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The Tao of the Backup Catcher: Playing Baseball for the Love of the Game
"This isn’t just a story about baseball. It’s about life and the beauty of knowing and accepting who you are.” —Jeff Passan, ESPN baseball columnist
This fascinating book chronicles the unsung men of baseball who serve the job, the hardships they face, and their love for a game that would not always love them back―told partly through the experiences of an MLB veteran.
In baseball there are superstars and stars and everyday players and then there are the rest. Within the rest are role players and specialists and journeymen and then there are the backup catchers. The Tao of the Backup Catcher is about them, the backup catchers, who exist near the bottom of the roster and the end of the bench and between the numbers in a sport–and a society–increasingly driven by cold, hard analytics.
The Tao of the Backup Catcher is a story of grown men who once dreamed of stardom and generational wealth. Instead, they were handed a broom and a deeper understanding of who wins and why, who stands tall and who folds, and who will invest their own lives in catching bullpens and the back ends of doubleheaders.
Backup catchers survive in part because every team needs one. They are necessary, once or twice a week. They prosper because the game, like the world around the game, still needs good souls, honest efforts, open eyes and ears, closed mouths, compassion for the sad parts, a laugh for the silly parts, and a heart that knows the difference. Backup catchers are sports’ big brothers, psychologists, priests, witch doctors, player coaches, father figures and drinking buddies, all wrapped in a suit of today’s polycarbonate armor and yesterday’s dirt. They come with a singular goal–to win baseball games. They play for the greater good. After that, they play for themselves. A reverie on loving the grind and the little things baseball can teach us, The Tao of the Backup Catcher profiles Erik Kratz, Josh Paul, AJ Ellis, Bobby Wilson, Drew Butera, Matt Treanor, and John Flaherty to name a few.
“This isn’t just a story about baseball. It’s about life and the beauty of knowing and accepting who you are.” ―Jeff Passan
This fascinating book chronicles the unsung men of baseball who serve the job, the hardships they face, and their love for a game that would not always love them back―told partly through the experiences of an MLB veteran.
In baseball there are superstars and stars and everyday players and then there are the rest. Within the rest are role players and specialists and journeymen and then there are the backup catchers. The Tao of the Backup Catcher is about them, the backup catchers, who exist near the bottom of the roster and the end of the bench and between the numbers in a sport–and a society–increasingly driven by cold, hard analytics.
The Tao of the Backup Catcher is a story of grown men who once dreamed of stardom and generational wealth. Instead, they were handed a broom and a deeper understanding of who wins and why, who stands tall and who folds, and who will invest their own lives in catching bullpens and the back ends of doubleheaders.
Backup catchers survive in part because every team needs one. They are necessary, once or twice a week. They prosper because the game, like the world around the game, still needs good souls, honest efforts, open eyes and ears, closed mouths, compassion for the sad parts, a laugh for the silly parts, and a heart that knows the difference. Backup catchers are sports’ big brothers, psychologists, priests, witch doctors, player coaches, father figures and drinking buddies, all wrapped in a suit of today’s polycarbonate armor and yesterday’s dirt. They come with a singular goal–to win baseball games. They play for the greater good. After that, they play for themselves. A reverie on loving the grind and the little things baseball can teach us, The Tao of the Backup Catcher profiles Erik Kratz, Josh Paul, AJ Ellis, Bobby Wilson, Drew Butera, Matt Treanor, and John Flaherty to name a few.
“This isn’t just a story about baseball. It’s about life and the beauty of knowing and accepting who you are.” ―Jeff Passan
304 pages, Hardcover
Published July 11, 2023
About the author
Tim Brown
1 book2 followersTim Brown is an award-winning writer with 25 years’ experience covering Major League Baseball at the Los Angeles Times, the Newark Star-Ledger, the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Los Angeles Daily News and Yahoo! Sports. He co-wrote, with Jim Abbott, the New York Times bestseller, “Imperfect: An Improbable Life.” He resides with his wife, Kelly, in Venice, CA.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
May 21, 2023
Who doesn't want to root for the underdog? The person who shows up everyday and does the little things superstars often miss. The "glue" of any team. And how about writing a book about those people on the baseball diamond? Tim Brown went ahead and did that with The Tao of the Backup Catcher. "But I don't like baseball" you might say. True, but Brown is writing about more than that. Mostly through the lens of career backup catcher, Eric Kratz, Brown looks at what it takes to be the person who is often overlooked but simultaneously important in multiple ways.
