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Standing in the New Jersey Cardinals bullpen on a warm, breezy July afternoon, Gabe Johnson watches as a ground ball is hit to shortstop during infield practice and one of his teammates fields it cleanly and tosses it across the diamond to first base. That was him two years ago as the starting shortstop for his high school team; now he wears a chest protector and matching shinguards as a catcher in the St. Louis Cardinals farm system.
Johnson was drafted by the Cardinals in the third round of the June 1998 amateur draft. From his backyard to the Atlantic High School diamond, he had always played shortstop. When draft time came, he felt confident that he would be selected on the first day. As a shortstop. But the Cardinals had something else in mind.
Before they drafted him, they asked him if he would consider signing as a catcher. The organization already had several middle infield prospects but were lacking behind the plate. "And I said yeah," he laughed. "I didn't know what I was getting into exactly."
When asked why they chose him for what Johnson City manager Steve Turco has described as an "experiment," the 19-year-old shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know. The scout just saw some tools (I had) I guess that might work for catching."
Like most high school draft picks, he began his professional career at the rookie level playing with the Johnson City Cardinals. He faced the same challenges all rookies do: living on his own for the first time in his life, making the transition from aluminum to wooden bats, and facing stiffer competition both on the mound and in the field. But unlike his teammates, he was also learning a new position--one of the most challenging in the game--and didn't have the luxary of off-the-field training. While trying to adjust to life behind the plate, he still did well in the batter's box, hitting .251 with nine home runs and 32 RBI in 57 games.
"It's a lot of work," Johnson says. "You put in a lot of hours...I'm trying to build muscle memory towards the catching part of it. It's just (that) you've got to do it over and over and over again until it's finally second nature."He also looks at catching as a positive move for his future and draws on the success of other converted catchers for inspiration. "Michael Barrett with the (Montreal) Expos, he was a shortstop out of college and he's now in the big leagues as a catcher- third baseman," he says. "I mean, I'll always have that ability to go out and play in the infield too. It's nice, you know. It's something to fall back on."
His strong work ethic and determination has impressed many in the Cardinals organization, including Steve Turco. "That's a heck of a transition going from shortstop to catch," he explains. "The way he progressed, even in the short time that I had him here last year, he just took to it like a duck takes to water. He just did a tremendous job with the mechanics of it. You look at him and say, Well, this kid has a chance."
Johnson credits longtime Cardinals minor league catching instructor Dave Ricketts with his progress so far. "From the day I walked into the clubhouse, I've been (working) one-on-one with him a lot. He's helped me mentally and physically."
He moved up the minor league ladder this past season to Short-Season A, but a torn back muscle early in the year limited him to only 35 games at New Jersey, during which he batted .194 with five homers and 14 RBI. "I want to get innings under my belt and just get game experience because I've gotten plenty of drills," he says. "Now it's just (getting) game time, so getting hurt wasn't exactly part of the plan."
Despite his limited experience, Gabe Johnson is regarded as the best catching prospect in a Cardinals organization that really has no other contenders. "I think that this kid is going to be a good catcher," Turco believes. "I think you should see him in the big leagues as a catcher."
"You always hear, You've got to put your best guy at shortstop," he remarks, then with a knowing smile adds, "I don't believe that anymore. I believe your best guy is catching."
EDITOR'S NOTE: Kevin McCann is the editor of "Cardinals
in the Bushes", which can be found at http://www.fastlink.to/CardinalsMinors/.
Be sure to check the site for information describing Kevin's upcoming
book on his 1999 tour throughout the Cardinals minor league system.
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