Caleb Joseph's perspective on API
I've had a few readers wonder why a growing number of players are spending their winters at the Athletes' Performance Institute in Arizona, rather than working out at their local gym or hiring a personal trainer who makes house calls.
Minor league catcher Caleb Joseph lived with Brian Matusz for part of the offseason, and they joined Brian Roberts and Adam Jones for daily sessions at API that concentrated on fitness and nutrition.
I'm told Joseph returned home in better condition, and with an improved golf game.
Joseph was nice enough to write up something for jackdunn'sbaby, who passed it along to me. He also included a photo. See if you can pick out Joseph.
I arrived in Phoenix around the 9th of November. I got off the plane to beautiful weather and clear, high skies. It was the complete opposite of being at home. Tennessee was just beginning to get cold and nasty outside.
I stayed with Brian Matusz, friend and teammate, and enjoyed the lifestyle of a 'big leaguer' for a few weeks. He was very gracious to invite me to stay with him and to work out with him. Fans will be impressed as they discover how incredible Brian is. It's not by chance that Brian is such a nice person -- his entire family is quite impressive.
If I had my way, I would move in with him right now and spend every offseason with him. We think alike -- his attitude is identical to mine. Without a doubt, hands down, my favorite professional teammate so far.
The Athletes' Performance Institute training was exactly the same program I was enrolled in last year in Florida, but was totally different at the same time. The difference: This time there were plenty of big league players among the athletes training during my stay in Phoenix - players that I had, in some cases, grown up watching on TV.
At first, I just sat myself down and watched them - concentrating on how they trained and how they went about their business, trying to get every bit of information that I could. I want to be just like them.
Brian Roberts was incredibly nice to me and was, without a doubt, the hardest worker there. He was always the last one to leave, the most sweaty, and the happiest one to be there. He showed me a lot; even after he got his big contract, he still wants to be the best player he can be, no matter how much money he's already making. He's one of the reasons the Orioles' future looks so bright. Veteran leadership like that doesn't come around very often.
After a few days, I was no longer 'the new guy;' I was a friend just trying to get my work in. Several players began to take interest and talk to me and that was absolutely amazing. I felt like one of them and realized that they were not superhuman: they weren't all 6-foot-5 and 230 lbs.; and they weren't all self-absorbed.
What separates them from me is that they do what they do consistently. That's all. Almost every one of them wished me "good luck" and "good health" as I was leaving. I couldn't help but wonder if there was going to be a day, very soon, when I will be on the same playing field with them talking before the game, during BP, or in center field during pre-game stretching.
All I can do is continue to work hard and press toward the goal. This was an amazing experience that I'll never forget.
As for now, I'm in Pensacola working out at the same Institute as last year; only this year, I have Tyler Townsend, a fellow Oriole, as a roommate. Last year, it was Austin Jackson from the Yankees (now Tigers).
We're getting after it pretty hard, and every day I am motivated by Tyler's work ethic. It's great to have a fellow Oriole to work out with in the offseason.
I'm anxious as anything for spring training and ready to see what 2010 has in store for the Orioles. So long for now.
Best wishes
C.J.
 |
Categories (click for archive)Roch Kubatko | Roch Kubatko Orioles |
Morning Roch....gotta love reads like this one...B Rob....still loves baseball as we all knew....great Oriole guy...GREAT....will be the best 2B ever by end of career....good to see him take Caleb under his wing..well all of them take him under their wings....gotta have everyone on the same page...close at home point for me is his roommate Tyler Townsend...last years pick....his father Pete went to high school with me in back DE...I hope they all stay healthy and Caleb and Tyler can be a part of the O's team down the road...hopefully before B Rob gets to old....Any word on Ohlman or other relief pitchers?? I know you would have told me...but I have to keep after you.....