This book is a breezy read and can often be both hilarious and poignant. There are many different ballplayers who provide fodder for the book but Kratz is the focal point more often than not. Every now and again the book will touch on baseball strategy but mostly it zeroes in on the drudgery, the trades, and the uncertainty of when your number may be up. Baseball lovers will find tons of great nuggets, but this book contains a lot of life lessons for everyone.
(This book was provided as an advanced copy by Netgalley and Twelve Books.)
This book is a breezy read and can often be both hilarious and poignant. There are many different ballplayers who provide fodder for the book but Kratz is the focal point more often than not. Every now and again the book will touch on baseball strategy but mostly it zeroes in on the drudgery, the trades, and the uncertainty of when your number may be up. Baseball lovers will find tons of great nuggets, but this book contains a lot of life lessons for everyone.
(This book was provided as an advanced copy by Netgalley and Twelve Books.)
July 13, 2023
I’m a sucker for anything detailing the experiences of the people on the fringes of baseball. Not the stars, not the big heroes, but those on the margins.
There’s no more prototypical fringe guy in baseball than the backup catcher, and this is a charming, intriguing account of several such men and their baseball journeys.
It’s a little bit heartbreaking and definitely inspiring, but mostly it’s just an interesting peek behind the curtain about a very unique subset of the baseball world.
Perfect for fans of Barry Svurluga’s The Grind or Dirk Hayhurst’s The Bullpen Gospels, this is more about vibes than information, designed to allow readers to immerse themselves in baseball atmosphere and enjoy some exceptionally good storytelling about guys who are inspiring and easy to root for, rather than being the type of baseball book whose primarily purpose is to educate and convey information.
That said, there’s an educational aspect to this, and allows readers to understand and appreciate what is surely one of the toughest jobs in baseball.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
There’s no more prototypical fringe guy in baseball than the backup catcher, and this is a charming, intriguing account of several such men and their baseball journeys.
It’s a little bit heartbreaking and definitely inspiring, but mostly it’s just an interesting peek behind the curtain about a very unique subset of the baseball world.
Perfect for fans of Barry Svurluga’s The Grind or Dirk Hayhurst’s The Bullpen Gospels, this is more about vibes than information, designed to allow readers to immerse themselves in baseball atmosphere and enjoy some exceptionally good storytelling about guys who are inspiring and easy to root for, rather than being the type of baseball book whose primarily purpose is to educate and convey information.
That said, there’s an educational aspect to this, and allows readers to understand and appreciate what is surely one of the toughest jobs in baseball.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
December 27, 2023
Always good to get through the offseason with a baseball book. But this is more than a baseball book. While I didn’t get all that I was looking for out of it, it did show me a whole class of people who have less job security than I do and who frequently think about quitting. My son bought this book for me, and I think the highest praise I could give it is to turn around and put it in my son’s hands to absorb its lessons.
January 1, 2024
Started out great but halfway through the book, I got bored out of my mind. It’s the same thing chapter and chapter…..
May 27, 2024
An enjoyable read, if longer that it needs to be and a bit repetitive. As the title indicates, the book is a bit philosophical; Brown spends a lot of time waxing rhapsodic about backup catchers. Which is fair! He does a good job making the case for the backup catcher--the work they do, the relationships they build, the knowledge they gain and impart.
It's also the story of Eric Kratz, who managed to eke out a 10-year MLB career as a backup catcher. Brown enumerates his many transactions over and over and over again; in many ways, this book dovetails nicely with Where Nobody Knows Your Name: Life In the Minor Leagues of Baseball, about players living on the AAA/MLB edge, as Kratz spends a lot of time getting traded to various teams and playing up and down their systems.
Brown spends a lot of time discussing how backup catchers do a lot of work for their one start a week. He talked to a lot of backup catchers. I wish we had gotten some perspective from the pitchers they worked with. The hypothesis is that the backup catcher is good for the team--he puts the team first. I believe it, but I wish we got some of that from actual other players on the team.
An enjoyable enough read, but it does feel like a bit of a slog at times and the language gets a bit flowery. I do always like reading books about fringe baseball players, though.
It's also the story of Eric Kratz, who managed to eke out a 10-year MLB career as a backup catcher. Brown enumerates his many transactions over and over and over again; in many ways, this book dovetails nicely with Where Nobody Knows Your Name: Life In the Minor Leagues of Baseball, about players living on the AAA/MLB edge, as Kratz spends a lot of time getting traded to various teams and playing up and down their systems.
