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Headlines that told Doumit's 2008 season story
Doumit's 2008 featured on Scout.com
Oct. 12, 2008 -- Ryan Doumit's successful 2008 - a season that he previously said he expected to go into as a sometimes right
fielder and strong bat off the bench - was a great season in his native position behind the dish - and recently featured on
PiratesDugout.com.
Doumit came away with career high numbers and started more games as catcher than ever in his big league career.
In the article, he says the turning point for him started before the season, when he committed to a new conditioning regimen,
lost weight, and came into mini-camp and later Spring Training in the best shape of his career. Only a fractured thumb on
a freak pitch and a concussion kept him out of regular play all season.
Doumit told Scout.com, which oversees the dugout sites for each team:
"I proved to myself that I can do it," he offered. "It's a good feeling to know what it takes to keep my
body in the best shape physically and I'm going to continue that."
"I think it is the recipe for success," Doumit said. "I take a look at the reward of it and it's a regimen
that I'm probably going to follow the rest of my career."
Doumit also shared some hope for 2009, saying there are pieces in place to do special things, and that there is definitely
a desire in the clubhouse to compete, and to win.
To read the full article, go to www.PiratesDugout.com and please be forewarned you have to join the site, and buy at least
a month to read the article. If you'd rather not, email the administrator of this site and she'll hook you up - no fan should
go without Doumit stories - especially in the off season, when pickings are slim.
Doumit's 15th homerun of the season
Doumit was 40 at-bats away from title race
Oct.
6, 2008 -- This question was a common one among Ryan Doumit fans as the season wound down from mid-August through September
call-ups: How close was he to a batting title?
Speculation on talk radio and by the voices of the Pirates calling the game
and providing the color was that Skipper John Russell didn't rest Doumit much because of his chance at the batting title.
When it looked impossible for him to get the at-bats as the season wound down, he still wasn't rested often, and Russell later
said he wanted Doumit to finish the season strong, work on what he needed to work on, and be behind the plate as the starting
catcher (that quote is below in an article if you scroll down). That's despite having three other catchers available after
September call-ups.
Doumit was on the disabled list once for a fractured thumb after an errant pitch from Phil (Dead-to-me) Dumatrait and
missed about a week's worth of games due to a concussion during a series with the Chicago White Sox where he took three foul
balls off the mask in a single game. (Pro-Doumit baseball gods have since eliminated the White Sox from the playoffs. Sometimes
the universe takes care of itself.)
From the Pirates Mail Bag today on the official team site:
"How close was Ryan Doumit to having enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title?
-- Alsberg E., Northbrook, Ill.
Doumit fell about 40 at-bats short of qualifying for the batting title. But Doumit's .318 average was fourth in the league
among all players with at least 425 at-bats. He trailed Chipper Jones (.364), Albert Pujols (.357) and Matt Holliday (.327).
On a side note, Doumit's average was the best mark in the NL for catchers and trailed only Minnesota's Joe Mauer (.337)
among all catchers in the Majors."
Doumit graded
on season performance
Sept. 30,
2008 -- The end-of-season report cards are coming out on players through a variety of media and blog sites. Keep
in mind that these are all observations by people whose opinions mean nothing. In a class with a lot of grades of C or lower,
Doumit and few others made the honor-roll, so to speak, based on these evaluations.
From the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette:
Ryan Doumit
- Key numbers: .318, 15 HR, 69 RBIs, 34 2B, 55 K, 23 BB in 431 at-bats
- Highlight: Average led all league catchers -- though missing six weeks kept him out of batting race --
and quashed doubt about hitting from right side with .330 average, five home runs
- Lowlight: Receiving improved defensively, but game-calling and managing basepaths -- threw out 21 percent
of base-stealers -- still need work
- Grade: A-minus
- 2009 status: First-year arbitration-eligible after making $412,000 and will be tendered, but will be
approached about multiyear extension
He also ended the season with an On Base Percentage of .357 and
a Slugging Percentage of .501.
| Hot at the plate |
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| Ryan Domit connects. (photo courtesy of www.freddysanchez.net) |
Final series: Doumit clubs No. 15
Sept. 28, 2008 -- In the 6-3 victory of the
opening game of the final series of Pittsburgh Pirates 2008, Ryan Doumit's 15th homer to right off San Diego Padres reliever Mike Ekstrom (0-2) broke a 1-1 tie
in the sixth.
The hit brought Doumit's batting average with runners in scoring position to a National League leading .411.
Doumit's 15 home runs are the most by a Pirate catcher in a season since Mark
Parent hit 15 in
1995. The club record is 17, set in 1965 by Jim Pagliaroni. In over a century of baseball, no Pirate backstop has hit
20 home runs in a year. (thanks to the Green Weenie blog for that fact.)
| Smoking at the plate |
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| Connecting for another hit. (Dr. Kenneth Ung photo) |
Doumit does not go gently into season's end
Sept. 22, 2008 -- Ryan
Doumit was the starting catcher in the season opener and the home opener back in the spring. At the final home game of the
season, even having caught the night before which usually means he gets a rest in the following Sunday day game, Doumit got
the start.
He had a second, consecutive 3-for-4 game at the plate.
Skipper John Russell said he wanted his best lineup on the field
for the final home game of the season, and that means Doumit is catching.
Saturday night against the Astros before a sell-out crowd, Doumit
went 3-for-4 at the plate, including a ripper down the right field line and two in the gap. He scored a run and had three
RBI, in addition to a stellar play with starting catcher Jimmy Barthmaier in the first, one out, a man on first and third,
and Doumit completed a strike-him-out-throw-him-out play to help Barthmeier get a scoreless first. The Pirates won 6-4.
On Sunday, the offense sputtered in a Ross Ohlendorf start, and
still Doumit went 3-for-4 again, ending the game with a .326 average, second among all major league catchers.
This from the Post-Gazette regarding Sunday's game:
The lone offensive highlights: Ryan Doumit
had three hits a second consecutive game, despite making a rare afternoon start because Russell wanted his best lineup on
the field for the home finale.
"That showed me something," Russell said.
"I'm proud of Ryan in a lot of ways."
Heating up the homestand
Sept. 19, 2008 -- When the Pirates played the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday
night, Ryan Doumit went 3 for 4 in the game with a two-run homerun, two RBI singles, a flyout and a walk. He brought in the
first two runs of the game and then broke the 7-7 tie in the 8-run seventh with his homerun lined to left. It was his 14th
homerun of the year and his first at PNC Park since July 7.
During a recent broadcast, Pirates long-time playcall man Lanny Fratere had brought up the
subject of Doumit's home run volume. The man said he expected 25 or more out of the starting catcher. It was explained by
Color Analyst and former Pirate John Wehner that Doumit does a better job this year of spraying the ball all over the field,
instead of just pulling it and knocking it to the seats - hence the career high and team leading batting average while guys
with more homeruns have lower averages and on-base percentages than Ryan does.
Doumit sat for most of the afternoon game against the Dodgers Thursday, the fourth and final
game in that series. He came in late when the game went into extra innings. Typically, he has sat a day game after a night
game. In the previous Sunday's game, backup catcher Raul Chavez caught, and it was only his 10th start since the All-Star
break in mid-July.
The opening game against the Astros Friday night - the first of three fan-appreciation weekend
games at PNC to close the home season, didn't go as delightfully. The Bucs lost 5-1 and Ryan went 0-for-4.
Pirate players were to be at the gates from 5:30-6 p.m. before the game to greet fans
and thank them for their loyalty this year. Remember - if anyone out there talked to Ryan or took his picture, it would
be great to have it here on the site. Use the administrator email at the bottom of any page to begin the sharing process that
will be very much appreciated and you will, of course, get all the credit.
New photos of Ryan from the Wednesday night clubbing of LA are on his photo page. Newest photos
are always at the top.
Links to video from MLB.com showing highlights of Superman's Wednesday performance are below.
Two more games will be photographed for this site - Saturday and Sunday.
Doumit drives in four RBI Sept. 17
Still finding categories to excel in
Sept. 16, 2008 -- The Pirates have lost the first
two games of a four-game series against the playoff-bound Los Angeles Dodgers, with two more games against that team before
a series against Houston to end the final homestand of the year.
The Pirates swept the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend. At that
time, Ryan Doumit led ALL national league hitters in batting average with runners in scoring position - .383 - in games with
at least .62 plate appearances.
There will be three more opportunities for original photos on this
Web site from PNC park this concluding homestand: from the Wednesday, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon games.
Sunday is fan appreciation day, and in addition to the PBC giving
away a trip to the final series of the season at San Diego and a car, the players will give the shirts off their backs to
lucky fans.
(I admit to thinking so far ahead that I bought the tickets
for Sunday's game in March, and they are WAY down the right field line. At the time me and my cohorts figured either Ryan
or Xavier Nady would be in right and we'd be close. How wrong we were. Because of that, I have little hope of getting a picture
of the fan who gets Ryan's shirt. I just hope they take every precaution to preserve it the same way the Smithsonian preserves
the Declaration of Independence. Both are national treasures.)
Working on a season that proves the label
wrong
From the Post-Gazette Pirate Chat Transcript
Aug. 13:
SeanE: Speaking of (Catcher
Ronny) Paulino and the catchers spot in general, is there some concern that (Ryan) Doumit has taken a beating back there this
year? Clearly his bat needs to be in the lineup but is management worried that keeping him behind the plate may not be in
his long term best interests?
Dejan Kovacevic: Doumit
wants to play every day, to establish the durability he has failed to show in years past. No question, he wants that even
more than the offensive numbers. He is sick of the oft-injured label.
Doumit, Pirates return to PNC one last time this season
Sept. 12, 2008 -- The Pittsburgh Pirates fled Houston
before Hurricane Ike could land and it was none too soon to forget that series, where the Bucs were swept in four.
Going into Wednesday night's game, Ryan Doumit was 9 for 20 in the
last nine games with a .450 batting average and four RBI.
Despite the load of catchers on the bench, including backup catcher
Raul Chavez and September call-ups Ronny Paulino, the former Pirates starting catcher; and Robinzon Diaz, a catcher acquired
in the Jose Bautista trade; Doumit has been the fixture behind the plate, starting all but the Sunday afternoon game in this
past road trip which started with three against the Reds, three against the Giants then four against the Astros. He's been
rested in late innings in one game, when Manager John Russell pulled some of the every day starters late in a game that wasn't
even close.
Russell had said at the time of September call-ups that he wouldn't
bench Doumit for the other three for several reasons, including him wanting Ryan to continue to work on some things and finish
the season strong.
Pirates long time play-by-play guy Lanny Fratere broadcasting
on FSN Pittsburgh recently commented during a game that he'd talked to Doumit and asked him if he'd hole up after the
season ends Sept. 30.
"Ryan said 'I'm going to sleep for at least two weeks,'" Fratere
relayed.
In 2008 Doumit is exceeding his career highs in pretty much every
category.
The Pirates return to Pittsburgh today for one last homestand that
includes the Cardinals, the Dodgers and the Astros. They finish this season on the road, hosted by the Brewers starting Sept.
23 then the Padres.
FSN Pittsburgh is featuring Ryan in its Inside Pirates Baseball
show on Saturday (Sept. 13) and it re-airs on Sunday (Sept. 14) one hour before the game.
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It's come to my attention that this site is taking forever to load for some people, or it's not loading
at all.
I know what the problem is, I was just hoping to get through the regular season without have to do construction
and inconvenience the fans.
Since fans are now inconvenienced, I'm starting the fix-it process now. Some pages have been taken down
to be rebuilt and help the site load quicker. If you are missing something you normally see, it's not you - it's me! I'll
get things worked around as fast as I can.
Keep coming back, and enjoy the rest of Superman's season!
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Four hits in Doumit's west coast return
Sept. 6, 2008 -- Pittsburg Pirates Catcher Ryan
Doumit felt at home on the west coast Friday night, Sept. 5, as he matched a career-high four hits in a single game
in the 7-0 defeat of the San Francisco Giants.
Doumit, a native of Moses Lake, Wash., was Zach Duke's battery mate in Duke's complete game
shutout of the Giants. Duke, struggling this year, had defensive help in a few innings and offensive help throughout the game
with 15 hits for the Bucs.
Doumit's batting average climbed back up to .330 by game-end.
From the Post-Gazette:
"Offensively, after some early sputters, the Pirates wound up with
14 hits, four of those by Ryan Doumit to match a career high. Those came in his first four at-bats, extending a
streak of reaching base safely nine consecutive times -- seven hits, two walks -- until he flied out in his final appearance.
The official 7-for-7 run was the team's first since Freddy Sanchez did it May 30-31, 2006."
There was also a minor earthquake during the game, measuring 4.0
preliminarily by US Geological Survey. Pirates fans expect word later today that it was just Doumit's at-bat that rocked the
city by the bay!
Russell won't shut down Doumit despite three other options
Sept. 4, 2008 -- With the September call-ups allowed for an expanded
roster, in addition to a bucketload of pitchers, the PBC leaders called up two more cathers: Ronny Paulino, the starter the
past two years; and Robinzon Diaz, the "player to be named later" in the Jose Bautista trade to Toronto.
Ryan Doumit's faithful fans may have worried that he'd sit a lot of September, despite his team-leading
batting average and his skill growth behind the plate.
According to the Pirates Web site today, Superman is not being benched:
Ryan Doumit will continue to be the starting catcher. And while
he may be spelled a few extra days of rest during September, it won't be many.
"He's been going pretty hard, but we'd still like him to finish
the season strong," manager John Russell said of Doumit. "We still have some things we'd like him to work at with the catching
and game calling. We still have time to do that. We don't want to shut that down."
Behind Doumit sits backup Raul Chavez, along with Paulino and
recently acquired young catcher, Robinzon Diaz. The Pirates brought Diaz up this month to get an initial impression of his
abilities at the Major League level since he is now in the mix for the backup role next year.
Doumit played two of the three games against the Reds in Cincinatti this week. He was 0-for in
the first game and two-for three in the second game (Wednesday) with a single, a double, two RBI, a walk and Intentional Base
on Balls. In Thursday's afternoon game, Chavez caught the game and Doumit pinch hit in the ninth, getting a single and
being replaced on first with a designated runner, Brian Bixler, who was stranded in the 8-6 loss to the Reds in nine.
Some links to Doumit's hits from the Wednesday game:
| Nearing the break |
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| Ryan Doumit had a career-high number of consistent starts in June/July. |
Doumit's RBI double
Doumit's RBI single
A few things to smile about
Aug. 28, 2008 -- Finding good Pirates news or commentary
the last two weeks is like trying to find a tree in a desert.
The Bucs host the Milwaukee Brewers Friday through Sunday of Labor
Day weekend; Thursday was off after a three game sweep by the Chicago Cubs. Ryan reached base safely Monday and Tuesday
and sat out Wednesday.
The media outlets and the blogs have little good to say: The sweep
by the Cubs brought the team to a season-high seven game losing streak; $6 million dollar first draft pick Pedro Alvarez is
taking back his "I accept" and is on MLB's restricted list; and the offense for the Pirates hasn't been what it was in July.
On a positive note, here's a few things to smile about:
- Zach Duke's performance - and line - in Wednesday's game.
- Jesse Chavez' major league debut Wednesday - a 1-2-3 ninth.
- Matt Capps is back.
- Nate McLouth got well.
- Ryan is still the every day, starting catcher leading all major league
catchers in batting average.
- New pictures on Ryan's photo page from Aug. 27, even though he sat
that one and opportunities are limited in that situation.
Going into Wednesday's game, there was cause for the web boss here
to be grumpy: The Cubs were in town; we were surrounded by folks in blue with their white flag with the blue "W" on it in
their laps, ready to wave it after nine; it was supposed to rain; and Ryan wasn't playing after more than four hours of game
the night before. As we sat down, three guys sat behind us. Pirate fans, thankfully. One said "Doumit isn't playing" and the
other said back "He's out today after last night." Given all the points-for-grouchy above, I wasn't taking any chances. I
turned around and said "Are you guys going to sit back there and say something nasty about Ryan Doumit?" Figuring if that
were the case, I'd go Chuck Norris on them right then. One said "No. He's the best player we got. I wish he was playing."
The other one said "Why? Are you his wife?" I laughed for ten minutes over that, then told that guy he was my new favorite
person ever ... before telling them Ryan would have way better taste than that, but as long as they were fans of his, I wouldn't
have to get all ugly on them. We worked together in heckling Cub fans after that.
Doumit's 10th homerun
From the right
Doumit sits a game after illness, hitting continues
Aug. 24, 2008 -- Ryan Doumt left the game Friday night, Aug. 22, in the seventh
inning. It took nearly a full inning and a half before word was let out that he left the game with flu-like symptoms (after
the Xavier Nady/Damaso Marte game-time trade on July 25, that kind of lagtime should never happen {the
web boss hear couldn't have been the only person hyperventilating into a paper bag right then, right?}) that
Manager John Russell later said was more likely dehydration.
Doumit sat out Saturday night's game at Milwaukee and played the Sunday afternoon game.
