Veteran catcher Ryan Hanigan knows his role with the Colorado Rockies. While his .462 batting average, one home run and six RBIs are all a nice way to contribute to his new club, he knows its the work that he puts in behind the plate that matters most – especially considering the relative youth in Colorado’s starting lineup these days.
“That’s what I take pride in. That’s my favorite thing in baseball – to really be in sync with my guy out there and get him going, get him through a tough lineup, you know, work through some tough situations, get the outs when you need them. You know, that’s what I do. That’s what a catcher does,” Hanigan told Eric Goodman and Les Shapiro on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 after Tuesday afternoon’s win over the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field.
Hanigan was behind the plate to catch rookie Antonio Senzatela, who earned his NL-leading (tie) fifth win in game one of a split doubleheader. Senzatela allowed two runs on five hits over six innings, but that wasn’t the most impressive part of his day, Hanigan says.
“[Senzatela on Tuesday] really didn’t have command like he has in the past, and he still got it done. And that just shows you the type of arm he has and the stuff he has. You know, he can miss and still get outs. And that’s huge, because when he’s on his game and really has his command, you know, he can be really pretty dominant.”
Hangian had a big day as well, driving in three runs with a two-out single in the third inning, but his primary focus since being called up from Triple-A Albuquerque is keeping the Rockies’ talented young starters focused on maintaining their hot start to 2017.
“I’m here, you know, I want to have good at-bats; I want to produce offensively. But, you know, my main goal is just to work these pitchers – work the bullpen, the starters – help these guys on the mound, get them through the game and use my knowledge and my experience to really keep them in line.”
Considering neither Kyle Freeland (3-2, 2.93) nor Senzatela (5-1, 2.86) had ever made a major league start prior to this season, Hangian (a 10-year major league veteran) has been been quite impressed.
“I would say the poise of what I’ve seen from Freeland and Senzatela has been fantastic for young guys,” Hanigan told Goodman and Shapiro. “You know, they attack. They’re not scared to attack hitters. They’re coming at you, either way, and that’s what you’ve got to do. You can’t pitch scared in the big leauges. They’ve got great talent, great arms, a great repertoire of stuff and they’re getting better each outing.”
When asked if Freeland and Senzatela can maintain their hot start, Hanigan has seen enough in his big-league career to make any over-reaching statements.
“Well that’s a tough question I think that, you know, it’s all about the preparation and the work and getting better as the season goes on,” he said.
But he does like their mindset and has confidence in the pitching staff and coaches surrounding them.
“These guys take their starts real seriously,” Hanigan said. “They have great, great help from the pitching guys here.”
Hanigan’s time with the major league club may be limited, as Tony Wolters could return from the concussion DL shortly and Tom Murphy‘s broken arm is healing up, but the veteran will continue focus on guiding this young staff for as long as he’s needed. Of course, swinging a hot bat might increase that need.
Listen to the full interview with Hanigan, including his thoughts on whether Colorado has a playoff-ready team, in the podcast below.
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