Brown spends a lot of time discussing how backup catchers do a lot of work for their one start a week. He talked to a lot of backup catchers. I wish we had gotten some perspective from the pitchers they worked with. The hypothesis is that the backup catcher is good for the team--he puts the team first. I believe it, but I wish we got some of that from actual other players on the team.
An enjoyable enough read, but it does feel like a bit of a slog at times and the language gets a bit flowery. I do always like reading books about fringe baseball players, though.
December 7, 2023
Baseball lessons cross over into real life. Sportswriter Tim Brown gives journeyman catcher Erik Kratz plenty of space in this 2023 nonfiction book, but Brown’s book uses Kratz for something larger: a revealing example in the world of professional baseball of the specialized, idiosyncratic niche that backup catchers play; the book bridges professional baseball and real life.
The book suggests that the culture of backup catchers such as Kratz holds life lessons, including self-awareness, the value of being selfless, the strength that comes with embracing the world you find yourself in, an understanding that life transcends the tasks of the daily grind of the professional baseball player.
Kratz, a Mennonite born in Telford PA in 1982, was a high school student at Christopher Dock Mennonite School (now Dock Mennonite Academy) in Landsdale PA, and then at Eastern Mennonite College (now Eastern Mennonite University) in Harrisonburg VA 1998-2002.
He was drafted in 2002 by the Toronto Blue Jays, beginning the journey over 20 years as a professional baseball player. His career as a catcher/backup catcher includes a jaw-dropping 104 transactions for 14 baseball organizations in his 19-season career across the map of professional baseball: 16 different minor league teams and nine MLB teams.
I like this book. I like baseball. I like Erik Kratz. I like that Brown found this special man for the heart of this book. I like that Brown recognized the strength and support of Erik’s wife Sarah. I like the unique story of Kratz’s background of Mennonites, my people. Five stars for all of that.
The book suggests that the culture of backup catchers such as Kratz holds life lessons, including self-awareness, the value of being selfless, the strength that comes with embracing the world you find yourself in, an understanding that life transcends the tasks of the daily grind of the professional baseball player.
Kratz, a Mennonite born in Telford PA in 1982, was a high school student at Christopher Dock Mennonite School (now Dock Mennonite Academy) in Landsdale PA, and then at Eastern Mennonite College (now Eastern Mennonite University) in Harrisonburg VA 1998-2002.
He was drafted in 2002 by the Toronto Blue Jays, beginning the journey over 20 years as a professional baseball player. His career as a catcher/backup catcher includes a jaw-dropping 104 transactions for 14 baseball organizations in his 19-season career across the map of professional baseball: 16 different minor league teams and nine MLB teams.
I like this book. I like baseball. I like Erik Kratz. I like that Brown found this special man for the heart of this book. I like that Brown recognized the strength and support of Erik’s wife Sarah. I like the unique story of Kratz’s background of Mennonites, my people. Five stars for all of that.
January 7, 2024
This book had so much heart, hit all the right notes for me and even though a few chapters felt like they meandered this has to be one of my favorite pieces of sportswriting ive read
January 14, 2024
This is very niche, but I loved it because I love baseball.
October 6, 2023
It’s an American sports story that should be told; the back up catcher’s story, of perseverance, love of the game and the lifestyle that is professional baseball in this day and age. There are some nice vignettes and behind the scene stories that make this sparkle.
But truthfully I found myself wondering “when will this book end?,” as I slogged through chapter after chapter after chapter of excessive verbiage. Perhaps that is the baseball way, slow, roundabout, patient, but I found that the book dragged. Erik Kratz seems like a solid man and a good ball player who has insight and heart, and that nice to read about.
But truthfully I found myself wondering “when will this book end?,” as I slogged through chapter after chapter after chapter of excessive verbiage. Perhaps that is the baseball way, slow, roundabout, patient, but I found that the book dragged. Erik Kratz seems like a solid man and a good ball player who has insight and heart, and that nice to read about.
November 7, 2023
Fantastic read. Many life lessons here, even if you’re not a baseball fan. The true belief of accepting who you are without settling is one lesson that many miss in today’s world. This book brings this out in a way that demonstrates the impact this approach can have on yourself and those you meet and work with.