On Wednesday, the last game of the Cardinals series, Doumit went 3-for-four with two RBI and
his 13th homerun of the season, giving the Pirates their only two runs of the night on his two-run homer.
On Friday, before leaving the game against the Brewers, Doumit was 1-for-3 with one RBI in
the 10-3 loss.
On Sunday, in an extra inning game that went 12, Doumit was 2-for-6 with an RBI -- bringing
his RBI total to 50 -- for the 4-3 loss.
Doumit finished the game with a team-leading .330 avg; still leading all major league catchers
in batting average.
Going into Wednesday's game, Doumit had started 69 of the 78 games played since the All Star
break.
The not always kind Pirates Blog "Where Have You Gone Andy Van Slyke" explains the perceived
"August Slump" of Ryan Doumit offensively this way:
Ryan Doumit 2006: 235 total plate appearances, 21 total games caught
Ryan Doumit 2007: 258 total plate appearances, 41 total games caught
Ryan Doumit 2008: 354 total plate appearances, 81 total games caught
To which Pirates beat writer and PBC Blog prince Dejan Kovacevic says
this of the Slyke blog assessment:
"And he finishes just before Doumit adds another three-hit
game to his decline. Doumit is batting .306 for the month, with a home run, six doubles and nine RBIs. All declines should
be so devastating."
Doumit's 13 homerun of the season
Did you know?
Aug. 19, 2008 -- The paintings of the Pirates players
created as part of the at-bat presentation during home games will be offered to fans at various Pirate events in the
off-season to benefit Pirates Charities.
The paintings, done by the Camera Guy, are shown during one inning
as each player comes to the plate. The other player features include the photo booth photos of the player, the Pirate
caricature of each player, the historic Pirates players wearing the same number as the current Buc at bat.
Some of the events where Pirates game-used items (bats, jerseys,
a certain catcher's game used, autographed helmet last year) are available in either a silent auction or raffle format include
the Pirates Caravan and PirateFest.
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| This painting could be available to fans to benefit Pirates Charities. |
Doumit: Baseball's 'Quiet Success Story'
PITTSBURGH -- Reds manager Dusty Baker called Ryan Doumit one of
the "quiet success stories in baseball."
Doumit, a switch-hitting catcher with power from both sides of the
plate, has hit .331 with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs heading into Wednesday night.
Which is why several National League teams have employed the infield
shift this month when Doumit comes to the plate as a left-handed hitter. The Reds were added to that list after their victory
on Tuesday night.
"I was talking about that today with one of my coaches," Baker said.
"[He's] a switch-hitting catcher, hitting .340, and if you turn him around, he's hitting .320 on one side and .370 on the
other side. I saw some glimpses of it last year, when he was in and out [due to injuries]."
Baker said it was more of a scouting report than out of respect for
the Pirates' 27-year-old catcher.
Out of Doumit's 74 hits from the left side, 67 of them have been pulled
or hit up the middle. From the right side, however, Doumit has the same amount of pulled hits (six) as he does to the opposite
way.
"Is it a respect thing? It could be," Pirates manager John Russell
said. "They might be doing it to see how he reacts mentally. Some of the [outs] he's hit to the right side normally would
be hits, but like in Arizona, he's hit some balls up the middle that if they played him straight up would have been outs.
"I think it's evened out for him. It doesn't seem to really affect
him."
Hitting coach Don Long, on the other hand, doesn't even want Doumit
to notice it when he's at the plate.
"What's the point?" Long said. "You're still trying to get a good
ball to hit and hit it hard. You can't try to hit according to the defense. If you try to do that, you're thinking about too
much."
Apparently, Doumit isn't thinking of it at all.
-from MLB.com
More games, more fear of his bat
Aug. 17, 2008 --With a month
and a half left in regular season, despite the big draft acquisitions and the trades that show the tide is turning on the
priorities of stocking the Pirates farm system, Pirate commentators (print, television, radio, pick any or all) are starting
to get well... fussy. Picky. Argumentative. Grouchy even.
Hence the "that should have been caught" and the "why didn't he throw the
ball in" and the "he swung at ball four" comments that are more prevalent and are dispensed on every guy in the line-up.
This kind of negative bend also makes folks question why Nate
McLouth and Ryan Doumit haven't been blistering the ball to the seats since the All-Star break. According to the article below,
there are a few good reasons. Keep in mind that Doumit used to be hidden, so to speak, in the batting order between Xavier
Nady and Jason Bay who both had widespread reputations of a hot bat. Now Doumit is the batter to fear in the line-up
as is Nate. Doumit had a better batting average than either Bay or Nady pre-trade, but the name recognition wasn't as strong.
As of Sunday, Aug. 17, Ryan Doumit started behind the dish in 24 or the
30 games since the All-Star Break and leads ALL major league catchers in batting average. He's started more games and had
more plate appearances at the major league level this year than he ever has.
From the Post-Gazette:
No one would argue that this season has been
a grind unlike any other for Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit.
In his first full-time season playing the position,
that was expected coming out of spring training.
What is up for debate, however, is if the grind
is starting to have an impact on his production.
"I think it is the time of year where everyone is getting tired," Doumit said before the game last night. "I'm starting
to feel it a little bit, but you have to dig deep. I don't think it has affected me at the plate at all, though."
That said, there has been a drop-off in Doumit's
productivity of late, even though he headed into the game last night with a .331 batting average that led all major league
catchers.
Doumit had gone 14 for 49 (.286) in August after
hitting .356 in April, .333 in both May and June and .317 in July. Of Doumit's 12 home runs, one had come since the All-Star
break.
Pirates manager John Russell
is an authority on what Doumit is going through. In 10 seasons in the majors, Russell was primarily a catcher.
"It is a different experience for him," Russell
said of Doumit. "Obviously, he has never caught this many games at this level. Him and I talk about it ... there is some mental
frame that he has to be in, but I think what he did last winter and what he has done this season about his conditioning has
really helped him. It is a grind, it is a lot of baseball."
Doumit said at this time last year he was between
220 and 225 pounds. Now, he weighs about 210, thanks to a vigorous conditioning program.
Russell also offered a clue to Doumit's slight
slide, saying that perhaps opposing teams have caught on to just how potent he is offensively. As a result, they are pitching
to him differently.
"Right now, for example, I think our guys are
trying to do a little bit too much because we are not scoring," Russell said.
"You try to do a little too much, and it will
take you out of your approach. But, obviously, word has also gotten out that Nate [McLouth]
and Ryan are very good hitters, so that has been a factor, too."
Doumit gets 'thisclose' to Grand Slam
Aug. 13, 2008 -- In the Pirates defeat of the Cincinati Reds at
PNC Park Aug. 13, Paul Maholm pitched an outstanding two run game over 8 full innings with zero walks and Ryan Doumit, on
the anniversary of the wrist sprain that disabled him last August, nearly hit a granny.
In the fifth inning, Jason Michaels hit a homerun with new leftfielder
Brandon Moss aboard, putting the Pirates ahead of the Reds 2-1.
Doumit came to bat with Doug Mientkiewicz, Luis Rivas and Nate McLouth
on deck, two outs, and hit a 2-0 pitch from former Bucco Josh Fogg of the Reds right to the Clemente Wall.
The ball looked to have bounced off the rim of the wall, but an
overeager fan reached out, which umpires ruled fan interference, and Doumit stayed at second, adding two RBI to his stats
and giving the Pirates a 4-1 lead.
Link to video of the hit below...
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| Bullpen warm up before the Aug. 13 game at PNC. |
Pract-darn-nearly a grand slam
Doumit's game tying single
Road trip against division leaders ends
Aug. 10, 2008 -- The Pirates ended their three-stop, post-trade road trip
against division leaders Sunday with a loss in Philadelphia. The Pirates picked up one win in each series - one in Chicago
on Jeff Karstens first Pirate start; one in Arizona on a Jeff Karstens complete game 2-hit shutout and the third in Philadelphia
on an extra-innings shutout.
In the Philadelphia series, Ryan Doumit went 1 for 5 on Saturday with a hit in the 12th and
scoring the first of two runs in that inning to end the game. The Bucs won 2-0. On Saturday he was 0 for 4 in the 4-2 loss
with Ian Snell on the mound. On Sunday, with Jason Davis making his first start for the Pirates, Doumit was 2 for 4 with one
run and one strikeout, leaving his average at a team-leading .333 in the 6-3 loss that included three Pirate errors and one
run on a passed ball.
Saturday night Doumit was banged up twice behind the dish, taking two more foul balls hard
off the face mask. He stayed in the game, and was back Sunday afternoon. Doumit suffered a concussion earlier in the season
being the pinball bumper behind the plate when on the road against the White Sox during interleague play.
The Pirates make up a game Aug. 11 in New York against the Mets - a weather makeup from the
first game of the April series - a night game called for weather in the afternoon that day. Then the Bucs come home to host
the Reds - the first of the last three homestands at PNC (the Bucs have a September full of road games).
Next original pictures for the site will be after the Aug. 13 game against the Reds at PNC.
As for the picture at right - St. Sebastian is the Patron Saint of Athletes - it's the closest
I could get to helping the catcher behind the plate. Why there isn't a patron saint of catchers who take foul balls off the
mask is a mystery that needs solved.
Pirates president: Can't break the bank on signing pick
when there's Doumit to secure
Aug. 7, 2008 --Frank Coonelly, president of the Pittsburgh Pirates, wants
to sign No. 1 draft pick Pedro Alvarez. The Pirates want Pedro.
But Pedro's agent is Scott Boras, and with the Aug. 15 draft signing deadline looming on the
horizon, Coonelly said today that while the PBC will pay, it will not empty the coffers.
Said coffers have to have some reserves for three contract talks the organization would like
to get started before the end of the season if possible: Ryan Doumit, Nate McLouth and Paul Maholm.
On Aug. 7 the Post-Gazette clarified that Coonelly has not ruled out contract talks for
long-term extensions with Maholm, but the club definitely has in place a plan to secure for the long term Doumit and McLouth.
On a scale of institutional thinking change of 1-10, this could be a 14. First, past
management has not valued Doumit or McLouth as anything other than temporary fillers, bench guys - the backup and the fourth
outfielder. This year both players, under new management and with the chance Manager John Russell has given them, both have
walked right out of their straight-jacket of former management's perception and into the land of "watch what I can do."
Paul Maholm is the Pirates winningest pitcher this season.
Going into the Aug. 6 game, Doumit was leading the NL in hits since July 10 with 33, tied with
Mike Aviles and Steven Drew. He's 17 points or more higher in batting average than any other catching in the National League.
McLouth leads the league in doubles and ranks near the top in RBIs. He is the only centerfielder
left with a perfect fielding percentage.
The other reason for the "whoa" behind the signing is the Pirates want to try to secure this
guys, entering their first year of arbitration this offseason, into free agency.
Yes, you read that right. Past arbitration years before they begin.
All this came to light in the Post-Gazette today, the same day Jeff Karstens challenged the
Diamondbacks in Arizona throwing a perfect game through 7 2/3 and ending with a complete game, 2-hit shutout. Randy Johnson
was the losing pitcher. The same Randy Johnson that Doumit, on June 9, said the Pirates aren't scared of. (see the "Doumit
Said" page on this site for the full quote.)
The link to the MLB.com article about how the Pirates trades, Latin American development, free
agency signings and cornerstone plans are shaping up the organization is below.
Doumit's bat stays hot on post-trade road trip as reconfigured
team battles on
Aug. 3, 2008 --In the series against the Chicago
Cubs in Chicago - the first full post-trade series (which means two-thirds of the Pirates' formerly most-productive outfield),
Ryan Doumit pushed his batting average up to .342, going 1-for-3 in the 3-1 victory with new starting pitcher Jeff Karstens
(product of the Nady/Marte trade); 3-for-4 on Saturday in the Bucs 5-1 loss on a Maholm start with 1 run and 2 doubles; and
2-for-4 on Sunday in the 8-5 loss on the Snell start with one run and one RBI (bringing the total to 40).
| Run .. or is it Fly down? |
|
| Doumit makes the third out against the Rockies July 29 at PNC. |
Just because you can't see the cape...
July 31, 2008 --Doesn't mean that's not Superman
right there.
This Tribune photo shows the catcher making sure that wayward Colorado
Rockie didn't get safely back to third base in the June 29 come-from-behind win for the Bucs to secure the series.
I took photos at that game, they are on the "Ryan's photos" page
and the "Pirates photo album" page, newest pictures at the top. Click each page from the navigation bar on the left.
Doumit does it all
From the Post-Gazette --July
29, 2008 --Ian Snell found his groove, and Nate McLouth found the Allegheny River with a mammoth home run.
And yet, just beneath the high-profile performances
of those two in an 8-4 rollover of the Colorado Rockies last night at PNC Park, the underlying theme might have been this:
The Pirates have found themselves a catcher.
All Ryan Doumit achieved at the plate was two
singles, a double, a walk, two runs and two RBIs, raising his average to .333, which is 17 points higher than any other
catcher in Major League Baseball. The Minnesota Twins' Joe Mauer is at .316.
Behind the plate, in addition to calling Snell's
best start in two months -- seven innings, four runs -- Doumit tagged out Troy Tulowitzki on a second-inning relay from the
outfield and threw out one of two runners trying to steal.
On the basepaths, too, he had a fine hook-slide
into home to score on a fifth-inning sacrifice fly and even a rare stolen base in the eighth.
"I think he gets overlooked, but this is someone
who's becoming a complete player," left fielder Jason Bay said afterward of Doumit. "That's what they've envisioned for a
while, and it's happening."
Bay laughed.
"To be honest, I didn't even realize he had done
all that tonight. Hitting right behind him, I see it all the time."
Doumit spoke afterward, too, but it was through
huffs and puffs after a 10-minute workout in the fitness room, which might best illustrate why he is having this breakout
season at age 27 after so many injuries, so many disappointments: Challenged by everyone from general manager Neal Huntington
on down over the offseason, he not only heeded the call to work harder; he exceeded it. He lost 15 pounds and reported to
spring training in physical condition that was rivaled only by his upbeat attitude.
Thus, even with three weeks of this season lost
to a broken thumb and concussion, Doumit's production has been as steady as any player in the game, as the monthly split show:
.356 in April, .333 in May, .333 in June and .315 so far in July.
And get this: Of the 60 games he has started,
he has had at least one hit in all but 11.
As for this one, might it have been the most
complete of his career?
"I don't know. Good question," Doumit said. "I'm
certainly going to sleep well tonight."
He then immediately changed the subject to the
team, as has become common.
"It's a good win We had a lot of guys play well,
and it was about time to give these guys some payback."
Colorado swept all four meetings in Denver two
weeks ago, but it was about time for a victory of any kind, much less a 25th by comeback: The Pirates had been 0-3 since trading
Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte.
Snell had a sluggish start, with the Rockies
leaping to a 3-0 lead through two innings on six hits, including Matt Holliday's two-run home run. From there, though, he
retired 10 in a row and would allow one run, two hits and a walk in his final five innings.
In all, he struck out eight, walked one and had
a pitch count of 103, the latter impressive in light of the early hardship.
"He settled in and threw very well," manager
John Russell said, "especially with his fastball command."
The Rockies recalled 35-year-old Valerio De Los
Santos for his first appearance in the majors since Aug. 11, 2005, and the rust showed in six walks through four-plus innings.
But it was not until the fifth that the Pirates made him pay.
Chris Gomez and McLouth walked, and De Los Santos
was replaced by Jason Grilli, who immediately walked Jack Wilson. Doumit whipped a double into the right-field corner for
two runs.
Bay reached on an error, Doug Mientkiewicz's
single tied the score, and Pearce's sacrifice fly put the Pirates ahead, 4-3.
They greeted Luis Vizcaino just as rudely in
the sixth: McLouth tore into a one-ball fastball and sent his 22nd home run out of the stadium, off the grass embankment by
the river's edge -- an estimated 448 feet -- and into the water.
It was the 23rd in PNC Park history to reach
the water, the first this year, all but one on a bounce. It was McLouth's second, his other coming Sept. 10, 2007.
Wilson and Doumit singled next and, after an
out, another Mientkiewicz RBI single and another Pearce sacrifice fly made it 7-3.
Denny Bautista finished it off for Snell in style,
with two perfect innings and four strikeouts. It was not a save situation, but it might have served as an audition for the
vacant closer's job.
Doumit, offense smoking in series opener win
July 28, 2008 -- The Colorado Rockies came to Pittsburgh
with the four-game sweep of the Bucs earlier this month still fresh in their minds. It was fresh in the Bucco's minds too
- a team that was literally and mentally sideswiped by the Xavier Nady, Damaso Marte trade this past weekend to the
evil empire (Yankees).
This is the group that may be down, but never out. Ian Snell and the Pirates came from a three-run
lag to light it up in the fifth and sixth innings with insurance in the seventh.
