Catalanotto - The Unsung Hero

A ballclub consists of 25 players. Though you surely all know that, a lot of people tend to forget about the players on successful teams who play smaller roles. Frank Catalanotto is hardly considered a big part of the puzzle for the Jays of 2004, though he just may turn out to be one of the reasons of success or failure.

The winter of 2002 was one that saw J.P. Riccardi lock up the two biggest offensive pieces of his long-term puzzle with the five year deals banged out with Vernon Wells and Eric Hinske. It was also a time that saw the Jays acquire that second starter they so desperately needed. For that, they sought the fourth member of Oakland’s strong staff in Cory Lidle. That’s what we remember when we think of the off season following the 2001 Major League season. The signing of veteran Frank Catalanotto to a one year $1 million dollar contract was little more than an afterthought.


The Jays soon realized why Oakland was known for the "big three" pitchers in their rotation and not their top four, and Hinske had an injury riddled sophomore slump. Lidle is now in Cincinnati, and while Wells and Hinske remain key components of the Jays future, the signing of Catalanotto has proven to be a very nice addition.


On a personal note, my first memory of “Cat” was back in 1998. Then a member of the Detroit Tigers, Frank was creating quite a buzz in the Motor City with his bat. Legendary broadcaster Ernie Harwell raved about how "this kid was an exceptional hitter who was wasting away on the Tigers bench." It wasn’t very long after hearing those comments from Ernie that the Tigers decided that this was a player who they needed to make room for in their lineup. Detroit benched gold glove caliber shortstop Deivi Cruz and moved all-star second baseman Damian Easley over to short. Quite a shuffle for a team that had a solid foundation up the middle to begin with. In just over two hundred at bats, Catalanotto finished with a line of .282/.325/.446 while seeing time at second, first and in the outfield.


After two and a half seasons of part time duty in Detroit, Catalanotto was sent along with Justin Thompson and others to the Texas Rangers in exchange for star slugger Juan Gonzalez in the winter of 1999. Texas had been having trouble negotiating a contract extension with Gonzalez and with him being a year away from free agency, they felt they needed to get something for him before he left for nothing. While Thompson, a promising young left-hander, was a big part of the deal for Texas, they also wanted to ensure that they didn’t lose too much offense and thus got Cat as a solid bat in the deal.


The move to Texas was seen as an opportunity to become a full-time player after being used sporadically in Detroit, but at the same time Cat had to deal with the pressure of trying to replace one of the best power hitters in the game. In three seasons in Texas he put up very solid OPSs of .832, .881 and .807 respectively. Each of those figures eclipsed his seasons in Detroit. In 2001 he had a breakthrough season with his .330 average putting him among the top hitters in the American League.


Frank Catalanotto has always been an excellent Major-league hitter but two things have stopped him from gaining the respect that other hitters like him has received. One is his inability to play defense. Frank has always been considered inadequate with the glove regardless of the position he plays. The Tigers and Rangers each struggled to find an everyday home for his bat, and at this point in his career the Blue Jays have decided that his defensive inadequacy is limited in the outfield, which explains why he was never called on to play second last season. This season he moves from right field to left field, a position that suits both his arm and his comfort level. He has been quoted as enjoying the angles out in left much more so than right, and his surgically repaired shoulder is not well suited for the longer throws that come with being in right field.


The second reason Catalanotto doesn’t get a lot of respect is his inability to hit left handed pitching, evidenced by his .176 average last season. While his averages have been in line with some elite hitters in baseball he hasn’t had the cumulative stats of these elite hitters since he has been relegated to platoon roles throughout his career. Even when completely healthy he is looking at 450 at bats, compared to full time hitters who often approach and surpass 600 at bats.


Despite the obvious inefficiencies in his game Frank Catalanotto can flat out hit, he has proven that he is a professional hitter with career averages of .297/.359/.465. He is a great clutch hitter as shown by his .975 OPS with runners in scoring position last year.


Jays’ fans tend think of the future they think of the young outfield studs Alexis Rios and Gabe Gross who project to be Catalanotto type hitters without the deficiencies. But they don’t leave a spot for the 29-year-old Cat. As a Jays fan I would be very happy to see Frank Catalanotto still with us three years from now. He’s a solid piece of this ballclub, and just might turn out to be the team’s unsung hero if a playoff run were to happen.

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