August 15, 2023
A book to warm baseball fans' hearts, especially if (like mine) their careers topped out as a back-up on a junior varsity high school team for a vastly superior player; in my case, at least I had the solace of knowing the guy who played third except when he was pitching (Goose Gossage) eventually made the Hall of Fame. Anyway, while Brown doesn't do a whole lot with the philosophical promise of the Tao in his title, he tells a charming and convincing story of what it takes to be a good back-up catcher. I'll never look at rosters or the arc of seasons in quite the same way. Eric Kratz who played for roughly everyone except Charley Brown's All Stars holds the book together, but there are at least a dozen deftly done portraits of the honorable and dedicated guys who play a larger part in the game than I'd realized. Not on the top shelf of baseball classics but, like the players it celebrates, it has a good solid place just below.
March 14, 2024
More than three decades have passed since I have played baseball consistently and competitively. For some, the dream dies early. Talent, heart, grit, determination, work ethic, but mostly talent at that age, are obstacles rather than checked boxes on a scouting report. If a few but not all boxes are checked, then the battle against attrition is the next hurdle. And so, legions of men like me, before me and certainly after me, have had and will have their dreams of a life in baseball at the highest echelons of competition extinguished, many before they are ready to “hang up the spikes.” This, however, is no Glory Days “what if” review. I have long come to terms with the physical end of my sports days. Rather, reading a baseball book nearly ALWAYS brings a gentle vicarious nostalgia for the kinship I feel for the game, the knowledge I gleaned from the experience, and the lessons learned and plagiarized thenceforward. It is that exact nostalgic reverie that The Tao of the Backup Catcher elicits and strikes a chord. The dream that dies early for so many is artfully conceived in the career of former MLB catcher Erik Kratz. Unless you are a baseball fanatic or a diehard sabermetrician, most likely you’re not alone in not having recalled the name. Yet Kratz’s anonymity doesn’t negate his contribution to the game, nor does it diminish the value of the myriad of grinders just like him.
Catching, alone, is a grunt’s position in an already nuanced and difficult sport, not unlike a hockey goalie or a football center. The only player on the field to put extra wear and tear on their knees simply by being idle at their position, the only one suited with protective gear on defense, the only one to set up in foul territory FACING the rest of the field, catchers captain the diamond. They receive signals from the dugout, they command position shifts, call relay cuts, back up multiple bases on virtually every play, provide signage for pickoff plays, take mental notes and then written ones about the tendencies and loopholes of opposing hitters and their swings, massage pitcher egos or give blunt assessments of performance, frame pitch after pitch to curry favor from subjective umpires, keep track of their batterymate’s mental and physical performance as the game evolves, and more. Mastery of all of the above plus a hit tool gives a catcher a fighting chance to be a starter in the professional ranks. Minus the hit tool, many are relegated to backup status, a fairly obscure yet critical occupation in pro ball. To be sure, no one sets out to be a backup catcher. Still, the record books are lined with names, most long forgotten, who have eked out careers as journeymen catchers riding the buses in the minors, some getting a proverbial cup of coffee in the Show, some bouncing back and forth for several years between the minors and the majors. It is the paradox of believing you are better than either your performance indicates or what someone envisions your ceiling to be versus giving up on the dream because you are emotionally exhausted at the constant state of change a marginally talented pro experiences. Erik Kratz played for 9 different teams in roughly 11 years. He retired with a .209 lifetime batting avg. and -.1 WAR (wins against replacement). He didn’t make his debut in the majors until 2010 at the age of 30, an age when most ball players who haven’t yet received a call up have long since hung it up.
Sports books oftentimes wax on about how athletics parallels life. That may be true, but the catcher, or more precisely, the career backup catcher is the embodiment of the human psyche. The id appears as a human roadblock in a bean ball war, a trash talking, mind-game playing, sign stealing extra bench coach. The superego convinces him the daily workout routine needs to be ramped up to reflect self-worth for the squad and that a promotion to the bigs is only one phone call away. The ego allows the reality of unselfishness and it’s about the organization not the individual.