Ryan Doumit had three hits - two singles and a 2-RBI double that scored the first two runs
in the fifth. Doumit also had two runs and a stolen base - his second of the year. He now has 38 RBI and a batting average
(team leading) of .333. He had a solid tag on a Nate McLouth well-played ball off the wall in center via the fantastic Jack
Wilson relay to get Troy Tulowitzki out at home; and caught a runner at second.
Doug Mientkiewicz (the official crush of the female population of Pittsburgh) also had three
hits and two RBI. Nate McLouth hit his 22nd homer of the year, straight over the park wall, off the shrubbery and into the
drink of the mighty Allegheny River.
Solid pitching third inning on in what Doumit called in post-game classic Snell ability, followed
by the never-say-die offense and two beautiful innings by Denny Bautista in relief secured the opening win.
|
|
More content a click away |
The July Pirates Insider Magazine feature on Ryan Doumit is
now on the "Inside Ry" page on this site. Click on "Inside Ry" in the left navigation bar to hear the story of how Ryan Doumit
took charge of his own destiny in the offseason and proved to the Pirates that he's a starting catcher and great offensive
power in the article "Ryan Doumit Makes His Presence Felt." This article posted with permission and is property of the Pirates.
Also, nine new Ryan Doumit pictures on the page "Ryan's photos"
from the July 25 home game against the Padres and a handful of new ones, same game, in the "Pirates Photo Album" as well.
These new photos finally capture the elusive (Friday only) alternate red vest.
|
Skipper gives credit where credit is due...
July 24, 2008 -- The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette played the "what if" game on
Thursday asking the question, what if the starting pitching rotation that opened the season: Matt Morris, Zach Duke,
Tom Gorzelanny and Paul Maholm - had to compete to earn their spots the way, say, Nate McLouth had to?
And along that line, what if Ryan Doumit, as management is believed to have wanted last year,
was told to just bat from the left and take the "switch" off his hitter description? Here's what was written:
Doumit to
the right
Just last year, there were internal whispers
that Ryan Doumit should drop switch-hitting and bat exclusively from the left side,
so great was the disparity in power: 20 of 21 career home runs came from that side.
This season, Doumit has hit four of his 12
home runs from the right side, and he has batted .309, not far from his overall average.
"That just goes back to how he showed up
for spring training," manager John Russell said. "Simple as that. How showed up ready to be the best he can be."
In the Pirates Wednesday afternoon win over Houston
to sweep the Astros, Doumit went 1-4 with a run an RBI and a SF. In the home series against the San Diego Padres, Doumit went
2-4 with a single, a double and an RBI. In post-game comments Russell commended Doumit for the way he kept starting pitcher
Yoslan Herrera, in just his third major league start, on task and focused for six scoreless innings to go on to get his first
major league win. Herrera signed a three year deal with the Pirates a few years ago after establishing residency in the Dominican
Republic after defecting from Cuba. The game against the Padres was his longest, and most fruitful, major league
start.
Pirates find their game in Houston
July 22, 2008 -- The Pittsburgh Pirates had a reportedly solemn flight from
Denver, the mile high location of their four game loss to the Rockies, and got back to being the players they are in Houston.
The Pirates trailed in the top of the ninth Monday in the series opener then added 7, including
a three-run in-the-park feat by Freddy Sanchez, who is just walking away from his slump like a bad dream. That game ended
Ryan Doumit's 8-game hitting streak, and he went 0-6 with 2 K's including being the first and third out in that monster ninth
- his first at-bat that inning he smoked one to the wall, but was played perfectly by the Astro defense. The third out was
a K.
The team, with Paul Maholm on the mound, scored consistently through the start of the second
game Tuesday, with another Sanchez homer and a Nate McLouth homer. Doumit, early in the game, had some great hits that ended
in the glove of the defense. In the seventh inning he switched to bat right and apparently thought "enough of this" and smoked
one so far up and out it bounced off the train tracks 60 feet above the left field boxes. With two men on, Doumit put up a
three for the Bucs in the seventh, his 12th homerun this season.
He ended the game 2/5 with one run and 3 RBI's.
Maholm had a stellar performance with one walk, lots of ground-outs and location, location,
location. Click the audio file below to listen to Ryan Doumit's take on Maholm's performance on the mound.
Ryan Doumit has been a switch hitter his entire professional career, but in the past few years
critics considered him less effective from the right. He has put up his best from-the-right numbers this season, including four
of his 12 homeruns. His batting average at the end of the night was .321 - second on the team only to Xavier Nady.
As the July 31 trade deadline nears the red hot names Pirates fans hear and read as being sought
are Xavier Nady, Jason Bay, Jack Wilson, Damaso Marte and John Grabow. (Scroll way down this home page to refresh your memory
of Doumit's trade worth in a post about Red Sox inquiries in the offseason.)
A link to the highlight video of that blistering homerun to the tracks is below. Prepare
to get goosebumps.
Doumit's 12th hits the tracks
Doumit on Paul Maholm's role
Moving on...
July 20, 2008 -- Not really a whole lot of baseball joy to report after a
four game sweep by the Rockies were starting pitching and offense both factored into losing to a team that is in the worst-performing
division in the National League. Not a single National League West team had a .500 record going into today's game.
Ryan Doumit was starting catcher in the first three games of the series that began Thursday,
July 17 going 1-3 on Thursday, 2-4 on Friday and 1-4 on Saturday with the lone RBI of that game. He scored zero runs and had
one strike out in the ballfield that, despite the humidor, should be an offensive joyride with that thin air. Of course, the
Denver Broncos could play the Pittsburgh Steelers in that outfield, which is so big Nady, McLouth and Bay may not even notice
the football game is going on.
Doumit and the team head to Houston for a three game series, which will have much more
rewarding results. Doumit's season average going into the Lone Star State is .333 and he's batting .375 against lefties and
.318 against righties.
If you want to immerse yourself in baseball math and charts, graphs and a bunch of acronyms
related to Ryan's performance this season, click the link below.
Ryan Doumit by the numbers, acronyms, charts and graphs
Doumit gets 'good grades' at mid-term
July 18, 2008 -- Technically, the regular season
is more than half over, going by games played. The all-star break brought out a plethora of baseball critics to provide
mid-season grading of Pirates players.
Here's a summary of Ryan Doumit's reviews at mid-term, so to speak, and some other reviews, with
attribution as to who gave them.
Doumit fans' assessment can be summarized in the accompanying photo. (Yes, it's a shirt now.)
Ryan Doumit, C: Russell’s idea to make Doumit
the starting catcher was a stroke of genius and he has established himself as one of the best at the position in the NL. Grade:
A (Beaver County Times)
Biggest surprise: Credit new management with giving
both Nate McLouth and Ryan Doumit the chance to be everyday starters, something which the previous management group never
did. And credit both McLouth and Doumit for seizing the opportunity and establishing themselves near the top offensive categories
for each of their respective positions. (mlb.com)
Ryan Doumit, C: Doumit has been one of the most productive hitters, not only for the Pirates, but in the entire National League. His
emergence as a consistent, middle-of-the-order presence has been critical to the Pirates’ offensive resurgence, and
it is no surprise that he was recently promoted to the No. 3 spot in the batting order, given his lofty .943 OPS. If only he had been healthy all season, the Bucs could be a few games closer
to that .500 mark. Midseason Grade: A (Bleacher Report)
PIRATES : What went right: The hitting has been better
than expected. The Pirates rank third in the NL with 4.9 runs per game. All three outfielders -- Jason Bay, Nate McLouth and
Xavier Nady -- have hit well. And catcher Ryan Doumit, in his first full year as a starter, is hitting .329 with 11 homers.
(The
Morning Journal, Ohio)
Catcher: B -- Ryan Doumit has been awesome. Ronny
Paulino, not so much. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Ryan Doumit Grade: A- ... A little defense, a lot
of health all that is keeping him from game's elite (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
'He sees the finish line...'
July 12, 2008 -- With just one game left before the All-Star break, Pirates
Baseball Club announcers made reference several times to starting catcher Ryan Doumit "seeing the finish line" in the break.
As of Saturday's game, he'd started 12 of the last 13 Pirate games, 15 of the last 17 - that's
a career high stretch of starts for Doumit in his major league career.
In Saturday night's phenomenal comeback against the St. Luis Cardinals, in a game that saw
the Pirates call on an AA starter Yoslan Herrera to start his first major league game, and hits in favor, at one point,
of the Cards 20-3, the Pirates scored seven runs in innings 7-9 and another two in the 10th to win the game 12-11. Doumit
was 1-5 with a key single in the 9th to move the tying run to third base and a brilliant slide into second on Jason Bay's
dribbler to prevent a game-ending double play when the Bucs were still down by one. His batting average is a team-leading
.324. Because of the depleted bullpen, a late-game thumb injury to Adam LaRoche and some bench issues with Doug Mientkiewicz
getting ejected for arguing a call on a Luis Rivas play at second, in the 10th inning Doumit was moved to first base and Raul
Chavez caught for Denny Bautista.
Leading all NL catchers...
July 10, 2008 -- As of July 9, Ryan Doumit leads all National League catchers
with a .592 slugging percentage, according to a game fact posted on the jumbotron during one of his at-bats against the Houston
Astros in the final game of the Houston series at PNC.
Doumit went 2-4 against the New York Yankees in the July 10 make-up game at PNC Park, where
the Buccos won it 4-2, taking 2 of 3 in the drawn out interleague series.
For only the second time in franchise history...
July 5, 2008 -- The Pirates have five players -- Xavier Nady, Jose Bautista, Jason Bay,
Ryan Doumit and Nate McLouth -- with at least 10 home runs in the team's first 84 games for only the second time in franchise
history. The 2006 club first accomplished the feat. - according to MLB.com
That 'Man of Steel' thing is catching on!
June 30, 2008 -- In a MLB article for Fantasy
411 Baseball, Pirates starting catcher Ryan Doumit is described as "Breakout slugger displaying superhuman power in Pittsburgh."
First, www.ryandoumit.com takes full credit for starting Superman references, and, as we said in elementary school "Called it!"
The important thing is the respect and recognition for No. 41 is growing. And deserved.
As the "Unusual suspects" report goes, "Doumit's
2008 breakout can largely be attributed to his sharper approach at the plate. The 27-year-old has struck out just 21 times
in 156 at-bats this year compared to 59 flameouts in 259 trips to the dish a season ago as his K rate has fallen from a ghastly
23.4 percent to a respectable 13.5 percent."
The report also calls Doumit's signature superhero tactic: Fighting through a slew of injuries to become the best catcher you've never heard of.
The link to the full article is below.
Ryan Doumit joins dad in book signings
June 28, 2008 -- Ryan Doumit's dad, Pete Doumit, made two booksigning appearances
in the Pittsburgh area on Friday and Saturday, June 27-28, promoting his book "What I Know about Baseball is What I Know About
Life."
Learn more about Mr. Doumit's book and the forward, written by Ryan, on the "Baseball Book"
page, new to this site. It's in the lefthand navigation bar.
Two nights, three homers, 18 bases
June 11, 2008 -- The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Washington
Nationals tonight at PNC in the second game of the three-game series.
For the second consecutive night, Ryan Doumit was behind the plate and batting cleanup. Tuesday
night he went 4-4 with two doubles and two homers. This time, in the win, he went 3-4 with two singles and a homerun from
the right - his eighth of the season.
Ian Snell got the win, Matt Capps got his 16th save.
That longball went 416 feet tonight off Ryan's bat - as Color Analyst Steve Blass says, "Nothing
cheap about that one."
The link to the video clip of No. 8 is below.
Doumit sits rest of series with slight concussion
June 18, 2008 -- After suffering a slight
concussion in Tuesday's game in Chicago, Ryan Doumit was out of the lineup and unavailable for Wednesday's game. The Pittsburgh
catcher is listed as day-to-day, though he likely won't be back in the starting lineup until Friday at the earliest.
Doumit took three foul balls off his mask on Tuesday, the last of
which came on a ball hit by White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye, with one out in the sixth. Doumit was slow to get up out of
his crouch after the ball ricocheted off his mask, and then stepped back in a daze for a few seconds.
He stayed in to finish the inning, but was then replaced by backup
Raul Chavez in the bottom of the seventh.
"We're being overly cautious with a concussion," manager John Russell
said. "He's feeling better today."
Doumit did undergo a concussion test, which Russell said "came back
very good." As a result, there is no expectation that Doumit will have to be out more than a few days.
Doumit was held out of most pregame work on Wednesday and did minimal
on-field running. The plan is for that pregame work to increase some on Thursday, as the Pirates are targeting a potential
return behind the plate for him when the team opens up a nine-game homestand Friday.
This doesn't mark the first time that Doumit has missed action due
to a concussion. He missed four starts just over a year ago, also after suffering a slight concussion. The fact that this
is the second time in 13 months that Doumit has had a concussion explains why the organization is remaining extra guarded
on pushing Doumit back on the field too quick.
For Doumit, the minor setback has come not long after he was finally
able to make his return to the field after recovering from a fractured left thumb. He has played in 10 games since the injury,
going 11-for-35 with four homers and seven RBIs. The switch-hitting catcher also garnered National League Player of the Week
honors last week.
Read the complete article about the new culture here.
Three game, three categories: Another achievement
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
June 14, 2008 -- The Elias Sports Bureau said Ryan Doumit's
9-hit, 4-home run, 7-RBI spree in three games against Washington marked the first time a catcher reached those levels in those
three categories in a three-game span since Mike Piazza of the Los Angeles Dodgers had 9 hits, 5 home runs and 11 RBIs
in three games June 29-July 1, 1996.
Doumit's offensive surge further cemented his status as the Pirates'
regular catcher. That means Raul Chavez is the official backup.
Can we have an "Amen?"
June 12, 2008 -- Ryan Doumit hit another two-run
homer at the start of the final game of the series against the Nationals at PNC today, bringing his total to nine for the
season, four in the last 48 hours of the afternoon game today.
Words like "torrid" and phrases like "red hot" come before or after
his name on dozens of sports stories this week. On the Pirates web site, the Doumit lift to the Nats' series has John
Russell, a catcher in his own day, seeing what the rest of Pirates management this year is probably thinking and for us Doumit
fans, this is all about the big "We knew this, but go ahead and act like it's new information. We've always been
this excited."
"And as (Skipper John) Russell continues to rave about his young catcher, it's becoming clearer that Doumit
is expected to be an integral part of the Bucs' lineup for years to come.
"This guy has the potential to be an All-Star catcher," Russell said. "If he continues to do what he does,
especially offensively, he's going to be one of the better all-around catchers in the league. It's a good thing for him. It's
a great thing for us."
With the 2-for-3 performance today, Doumit pushed his team-leading
average to .365 for the season. He's hitting at an even better mark (.389) out of the four-hole, where he has recently become
a fixture.
"Guys are showing up and doing what they do," Doumit said. "We're
on a roll and doing great."
I've added a couple of links below to video of today's homer
(enjoy the comment about left handers not being able to hit that pitch) and the full story on the Pirates site. The Bucs
head easterly for a three-game series against Baltimore Friday through Sunday. It's been some 30 years since they played a
game there during the regular season.
I actually live closer to Baltimore than Pittsburgh, and Orioles
fans here tell me there are plenty of displaced Yinzers like myself that live even further east in the Baltimore-DC area and
could show up in Pirates gear. Good - me and my gang won't be alone Saturday night for game 2 in the series. If you go, look
for the loud crowd with the signs, the Trib Total Media thundersticks and the Bucs shirts in section 23 - that would
be us. Come by and give us a shout.
Check out Bowling with the Bucs!
June 10, 2008 -- Jack and Julie Wilson's Fourth Annual Bowling with the Bucs in Crafton, Pa. was June 9.
Photos, tales and tidbits on that has been added to the site - including photos of Ryan at the event and other favorite
Bucs.
The event benefits Pirates Charities and is hosted by the host with the most, Jack Wilson and his wonderful
wife Julie. As was said on the Pirates pregrame radio show tonight, what a tribute to the kind of person Jack is that his
teammates turned out enforce for that event - much to the delight of all Pirate fans in attendance.
Go ahead - click on the page in the navigation bar at left, check out the photos and read the absolutely
mindboggling experience I had in getting to meet and have a little chat with Ryan himself.
Well.... crap.
April 19 -- Tom Gorzelanny and the gang had a forgettable outing in Chicago Saturday (April
19) with a 13-1 loss. Doumit struck out three times and was hit by a pitch once. He also recorded the only error of the game
when his throw to third on a double steal effort by the Cubs went into left field.
Gorzo left the game short of three innings and it didn't get a whole lot better from there.
Even Yatesie allowed runs.
For all of those so-called fans that are pounding the "here we go again" drum for this loss
and the below .500 record for the season so far (16 games played), I have one word for yinz:
.... shutup.
Really. You've mistaken this for one of those Pirate bashing sites. Go there.
| Behind the disch |
|
| Doumit caught in the game April 23 against the Cardinals. |
Here.
Management giving Doumit equal chance to be starter
BRADENTON, Fla. -- "Ronny Paulino is our catcher."
