As a catcher with the Portland Sea Dogs, Nathan Hickey knows the most important aspect of his job is knowing the pitchers. Not just the ones he catches each game, but opposing pitchers, too. If you throw a baseball for a living, Hickey is watching and taking mental notes.
That studying helped Hickey rip a double in his first at-bat Thursday afternoon in a 7-4 loss to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Hadlock Field. Hickey watched Fisher Cats pitcher Sem Robberse throw a lot of changeups in his warmups. When he got to the plate, Hickey looked for a changeup he could drive. He swung over the first changeup, but made hard contact with the next one and pulled it down the right-field line.
“That’s just something that you see before you even get up there,” said Hickey.
Hickey, 23, went 2 for 4, raising his batting average to .285 since he was promoted to Portland from High-A Greenville in early May. He has a .366 on-base percentage and an OPS of .896. Overall, Hickey has 14 home runs – 10 coming with the Sea Dogs – and 37 RBI.
According to MLB.com, Hickey is Boston’s 15th-ranked prospect.
“He’s making good swings. He’s not chasing. He’s putting himself in leverage counts,” Portland Manager Chad Epperson said.
A fifth-round draft pick out of the University of Florida in 2021, Hickey has hit at every level as he climbs through Boston’s minor league system. His focus with the Sea Dogs is primarily defense, he said. That means becoming a better receiver, and part of that role involves simply getting to know the pitchers.
“I feel like I did a good job of that in Greenville, then I get up here, being the new guy, you have to get to know everybody again. A slow start, I would say, but I got more comfortable,” said Hickey, who served as the designated hitter on Thursday.
Part of the discovery process is learning which pitchers he can get on during a game and which ones need a gentler approach. To Hickey, it’s as important to know as much as he can about the pitchers off the mound so he can help make them more successful on it.
“You’ve got to know them mentally. Are they a big thinker? Do they get really amped up? There’s a bunch of different things that go into it. Getting to know them in the bullpen, off the field, just hanging out with them in the locker room before a game. What drives their success and being able to hone that in,” said Hickey, a native of Jacksonville, Florida.
Epperson said a lot of Hickey’s improvements behind the plate have been in positioning and timing, being more patient, and letting the ball come to him.
“The last five or six games, you’re starting to see a lot of movements that are allowing him to free up the mitt and display pitches at the bottom of the zone. He’s moving in the right direction,” Epperson said. “Normally, the higher you go up, the more (pitchers) are around the plate, and it’s a little easier to catch. It’s just the unfamiliarity with guys you’ve got to learn. We do try to line guys up in spring training so you’re not just catching the same guys just for this purpose here. He’s comfortable with all the guys.”
Hickey said he’s never worried about hitting. That doesn’t mean it’s easy, just that the defensive pieces of his game need more attention now.
“I want to be able to catch a good game. My whole focus is trying to become the best catcher I can be. I really feel like I can hit at this level and the next level. I feel like that’s not going to go away. My main focus now has been catching. Keep improving on that each and every day,” Hickey said.
PORTLAND TRAILED 7-0 in the bottom of the eighth inning Thursday before finally getting on the scoreboard with a three-run homer by Matthew Lugo, his third of the season and first since June 10. First baseman Blaze Jordan, who was called up to the Sea Dogs from Greenville last week, had a pair of hits and scored a run.
RED SOX PITCHER John Schreiber made his second rehab appearance for the Sea Dogs in as many days. He threw a perfect seventh inning, striking out a pair of Fisher Cats. Schreiber went on the disabled list on May 16 because of a strained muscle in his shoulder. On Wednesday, he threw the sixth inning in Portland’s 4-0 win over New Hampshire, striking out one.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