If catching, or even baseball evokes interminable yawns, then perhaps this isn’t the story for you. On the other hand, a character story, one that proselytizes humility and perseverance, one in which we see ourselves or, better yet, our own one time batterymate in the rapidly fading memoirs of our youth, just might kindle a once extinguished souvenir of a valued friend and teammate that served as a walking therapeutic metaphor. Naturally, the Tao suggests a path in which we live in harmony with all things. Reading about Erik Kratz and many of his contemporaries solidifies the notion that a successful catcher (or ballplayer for that matter) doesn’t need to bring every sold out stadium to its feet with joy. Quite simply, they just carry on to fulfill their own purpose in the presence of necessity. Those are the types of teammates everyone should want.
Catching, alone, is a grunt’s position in an already nuanced and difficult sport, not unlike a hockey goalie or a football center. The only player on the field to put extra wear and tear on their knees simply by being idle at their position, the only one suited with protective gear on defense, the only one to set up in foul territory FACING the rest of the field, catchers captain the diamond. They receive signals from the dugout, they command position shifts, call relay cuts, back up multiple bases on virtually every play, provide signage for pickoff plays, take mental notes and then written ones about the tendencies and loopholes of opposing hitters and their swings, massage pitcher egos or give blunt assessments of performance, frame pitch after pitch to curry favor from subjective umpires, keep track of their batterymate’s mental and physical performance as the game evolves, and more. Mastery of all of the above plus a hit tool gives a catcher a fighting chance to be a starter in the professional ranks. Minus the hit tool, many are relegated to backup status, a fairly obscure yet critical occupation in pro ball. To be sure, no one sets out to be a backup catcher. Still, the record books are lined with names, most long forgotten, who have eked out careers as journeymen catchers riding the buses in the minors, some getting a proverbial cup of coffee in the Show, some bouncing back and forth for several years between the minors and the majors. It is the paradox of believing you are better than either your performance indicates or what someone envisions your ceiling to be versus giving up on the dream because you are emotionally exhausted at the constant state of change a marginally talented pro experiences. Erik Kratz played for 9 different teams in roughly 11 years. He retired with a .209 lifetime batting avg. and -.1 WAR (wins against replacement). He didn’t make his debut in the majors until 2010 at the age of 30, an age when most ball players who haven’t yet received a call up have long since hung it up.
Sports books oftentimes wax on about how athletics parallels life. That may be true, but the catcher, or more precisely, the career backup catcher is the embodiment of the human psyche. The id appears as a human roadblock in a bean ball war, a trash talking, mind-game playing, sign stealing extra bench coach. The superego convinces him the daily workout routine needs to be ramped up to reflect self-worth for the squad and that a promotion to the bigs is only one phone call away. The ego allows the reality of unselfishness and it’s about the organization not the individual.
If catching, or even baseball evokes interminable yawns, then perhaps this isn’t the story for you. On the other hand, a character story, one that proselytizes humility and perseverance, one in which we see ourselves or, better yet, our own one time batterymate in the rapidly fading memoirs of our youth, just might kindle a once extinguished souvenir of a valued friend and teammate that served as a walking therapeutic metaphor. Naturally, the Tao suggests a path in which we live in harmony with all things. Reading about Erik Kratz and many of his contemporaries solidifies the notion that a successful catcher (or ballplayer for that matter) doesn’t need to bring every sold out stadium to its feet with joy. Quite simply, they just carry on to fulfill their own purpose in the presence of necessity. Those are the types of teammates everyone should want.
October 24, 2023
For baseball fans, Tao of the Backup Catcher makes a strong case for caring about the guys at the end of the bench - not just the bright shiny sluggers and Golden Glovers.
Baseball is a sport of perseverance. This is true for fans waiting for their team to find the right combination of talent and luck to make a run at the postseason. It’s also true for every person involved in a major league ball club as they tackle, at a minimum, 162 games a season.
In baseball, the grind, as it’s often called, requires a commitment to seeing a season through regardless of success on the field. Still, no matter how stacked that starting line up may be with stars, or even a generational talent, a ball club cannot function without the guy behind the guy.
Tao of the Backup Catcher is the story of those journeymen, many dedicating years of their lives to the sport because they can’t imagine doing any other job. While only the most dedicated fans will recognize the backup’s names (unless they become managers like David Ross or Joe Maddon) they are still an essential part of every team.
Tao leads us through the life and career of such a backup catcher, Erik Kratz, as he moves through the MLB system. We see his joy and disappointment, along with the way his wife and children shift their lives to accommodate the unique demands of baseball in and off season.
Weaved through Erik’s story are other similar players that share that personality quirk which makes them particularly well-suited to backup catcher life. For fans of the sport in general, Tao digs deeper into the parts of a ball club many never think about or notice.