Those were the words of manager John Russell after the Pirates' workout yesterday, and they are echoed at
all levels of the team's management.
But ...
Lately, there always seems to be a "but" that follows with this topic, and so it was with Russell ...
"But, as we've told everyone, there's no entitlement anymore," he continued. "You've got to keep doing what
you're supposed to do to play. We've relayed that message to everybody, and Ronny knows that."
The Pirates' plan throughout the offseason had been to have Paulino be the No. 1 catcher. Ryan Doumit, the
only other experienced catcher in the fold, would instead become a reserve outfielder so that his bat -- which they like quite
a bit -- would be available off the bench. Besides, they liked what they saw of Doumit in right field last season.
But ...
Doumit reported to minicamp in exemplary shape, and wheels began spinning.
With the Pirates eager for left-handed power at PNC Park -- witness the long-term contract talks with Adam
LaRoche or the planned heavy use of Nate McLouth -- the idea of a catcher in that mold fit, too. If Doumit could overcome
his history of injury and some defensive shortcomings, the thinking went, he could be the guy.
And so, shortly after pitchers and catchers reported last week, management quietly informed Paulino that,
while he still was No. 1, Doumit could push him. It could be a platoon, or he might just take the job altogether.
Paulino was asked yesterday if he now feels pressure.
"No, I'm really comfortable," he said. "I've been working on some things to make myself better, and I'm improving
a lot. I don't feel pressure at all."
Doumit's approach?
"It's a great opportunity, and I'm going to take the bull by the horns. I know what the situation is. I know
how Paulino is the starter. He deserves to be. He's earned it. But I'm not going to make it easy on him. It's going to be
a competition."
To that end, Russell's staff -- led by bullpen coach Luis Dorante, a catching instructor -- has spent an extra
half-hour with each catcher daily.
It is difficult to find meaningful signs in such a setting, but early evaluations have favored Doumit.
One scout for another National League team said after seeing Doumit this week that his improved receiving,
footwork and other nuances made him look like "a whole new catcher." Others in the Pirates' management express similar views.
Paulino's focus has been split between working to improve his defense and offense. His once-open stance
at the plate has been closed slightly, and hitting coach Don Long's emphasis on driving pitches the other way has paid off
nicely in batting practice.
But ...
He has struggled in some defensive drills, from allowing a series of popups to skip off his mitt Thursday
to another humbling sequence yesterday.
Manny Sanguillen, in camp as an instructor, was observing Paulino and Doumit during a drill in which balls
were being shot from the outfield to simulate plays at the plate. Many will recall, no doubt, that such plays often did not
work out well for Paulino.
On this day, too, ball after ball eluded Paulino and, when Doumit failed to corral one, Sanguillen stepped
in.
He asked for Doumit's glove and mask, then asked that a ball get fired his way. The first one bounced up into
his chest but stayed in front of him. He tried to bend to pick it up but could not. Sanguillen, 63, is less than a year removed
from major knee surgery and has difficulty walking.
When he asked for another, the instructors respectfully begged off.
But the point was made.
"It's really exciting to have Manny here," Paulino said. "Having a guy his age trying to explain to us how
to do something right there in the field ... that means a lot."
"He played back in the era when men were men," Doumit said. "And he proved it out there. He would have gone
out there without a mask."
Sanguillen had a laugh afterward.
"I wish I brought my regular gear," he said through his familiar smile and thick Panamanian accent. "I just
want to show everybody that you have to get the ball like an infielder. I used to practice third base to help me with that.
Catch it first, then make the tag."
And another point: "I always put my right hand against the ball to hold it in the glove, and nobody knocked
it out. I don't think anybody ever taught Ronny that."
Sanguillen speaks glowingly of Doumit, including identifying with his natural enthusiasm.
But ...
He also sounds eager to influence Paulino's personality, which the Pirates long have criticized as too passive,
even in tight game situations.
"I think he loves the game," Sanguillen said. "That's fine, but you have to play it the right way."
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pirates beat Mets, head home
Aug. 11, 2008 -- The Pittsburgh Pirates came back
from a four-run deficit late in the game against the New York Mets at New York and won the game 7-5 in nine innings.
Ryan Doumit had a sacrifice fly and a base hit RBI to tie the game in the ninth. Click on the
link below this article to see the MLB.com archive video of that hit - to the base of the wall in center scoring Luis Rivas
to bring the score to 5-5 and advancing Doug Mientkiewicz to third.
The Bucs were listless early and had a few errors including a dead-on Nate McLouth
assist from center that Doumit missed the tag on, and he described the play for MLB.com as "inexcusable." The team, as
a whole offensively, came together in the end and ended the long road trip with a W.
"Today was a big win for us," Doumit said. "They had the momentum
the entire game, and us coming off an extremely long road trip, this is going to be a nice little breath of fresh air going
back home."
Investing in developing core
| Ready to be the best |
|
| Doumit's preparation has controlled his destiny (an xavier-nady.com photo) |
Takes a beating, keeps on batting
July 8, 2008 -- There's something about Ryan Doumit
behind the dish when Phil "Dead to Me" Dumatrait is pitching. He becomes a magnet for the ball to ricochet off him like one
of those superballs in the machine in the foyer of the restaurant that your kids beg two quarters for and then bounce around
the kitchen until something breaks. In the 10-7 win Monday at PNC Park against division foes the Houston Astros, Doumit took
a ball off the mask, a ball of his throwing hand, and a few banging around on him like a pinball, artfully seeming to miss
most of his protective gear. Dumatrait happens to own that bad pitch that put Doumit on the DL for a fractured thumb earlier
this season. Anyone sense a pattern here?
Superhero that he is, Doumit, right after getting that zing in the throwing hand, hit a two-run
homerun that hit the second to top row of outfield seats in right field, taking the Pirates line from a losing score of 7-6
to 8-7. The Pirates would go on to score two more unanswered runs.
To see what MLB calls "Doumit's monster homerun" and his 11th of the season, click the
link below.
As for the beaten catcher behind the plate, he showed up in the same spot the next night, batting,
for the second night, in the three-spot.
Doumit's monster homerun No. 11
| Doumit one of five with 10 home runs this season |
|
| photo thanks to Kenneth Ung |
Unusual Suspects: Fantasy 411 report on Doumit
Defining the first half
June 29, 2008 -- The Pittsburgh-Post Gazette profiled
the first half of the Pirates 2008 season with a "best and worst" list in several categories, from best pitcher and worst
pitcher to best win, worst loss. There's a link below this excerpt to lead you to all of it, but two of the "bests" included
Ryan Doumit.
Best personnel move: Neal Huntington received
credit throughout the industry for acquiring Tyler Yates for a fringe prospect, as well as building a solid bench from scrap.
But his most important move came in the winter, when he correctly identified McLouth and Ryan Doumit as impact players.
No decision was more important in creating what, stunningly, became the No. 5 offense in the majors.
Best quote: "We let 'em know we weren't going
to be pushed around in our own house. Especially by Randy Johnson." That was Doumit on June 9, right after that argument between
the Big Unit and Doug Mientkiewicz emptied the benches and bullpens. The Pirates beat Arizona, 5-3, and appeared to enjoy
it thoroughly.
As September rolls in ...
Sept. 2, 2008 -- The Pirates are rolling into the last month of the season,
with the additional players expected to be announced this week as the team starts a road trip in Cincinatti.
This is from the Pirates site, posted Sunday:
The Pirates are out of postseason contention as the season winds
down, but general manager Neal Huntington made it clear Sunday that there is something to play for in September.
"Every game we play from here on out is an audition, for all of
us," Huntington said. "The evaluation process started the first day we got here and it will end the last day that we're here.
We need players that want to continue to play hard and show that they're going to be a part of this thing going forward --
whether that's somebody that's been here for a long time or somebody that's battling.
"We have some veterans in place and we have some players that
seem to be in place, but we need to finish this thing out. We need to continue to prepare, we need to continue compete and
we need to continue to try to win."
Huntington indicated there are a core of players in place, but
nothing is a given in the Pirates organization.
There has been word of the Pirates planning on securing Ryan Doumit through all his arbitration
years (his arbitration eligible after this season) and into free agency, tabbing him and All-Star Nate McLouth for long-term
contracts. There is also a lot of expectation that Pitching Ace Paul Maholm be signed long term too. As the new management
has shown this year, a contract is only as good as the player's performance and general readiness to play the game to win
(hence the release of Matt Morris in April, and the demotion and trade of arbitration year players like Jose Bautista this
season).
On the Pirates: Reeling rotation defined first half
Pittsburgh's Mr. Negative praises Ryan
Administrator's note: I really can't just
post the following column without prefacing it. Ron Cook is a columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Look up "arrogant
and snarky" on Wikipedia and his picture may be the first search result. Columnists get paid to irritate people, and when
it comes to Pittsburgh sports in general, Cook is a leader in that game. Never more so than with the Pirates. The fact that
this is overall complimentary about Ryan Doumit is as astonishing to me as Kevin Costner showing up in my office later in
a baseball uniform, carrying a latte and asking if I want to find a quiet place to talk. That said, this kind of generally
positive feedback on Superman's play in Pittsburgh is remarkable given the source, so it has to be here. --Andrea
Pirates should build around Doumit
By Ron Cook, From the Post-Gazette
June 27, 2008 -- With July speeding toward us
by the minute, trade speculation involving the Pirates is increasing. Would you give up Jason Bay? Xavier Nady? Damaso Marte?
John Grabow?
I'd trade any or all of 'em for the right return,
but I wouldn't part with Ryan Doumit.
He's my one untouchable, more so than Nate McLouth
and Matt Capps.
The more I watch Doumit, the more I love him
as a player.
Do you have any idea how valuable a switch-hitting
catcher with power is?
I know the downside to Doumit. He has been injury-prone,
almost to the point of being beyond belief. There are few worse things you can say about a proud athlete. Cal Ripken Jr.,
when asked about his famous iron-man streak, always said he was most proud of the fact his teammates could count on him every
game. Doumit's teammates have not been able to count on him. In his parts of four seasons with the Pirates, he has been on
the disabled list five times with injuries ranging from a bad left hamstring to a sprained left wrist to a right high ankle
sprain to -- this season's problem -- a fractured left thumb. In his first eight full professional seasons, he played more
than 100 games just twice.
Meet the anti-Ripken.
But some of Doumit's injuries can be attributed
to immaturity. It's nice to think he's taking better care of himself now that he realizes the potential money that's out there
for him. Neal Huntington, the Pirates' first-year general manager, challenged him in the offseason to come to spring training
in better shape. He did just that and won the starting job from -- everyone applaud -- the bemoaned Ronny Paulino.
It's also easy to believe that Doumit's luck
has to change. Late last season, he missed almost a month with his wrist injury, was activated for a game against the Chicago
Cubs Sept. 8 and his ankle was sprained in that first game back and was done for the year. Really, how much does one guy have
to suffer?
I don't know about Huntington, but I'm willing
to bet on Doumit's maturity and luck.
I also want Doumit playing catcher, not first
base or right field, where some have suggested he belongs. His value is greatest behind the plate as long as he keeps improving
because big-time hitting catchers are so rare. Early in his career, merely receiving the ball was an adventure for him. That's
no longer the case. He has worked hard to become a respectable catcher. No, he's not Johnny Bench, not even close. But he
doesn't have to be.
Not with that bat.
After the New York Yankees jumped on Pirates
starter Paul Maholm for three first-inning runs in the rained-out game last night, Doumit answered in the Pirates' half of
the first with a run-scoring single off starter Mike Mussina. The hit won't count because the game was postponed at 10:25
with the Yankees holding that 3-1 lead in the third. Still, Doumit went 5 for 9 in the series and is 15 for 32 in his past
nine games, the latter a streak which -- it must be pointed out -- was interrupted by the five games he missed with concussion-like
symptoms after taking a series of foul balls off his face mask.
For his abbreviated season, Doumit is hitting
.354, which would rank him third in the National League if he had the required at-bats. He has been remarkably consistent
-- .355 against right-handers, .351 against left-handers and .417 with runners in scoring position.
But Doumit's power capability is what makes him
especially intriguing. His 10 home runs in 147 at-bats would equate to 34 over a full 500 at-bats season.
Beyond that, respect has grown for Doumit in
the Pirates' clubhouse -- because of his new, improved conditioning and because of his production. He has talked a good game
at times; remember his well-publicized "We weren't going to be pushed around in our house" spiel after a minor dust-up earlier
this month between teammate Doug Mientkiewicz and Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson? But he also has walked the walk.
I don't trade a guy like that.
I build around him.
Like it never happened
June 26, 2008 -- The series finale against the New York Yankees at PNC Park suffered a
lengthy rain delay before the game was called at the top of the third, with two outs, Yankees leading 3-1.
The game was rescheduled for July 10, which was an off-day for both teams.
Ryan Doumit had a single in his only at-bat in this game, scoring Freddy Sanchez who had the first hit of
the game in the bottom of the first. The hit and the RBI are erased with the partial game, and the two teams start over July
10.
Pirates fall to Bronx Bombers 10-0 in game 2
June 25, 2008 -- The Pittsburgh Pirates "Met
Joba" at PNC park Wednesday night when the 22-year old Yankee firearm, moved into the starting rotation from the relief staff
just recently, led the Yankees to a 10-0 drubbing of the Pirates.
By saying Jack Wilson was charged with two errors, that should say
it all.
Attention Ryan Doumit fans: Doumit
went 2 for 4 with a double to extend his nine-game tear to .500 -- 15 for 30 -- but his home run streak at PNC Park ended
at four games.
Also, Ryan's dad, Pete Doumit, will be joined by No. 41 for two book signings this weekend
for the Pete Doumit baseball book (see the Inside Ry page on this site for more information about that book). One is Friday
(June 27) 11-1 at Barnes&Noble South Hills Village and one is Saturday (June 28), 11-1 at Borders on the East Side.
Bucs clobber Yanks 12-5; Doumit goes 3-5
June 24, 2008 -- The storied return of the New York Yankees to Pittsburgh
resulted in the Pirates bats coming alive, the defense making the plays and the Pirates taking the Bronx Bombers down hard,
12-5.
Tom Gorzelanny got the win, giving up three earned runs in six innings, and evening his record
to 6-6.
The offense was hot up and down the lineup (LaRoche and Sanchez were knocking the ball into
holes and getting on base like crazy) with a team high 19 hits. Ryan Doumit returned to the line up after concussion-like
symptoms and was back behind the plate catching. He went 3-5 with a solo home run, his 10th of the year, a double and a single
with two runs, two RBIs and one strike out.
FSN Pittsburgh commentators Greg Brown and Bob Walk focused quite a bit on Doumit's improved
defensive moves behind the plate, discussing his off-season conditioning and his work at spring training to win the starting
job.
Following the game, in his press conference Manager John Russell was also praising Doumit's
performance, both offensively in the four hole and as part of the team makeup.
"He's really grown into that role. Obviously when we don't have him we miss him," Russell said.
In post-game clubhouse comments, Jack Wilson talked about the win feeling good in front of
the standing room only, 36,000 plus crowd, adding that coming off a still stinging White Sox sweep and two of the starting
pitchers ailing, "Getting Doumit back was pretty huge for us."
In comments to media after the game, Doumit said it will be a battle the next two nights because
of the kind of game the Yankees bring, but "right now this one feels pretty good."
What's Superman's secret, one media guy asks?
"The key is to hit the ball as hard as you can when guys are on base," Doumit said.
Click the link below for MLB video of the homerun hit from the left, on the 1-0 pitch.
Yankees? Bring it!
June 24,2008 -- The New York Yankees start
a three game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight (Tuesday) at PNC Park, marking the first return of the Yankees
since the 1960s world series.
Much has been made of this match-up, and the kind of "awe"
(gag) that comes with the Yankees, who are in 3rd place right now in their division.
Of the matchup, the following comes from the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette:
"The Pirates and Yankees meet four times each spring along Florida's
western coast, and 11 of the 12 pitchers on the Pirates' current staff have faced most of New York's big-name batters. The
lone exception is T.J. Beam, who played for the Yankees in 2006.
When catcher Ryan Doumit was asked about the fuss of facing the
Yankees, he replied: "Yeah? So? We play the Yankees all the time in the spring."
Right, but this counts, he was reminded.
"Well, yeah, it's a big series for us. But, playing competition
like that, we should raise our game. Especially with them coming on our home turf. We should be more excited about it than
afraid. It's our chance to show the country where we stack up, how we handle the big boys."
He smiled.
"I'm looking forward to it, to be honest with you."
Doumit hits the "one day" mark
From the Post-Gazette:
June 23, 2008 -- Catcher Ryan Doumit had his first symptom-free day with his concussion, encouraging management that he can pinch-hit
Tuesday and, perhaps, return to full duty the next day.
He took his first full batting practice yesterday, then stepped
into the on-deck circle -- but never batted -- in the seventh inning of the game.
Catching on the side
June 22, 2008
-- According to the Pirates Web site, Catcher Ryan Doumit caught a side pitching
session on Sunday morning and everything checked out as normal. Doumit was considered available to pinch-hit on Sunday, Russell
said, but he did not in the 8-5 loss to the Blue Jays.
