Thanksgiving and worked with him again. Whenever I get an opportunity, I’ve tried to make some time and he’s been really good with me and made his time available. He’s a busy man.”
McKenry said he contributes to his struggles at the plate during the 2011 season to be more mental, rather than physical.
“The biggest thing was more in my head than the physical tools of it,“ he said. “But it’s getting past those little things that you got to tweak. We’re all here for a reason. A big part of us being here is being mentally sound day in and day out, not worrying about the valleys or the peaks, just trying to stay level headed and clear minded, and just remember what it’s like to play this game like a little kid.”
Heading into the 2012 season, McKenry has a good chance of making the club as the No. 2 catcher. The Pirates signed veteran Rod Barajas to a one-year contract in November. Despite not having met Barajas, who has caught the parts of 13 seasons in the Majors, McKenry is looking forward to picking his brain this season.
“I’m really looking forward to it,“ McKenry said. “He’s an older guy, he’s a guy I can learn from. I’m really looking forward to just kind of latching right next to him, keep my mouth shut and my ears open and let him feed me full of information. A guy that’s been around for that long and has that much to give, I’m kind of fired up about it.”
Photo credit: Yahoo! Sports
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