Cervelli’s A New Man In Pinstripes

Here’s what you’ll see in the Hunterdon County Democrat this Thursday…

BRONX, N.Y. — Francisco Cervelli was a struggling catcher in Double-A, hitting just .190 for the Trenton Thunder and having already committed five errors in just 16 games.

But then, New York Yankees starting catcher Jorge Posada went down with an injury, and Cervelli was the only other catcher available on the 40-man roster.

And it only took one big league start, his first, to wipe away all those Double-A struggles.

Behind the plate for CC Sabathia’s start on May 8th against the Baltimore Orioles, the Venezuelan born backstop not only recorded his first Major League hit, but called a masterful game for the Yankees biggest off-season acquisition, with Sabathia spinning a complete game shutout, striking out eight while walking just one and allowing four base hits.

After going from not impressing too many people with his slow start at Waterfront Park, Cervelli has now been receiving national attention for his performance in pinstripes.

“He’s been doing a great job,” said Sabathia exclusively to the Democrat.

“Most catchers are real vocal, and they’ve got good communication skills. The biggest thing between a pitcher and a catcher is communication, and during the games, he sits right next to you and we’ll talk about the upcoming inning and talk about the hitters.”

Rated the 21st best prospect in the Yankees organization by Baseball America, Cervelli’s struggles at the plate this season were surprising considering how he played in limited action last year with the Thunder. The 23-year-old joined them late last season to help them in their playoff run, hitting .315 in 21 games to eventually help lead the Thunder to their second straight Eastern League Championship.

For someone of Sabathia’s caliber — after all, he was signed to a 7-year, $161 million contract this off-season and won the 2007 American League Cy Young Award — to be throwing to Cervelli, a kid making the Major League minimum and a virtual unknown, you’d think the veteran pitcher might be a little nervous throwing to the fresh-faced catcher.

Not so, says Sabathia.

“He caught me a couple times in spring training, so he knows how my ball moves,” he said.

“I had total confidence in him. You know I like to bounce my cutter with two strikes, and he told me he’d be there to block it. And he was, so I had total confidence in him.”

Turns out, Cervelli had total confidence in himself as well.

“Always, I put positive things in my mind,” he said.

“That day was amazing, and the second start for him was unbelievable too. When you think like this, a lot of good things can happen.”

For Cervelli, who earned a brief, unexpected call-up to the big leagues last season, this isn’t his first rodeo. But still, making the jump from Double-A straight to the big leagues in the middle of a season has derailed many a career.

So far, so good for Cervelli.

“Here you have to pay attention to what (the pitchers) want and watch video and see everything,” he said.

“Over (in Double-A), they’ve got the same arms and they can throw hard, but the different thing (here) is they can throw whatever they want; ball, location, everything.”

The bat’s been coming around as well for Cervelli, who appeared on the Italian team during the 2009 World Baseball Classic. After getting off to that slow start in Mercer County, he’s now hitting .318 with no home runs and an RBI as of Monday.

“(In Trenton), I had maybe 50 at-bats, something like that,” he said.

“After 20 at-bats, I think I was taking very good at-bats, hitting the ball well. Here, I’m making contact and doing everything I want. I’m seeing the ball here, so good things can happen.”

After catching Sabathia’s gem and making improvements with his bat in such a short time, it seems great expectations from Yankees fans may be the norm for Cervelli.