June 23, 2011
It’s no secret that catchers make some of the best managers. From Earl Weaver to Joe Torre to Bruce Bochy, many baseball insiders will agree that the view from behind homeplate may be the single best vantage point to manage a game.
The man behind the mask for the Commodores is Curt Casali who comes from good leadership genes. His father Louis played basketball and was the starting quarterback at Columbia while his grandfather played basketball and baseball at Air Force. Curt quarterbacked New Canaan High (CT) to a state championship during his senior year on his way to being selected as New Canaan Sportsman of the Year in 2007. Casali came to campus highly touted in 2008, a year after Vanderbilt’s heart smashing loss in the Nashville Regional, as the heir apparent behind the plate. Shea Robin was the senior incumbent, with Andrew Giobbi making a name for himself with his bat, so regular playing time proved hard to come by.
“I was in the mix for a little bit, but then the season took its toll on me,” recalls Casali of his freshman year. “Looking back on it now, I completely understand about what the coaches wanted in a catcher and what I needed to do. It’s not just about catching and throwing guys out. It’s about leading a staff, trusting in your pitchers and being a leader on the field.”
Three years later it’s Casali who has assumed a prominent role as one of the true leaders on the team. Strong leadership is a key component and one of the primary characteristics that caught the attention of head coach Tim Corbin and former recruiting coordinator Erik Bakich.
“I don’t think that there is any question that word leader applies to Curtis,” recalls Corbin. “He was a kid that had that type of skill set. You go back to his days as a high school quarterback, and calling plays and running an offense by himself and then first catching for his high school team and then catching through the course of the summer. There were things that he did that were innate because they were asked of him…. Now with all of the things he has gone through – the injuries, time spent off the field – it’s helped him indirectly. Curt has had to help the team in other areas. He’s been a non-participant, has had to be selfless because he has been unable to play and it has made him embrace the emotions of other kids which is always good for everyone.”
The 2011 season has been a successful return back behind the plate for Casali who did not catch three games in a row until just this season due to injuries. A torn ligament in his throwing elbow that required off-season Tommy John surgery pushed him to first base in 2009 and a severe hamstring strain limited him to 46 starts in 66 games a year ago.
It has been the bat that has never been questioned. Casali has been a constant in the middle of the line-up that has produced a .316 career batting average to go with a .503 slugging percentage, 167 RBI (6th all-time) and a truly invaluable .428 on-base percentage. A superior defensive catcher, Casali remains the exception at his position to call his own pitches at the college level. It’s a tribute to both his pitch calling ability and the confidence he gives to the Vanderbilt pitching staff.
“This has really been the first year that Curtis has been able to take on the role when you consider all the injuries,” said associate head coach Derek Johnson who points out that Casali’s pitch calling makes the game harder to coach. “The easier route for me is to call the game because I have the information in front of me, but it’s a tribute to all the work done with the pitchers in the fall.
“He has had to be a quick study and the results speak for themselves as Curtis has done an excellent job. The pitchers really trust him and most importantly, I think he really has a good idea of what our pitchers are all about. It’s not just Sonny (Gray) or Grayson (Garvin), it’s all the way down to the last guy and that’s what it really takes. It’s easy to know your #1 or #2 guy because they throw most of the innings, but when you know all of the guys.”
Casali’s name will appear in the Commodore line-up for the final time during the College World Series, but his reputation precedes him. The Detroit Tigers selected Curt in the 10th round over a week ago in the amateur draft and have already written on Twitter that he was “a steal.” Tell a Vanderbilt baseball fan something they don’t already know.