It was a down season for Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson last season as his batting average and OPS were down compared to previous years as it could be credited to a season-ending shoulder injury beforehand. Now, Stephenson is more motivated than ever and even reported to help the pitchers early for spring training, saying he wants to be a player everybody pitches to according to Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
“I want to be the guy that everybody wants to pitch to,” Stephenson said. “I’m prideful about that. That’s something I really wanted to dive deeper into this year. I want to do everything I can because that’s our role as a catcher. We’re here for the pitchers.”
Besides having the motivation to be better, Stephenson was arguably not the main catcher on the team as he was sitting in some of the more important games for the Reds last season. When it came to pitchers like Andrew Abbot and Hunter Greene, who are now foundations of Cincinnati's pitching rotation, it was veteran Luke Maile that was catching their pitches.
Stephenson talks sitting during key Reds games
Stephenson was candid with the Cincinnati Enquirer, saying it was “tough” to be benched in the team's most significant contests, especially towards the end of the season. However, the 27-year old is taking it on the chin and moving on as he said “it stunk but you live and you learn.”
“Absolutely, that was tough,” Stephenson said. “I want to be out there as much as possible. It stunk, but you live and you learn. You grow, move on and get ready for this year.”
Reds manager David Bell compliments Stephenson's motivation, but says that his goal is to get the pitchers to be comfortable with both catchers. The reasoning behind that is “your hands aren't tied on who can play everyday” as they will be “better off.”
“Pitchers and catchers can fall into a pattern of comfort,” Bell said. “I respect it. Ideally, it won’t matter. Ideally, our pitchers are comfortable throwing to both (catchers). It’s not like they weren’t comfortable doing that. They just get used to it. The more we can get our pitchers used to both of our catchers, the better off we’ll be. Then your hands aren't tied on who can play every day. I believe we’ll get there.”
Stephenson talks adjustments
In the life of a baseball player, adjustments will always have to be made to get better as a player, which is what Stephenson is going through right now. If he can get back to his 2022 year where before the aforementioned injury, he was playing like an All-Star, it could mean great things for the Reds.
He batted a .319 average, .854 OPS, six home runs, and 35 RBIs in 50 games played in 2022. In 2023, he batted a .243 average, .696 OPS, 13 home runs, and 56 RBIs. He pointed to a player liked Reds legend Joey Votto as someone who made “the adjustments” needed to get better.
“It’s about looking at what got me here for a reason and continuing to build on those things,” Stephenson said. “Also, this game is always evolving. I watched Joey Votto make the adjustments that he did. This game is always going to challenge you. You’ll always have to adjust with the game, and I’m making some changes.”
“Early on last year, there was a lot going on,” Stephenson continued. “I don’t know. I don’t want to say I felt lost, but I don’t know. It wasn’t clicking. There was a lot of last year where I felt like I was searching. In the second half of the season, I started to get back to my foundation and gain confidence.”
Stephenson entering Year 4 of his carrer
Among the many goals Stephenson has, he just wants to catch for every pitcher, which he is in the early process of doing at the moment. The Reds have high expectations going into this season and Stephenson knows that.
“It’s Year 4 for me,” Stephenson said. “I’m taking more pride in that. I don’t want to say about myself that I have a bigger voice, but I want to lead and do everything possible. We know what we have this year. I want to do everything I can to help us win.”
Cincinnati finished 82-80 last season which put them third in the NL Central behind the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. Opening day for the Reds is Thursday, March 28 where they start a three-game series against the Washington Nationals.
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