The Pirates also plan on giving Doumit extra work on Monday. If everything goes accordingly, Doumit should
be able to play on Tuesday. Both Doumit and Xavier
Nady had been ruled out of playing in the series against the Blue Jays.
Doumit seems most likely to return after suffering a concussion Tuesday
against the White Sox. Russell said Doumit's symptoms are waning, and would like to give his catcher and No. 4 hitter the
next three nights to recuperate.
"Ryan feels better," Russell said. "He had a good night [Friday] night.
His symptoms are getting less and less. Again, that type of situation you'd like to see no symptoms for at least 24 hours.
If we can get him past that point, maybe we can get him ready to go."
Nady, who suffered a left shoulder injury after running into a wall
at Baltimore on June 14, needs more time to "calm" down, Russell said. Nady is available to play the field and has no trouble
running and throwing. But when it comes to swinging, that's where the right fielder feels pain. (from
MLB.com)
Also this week:
This Tuesday the New York Yankees (ick) come to PNC. It's their first time playing in Pittsburgh since
they lost the 1960 World Series to the Pirates on Bill Mazeroski's home run at Forbes Field. Mazeroski will throw out the
first pitch opening night.
According to FSN Pittsburgh, Ryan's family will be in town for the series and Stan Savran intends to
feature Ryan's dad, Pete Doumit, and Ryan to talk about Pete Doumit's book, "What I Know about Baseball Is What I Know About
Life."
Savran on Sportsbeat airs at 6 p.m. on FSN Pittsburgh and it was unclear which night's show will include
the Doumits.
For a link to Amazon, which carries the book, check out the Inside Ry page by clicking on the title in
the left navigation bar. Also new to that page is a high school photo of Ryan thanks to a classmate of his in Ryan's hometown
of Moses Lake, Washington.
Doumit earns his first National League weekly honor
June 16, 2008 -- Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Ryan
Doumit, whose four home runs led the National League, was named Bank of America Presents the National League Co-Player
of the Week for the period ending June 15th.
He shares the honor with Florida Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco,
who went 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA in the same time period.
Bank of America, the Official Bank of Major League Baseball, is
the presenting sponsor of the National League and American League Player of the Week Awards.
Doumit led the N.L. with his four homers, a .960 slugging percentage
and 24 total bases, and tied for the league-lead with eight runs scored. The 27-year-old backstop hit .400 (10-25), drove
in seven runs, collected two doubles and recorded a .483 on-base percentage. On June 10th vs. Washington, Ryan recorded his
third career four-hit game, including two home runs, two doubles and three RBI. In the Pirates' three-game series with Washington,
Doumit went 9-for-11 with four home runs and seven RBI, homering in each of the three games. The Moses Lake, Washington native
is batting .346 on the season with nine home runs and 22 RBI. This is Ryan's first career weekly award honor.
Teammates point to Doumit as a leader in the 'change of culture' of PBC
June 16, 2008
-- A survey of the Pirate clubhouse is unanimous
in identifying that yes, the culture has begun to change. So with that readily established and accepted, the question now
becomes how. In other words, what has contributed to this shift?
Three sources, according to players, and none playing more of a role
than the next.
To begin with, it seems that the team is taking the cue from its manager.
With a presence and a personality contrasting that of his predecessor, Russell has stamped this club with some of the tenacity
befitting his days as a catcher.
"JR is an old-school, hard-nosed type of guy," catcher Ryan Doumit
said. "That's the type of player he was, a hard-nosed guy. And that's what he expects and he demands. We're giving that to
him."
With Russell providing the direction, it's then been some of the unlikeliest
of leaders -- Ryan Doumit and Nate McLouth -- who have stepped up and led the way both in terms of production and attitude.
As teammates pointed to these two guys as the second source of a new clubhouse mentality, it's interesting to consider that
neither had a starting spot on the team before Spring Training.
Under old management, Doumit had been relegated to the backup role,
with doubts about his potential to ever be an above-average backstop prevalent. McLouth had many of the same doubters, with
the common criticism being that he didn't have the range, nor the offensive pop, to be an everyday outfielder.
But when both not only cracked the starting lineup, but became fixtures
in it, their presence and work ethic have been noticed.
"You start to see the attitude of guys like Doumit and McLouth, who
are going to be here are a while, [and] they want respect around the league," said utilityman Doug Mientkiewicz. "They're
not going to let anyone come in here and trying to intimidate them or push them around."
Though their leadership would seem to differ in style, interestingly
enough, both describe themselves very similarly.
"I'm just hard-nosed," Doumit said. "And I'm glad people are picking
up on it and noticing it because it's the only way I know how to play."
Said McLouth: "Being a tough-nosed player is something I kind of have
to do. Hopefully people see that and hopefully it rubs off."
It has. For a club that still hasn't reached the .500 mark since mid-April,
that hard-nosed attitude has been evident, maybe no more so than one week ago when every member of the team spilled out onto
the field to send a message that they weren't going to be walked over.
"I think that guys are liking the style of play that we have here
this year," Doumit said. "I think it's not as laid back as it has been in the past, and I think that it's contagious. When
you see someone running into a wall, it motivates you and it pushes you to do the same."
On the road in Interleague play
June 15, 2008 -- The Pittsburgh Pirates sailed
into the first stretch of Interleague play this season. The trip began June 13 at Orioles Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore,
Md. where the Bucs went 1-2 with a win Sunday in 10 innings.
Friday night the Pirates lost a 6-1 lead to lose 9-6 and Saturday
was a tug-of-war as the Pirates had, and lost, the lead four times.
Ryan Doumit was behind the dish in games one and two of the series,
batting cleanup and catching Phil (Dead-to-me) Dumatrait on Friday and Zach Duke on Saturday. Sunday, Skipper John Russell
used Doumit in the American-League allowed designated hitter spot, still in the four-hole and Raul Chavez caught for Paul
Maholm. Doumit caught the 10th inning after a 4-2 lead was lost in the bottom of the ninth with a two-run homer off of Matt
Capps - the second straight night the Bucs lost the lead in the ninth.
Friday night at the plate Ryan had one run, one base on balls and
two strike-outs; Saturday he had one run, one base on balls and one strike-out; Sunday as the DH he had one hit, one run,
one base on balls, and was hit by a pitch. If there was a box score for "you were robbed" that would have been his line drive
early in Sunday's game that was snared by the second baseman. That had extra bases written all over it.
New game photos from the Pirates-Orioles game at Baltimore
is on the Ryan's Photos page, just click that topic on the left navigation bar. The newest ones are at the top.
| Breaking new ground |
|
| Post-Gazette photo |
| Fifth inning longball |
|
| Third Base coach Beasley congrats No. 41 Wednesday night. Post Gazette photo. |
Homerun Number 9
'Doumit powers up' article
That's right... walk toward the light
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 -- A Ryan Doumit fan spoke up in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Pirates Q&A today,
speaking highly of Ryan's play and his character on the team.
It went like this:
Also could you please pass on to Ryan that fans such as myself really appreciate his spirit and
competitiveness, not to mention his offense?
Deanna Yee of Bethel Park
KOVACEVIC: Plain and simple, Deanna, he is growing up. And, if I pushed this laptop in front of
him and had him answer your question, he would type the same thing. Some of you might remember this line from anecdote from back in minicamp. Well, take that approach, mix it with one seriously intense motivational phone call from Neal Huntington
over the winter, than add a large dose of sitting next to Doug Mientkiewicz in the Pirates' clubhouse, and you have what you
see before you.
Mientkiewicz tells me he thinks the Pirates' clubhouse will belong to Doumit someday, not something
he offers lightly.
As for letting Doumit know how you and others feel, Deanna, you can do that yourself. The ballpark
is located conveniently on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, and my understanding is that there are plenty of good seats available
most nights.
Atta girl, Deanna. Walk toward that light shaped like the No. 41. There's pure baseball joy on the other
side, dear.
Tough words, hard hits and painful L
June 10, 2008 -- Doug Mientkiewicz won't be rushed at the plate. The gold glove winning,
Olympic winning, World Series ring-owning first baseman turned star utility man is going to get set to bat. Even if the Big
Unit, Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks, is in a hurry to pitch.
Doug calls time June 9 in 90-plus degree heat at PNC, Diamondback catcher Montero may have mouthed off a
bit, Johnson has a little comment, Doug has a comment and boom, the dugouts clear, then the bullpen.
While no punches were thrown and no one was ejected for that, it was the defining moment of team pride,
spirit and warriorism that many Pirates fans have waited a while to see.
Doumit was the first out of the dugout to have Doug's back.
From the Post-Gazette:
Listen to catcher Ryan Doumit, minutes after the Pirates' emotional, exceptional 5-3 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks
yesterday afternoon at PNC Park ...
"We let 'em know we weren't going to be pushed around in our own house," Doumit said, loud enough for nearby teammates
to take notice. "Especially by Randy Johnson."
Now, when was the last time anyone associated with the Pittsburgh Baseball Club went public with anything like that?
Better question: When was the last time the franchise showed a competitive streak comparable to the one this edition
has displayed all season?
On this day alone, these Pirates stared down and wore down the legendary Johnson, emptied their bench and bullpen when
Doug Mientkiewicz and Johnson had a verbal spat, pleaded their cases passionately with the umpires, slid and dived as if it
were a playoff game and, most important by far, performed at a level that made all of that energy pay off.
Fast forward to Tuesday night - the series opener against the Washington Nationals. The Nationals, ranking lowest in home
runs for a team, scored six runs - four were solo homers. Ryan went 4-4 with a two-run homer, a solo shot and two doubles.
The reason there's not Indiana Jones music or Superman's theme playing while you read this is, based on his post game interview, Ryan
just shrugs off those hits when the end result is a loss for the team. So out of respect to him and his amazing performance,
we'll just hold the fanfare for the win. (Pirates fans are still clapping for No. 41 though - we'd rather have those hits
in a loss than no hits in a loss).
Behind the dish, again!
Saturday, June 7, 2008 -- On his first day back from the 15-day Disabled List, Ryan Doumit started behind
the plate Friday night when Ian Snell and the Bucs took on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the series opener at PNC, losing
3-1.
In FSN Pittsburgh interviews, Doumit said his thumb felt fine, but the splint he wears in his glove now
and for the rest of the season will "take some getting used to."
He went 0-4 at the plate, leaving runners in scoring position with two outs twice, and was charged with
one passed ball.
He did bat cleanup, sandwiching his switch-hitting power between Jason Bay and Xavier Nady. Last night's
starting roster marked the first time that group has been able to start together since April 3 when Jack Wilson was hurt.
|
|
Ryan Doumit fans can share their stories and photos of encounters with No. 41 on the new Fan Tales page!
Click on the title "Fan Tales" in the left-hand navigation bar.
From fans, in their own words! |
Doumit reactivated for Diamondback series
Thursday, June 5, 2008 -- The Pittsburgh Pirates announced their intention to reactivate Ryan
Doumit off the 15-day Disabled List (left thumb fracture) Friday (June 6) and have him playing in the home, four-game series
against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In a press conference following the 4-3 win Thursday night over the Astros, Manager John Russell
said that Doumit was eager to get back in it, and that he didn't expect to "ease him in" to playing time in the bigs.
Doumit played three rehab games with Class AA Altoona Curve this week, pinch hitting once Tuesday
night for a single, catching several innings Wednesday night going 1-3 and charged with a passed ball; and catching six innings
Thursday night going 1-3 at the plate.
The odd catcher out for PBC is Ronny Paulino, who is being sent to AAA Indianapolis, where
Russell says he wants Ronny to catch every day, work on some skills behind and at the plate, and follow a program the team
has outlined for him. Raul Chavez, who has started more than five of the Pirates most recent games, will be considered the
back-up catcher.
Doumit still leads the Pirates in batting average with a .350.
One game at a time
July 2, 2008 -- The Pittsburgh Pirates took the series, two of three
games, from the Reds at Cincinnati. In game three, a 9-5 win, Xavier Nady hit two home runs, a solo shot and the second
longball with Doumit on base. Ryan went 2-4 with two singles and scored three runs, reaching once after being hit by a pitch.
With July 3 off before a three-game stand against those Brewers
in Milwaukee, Ryan leads the team in batting average with .341 and Nady is right there at .323.
Going into this series the Pirates have two starting pitchers (Ian
Snell and Phil "Dead-to-me" Dumatrait), a relief pitcher (Frankie Osoria) and now our beloved closer (Matt Capps) on the disabled
list. As has been Manager John Russell's plan all season, the Buccos plan to battle for 27 outs every game. The Pirates now
have five hitters with 10 home runs just two games after the midway point, including Nady and Doumit, and lead the National
League in outfield performance.
Doumit to begin rehab stint in Double-A
By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com ST. LOUIS -- Injured catcher
Ryan Doumit will begin a rehab stint at Double-A Altoona on Tuesday, where he is expected to play in three games before returning
to Pittsburgh on Friday.
If all goes as planned, Doumit, who fractured his left thumb on May 13, will then be taken off the disabled
list in time for Friday's game. That will be less than the expected minimum four-week recovery time that was initially given.
Doumit spent Monday serving as the bullpen catcher during the game. It marked the second straight day in which
Doumit has taken high-velocity throws behind the plate. Like he did on Sunday, Doumit reported no pain after Monday's work.
Doumit has also been taking consistent batting practice from the left-handed side of the plate and will likely
hit primarily -- and maybe even exclusively -- left-handed during the rehab games, manager John Russell said. Because more
pressure is put on Doumit's thumb swinging right-handed, he hasn't progressed past hitting soft toss or off the tee from that
side of the plate.
Put him in coach!
Monday, June 2, 2008 -- Ryan Doumit is expected to catch another full-speed bullpen session today (Monday,
June 2) to gauge if he can get back into the game, behind the dish.
There's some debate about whether he'll play a few rehab games on the farm in Indy or Altoona to get
his bat back. Russell remains conservative, according to reports - Doumit remains confident he doesn't need a farm stint,
according to this MLB.com article published Sunday on the Bucs home site:
ST. LOUIS -- After crouching to catch his first bullpen session Sunday since fracturing his left thumb,
Ryan Doumit pronounced himself ready to come off the disabled list later this week.
"I feel days away," Doumit said. "I felt game ready catching in there."
Doumit caught Zach Duke's side session and reported jamming his thumb just once in what was the latest big
test for his left hand. Encouragingly, though, the slight sting he felt after catching that pitch went away immediately.
For Doumit, Sunday's catching session marked the first time he had received high-velocity pitches since fracturing
the thumb in St. Louis on May 13. The diagnosis initially called for four weeks of no activity, after which Doumit was expected
to begin rehab work. However, a quicker-than-expected recovery has Doumit poised to return well before those initial estimates.
Doumit is scheduled to catch Paul Maholm's bullpen session on Monday, and said that, if all goes well there,
he'd lobby to return to play in the Pirates' upcoming series against Houston.
However, manager John Russell's comments prior to Sunday's game suggested that a little more time may be in
order before Doumit is reinstated from the disabled list. That would include the possibility of playing a few Minor League
rehabilitation games, an option that Bucs general manager Neal Huntington and Russell have been discussing in recent days.
"I think the safest route is sending him out for a couple games anyway to make sure the catching is OK and
get him a few at-bats," Russell said. "It's been talked about. I don't know which direction we'll be going."
Doumit, however, was quite firm in his opinion on the issue.
"I would rather not," he said when asked if he would consider playing in a few Minor League games before returning
to the field for the Pirates. "I would rather just jump into it. I feel like I've taken enough [hitting] reps here that I
am not too far out of it. If I have a say in it, I hope I don't have to do it."
Doumit is wearing a splint on the thumb and plans to continue using it for the remainder of the season.
Doumit has been participating in batting practice -- hitting from the left-side only -- for days now, and
has reported doing so pain-free.
Over the last couple of days, the Pirates backstop has tested his thumb from the right side of the plate,
hitting off soft toss and a tee, which he did again on Sunday. He has yet to hit right-handed during batting practice since
it calls for more pressure to be put on his left thumb.
Though Doumit will likely start taking batting practice right-handed in the next few days, neither he nor
Russell foresaw a situation where Doumit would need to hit exclusively from the left side when he first makes his return.
"If the situation called for it," Doumit said, "I would definitely go up there right-handed."
Batting is fine; catching hurts
May 29, 2008 -- Listening to Bob Walk color the Thursday game against
the Reds at Cincy, we learned that Ryan is batting fine, in terms of being able to handle it with the left thumb fracture,
but catching is an issue. Even with the splint, he's got to take 140-some pitches per game at an average of 90-some miles
an hour. They said he should try to catch some tomorrow (Friday).
He was eligible to come off the 15 day DL Wednesday.
In the meantime, Phile "Dead-to-me" Dumatrait gave the Bucs a quality
start Thursday night, seven innings, one unearned run, two hits. His nickname is the result of breaking Superman's thumb,
and I can cheer K's for "Dead-to-me" as easily as I can try to pronounce his last name correctly, instead of phonetically.