JOSEPH,MATUSZ,TILLMAN,BERGENSEN,GUTHRIE,RIEMOLD,WIETERS,SNYDER,BELL,ERBE,MARKAKIS,BRITTON,ARIETA AND WARING A GROUP OF IMPRESSIVE YOUNG MEN.ADD ROBERTS.LUKE SCOTT AND ATKINS YOU HAVE A CORE OF HUSTLING,DEAICATED YOUNG MEN.IF ATKINS AND TEJEDA HIT AND GUTHRIE AND MILLWOOD PITCH WELL THE OS WILL BE 82-82 FINALLY! PS WE NEED MARKAKIS,ADAM JONES,WEITERS AND RIEMOLD TO HIT FOR POWER....MARKAKIS 22-25 HR,A.JONES 18-22 HR,WEITERS 20 + HR.LUKE SCOTT DH....20 HR....80 RBI.....275 BAVG. GO OS
There was a time when the favorite line in the O's clubhouse was, "It's great to be young and an Oriole!" It's sounding more and more like that feeling is coming back. I sure hope so.
Roch-
Maybe this will help him not taper off at the end of the season.
Looking at that photo, I know B-Rob is married, but, I wonder how many chicks got taken down in AZ by just the API guys. Being a Pro MLB player has to make it easy.
I wish the organization would consider moving Joseph to first base. I have a feeling he is a prospect who is actually going to have a solid major league career as a hitter and as a defender and since Wieters is the catcher of the future, I hope they consider moving him soon (even though I hear he's a very good defensive catcher).
Roch:
You can't help but to pull for this kid. What are his chances of making it in 2011 as a backup to Matt? What are his power numbers so far...?
If attitude and work ethic mean anything at all, he's pretty impressive. I guess he's right that it all comes down to consistency.
On a quick side note, the York area is predicted to get 9 to 18 inches of snow this weekend. Hard to believe that ST is ALMOST HERE!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He has a shot in 2011 if he puts up the numbers this year, unless the Orioles prefer a veteran backup. He's still a work in progress. There's room for improvement behind the plate, and he wore down last summer. He hit 12 homers last year. As for the weather, I'm hearing 16-22 inches of snow here, starting tomorrow afternoon. I'm not happy. - Roch
Roch-
1 more thing. I see that Bedard is about to sign with the M's. This sucks, and I'll tell you why.
Every single one, of the plethora of articles nationally, being written about the O's, and "seeing the light at the end of the tunnel" concludes with something like, as they get near contention, and add that final arm, and final bat...
The O's are NOT going to land Brandon Webb or Cliff Lee this offseason.
The O's do NOT spend money on marquee players.
Marquee players do NOT want to sign in Baltimore.
Bedard was our shot at grabbing an "Ace" caliber pitcher, that wouldn't cost a ton, and actually might have signed here.
Ofcourse, he might not be able to pitch til June or July, but THAT is why you add on an option year.
What happens is the O's want to make a run at 500, and they are hanging there in June, and they GET ERIK BEDARD back? That can ONLY help the cause. Plus, if he is effective, then you can pick up the option.
This is dissapointing. Again, Peavy, Webb, Lee, etc. This team doesn't stand a chance without some outside help. All the articles in the world are not going to help them when they do this dumb stuff.
In November, I would have bet my house that the O's would have signed either Harden or Bedard. I forgot.......we are talking about the Orioles. King of the the can't get anyone signed, and we are bound to annoy our fan base.....of 18 people.
Thanks for posting. Very insightful.
I recall a link you put up last year to Caleb's blog. I checked it out a few times and liked reading his posts. It went away, though.
Probably pretty hard to keep that up, particularly as you climb. Is he tagged for Bowie this year or Norfolk? I think he was in Frederick last year, at least part season.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Probably Bowie. - Roch
It's articles like this that make me glad we didn't trade Roberts to the Cubs or anyone else. Players are far more than OBP, OPS or any other stat by which you want to define them. Roberts value to this team is immeasurable. With AM seeking him out for advice about Miggy, and the young players modeling his work ethic, Roberts is emerging as the unquestioned leader of this team.
I know I asked this before, but I'm pretty sure I didn't get an answer and this is a more appropriate post for my questions. Why aren't more Orioles "encouraged" to go the API. Every offseason and spring training we hear how good it is and what an amazing difference it makes.
If I was Angelos or MacPhail, I would give an incentive for them to go and try to get as many of the players on the 40-man roster as I could to go. Just seems logical to me.
