Class-A Catcher Says the ‘Bull Durham’ Version Is the Truth--Sort Of

The film “Bull Durham� probably has people asking questions about Class-A minor league baseball. For instance, do washed-up veterans named “Crash� still play after being demoted from the AAA team?

Or, maybe, do no-name assistant coaches actually chew gum and say things at warp speed like: “C’mon babe. Hum babe. Throw strikes, kid. Right now babe�?

And, of course, do sassy middle-aged women named “Annie� really hang around the ballpark yearning--and succeeding--to end up in bed with the newest prospect?

Jorge Pedre hasn’t run across the first two. But the catcher for the Class-A Appleton, Wis., Foxes can vouch for Annie--almost.

“There are lots of women hanging around,� Pedre, a former first team all-state catcher at Harbor College, said in a telephone interview from Davenport, Iowa. “Lots of groupies, but you try to stay away from them.�

Instead, Pedre brags to his teammates about the women of Southern California and listens in on similar tales about the women of New York City, Chicago and the South. See, when you are 21, laboring for little money and on what you hope will be a brief journey to the big leagues, you have a ton to talk about. Especially on those long bus rides.

It took Pedre seven hours on a Greyhound to reach Davenport for a series. But the ride didn’t faze him. Nor, he said, do the hotel accommodations on most road trips.

“Everybody says its raggedy in the minors, but it’s not,� he said. “The parks are all right. In fact, some are OK. Like in South Bend, Ind., the place was almost like the big leagues. And the hotels, as long as there is cable (TV), it’s all right.�

Pedre, a 6-foot, 210-pound catcher, has another advantage. If his pitchers foolishly shake off his signs, he can tell opposing hitters what’s coming next in order to bust his pitcher’s ego. At least that’s what Crash did to his pitcher, “Meat,� in “Bull Durham.�

But it usually doesn’t go like that. Pedre said: “When I’m catching, I’m in control. The pitchers don’t shake me off. They are confident in me and in what I call.�

Pedre progressed to Appleton this spring after an impressive stint last summer in Eugene, Ore., where he led the Northwest Rookie League in home runs with 13 and hit .270 with 66 runs batted in.

Appleton’s parent club, the Kansas City Royals, selected Pedre in the 33rd round of the 1987 amateur draft. Art Stewart, the Royals’ scouting director, called the selection a “coup� due to the nation’s scarcity of solid catchers and said Pedre is “really in (the Royals’) future plans.�

But, strangely, teams that had called Pedre before the draft passed him over in the early rounds. The Minnesota Twins suggested he’d probably go in the third round yet never called.

Draft day brought him only disappointment when no team phoned. Pedre could not understand how he could hit .472 at Harbor while setting records for home runs, hits and RBIs and still not be drafted. “I was like, ‘Geez, I don’t know what I gotta do,’ � he remembered. “I had 21 home runs and 79 RBIs in one season, and still nobody called.�

Two days later the unanimously nominated and selected JC player of the state learned he had been chosen in the 33rd round. The dilemma then was choosing between a meager signing bonus and a full scholarship to Oklahoma State, a perennial Division I power.

He chose quickly. “I thought it was time to go play pro ball. Now I feel good, and I have no regrets.�

Pedre’s father, Joaquin Pedre, is left to second-guess. Born in Cuba, Joaquin departed his beloved country in 1962. “I took my clothes and came with empty pockets,� he recalled. Now, though he might return to Cuba to visit family, he says he’ll die in the United States. After seeing his money taken away in Cuba, he believes that good offers--a scholarship to Oklahoma State, for example--should be accepted.

“I wish Jorge had gone to college,� Joaquin said. “He said he wanted to turn pro, but I wish he had got more money.�

Pedre eventually obtained a substantial contract. Guy Hanson, the Royals scout who signed Pedre, said he received a five-figure package worth more than the average bonus for low-round picks.

Hanson remembers being startled that a player of Pedre’s caliber was still available in the draft. Most teams, however, questioned Pedre’s throwing arm. And that’s where Hanson stepped in.

At Harbor he timed Pedre throwing from home plate to second base, a toss most big leaguers dispose of in two seconds. Pedre got the ball there in 1.85 seconds with consistency. His quick release was responsible.

And now? “He’s gone from a suspect to a prospect,� said Hanson. “He’s shown he can be a complete player.�

Providing a few catching lessons at Appleton is Manager Brian Polberg, a former catcher with the Royals AAA Omaha club. Polberg said Pedre learns quickly but is suffering from several nagging injuries, including foul tips, every one of which “seems to hit Jorge in the arm or shoulder.�

Polberg also said Pedre catches too many games, a problem aggravated by the recent loss of fifth-round draft pick Tim Spehr, an NCAA regional playoff most valuable player from Arizona State who broke his finger in a collision at home plate during the first inning of his first game with Appleton.

The Foxes carry two other catchers but none as experienced or talented as Spehr and Pedre. So until Spehr returns, Pedre will do most of the catching, which, Polberg said, could leave him struggling on offense.

Pedre said he wouldn’t mind catching every day. He remembers not believing he could succeed behind the plate a year ago, so the opportunity to prove himself is welcomed. And, though he’s hit only 4 home runs, his .274 average, 80 hits and 39 RBIs in 79 games indicate to him that his swing is sound.

“I really haven’t changed my style,� said the former power hitter. “My home runs are down and I’m hitting for average, but I know I can still hit home runs. I feel like I can hit them anytime. I do miss jogging around the bases, though.�

At first, in mid-March, he also missed Southland weather. “One of my first games, we got snowed out,� he said, still apparently in disbelief. “It was in the 30s. It felt like we were playing ball in the mountains. It was trippy. Now it’s 85-90 and I hope it stays that way.�

In Class-A ball players hope for many things. A little more money. A promotion. A new home--or old one, if you’re homesick.

About making his home in a city of 58,000 like Appleton, in a state like Wisconsin where fresh-water fishing and eating cheese seem more enthralling than going out at night, Pedre had this to say: “Nooooo way! It’s nice, but I’m used to the big city.