"Nothing imminent" is how the announcer's described word on Doumit
while Chavez keeps picking them off on the base paths. With Jack back (bow your head in a moment of thanksgiving and rejoicing
right there and God Bless Bixy for his help in the meantime) Russell is eager to have Superman in hitting spot No. 4, where
he belongs.
Doumit focus on catching
From the Post-Gazette, May 26, 2008 --When catcher Ryan Doumit is cleared for full baseball
activity, he likely will need two or three games in the minors to test his fractured left thumb, mostly behind the plate.
The thumb is healing better than the team's initial prognosis, and he is taking full batting practice in the
cage. But the Pirates' greater concern is how the thumb will hold up to catching. He will be fitted for a protective splint
and give it a try, likely later in the week.
"That thumb is in his glove, and he's going to have to withstand the thumping of every single pitch," Huntington
said.
Superman heal thyself...
Friday, May 23, 2008 --Reports started coming out Wednesday that Ryan Doumit's thumb may be healing quicker
than anticipated. That had to be confirmed by another exam Thursday night. I figured, given Ryan's dance with fate, it would
either be really good news or they'd tell us they were amputating. Seems to go that way for him. Anyway, it was good news
- the fracture has not done whatever fractures do to get worse, and he's been fitted with a special glove for catching and
taking dry swings already this week.
Perhaps the one true uplifting thing in all this trip to the DL is all those babbling bloggers that last
year loved to use the injury tag are the same ones this year saying "he better get back soon!"
Read on...
Doumit's comeback moves to faster track
Friday, May 23, 2008
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Catcher Ryan Doumit, as he had hoped, could be swinging a bat as early as this afternoon, with an eye
toward a return to the Pirates' lineup within two weeks.
His fractured left thumb was re-examined last night by Dr. Mark Baratz, the Pirates' hand specialist
at Allegheny General Hospital, and it was confirmed that the small break has been contained to the tip without affecting the
nearby joint. With that, Baratz cleared him to begin taking dry swings -- no pitcher, no ball -- within the next two days.
The original prognosis when Doumit was injured May 13 in St. Louis was that he would need a month even before
resuming baseball-type rehabilitation.
Although Doumit has been visibly buoyed by the two examinations this week, the Pirates' baseball officials
are known to be leaning toward the cautious side, so it remains to be seen how aggressively they allow him to move through
rehabilitation.
This much is certain: Manager John Russell is eager to have him back.
"It would be nice if the injury is a little different than we'd thought and he could come back sooner," Russell
said.
Using the down time
As promised, I'm using this "down time" when Ryan is on the DL
and there aren't all kinds of homeruns and pickoffs and batting averages near .400 to report to add some things.
The first video is made and uploaded. Click the slideshow page in the left navigation
menu.
If there are problems, email me via the address on the bottom of any of the pages
on this site. Or, follow the link to where I posted it on YouTube.
Let's go Bucs!
-Andrea
Doumit could take four weeks to heal
May 15, 2008 -- Here's a compilation of what's been written about the injury to Ryan's thumb and the expectations
of how long he'll be out:
The Pirates will be without catcher Ryan Doumit for "at least four weeks," manager John Russell said Wednesday,
May 14, because of his fractured left thumb.
And it could be longer.
Doumit, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list, had his thumb examined in Pittsburgh Wednesday morning
by Dr. Mark Baratz, the team's hand specialist at Allegheny General Hospital, and the fracture at the tip was confirmed. The
four weeks will be needed to heal the injury, Russell said, adding that it was not immediately clear when he might be able
to begin a minor-league rehabilitation assignment, at that point or later.
"We'll miss Ryan terribly," Russell said. "But we've got the people to keep winning."
Doumit had the thumb examined yesterday morning in Pittsburgh by Dr. Mark Baratz, the team's hand specialist
at Allegheny General Hospital, and the fracture at the tip was confirmed. But there was no damage to the nearby joint, which
was the greater concern entering the examination. If there had been, Doumit would have missed half the season.
As it is, no surgery is needed. He was fitted with a minor wrap and will need roughly a month for the injury
to fully heal. It will be decided, as that four-week point approaches, when he can begin a minor league rehabilitation stint.
"Right now, we don't know what can happen within those four weeks," he said.
Doumit's "freak accident," as Russell called it, happened in the first inning of Tuesday's series opener.
Dumatrait released a ball higher and further away than Doumit had anticipated and when he moved his glove to make the catch,
but the ball caromed off the glove, the force of the impact injuring Doumit's thumb.
"Obviously it hurts. I don't even know what to say," Doumit said Tuesday night after game. "It couldn't have
come at a worse time. I'm tired of the clichés that everything will be OK. It's frustrating."
The loss of Doumit will undoubtedly hurt the balance of the Pirates' lineup. He came into Tuesday's
game leading all Major League catchers with a .364 average as a starter. He had hit safely in 13 of his last 14 starts and
had posted a .393 average and 11 RBIs over that span.
He had also become a fixture hitting cleanup, a spot that Russell has said he will now fill on a night-to-night
basis with Jason Bay, Xavier Nady or Adam LaRoche. On Wednesday, Bay assumed the spot.
"Depending on the matchups we have, we feel like we have some candidates," Russell said. "I just liked the
balance of our lineup when Ryan was there. We'll piece it together and see how it goes."
Ronny Paulino will take over everyday catching duties until Doumit returns, with Chavez filling in as Paulino's
backup.
Doumit fractures left thumb
By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com ST.
LOUIS -- Despite an extra-inning win on Tuesday, the Pirates' seventh victory in eight games came at a heavy cost as the team
lost starting catcher Ryan Doumit indefinitely to a thumb injury.
On the 15th pitch of the game, Doumit received an offering from starter Phil Dumatrait that hit Doumit's glove
and fractured his left thumb, caroming away for a passed ball.
Dumatrait made one more pitch to Doumit before the inning ended. Doumit did not return, and after an examination
by the Pirates' doctors, he was determined to have a slight fracture near the top of the left thumb.
"It hurt initially," said Doumit, who was making his 25th start of the season behind the plate. "I didn't
know there was something wrong until the next pitch."
Doumit will return to Pittsburgh on Wednesday to have his thumb re-evaluated. He is headed to the 15-day disabled
list regardless, but the biggest question is simply for how long.
"Obviously, it's not in the joint which is good," manager John Russell. "I actually had a guy last year who
had [a similar injury], and it was 10 days to at the most three weeks. We're not sure yet. We'll see where we're at. Obviously,
[it's] disappointing for everybody."
The loss of Doumit will create a large void in a Pirates offense that has finally begun to find some consistency.
Doumit had found his niche as the team's cleanup hitter and was making his 18th start in the fourth hole.
For Doumit, this latest injury may be the most frustrating of the numerous ones he has endured. He has been
criticized for being injury prone in the past, but Doumit came into Spring Training in the best shape of his career and parlayed
his offseason work into earning the majority of playing time behind the plate over 2007 starter Ronny Paulino. Doumit had
been lauded for his improvements defensively, and at the plate. Doumit entered Tuesday with a team-best .350 average.
Now his output is again put on hold.
"Obviously, it hurts. I don't even know what to say," said a visibly irritated Doumit. "It couldn't have come
at a worse time. I'm tired of the clichés that everything will be OK. It's frustrating."
The 27-year-old catcher, who missed time last year with hamstring, wrist and ankle injuries, had hit safely
in 13 of his last 14 starts. In that span, Doumit had 11 RBIs and a .393 average. His .364 average as a starter was tops among
all Major League catchers.
Paulino will assume the starting catcher role in Doumit's absence. The Pirates will also be calling up a another
catcher -- likely to be either of Triple-A Indianapolis' two backstops, Michel Hernandez or Raul Chavez -- on Wednesday to
serve as Paulino's backup.
Ryan Doumit is: Starting catcher
May 12, 2008 -- Ryan Doumit was scheduled to catch
and bat cleanup on Sunday against the Braves in a game that was postponed to Monday (May 13 for a double header) due to rain.
Making the majority of the starts behind the dish, Doumit's batting
average remains strong with five home runs (two from the right) and a defensive performance that Pirates management is increasingly
impressed with, as evidenced by two Monday morning articles on Doumit.
From the Beaver County Times:
Paulino accepting role as Doumit's backup
By John Perrotto, Times Sports Staff
PITTSBURGH — Ronny Paulino was going to be back
on the bench Sunday, a day after driving in three runs.
Ryan Doumit was scheduled to catch for the Pittsburgh Pirates,
though their game with the Atlanta Braves was postponed by rain and rescheduled as a doubleheader at 12:35 p.m. today at PNC
Park.
Earlier in the season, Paulino would have been bitter
about that. He has accepted the fact that he has ceded the starting catching job to Doumit.
“I was mad at the
start of the season because I thought I should be playing more, but Ryan is doing a great job,” said Paulino, the Pirates’
No. 1 catcher the previous two seasons. “He has worked hard and he is having a really good season. He deserves to play.
I understand that.
“All I can do is keep working hard and wait for my chance to play. If anything, the way Ryan
is playing is motivating me to play well when it’s my turn to be in the lineup.”
Doumit has clearly been
the better offensive player, hitting .340 with five home runs and 15 RBIs in 27 games. Paulino, meanwhile, has a .224 batting
average with no homers and 11 RBIs in 18 games.
Defensively, the two have been fairly even
Paulino has thrown
out 33 percent (4 of 12) of base runners trying to steal, while Doumit has gunned down 25 percent (2 of 8). Pirates pitchers
have a 4.84 ERA when Doumit is catching and a 5.22 mark with Paulino behind the plate.
Paulino did have a big game
Saturday night in a 5-2 victory over the Braves with three RBIs on a two-run double and sacrifice fly. He also guided Tom
Gorzelanny through one of his best starts of the season as the left-hander allowed only two runs in 7 1/3 innings to get the
win.
“It feels good to contribute,” Paulino said. “It’s tough when you’re not playing
every day, but I’ve been working hard with the trainers to stay in shape. I’m just trying to contribute in any
way I can.”
Pirates manager John Russell has been pleased what Paulino has done in a more limited role.
“He’s
had some big hits for us this year,” Russell said. “He’s done a good job. I really like our catching depth
with Ronny and Ryan. We have two quality catchers.”
While the 27-year Paulino has accepted a backup role, it
is not to say he believes that being a No. 2 catcher is his future. He still believes he can be a starting catcher in the
major leagues.
“It’s a matter of getting an opportunity and right now the opportunity isn’t here
for me,” Paulino said. “I want to play more. I want to be the starter. Everyone wants to be in the starting lineup.
I’m no different.”
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates Notebook: Doumit catching on behind
plate
Monday, May 12, 2008
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
When the Pirates made up their minds early in spring training that
Ryan Doumit would be a full-time catcher the hope was he would bring a big bat and be adequate defensively.
They were correct on the former, but they might have underestimated
the latter.
It is early, and it remains to be seen how well -- or if -- Doumit
holds up over what would be his first full season behind the plate, but his work to date has exceeded expectations, maybe
by a wide margin.
"He's gotten a lot better, no question," Pirates manager John Russell,
a former catcher, said before the Pirates and Atlanta Braves were rained out yesterday at PNC Park.
Doumit has two passed balls, has thrown out two of eight runners trying
to steal and has committed two errors. That gives him a .984 fielding percentage that ranks 12th out of the National League's
regular catchers.
Nothing special there.
But the Pirates' focus with Doumit, particularly that of Russell and
Luis Dorante, the catching instructor, has been his receiving and blocking pitches. And there has been increased evidence
of improvement in that regard the past couple of weeks.
In his most recent start Friday, for example, he moved efficiently
to his left and right to block no fewer than three pitches that would have been scored wild pitches had they eluded him. The
most critical came in the eighth inning, when John Grabow, with two aboard and a one-run lead, threw a slider outside
and in the dirt to Atlanta's Kelly Johnson. Doumit not only blocked it but also flung off his mask and barehanded the
ball quickly enough that neither runner budged.
The next pitch was strike three.
And the next batter bounced into a double play, with Chipper Jones
left standing on deck.
"A huge play," Russell said of Doumit's block.
Is Doumit more confident?
"I've never lacked confidence behind the plate," he said.
So, it might be nothing more than playing regularly at one position.
Previous management, which displayed little confidence in Doumit's receiving, tried him in right field and at first base.
Current management, too, had his status up in the air until after he reported to spring training.
"The more repetitions you get, the better you'll get," Doumit said.
"Trust me: I wouldn't have made all those blocks if that was the first game I'd caught in two weeks."
Feel the love ... from fans and management!
May 9, 2008 -- Ryan Doumit's performance this season was highlighted
by two separate fans during the Q&A with Neal Huntington May 8 and the Chat with Frank Coonelly on May 7.
Here's the questions and the answers...
From the Huntington Q&A:
Ryan Doumit is hitting well. Is there another position he can play
to keep his bat in the lineup on a daily basis?
-- Marc K., Pittsburgh
Mark, I appreciate your interest and your question.
Doumit has met and exceeded our expectations on several fronts. Obviously
he has swung the bat well, but, just as importantly, he has also worked extremely hard on his defense and has really improved
his overall body conditioning and preparation.
At this point, we are continuing to focus on developing Doumit as
a catcher. Provided he can continue to be adequate defensively, his bat plays above average as a catcher, but might only play
average as a corner outfielder or first baseman. As such, our focus will continue to be on maximizing our players' value by
developing each of them at the position of highest value to the organization.
From President Frank Coonelly's chat with Pirate fans on Wednesday,
May 7:
cappslock: Mr. Coonelly, What does the organization
think of Ryan Doumit's development? I have been impressed by his obvious hitting ability, and he even possesses decent speed
and athleticism at a position where that is rare.
Coonelly: cappslock, the organization is extremely pleased
with Ryan Doumit's development. Not only is Ryan producing as our cleanup hitter, but he is also providing us with more-than-adequate
defense at the catcher position. Ryan worked extraordinarily hard during the offseason on his conditioning and his approach,
and that work is paying large dividends for him and the organization.
Tied for 11th on the PNC Home Run list
Ryan Doumit is tied in 11th place with Nate McLouth on the all time home run hitters list for PNC park with
15, according to Lanny Fratere's announcement during the May 6 game against the Giants.
That's among all hitters in PNC park, not just the Pirates. Jason Bay leads the list.
There is, however, a lot more plate appearances to be had by Doumit this season and his left field Clemente
wall, which in an interview (which can be found on the Inside Ry page on this site, click the navigation menu on the left)
Superman called it his "Kryptonite."
New photos of Ryan from 2008 games are in!
Wanna see Doumit homer No. 5?
Doumit doing well in new role
From FoxSports....Monday, April 28 
Ryan Doumit isn't the prototypical cleanup hitter.
The Pirates switch-hitting catcher never hit more than nine home runs in his first three major-league seasons.
His professional career high is a combined 18 with Class AAA Indianapolis and the Pirates in 2005.
However, Doumit has been hitting out of the No. 4 spot in the batting order during the past week and doing
quite well.
"I just really like the look of our lineup right now with Ryan hitting cleanup," Pirates manager John Russell
said. "There are certainly advantages to having a switch-hitter with power in the middle of the order and he fits in nicely
between (right-handers) Jason Bay hitting third and Xavier Nady hitting fifth."
Doumit was 2-for-3 with two doubles in Friday night's 6-5 loss to Philadelphia in the opener of a three-game
home series. He is hitting .359 with four home runs and eight RBIs in 17 games this season.
Doumit had a five-game hitting streak, going 9-for-19 (.474) with three doubles, two homers, four RBIs and
eight runs.
Doumit began the season hitting seventh with the heart of the order consisting of second baseman Freddy Sanchez
batting third, Bay hitting cleanup, first baseman Adam LaRoche batting fifth and Nady hitting sixth.
However, shortstop Jack Wilson's left calf strain that landed him on the disabled list and LaRoche's early-season
struggles have caused Russell to redo the batting order. He has moved Sanchez up to second to take Wilson's spot and dropped
LaRoche to sixth.
Doumit cleaning up playing time
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette --
April 25, 2008 -- Officially, the Pirates' Ryan Doumit and
Ronny Paulino remain a "tandem," as the team has taken to describing its catching situation.
On the statistics sheet, too, there is no more than modest separation
in most metrics, offensively and defensively.
How, then, to explain why Doumit has started 14 of 22 games and has
twice as many at-bats?
Manager John Russell points to the lineup card.
"Right now, Doumit's hitting in the No. 4 hole, and he's having very
good success there," Russell said. "Now, you look at it, and Ronny's doing well, too. But Ryan gives you that added dimension
of being able to hit fourth, with some power, and he's come up with some very big hits for us. I like the makeup of the lineup
when he's in there."
Doumit batted cleanup last night for the seventh time, including the
past three games, presenting Russell with a far hotter option than his first choice for that spot, Adam LaRoche. Paulino
has been used only at Nos. 6-8 in the order.
