The other night Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski had the audacity to frame a pitch that bounced well in front of the plate before it got to him. Giants slugger Hunter Pence stared at the ball in Pierzynski’s mitt, seemingly contemplating if Pierzynski actually thought umpire Dan Iassogna might call a strike.
Some of the many people who dislike Pierzynski for his reputation as a jerk might have thought he was trying to get one over on Iassogna. Beneath their masks, Pierzynski and Iassogna shared a laugh.
“The only person who wasn’t laughing was Hunter,” Pierzynski said. “He didn’t know what to do. I was just trying to have some fun and lighten it up a little bit and people try to make it like I was trying to get a call.”
I laughed at the play. But by then I’d already decided that as the Braves play out the string, there’s no better reason to watch them than their 38-year old catcher.
Don’t check out Pierzynski just because he’s having a good year, although that’s true. Pierzynski entered Friday with .785 on-base plus slugging percentage in 75 games. According to Baseball Reference, since 1901 only two big-league catchers aged 38 or older have produced a better OPS while playing at least 100 games in a season: ageless wonder Carlton Fisk (twice) and Yankees mainstay Jorge Posada.
Pierzynski still is a good hitter, but the better reason to watch him is because he’s so much fun.
Watch how Pierzynski appears to be almost bored as he steps to the plate, bat nonchalantly perched on his right shoulder. Hitting major-league pitching probably is the hardest thing to do in sports yet Pierzynski looks as relaxed as a beefy beer leaguer ready to smash a slow-pitch softball.
Also notice how many umpires and opposing batters crack up at something Pierzynski said. Among the Braves, Pierzynski’s constant chattering has been described as an involuntary reflex of his mouth.
The anecdotes about a fun-loving Pierzynski don’t match his image. He came to the Braves with a reputation.
More than once, Pierzynski’s baseball peers voted him the most hated player in baseball. An ex-Giants teammate anonymously ripped Pierzynski as a “clubhouse cancer” and a year after he left San Francisco a story surfaced that he had kneed a trainer in the groin. (Pierzynski has long said both allegations aren’t true.)
While playing for the White Sox in the 2005 ALCS, Pierzynski irritated the Angels by taking first base as they ran off the field after a third strike that may or may not have hit the dirt before the catchers’ mitt. During a 2006 game against the Cubs, Pierzynski barreled over Cubs catcher Michael Barrett, who responded by punching Pierzynski in the face.
Former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen once famously said about Pierzynski: "If you play against him, you hate him. If you play with him, you hate him a little less." And Guillen liked Pierzynski.
All of that baggage is why Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said he was “the last one to get convinced” about bringing in Pierzynski. He got positive reports from staffers with the Cardinals, Pierzynski’s last team, but still.
Now, Gonzalez said: “I really like him. I didn’t expect that I would like him. You hear people’s reputation …”
Some of that probably is because Pierzynski likes to smack talk his teammates about their foibles. Pierzynski can be relentless with his needling, so it’s easy to see why even people who like him might get tired of it regardless of him sprinkling in some self-deprecation.
“It’s not like it’s personal,” Pierzynski said. “When I do something stupid I expect people to laugh at me, and then we move on. If you can’t laugh at yourself, then there’s no point in doing this.”
Guillen used to say Pierzynski says things he shouldn’t because he’s upset about losing. Gonzalez echoes that sentiment.
“He’s got his things, but he’s a good teammate,” Gonzalez said. “He don’t put up with a lot of crap, and he will say whatever he’s got to say. Sometimes he says it at the wrong time, but …”
But that’s what you get with Pierzynski.
Gonzalez said he likes Pierzynski’s intensity and the way he’s handled the young pitching staff. After being reluctant to add Pierzynski to the roster, Gonzalez said he’d welcome him back if Braves boss John Hart wants to re-sign the catcher when his contract expires after the season.
It could be that the Braves are getting a gentler version of Pierzynski because of his long-time relationship with Hart. Pierzynski also allows that he’s mellowed over the years. Either way, he said he no longer worries about his image.
Besides, he said playing the villain has been good for his bank account.
“I’m famous for two things: striking out and getting punched in the face,” Pierzynski said.
That’s a guy I want to watch play baseball.
