Keen to catch on behind the plate

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ASTROS ELITE CAMP

Keen to catch on behind the plate

Sapp, Henriquez among impressive young catchers

By BRIAN MCTAGGART

Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

Timeline: Review Astros in '06 Not since they selected a baby-faced catcher out of Seton Hall 20 years ago have the Astros been able to draft, develop and produce a major league catcher of any significance.

Craig Biggio was moved to second base in 1992, undoubtedly prolonging a career that will likely get him into the Hall of Fame. The Astros, meanwhile, have relied largely on free agency and trades to fill their void at catcher.

With that in mind, the Astros have made catching a priority in recent drafts. They picked Max Sapp in the first round (23rd overall) last year and fellow high school catcher Ralph Henriquez in the second round (72nd overall) in 2005.

Sapp and Henriquez, along with 2004 draft picks Lou Santangelo and J.R. Towles, lead an impressive group of young catchers who have the Astros excited about the future behind the plate.

And all four are making strong impressions this week at the Nolan Ryan Elite Pitching and Jeff Bagwell Elite Hitting Camps at Minute Maid Park.

"It's something we've identified over the last several years as a need," Astros general manager Tim Purpura said. "To me, it's one of the hardest positions to fill nowadays. I don't think a lot of kids are catching like they used to. It's not a real favored position, but it's obviously critical to your success."

A bat worth watching

Sapp, 18, has an explosive lefthanded bat but remains a work in progress on defense. He didn't catch until his senior year in high school in Orlando, and last year he hit .229 with one homer and 20 RBIs in 50 games for Class A Tri-City.

"Things went well," Sapp said. "I started off right after high school jumping into pro ball, and it took a little while to get used to it. But I started finding it easier to catch the guys once I got used to it."

Purpura said the Astros are pleased with Sapp's progress behind the plate.

"We knew he was a guy who would take some time to develop, but we really like his bat," Purpura said. "Watching him the last couple of days, he swings the bat good and has some upside offensively. Now we have to continue to work with him defensively."

Astros manager Phil Garner has definitely noticed Sapp.

"I liked his swing right from the get-go, and I still like his swing," Garner said. "As you would expect, he was a kid who had some baby fat and was a little pudgy, but I patted him on the shoulder the other day, and clearly this kid is starting to firm up. It will be nice to watch him evolve."

Next stop: spring training

Santangelo, a fourth-round pick from Clemson, has a strong arm and came on offensively last year. He hit .241 with 18 homers and 57 RBIs for Class A Salem and has earned an invitation to major league spring training camp.

"I'm going to hit here and there like any other catcher would, and I throw well, but I definitely have to hone my blocking (pitches)," Santangelo said.

Towles, a product of Crosby High School, has put together two solid seasons at Class A Lexington, hitting .317 last year with 12 homers and 55 RBIs. Henriquez hit .231 with five homers and 37 RBIs for rookie-league Greeneville.

"The real balancing act of that position is producing offensively," Purpura said. "It seems there's a lot of good defensive catchers but very little offense. You see that around the game, and it's a tough position."

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