The offensive breakdown of the catchers: Doumit is batting .344 with
four home runs and eight RBIs in 61 at-bats, Paulino .290 with no home runs and seven RBIs in 31 at-bats.
Defensively, Doumit has two errors, Paulino none, but they otherwise
are similar: Doumit has caught 2 of 6 runners trying to steal, Paulino 3 of 10. Doumit's pitchers have a 5.47 ERA, Paulino's
a 5.88 ERA.
It is behind the plate where the Pirates' staff, especially bullpen
coach and catching instructor Luis Dorante, has placed the most focus with Doumit. And, to hear Russell, a former catcher,
tell it, there has been marked improvement in the greatest area of concern -- Doumit's receiving -- since minicamp in January.
"I think he's come a million miles," Russell said. "He hasn't caught
a lot in his career, and there are things he's going to continue to pick up. But he's doing that. He's come along with each
game. The bottom line is that you really don't notice him much anymore. And that's good."
And the throwing?
"That'll be the last thing that comes. But the arm is definitely there."
-By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pirates swept by Cubs, heading home
April 20 -- The Pittsburgh Pirates return home to PNC park Monday (April
21) after a 1-5 road trip and a second sweep by the Cubs this season.
The priates lost 13-5 Sunday at Chicago. Zach Duke was the starting pitcher and Ryan
Doumit was behind the dish again Sunday. In five at bats, Doumit grounded out, flied out, struck out and HIT TWO HOME RUNS.
Reportedly, he's not that jazzed about the two long balls that doubled his season
total of HRs to 4...
From MLB.com:
While the Pirates didn't have much else offensively outside of the
fifth, Doumit accounted for the final two Pittsburgh runs of the afternoon with solo homers in the sixth and eighth innings.
It marked the second multi-homer game in Doumit's career.
However, it's accurate to say Doumit couldn't have cared less.
"I hit two meaningless home runs," he said before the team left the
park. "We got boat-raced."
Doumit's third home run of the season.
Doumit's second home run April 20 (fourth of season).
|
|
| We all have bad days, you know? |
Doumit reported to have the clubhouse bug
April 16 -- Both MLB.com and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette are reporting that Ryan Doumit appears to have the
same illness that Adam LaRoche has suffered through and that Doug Mientkiewicz struggled with recently. A virus, team officials
said of LaRoche's illness, that is taking the snap right out of them for a few days or more.
From the Pirates site: "Doumit arrived at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday with some of the same symptoms that
first baseman Adam LaRoche has been battling for the last few days. LaRoche has been diagnosed with a virus and has been around
the clubhouse the last two days, making others susceptible to catching his illness.
Whether Doumit will start on Wednesday will obviously be a decision made by Russell on Wednesday afternoon.
But if he's not, that's where it comes in handy to have two capable starting catchers on the club."
The Pirates lost to the Dodgers Tuesday, April 15, by a score of 11-2. Nate the Great hit safely in his 14th
executive game, but Matt Morris had a fit-worthy pitching result after three innings before Phil Dumatrait and
Evan Meek finished the game. Behind the plate, Ronny Paulino had two pics at second base. This brings the series
to 1-1 with the final game tonight, Paul Maholm on the mound.
Pirates win first of series against LA
April 15 - Joe Torre in one dugout - a longtime, storied coach.
John Russell was in the visiting dugout, his first coaching stint in the majors with a focus on detail and
accountability.
On the first night of a three game series in Dodger Stadium, the Pirates won 6-4 with a three run homer
from Nate The Great McLouth with two on and two out in the ninth.
It was a night game after a night flight and a home stand where the Bucs were swept by the Cubs then swept
the Reds.
Ryan Doumit had a base hit and scored a run, as well as one passed ball and one E2 (hey, nobody's perfect).
It was his 9th start behind the dish in 13 games.
Color Commentator Bob Walk has been verbally lauding Doumit for his work this spring and start of
the season - and even the E2 was coated over with Doumit's achievements to date - including his .450 batting average
on the road this season, the best in the National League which made Ryan the Marine Leader of the Game for last night's televised
west coast event.
Zach Duke pitched six innings, Tyler Yates and John Grabow carried to the ninth and Matt Capps sealed the
deal in the bottom of the ninth.
Click on the link to Ryan's player page below to get his latest stats.
Pirates sweep Reds as Doumit breaks rookie's streak
Cincinnati Reds rookie RHP Johnny Cueto came into the Steel City with a reputation. In his
short but successful major league career, he'd never allowed a left hander to record a hit off him. He'd never allowed a walk.
Against the Pirates and Tom Gorzelanny on Sunday in a cold, wet April game - the second Sunday
of the 2008 baseball season - Cueto watched that little streak crumble in a 9-1 shellacking of the Reds by the Pirates and
the first sweep of the season for the Buccos.
Nate McLouth was the first leftie to the plate against Cueto, and recorded the first out of
the game.
In the second inning, switch-hitter Ryan Doumit, making his 8th start as catcher in the 12th
game of the season and slotted in the batting order in the clean up position, took the plate.
Batting Left.
He took a fastball over the Clemente Wall to put the Pirates on the board first, jot his second
home run of the season into the stats book, and crumble a half other of Cueto's intimidating "never" streak.
Nate the Great McLouth walked later in the game, making sure Cueto went home without his "nevers"
in tact. McLouth would make more lefty hits against the young pitcher later in the game.
Doumit's average was .351 at the conclusion of the game with a home run, and two RBI's with
a sacrifice fly that scored McLouth.
You certainly don't go up there looking to hit a home run,"
Doumit said in an interview with mlb.com. "It's just one of those things -- I was sitting dead-red fastball and I got
it and got good wood on it."
Tandem situation with 2/3 of the starts:
April 11 - In the first nine games of the regular season, Ryan Doumit
has started behind the plate in six of them, including the season opener in Atlanta and the home opener in Pittsburgh April
7.
While the Pirates management continue to call it a "tandem" catching
situation between Doumit and Ronny Paulino, simple math shows Doumit has 2/3 of the start and carries an average of .367 after
peaking at .533 a few games ago.
Pirate fans are not unaware, as shown by this question in the April 11 installment of Pirates
Q&A from the Post-Gazette:
Q: Hi, Dejan. Is Ryan Doumit now the starting catcher? So far, he's started six of nine games
and is doing fairly well, it seems. Or is a stretch coming where Ronny Paulino will get a few starts in a row?
-Jeff Tatusko of Arnold
KOVACEVIC: The Pirates continue to refer to the two as a "tandem," and circumstances seem to be
dictating who catches almost as much as Doumit's .367 start. But one could begin to get the sense, before long, that the job
is Doumit's to claim.
It is not easy to keep a productive, switch-hitting power bat out of the lineup, especially when the
defense is either a wash between the two catchers or slightly favors the power bat.
| He's OUT! |
|
| Doumit literally tagged out two runners at home in the home opener, but the Ump only gave him one. |
Lost in the story
What gets lost in the "L" column from the home opener are these very important things:
- Ryan had two hits, one RBI and an intentional walk to bring his average to .458
- Ryan started the home opener as catcher
- The team rallied from a 7-0 deficit well before the ninth.
- Marte,Osoria, Grabow, Yates, Capps
- Doug, Xavier, Nate
I'll get a few pictures from the home opener off my camera soon and start a new "season 2008" page.
Fourth start:
April 6, 2008 --Ryan Doumit started the fourth time in the six game Pirates season to date Sunday against
the Florida Marlins in Miami. He had one hit, one run, one RBI and a sacrifice hit to move Nate The Great McLouth to third.
Ian Snell was the winning pitcher with 10 K's and his first win of the season.
Listen to Doumit talk about catching Snellie's stuff ...
|
| Who's all working here? |
|
| Had Doumit been safe at second Friday night, he would have been 4-4 at the plate. |
|
|
And his batting average is, in three starts...
.533
April 4, 2008 --Ryan's first home run of the year came Friday night
against Florida, from the right side - only his second career homer from the right.
From President Frank Coonelly's chat transcript with fans Wednesday, April 2 regarding the starting
day lineup:
"We are certainly making real efforts to increase our ability to get on base and to score runs. Don Long, our new
hitting coach, has been preaching discipline and patience at the plate, and I think you saw the early returns on that philosophy
in Monday's game when Tom Glavine was removed after five innings and 97 pitches. With respect to (starting Ryan) Doumit, he
is a dangerous hitter from both sides of the plate who has worked extraordinarily hard this offseason and Spring Training,
and he has earned an opportunity to be an integral part of our offense. "
Who wasn't supposed to catch anymore?
After an off season where the Pirates sought a backup catcher for Paulino, who was behind the plate opening day in Atlanta
where the Bucs beat the Braves in 12 innings?
Ryan Doumit was.
According to the Post-Gazette:
"It was not expected on my part, but it's nice to see my hard work paid off," he said.
Doumit entered spring training thinking he would challenge for outfield duty after spending much of last season there,
but he quickly impressed management with improved defense.
"I'm out to prove a lot of people wrong," Doumit said. "A lot has been said about my defense, and I'm out to silence
the critics. I feel like I'm getting better every day."
Are you sitting down? Please do before you read this:
Bob Smizik of the Post-Gazette makes a living out of kicking athletes in the teeth, for the most part. This write
up about Doumit's start isn't just complimentary, it's as freaky as the fly ball that plunked between Bay and McLouth in the
ninth inning of the season opener: a jaw dropper to be sure.
Bob Smizik's words
Pride. Passion. Play Doumit already.
Opening lineup: Doumit at catcher
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
ATLANTA -- Manager John Russell posted the Pirates' opening-day lineup in their Turner Field clubhouse Monday
afternoon:
Nate McLouth, CF
Freddy Sanchez, 2B
Jason Bay, LF
Adam LaRoche, 1B
Xavier Nady, RF
Ryan Doumit, C
Jose Bautista, 3B
Jack Wilson, SS
Ian Snell, P
The surprise on that list, to be sure, was the insertion of Doumit rather than Ronny Paulino, the Pirates' widely
presumed opening-day catcher. Especially given that they are facing left-hander Tom Glavine when they and the Atlanta Braves
play tonight at 7:10.
Russell acknowledged that Doumit was rewarded for his exceptional training in the offseason and strong spring
performance, but he also stressed that little should be read into it.
"Ryan's worked very hard. He really took the bull by the horns," Russell said. "But this isn't a negative against
Ronny. We're going to try every night to put the best lineup out there that we can."
The decision, he added, had more to do with the Pirates feeling that Doumit -- who has shown good patience all
spring -- would be a better match for Glavine, who can dissect hitters with a wide variety of pitches.
"With Glavine, we felt Ryan's approach was better suited," Russell said. "Ronny will be more suited for Mike
Hampton."
That is the left-hander the Pirates will face in their third game, Thursday in Atlanta. Right-hander Jair Jurrjens
pitches the second game for the Braves Wednesday.
"It's not a knock against either one of our catchers," Russell said. "We think we have a pretty good tandem,
and we think this will work for both of them."
So, not a straight platoon?
"Not at all. We'll be looking at all different kinds of situations."
Doumit sounded plenty excited.
"It was not expected on my part, but it's nice to see my hard work paid off," he said.
Doumit entered spring training thinking he would challenge for outfield duty after spending much of last season
there, but he quickly impressed management with improved defense.
"I'm out to prove a lot of people wrong," Doumit said. "A lot has been said about my defense, and I'm out to
silence the critics. I feel like I'm getting better every day."
Paulino had little reaction.
"I'm a little bit surprised," he said. "But I'm just going to keep working hard."
Russell's other lineup decision of note was moving Wilson to eighth in the order after he spent much of the
spring at No. 2.
"It will change," Russell said. "There might be nights when Jack is at the top of the order. Right now, I feel
like we have a pretty balanced attack, one through eight."
A few words about the season...
from the Post-Gazette...
The Pirates' many outreaches to their rich past, as well as other attempts to pursue what Coonelly calls a
"culture of excellence" surely will have an impact someday. The franchise as a whole is behaving in a first-class fashion,
top to bottom, from upgraded facilities to superior communication to a human touch in handling some players' personal issues.
But the current stigma, no matter Coonelly's February speech to the players urging them to relinquish ownership
of it, will not go away without winning.
"For 15 years, the name of the Pirates has been associated with losing, and that's tough," catcher Ryan Doumit
said. "It seems like it's to the point where people outside the team expect it. They're waiting for it. 'Here we go again.'
And that stinks for us. We know what we're capable of doing."
He rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, I know we say that every year. But we've got good players. I mean, good
players. If we play up to our abilities, I honestly, truly believe we can compete with anybody. We've got pitchers who can
shut teams down. We've got hitters who can put up numbers. There's just no reason why we shouldn't be able to compete. But
I understand, everyone's still waiting for that."
Lookie-there!
When the Pirates sent two of the remaining four catchers at Spring Training to the minors on Saturday (March 22), it
locked Ryan Doumit (aka Superman) behind the plate. Now the question is - behind the plate half the time - or more? Read the
article below that was first published in the Philadelphia Enquirer that talks about how Doumit worked with John Russell three
years ago when Russell was the Buc's third base coach.
Doumit suddenly back in mix as Pirates catcher
BRADENTON, Fla. - When he arrived at the Pittsburgh Pirates' spring
training camp last month , 20 pounds lighter following an offseason in which chicken was in and pizza and apple pie were out
, Ryan Doumit figured the last thing he needed was a catcher's mitt.
Put it in the Doumit family trophy case, perhaps, or maybe donate it to charity, but wear it during a game? Not a chance.
"I thought my catching days were numbered. I thought I would be spending more time in the outfield," said Doumit, who is
now assured of going north as one of the Pirates' two catchers. "But the way things are working out, I can see myself getting
a lot of playing time behind the plate, so I'm all for it."
Apparently, all those hours Doumit put in working with John Russell three years ago made an impression.
Russell, then the Pirates' third base coach and now their manager, worked extensively with Doumit on the intricacies of
catching in the big leagues , knowing what pitches to call and when, properly blocking balls in the dirt and preventing stolen
bases.
Russell was a catcher himself for 10 seasons and once caught one of Nolan Ryan's seven career no-hitters.
"J.R.'s a guy that I've felt has always been in my corner," Doumit said. "He's got a lot to offer and I've got a lot to
learn from him. He was the guy I worked out with most, whenever it came to doing drills and that, it was always me and him."
While Doumit arrived in the majors that season as a catcher, he has been playing the position less and less, instead getting
more playing time at first base and in right field. He caught 50 games in 2005 but only 39 combined in the last two seasons.
When newly hired general manager Neal Huntington suggested at the end of last season that Doumit lose weight, Doumit worked
out longer and harder than before, with the intention of becoming lighter and faster.
Only to find himself catching regularly when the exhibition games began.
"Right now I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life. I came into camp 20 pounds lighter and the way my workout regimen
has been, I feel strong and healthy," said Doumit, who now weighs in the low 200s.
The surprise is that he made the club as a catcher, rather than as a multidimensional player with a power bat who can play
a variety of positions. Now that all the other catchers who were in camp have been reassigned to the minors, Doumit and two-year
starter Ronny Paulino will go north as the Pirates' only two catchers.
Russell has not named an everyday regular and said Sunday that the two will divide time the final week of spring training.
Paulino looked to be a future star after hitting .310 as a rookie in 2006, but regressed defensively and offensively last
season as his average dropped to .263. He also had trouble handling routine throws to the plate and had eight passed balls.
Doumit's biggest problem has been staying healthy, as hamstring problems significantly shortened his last two seasons,
so he hopes his stricter training regimen will allow him to play more and play better. He hits when he plays, producing 21
home runs and 84 RBIs in 632 career at-bats. He hit .274 with nine homers and 32 RBIs last season but was limited to 83 games.
"I think catching is one of those positions where, if you want to be really good at it, you've got to do it consistently,"
Doumit said. "You can't be one of these catch once- or twice-a-week guys and be a really good catcher. I think the more I
get back there, the better I'm going to be."
ALAN ROBINSON
The Associated Press
Doumit drops weight, hopes to increase performance
By John Perrotto, Times Sports Staff
Published: Thursday, March 20, 2008
BRADENTON, Fla. — Ryan Doumit felt he was reaching the point
where he was living up to his name in a most unflattering way last season.
“I was getting a little doughy,”
the Pittsburgh Pirates catcher/outfielder/first baseman said. “I was getting too heavy. I needed to drop a few pounds
and lighten my load a little.”
Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington, who had taken over with one week left in
the season, suggested the same during a season-ending meeting.
“Neal asked if I could come to spring training a little
lighter this year and I knew I couldn’t really argue that point with him,” Doumit said. “I knew the time
had come to lose weight.”
Doumit spent the winter at home in Moses Lake, Wash., watching what he ate and eschewing
things like sweets and pizza. The 26-year-old arrived at spring training last month at a svelte 200 pounds.
It is common
for players to say they are in the best shape of their life in spring training.
In Doumit’s case, it is true.