The great players didn't become great by slacking off or not putting in the work. There is a reason Roberts has had a sucessful career despite being about 3/4 of a foot smaller than his teammates. There is a reason Cal Ripken was the greatest shortstop in Orioles history and it was...wait for it...hard work!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nobody said they aren't encouraged. It's up to them whether they want to put in the time and effort. Some guys choose to work out closer to home. Tillman has been working out in LA. Albers and Patton in Houston. Doesn't have to be API. - Roch
beside the obvious talent these men possess, it was really nice to hear from a young minor leaguer how gracious these guys were to him, and their collective professionalism during their off-season preparation.
their character, coupled with their talent, bodes well for the O's future.
Roch,
"Nobody said they aren't encouraged. It's up to them whether they want to put in the time and effort. Some guys choose to work out closer to home. Tillman has been working out in LA. Albers and Patton in Houston. Doesn't have to be API." - Roch
Albers and workout in the same sentence, that is a first. Do you think Albers spot could be in trouble with Sarfate remaining in the organziation?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
He'll have to earn it. - Roch
Off topic but I wanted to clear up something from a previous post regarding the draft, SS Christian Colon is an option, though probably will be slotted more in that 8-15 range, (though then again a lot can change between now and the draft). Anthony Rendon the 3B isn't draft eligible next season so while he might be considered the next Zimmerman/Longoria, you will have to wait till 2011 (and likely have the top pick) to get him. Likely if Colon isn't their man, they will have to choose between a number of pitchers both college and highschool. Though with a full season between now and the draft a lot could change and a few position players could move their way up into the top 5 range.
Ryan, where do you see that Bedard is about to sign with Mariners? I just googled his name and there is one article from msnbc that says the M's might bring back Bedard, another stating the same from a blogger on the Seattle Post Intelligencer. However, ESPN's Jason Stark reportson 1/29 that the O's are still talking to Bedard's agent. Why the hysteria Ryan?Could you be more of a pessimist? Personally it would be great to see Bedard back in Baltimore, but it's not the end of the world if he doesn't make it back here. His carrer has been marked by injury after injury. And in some ways I would like to see the young guys like Tillman, Arrieta, Erbe, and Britton, even Hernandez, Berken and Patton, be given a chance at the ML level.
Great read Roch... sometimes you forget just how human these guys are and the work that it takes to make it. You can't help but root for a kid like this to make it.
Where do scouts project Joseph long term? I know his sample size isn't that big & he has Wieters blocking him. But any insight into his game would be helpful.
-----------------------------------------------------------
I haven't really asked around (you might want to check with Melewski), but he'll stay behind the plate for now. Too soon to move him. - Roch
Roch & JDB - Thanks much!
Reading things like this about Matusz makes me want to hit the old SoR archive. An awful lot of folks were calling for Jordan's & MacPhail's heads for taking Matusz instead of Smoak. This isn't to say Smoak would have been a bad selection, but it's clear these guys know what they're doing. Even when they select Matt Hobgood.
I think the coolest thing about this is that Caleb Joseph obviously spent some effort in his write-up to JDB. Second, more about Matusz being the greatest guy ever. They should surround this guy with body guards. Those were some nice words for BRob too. He may not want to be a vocal leader, but I think he has more respect from his teammates than anyone.
Please make sure JDB knows how much we appreciate him passing this on.
Oh, and I'm not sure which one is Caleb, but I think Adam Jones is the one with the Nike shirt.
Have you heard that the Mariners have resigned Bedard for 1.5 million plus alot of incentives ?
----------------------------------------------------
Not unless it just happened. - Roch
Great piece Roch!!!!!
Keeping it fresh!! Thanks.
What a nice piece to read to start the day. Thanks Roch and JDB.
jerry:
On Bedard, see:
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/35234316/ns/sports-player_news/
Bedard won't do the Orioles much good on a one-year if he can't pitch until around the break and he isn't effective coming off labrum surgery. - Roch
------------
EXACTLY, thank you Roch.
That stuff from Joseph was nice. He sounds like a good guy himself & seems to have his head screwed on right. Good for him! I'll be checking out his progress a bit more now & rooting for the guy to make it.
To jekyll & hyde:
There are those who believe that it would be Wieters switching to 1B rather than Joseph. To be honest, if Joseph proves to be a major league hitter, then I'd love to see BOTH being able to move to 1B. How much would it extend the careers of both players to each play 70 games at catcher, 80 games at 1B and 10 games at DH, with a backup catcher playing 22 games a year plus pinch hitting for Izturis 50 times a year?
