Francisco Cervelli's mission, the one that began last fall, only eight days after his second consecutive injury-shortened season, is about more than staying on the field. He wants to be the top defensive catcher in Major League Baseball.
So, in addition to overhauling his offseason workout regimen, Cervelli, with the help of two coaches, changed his stance behind the plate. He's no longer bending his left knee in or turning his body slightly towards the pitcher. The results have shown since he reported to Pirate City for spring training last month.
The 32-year-old is framing pitches as effectively as he did in 2015. Additionally, he's controlling an opponent's running game with a quicker release on his throws from behind the plate. And for Cervelli, the motivation for such an overhaul in his 12th major league season is simple.
"For me, I want to win a Gold Glove," Cervelli told DKPittsburghSports.com. "I want to be the best. The first goal is to control the running game to win games. It doesn’t matter if I throw 50 percent and we don’t win. Or if I win a Gold Glove and I’m going home in October. I prefer to win a championship than to win everything for myself. But I want to be the best."
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