“I’ve
never felt better,” he said. “I went home last year and changed the way I ate. I dieted all winter and ate a lot
of chicken. I can feel a difference. I’m not the fastest guy but I feel like I’m moving better this year. I can
feel it on the bases and behind the plate.”
Doumit has been dogged by leg injuries throughout his three seasons in
the major leagues and his career-high for games is just 83. That was part of the reason why Huntington wanted Doumit to lose
weight.
The other reason the Pirates wanted Doumit lighter was because they thought he could wind up playing a lot in the
outfield this season. That plan, though, was put on hold when the Pirates failed to trade either left fielder Jason Bay or
right fielder Xavier Nady in the off-season.
Now that Steve Pearce, one of the Pirates’ top prospects, was told he
will be a full-time outfielder rather than splitting time between there and first base, Doumit’s prospects of seeing
regular playing time in a corner outfield spot are dim.
However, Doumit could wind up seeing more action at his original
position of catcher.
While Ronny Paulino is still the starter behind the plate, the Pirates were disappointed when his
average fell to .263 last season after he hit .310 as a rookie in 2006. The Pirates also have issues with Paulino’s
mobility and throwing.
Thus, Doumit has been seeing considerable action at catcher during the exhibition season, which
suggests his playing time could increase there when the games start to count. He caught Wednesday as the Pirates played the
New York Yankees in the first night game in McKechnie Field’s 85-year history.
Doumit playing at catcher, his natural
position, could provide some intriguing offensive production at a spot that historically relies more on defense. The switch-hitter
has hit .287 with 17 home runs and 110 RBIs in 903 career at-bats.
Pirates manager John Russell is impressed with the progress
Doumit has made defensively this spring.
“He’s handled the pitchers really well,” Russell said. “I’ve
seen some cases where the pitcher was wild but Ryan did a good job of settling him down and getting him back into the strike
zone. You like to see those kinds of things from a catcher.”
Even if Doumit doesn’t exactly look like a catcher
anymore.
“I’m not that barrel-chested catcher-type guy anymore,” Doumit said with a smile. “I’m
fine with that, though, because I feel great.”
|
PLAY BALL!!!
The Pittsburgh Pirates opened Grapefruit League play on Thursday, Feb. 28 against the Phillies at
the Phillies, winning 11-6.
Ryan Doumit was designated hitter in the game, with a two-run single.
The Pirates big league team has moved to McKechnie Field in Bradenton for the rest of spring training, where,
as the Post-Gazetter reports: Make no mistake about it - there is competition for catcher.
Catcher, outfield - put Superman in the game, skipper!
|
|
| Post-Gazette photo, Peter Diana |
In his own words....
It's a veritable festival of Doumit video this week out of Bradenton, Florida.
Our friends at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Tribune have both posted videos of Legendary, two-time champion
Pirate Manny Sanguillen working with Ryan Doumit and Ronny Paulino. Follow the links:
Learning from a legend
Manny Sanguillen instruction
| May as well use this |
|
|
| With all the reports out of ST, Doumit has found his phone booth. |
|
Notes: Slimmer Doumit eyes big year
Catcher/outfielder sheds 15 pounds after change in diet
|
|
BRADENTON, Fla. -- Ryan Doumit arrived at Spring Training this year intent on shedding the injury-prone
label with which he had been branded after another season in which he couldn't avoid multiple trips to the disabled list.
Aided solely by a change in diet, Doumit dropped 15 pounds over the winter. His gym workouts and supplement
intake didn't change, but what went into his body did. And as a result, he has turned a number of heads so far this spring.
"I knew last year that I was a few pounds overweight," said Doumit, who was listed at 220 pounds in last year's
team media guide. "You don't want to carry around that excess weight, especially having the health issues that I've had in
the previous years. This is a big year for me. I need to stay healthy."
Staying healthy has been a challenge that Doumit has fallen well short of meeting the last two years. In 2006,
it was a nagging left hamstring that set him back at three different points in the season. Last year it was his hamstring,
his wrist and his ankle.
But after taking the first three weeks off last October to let his sprained right ankle fully heal, Doumit
began his offseason workout program and has arrived in Bradenton at full health. Not only that, but the 26-year-old catcher/right
fielder is in what he called the best shape of his life.
Hopeful that the injuries can be avoided in this, the final year before Doumit becomes arbitration-eligible,
his next challenge becomes finding a way to get on the field.
There's little question that Doumit has a spot on the Pirates' bench as the team's biggest bat in pinch-hitting
situations. However, with Ronny Paulino having already been named the team's starting catcher and Xavier Nady cementing his
place as the team's starting right fielder, Doumit is blocked in his attempt to see consistent time on the field.
He will continue to split time, taking reps both behind the plate and in the outfield, in preparation for
whatever role he will need to fill.
"I'm in a situation where I have no control over playing time," said Doumit, who hit .274 with nine homers
in 83 games last season. "I just have control over what I can take care of on the field and let the powers to be make the
rest of the decisions."
Both manager John Russell and general manager Neal Huntington have expressed intrigue in Doumit's potential,
as well as a desire to find ways to get his bat in the lineup on a fairly consistent basis. While Huntington stopped short
of saying that the starting catching spot could be up for grabs this year, he did suggest that, even with Paulino in the mix,
Doumit could still have a future for the Pirates behind home plate.
"Ronny Paulino is our starting catcher at this time, but as Ryan improves and shows us what he's capable of,
it could be an interesting situation," Huntington said. "People like [Triple-A Indianapolis manager] Trent Jewett who have
seen Ryan play, they felt that when Ryan was given the chance to catch every day, he showed significant signs of progress.
We want to see what progress Ryan can make."
Having focused solely on catching during these opening days of camp, Doumit has already benefited from Russell's
presence. Russell, a former Major League catcher, has given Doumit significant personalized attention, including working solely
with him on Monday on receiving balls and blocking home plate after the rest of the squad had gone back to the clubhouse.
That's also evidence of a rejuvenation in Doumit's attitude. Any questions of his effort should be put to
rest.
"I want at-bats -- I want to contribute," he said. "I want to be a part of this team. And given the opportunity
and staying healthy, I think I can be a big part of it. Wherever it may be, whether right field, catcher, I'll be ready."
Jenifer Langosch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Skipper says Doumit has 'very good chance' of getting behind the plate...
In dueling articles inside Pittsburgh's two daily newspapers, Ryan Doumit is the topic of the day. He's
been behind the plate catching the first three days of spring training, and in his own words he's getting the attention to
detail and the reps to get in the game.
John Russell talks about Doumit's chances here, on a PGNow video:
The video on the Trib also has an interview with Doumit about what he wants to do for this team
and the opportunities he's getting. See that here:
Here's the article from the Trib:
Bucs' Doumit gets look behind plate
BRADENTON, Fla. - Ryan Doumit has always wanted to be a catcher.
"I thought the gear looked cool when I was in fourth grade," Doumit said. "I was like, 'Oh, that's for me,'
and I've done it ever since."
He hasn't done it very often, however, the past two seasons. Injuries and a lack of opportunities forced the
Pirates to use Doumit mostly at first base or right field.
That might change this year. Doumit has spent much of the first three days of spring training wearing his
catcher's gear.
General manager Neal Huntington on Sunday indicated Doumit will get more time -- perhaps
a lot more time -- behind the plate.
"Ronny Paulino is our regular catcher at this point in time," Huntington said. "But as Ryan improves and shows
us what he's capable of, it could become an interesting situation."
At the very least, Doumit could establish himself as Paulino's backup. The Pirates have little catching depth
in the minors and were rebuffed in attempts to lure a free-agent catcher in the offseason.
"All I can do is try to improve every day and be the best I can be," Doumit said. "I'll let those other guys
make those decisions."
A second-round draft pick in 1999, Doumit came up through the minors as a catcher and designated hitter. In
2005, he clubbed a dozen homers in 51 games for Triple-A Indianapolis and earned a call-up to Pittsburgh.
Doumit's power stroke got him to the majors, but a series of injuries has kept him from really breaking through.
He spent time on the disabled list in 2001 (back spasms), 2002 (broken finger), 2004 (mononucleosis, elbow
soreness), 2006 (strained hamstring, torn hamstring) and 2007 (wrist contusion, sprained ankle).
Doumit admits being overweight contributed to his poor health history. Thanks to a strict offseason diet and
workout routine, he reported to camp in what he said is the best shape of his life.
"I haven't had any problems with the wrist, the leg or the ankle," Doumit said. "It all feels good. I like
where I'm at right now."
He'll like it even more if he can stick as a catcher instead of a fourth outfielder or backup first baseman.
"Right now, our focus is to see if he can catch," Huntington said. "We want to see what he can do over the
next six weeks and make a true evaluation of Ryan's future as a catcher, because we do want to get his bat in the lineup."
When Huntington was doing player evaluations in the offseason, Indianapolis manager Trent Jewett reported
that Doumit made huge strides when he was given ample playing time.
"I really think it's the type of position you need to play on a daily basis to really be good at it," Doumit
said. "Early on in camp, that's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to catch as many pitchers as I can, see as many breaking
(pitches) and work with as many coaches as I can."
Doumit has caught bullpen sessions on all three days of camp so far. Saturday, he was tutored by coach Rich
Donnelly as Doumit caught for lefty Josh Shortslef.
Donnelly picked up on several little things, such as where Doumit places his right (throwing) hand as he receives
the ball. Doumit keeps his hand near his right knee, instead of tucking it behind his back.
"There are little intricacies at each position," Doumit said. "It's something that you can never master. You
can always learn more and get better each day. Fortunately, the past few days I've had great support and guys who know what
they're talking about are giving me their insights. I feel like I'm getting better."
Manager John Russell, a former catcher, said Doumit has the soft hands and strong arm necessary to be successful
behind the plate. But Doumit still must prove he can stay healthy, as well as learn the pitching staff and opposing runners'
tendencies.
"Ronny Paulino is our catcher. It's his job," Russell said. "If Ryan does good things behind the plate, it
gives him opportunities to get more at-bats there. There's always competition in everything, as I've said from Day 1. We expect
Ronny to do his job, just like we do with Ryan -- be prepared when called upon to go out and play the game right."
The price better be high!
This from Roto Professor, which is a fantasy baseball site that has tapped into the Pirates knowledge
of Rob Biertempfel, the Pirates beat writer for the Pittsburgh
Tribune-Review. Now, I'm partial to Dejan at the P-G - I think he has more insight, more time with the Bucs. But if Rob is
saying something good about Doumit, I'm going to use it.
There was a lot of Red Sox rumors this summer, and of
course Doumit should be priced high. Like $90 million, 10 starting pitchers with ERAs under 2 and perhaps Varitek's SUV. Seriously,
this is from Roto's Ask the Expert:
Question 3: What role do you see Ryan Doumit filling for the team this
season?
Rob Biertempfel: I think he’ll be the starting right
fielder after Xavier Nady is traded. Backup catcher in an extreme emergency. Doumit showed a pretty good arm in right field
last year and has decent pop. The Red Sox sniffed around about him in the offseason, but the Pirates’ demands were too
high.
Spring training begins: Wooo-Hooo!
Let the speculation about Pittsburgh Pirates 2008 continue:
This from Jennifer at MLB.com and the Pirates plans to use Ryan Doumit to beef up a bench depleted with
the loss of Cesar Izturis, Matt Kata and Josh Phelps, all acquired roughly mid-season 2007:
"Barring something unexpected, Ryan Doumit and utility infielder Chris Gomez will start the season as two
of the team's go-to bats off the bench. Though Doumit will see partial playing time as a backup both to Ronny Paulino behind
the plate and Xavier Nady in right, he appears to also be the best power-hitting, pinch-hit option the Pirates have as well.
Limited by nagging injuries throughout 2007, Doumit had just 12 pinch-hit at-bats last year. Though he had
few at-bats, Doumit did hit two homers and drive in seven runs, tying him for the most pinch-hit RBIs on the club with Kata
and Phelps, both of whom had more than twice as many at-bats off the bench than Doumit.
With Doumit, the Pirates get power, while with Gomez, the club gains experience. The 15-year veteran has adapted
to a more fluid role on big league clubs over the years. "
From Dejan at the Post-Gazette in the last installment of the building block series (which is a great
Pirates read by the way and can be found at www.postgazette.com then click on sports, Pirates/MLB):
"(Pirates General Manager Neal) Huntington got a head start with the players, too. He stayed apprised of how
every key member of his roster was training this offseason and, in the cases of a few, phoned to issue firmly worded challenges.
One was oft-injured outfielder Ryan Doumit, whom Huntington told he could hit 30-plus home runs if he could only stay healthy.
Surely no coincidence, Doumit was among several who reported to minicamp slimmer and stronger."
Spring Training preview: Doumit to catch early, utility after
Feb. 10, 2008
Pitchers and catchers report to Bradenton for Spring Training on Thursday, Feb.
14. Ryan Doumit will report with that group, but according to he-who-sees-all-things-Pirates Dejan Kovecevic of the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette, here's the story:
Although the Pirates will continue seeking a backup catcher who might push
Paulino, the backup, as things stand now, will be one of journeymen Raul Chavez or Michel Hernandez. Give a slight edge to
Chavez because of a strong arm that the teams' scouts love.
Ryan Doumit can catch, too, but the Pirates want Doumit's bat available for pinch-hitting,
and they like what they saw of him in right field last year. Expect to see him wear a mask only in the earliest stages of
camp.
And here's a big deal for Doumit in right if this happens:
The most likely player to be traded is outfielder Xavier Nady. Management is eager to add prospects, and
its best chip -- with Jason Bay out of the equation until his value increases -- is to move one of its many outfielders.
San Diego still is seeking a corner outfielder and likes Nady, but the Padres and Pirates have found little
common ground toward a trade so far.
Expect little on this front until late in the spring, or maybe closer to the July 31 trading deadline.
If the Xman is in right and Paulino is behind the plate:
The five-man bench will consist of utilityman Chris Gomez; Doumit as an outfielder, first baseman or third
catcher; one of middle infielders Ray Olmedo or Josh Wilson; Chavez or Hernandez as the backup catcher; and McLouth if Morgan
beats him out.
The catch: If Morgan loses, he likely would return to the minors to ensure consistent at-bats, and outfielder
Kevin Thompson would enter the mix.
Any way that shakes out, it shows scant traces of offense, certainly nothing close to what the Pirates
had from Josh Phelps, Cesar Izturis and Matt Kata in the second half of 2007. And that is particularly true with regard to
power: Doumit and McLouth provide the only bop, but only from the left side.
New Bucs manager to be 'aggressive' in getting Doumit to the plate
From MLB.com...
"(Xavier) Nady, who hit .278 with 20 homers and 72 RBIs in 2007, will assume starting duties in right field,
with Ryan Doumit serving as his primary backup. The trick for the Pirates will be to find ways to get Doumit, who will also
be backing up Ronny Paulino behind the plate, enough at-bats to take advantage of his offensive ability.
"(Manager) John (Russell) and I have talked about finding a way to get those at-bats for him," (GM Neal)
Huntington said of Doumit. "John is going to be aggressive in trying to get Ryan some at-bats and see what we have there offensively."
With Doumit able to step in behind Nady, 2007 Minor League standout Steve Pearce seems to be the odd man out
of the Pirates' roster equation. While Pearce's bat would certainly be an asset off the bench, consistent playing time at
the Minor League level is going to be more critical than periodic at-bats in the Majors. "
| Who's that running? |
|
|
| Cueto hadn't been hit by a lefty until Ryan Doumit went yard on him Sunday at PNC. |
Doumit reports to voluntary Pirates Mini-Camp
Ryan Doumit was one of three catchers to report to the voluntary mini-camp at Pirate City in Bradenton,
Fla. the week of Jan. 7.
The Beaver County Times, Pittsburgh Post Gazette and MLB.com all report a very visible change in Doumit's
physical condition and at times a "playful" attitude during the camp.
From the Times, Doumit on attending mini-camp:
“Something like this can only help,” catcher Ryan Doumit said. “When you are in a situation
where you have new people, the sooner you can get comfortable around each other then the easier it is going to be for everyone.
“At
least, for some of us, the introductions will be out of the way when we get to spring training and we’ll know what to
expect right from the start and we can get right to work.”
Among those who reported on Tuesday looking slimmer
than when the 2007 season ended were Doumit, catcher Ronny Paulino and left-hander Paul Maholm. All said they have lost about
15 pounds.
From the Pirates Q&A:
"In previous springs, I would see one or two guys come into spring training looking thinner and stronger.
Yesterday, with pitchers and catchers still five weeks away, I saw clear differences not only in Paulino but also Paul Maholm,
Ryan Doumit and even Chris Duffy despite being limited by his shoulder surgery."
Dejan also said he was "wowed" by the change in Doumit.
Also, from the P-G:
Doumit, plagued by injuries all through his professional career, was down 10 pounds to about 210.
"I am ready to go, dude," he said.
When two fans at Pirate City complimented Ryan Doumit on his new physique this week, he turned, smiled
and shot back playfully, "I'm getting my act together. I'm growing up!"
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