Roch, great, up;ifting post. We tend to forget that athletes are as normal as everyone else...they just have world-class talent to play a sport. The article you posted gave incredible insight to the dedication and hard work that it takes to maintain and expand upon that talent. I wish Caleb well and will be rooting for him to attain his dream of playing in MLB very soon.
In regards to Brian Roberts work ethic: no one has ever questioned it, but it's GREAT to hear that he's willing to "mentor" other teammates.
One interesting note from that post: Caleb throws high praise at Matusz, Roberts and Townsend, but no mention of Adam Jones. I've had the opportunity to meet Adam Jones a few times at Spring Training and have always walked away with a feeling that he has a major chip on his shoulder. Since you have direct, daily access to Jones, do you sense a negative attitude about him?
FYI...you might want to either leave for Spring Training a few weeks early to avoid the projected snowstorm or consider purchasing a shovel today.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not a negative attitude. He looks pretty friendly in that photo. He runs hot and cold during the season. Will joke around or just walk past you with a slight head nod. Like the rest of us. - Roch
I still think that Joseph has the chance to be the every day catcher, possibly as early as 2012. Why? Because I believe your best hitter HAS to play almost every day, and Matt Weiters has played a lot of 1b in college and the last two seasons in the minors. Unless the Padres or Brewers are going to give away Gonzalez or Fielder (they won't), the O's are not going to give up the 3-4 premium young players prospects it would take to trade for them (take a look at the haul that Texas got for Teixeira...do we really want to give up a package like that for a 1.5 yr rental?). No way Pujols leaves St. Louis for B-More, so I firmly believe it would be in Matt's best interest health wise, and the O's best interest long term to move him to 1b, where his bat plays every day, and we don't have to hold our breath on every play at the plate.
is Bedard off the board?
Love it. I also like how they seem so happy to be together in the photo. You can tell they are pulling for each other and it's so exciting to see them coming together. You don't get that with big money free agents.
If Joseph can improve his defense and endurance he would be a tremendous asset as a backup to spell Wieters. And if Wieters or Joseph were to move to 1B all the better to have both in the lineup. Get that TN boy a pair of shorts.
I've heard through several friends of mine who have had the pleasure to meet Caleb that he is an easy guy to like. After reading his message, I can see why.
Great picture, also.
Good stuff, Roch.
Thanks
We got to meet CALEB a number of times in FREDERICK last season and my 10 year old granddaughter RILEY took a real liking to him and him to her. CALEB is a fine young man with lots of talent and a great work ethic. We're all pulling for him to land with the O's in say 2011! Thanks for the great article ROCH and "KEEP BLOGGING"!
P.S. It was my pleasure to meet you in ST last year at FT. LAUDERDALE and get my pic taken with you.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks. Same here. Hope to see you in Sarasota. - Roch
Roch, I know Jones is from CA and Matusz is from AZ, so it makes sense that they would go to API in ARIZONA, but any guess as to why B-Rob (NC) and Caleb Joseph (TN) chose AZ over, say, FL?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roberts really likes that facility and I'm sure it was recommended to Joseph. - Roch
Man oh man, if you don't love Caleb Joseph you are a walking stone.
You can always find best trainer in Arizona. If you wish to stay in your home and stay healthy and physically fit you may hire online trainer from Arizona to instruct you virtually through videos. Thanks!
I love the photo . .. it shows friendship,The four men are very handsome.I want to meet them in person,hopefully someday...The Athletes' Performance Institute training is such a nice program for all the athletes in this world....
Caleb and Brian are class acts. I go to many Frederick Keys games. On Brians first night there he spent time after the game talking and signing about 20 autographs for me and my uncle. Caleb would sign and talk to everyone. Also when I first met him he was holding a child and watching fireworks.I thought it was his kid but the lady standing there said he just offered to pick him up. Class acts as most if not all the Orioles are.
Why would a fan need about 20 autographs of the same player? That sounds like overkill to me.
I am glad reading the article,all the athletes has self discipline in training their body and this is really good because this will help the athletes in maintaining healthy yet nice body. . .