Jeff Mathis: Fitting in wherever he goes

Jared Macdonald
March 6, 2012

When the Toronto Blue Jays acquired Jeff Mathis from the Los Angeles Angels back in December, the catcher didn’t exactly represent the kind of blockbuster offseason acquisition that their fan base was hoping for.

After all, Mathis, having long been criticized for his limited offensive skills, brought with him a career .194 average and .557 OPS to Toronto. Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos, however, didn’t go after him because of his bat.

Having been praised for his game-calling ability and extraordinary rapport with his pitchers, the Florida native was brought to the Blue Jays for one reason and one reason only.

“I’m here to try to help,” Mathis said. “There are some good arms over here and I’m ready to work with them, learning their stuff and what they like to do.”

Valuing defense over offense behind the plate more than other managers around the league, Angels skipper Mike Scioscia stuck with Mathis – one of his preferred players – in 2011, amid a barrage of negativity from the media and fans alike. 

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While catcher ERA isn’t a legitimate measure of success to many, it is to Scioscia who, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2009, said that his club gave up one less run per game with Mathis catching over his other, more offensive-minded catcher, Mike Napoli.

Mathis wasn’t only a hit with his manager, though; just ask All-Star hurlers Jered Weaver and Dan Haren, who were quick to speak highly of him in the past. On top of valuing their unique pitcher-catcher relationships with him, both pitchers publicly praised his quickness when blocking pitches behind the plate; something that goes unnoticed to the majority of fans but is invaluable for pitchers with dancing breaking balls.

Bringing those catching skills with him to Toronto, Mathis has been impressed with what he has seen so far in Jays camp and is eager to work with the entire pitching staff.

“I’m just excited about getting to work with these guys and getting to know them,” he said. “We’ve got a good group of young pitchers, there’s no doubt about that, and we’ve got some new additions in the bullpen too, which we’re excited about.”

With the Blue Jays, though, Mathis will have one more assignment than he did with the Angels, which will be to work with the club’s young starting catcher, J.P. Arencibia.

After swinging a hot bat during his rise in the minor leagues, Arencibia was under strict orders from his manager, John Farrell during his rookie season: don’t worry as much about offense and focus entirely on the defensive responsibilities of being a catcher.

After his first full Major League season, Arencibia is still a work in progress defensively. In addition to giving up his fair share of stolen bases, the 26-year-old finished third in the Majors with 12 passed balls and fourth with 54 wild pitches in 2011.

After only a couple of weeks into spring training with his new club, Mathis has already worked a lot with Arencibia and had high praise for his fellow catcher.

“He’s very receptive, always asking questions, which is a good thing,” he said. “I’ve been very impressed with his work ethic and the way he’s receptive to everything. He bounces stuff off me and I think it’s going to be a good little friendship, a good combo we’ve got going here.”

Fully aware of his offensive shortcomings, Mathis is proud of his reputation for being a defensive-minded catcher and ready to embrace his new role with the Blue Jays to help the club in any way that he can.

“I’m here to win ball games and whatever it takes – J.P. asking questions, us working together, whatever it takes.”

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The Author:

Jared Macdonald