____________
Thank you to NetGalley and Twelve Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication date July 11th, 2023.
Baseball is a sport of perseverance. This is true for fans waiting for their team to find the right combination of talent and luck to make a run at the postseason. It’s also true for every person involved in a major league ball club as they tackle, at a minimum, 162 games a season.
In baseball, the grind, as it’s often called, requires a commitment to seeing a season through regardless of success on the field. Still, no matter how stacked that starting line up may be with stars, or even a generational talent, a ball club cannot function without the guy behind the guy.
Tao of the Backup Catcher is the story of those journeymen, many dedicating years of their lives to the sport because they can’t imagine doing any other job. While only the most dedicated fans will recognize the backup’s names (unless they become managers like David Ross or Joe Maddon) they are still an essential part of every team.
Tao leads us through the life and career of such a backup catcher, Erik Kratz, as he moves through the MLB system. We see his joy and disappointment, along with the way his wife and children shift their lives to accommodate the unique demands of baseball in and off season.
Weaved through Erik’s story are other similar players that share that personality quirk which makes them particularly well-suited to backup catcher life. For fans of the sport in general, Tao digs deeper into the parts of a ball club many never think about or notice.
____________
Thank you to NetGalley and Twelve Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication date July 11th, 2023.
November 12, 2023
The Tao of The Backup Catcher is an autobiographical and biographical narrative that was written by Tim Brown. This narrative explores the obstacles and struggles that the main character goes through as a backup catcher.
This book is about a backup catcher that can’t get his name in the starting lineup and is marked as C2(Secondary Catcher). This catcher goes by the name of Eric Kratz. Eric Kratz would end up getting signed by many teams including the Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, etc. The only thing, they could never end up finding the consistent starting spot at catcher. Throughout the book it talks about many other people like Mike Redmond who was also a C2 and Ramon Castro who was a C3 and the story of these catchers life’s and how not everyone gets what they are looking for, especially Eric Kratz. Eric Kratz would eventually accept and affect baseball in a way that the upcoming players could benefit from.
This book was great and I enjoyed reading about my favorite sport along with the special meaning it held. The Tao of The Backup Catcher is a book where you always wanna know what happens next. This book contains 289 pages but it can be a harder read and it contains some elaborate vocabulary. An example of this is “Salary arbitration is a player's first chance to be compensated based on his production and not on the misery whims of management.” That is 4 vocabulary words in only one sentence. I was in favor of this element the author used because it definitely taught me many words that I didn’t know before. With the occasional vocabulary it was great to read, and with that I definitely enjoyed this book.
In conclusion, This book is great for the reader that is in their mid-teens and above. This narrative in addition focuses on the world of baseball and teaches a lesson on how things don’t always just come to you.
This book is about a backup catcher that can’t get his name in the starting lineup and is marked as C2(Secondary Catcher). This catcher goes by the name of Eric Kratz. Eric Kratz would end up getting signed by many teams including the Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, etc. The only thing, they could never end up finding the consistent starting spot at catcher. Throughout the book it talks about many other people like Mike Redmond who was also a C2 and Ramon Castro who was a C3 and the story of these catchers life’s and how not everyone gets what they are looking for, especially Eric Kratz. Eric Kratz would eventually accept and affect baseball in a way that the upcoming players could benefit from.
This book was great and I enjoyed reading about my favorite sport along with the special meaning it held. The Tao of The Backup Catcher is a book where you always wanna know what happens next. This book contains 289 pages but it can be a harder read and it contains some elaborate vocabulary. An example of this is “Salary arbitration is a player's first chance to be compensated based on his production and not on the misery whims of management.” That is 4 vocabulary words in only one sentence. I was in favor of this element the author used because it definitely taught me many words that I didn’t know before. With the occasional vocabulary it was great to read, and with that I definitely enjoyed this book.
In conclusion, This book is great for the reader that is in their mid-teens and above. This narrative in addition focuses on the world of baseball and teaches a lesson on how things don’t always just come to you.
February 26, 2023
Pretty fun book about the life of backup catchers, a group of folks nobody ever really thinks about unless you are one or are married to one. They see the game and think about the game perhaps more than anyone else, since so much of their time is spent riding the bench or warming up the pitchers that actually will make it into the game.
The book follows Erik Kratz and his long career through dozens of different teams. There are also interviews with other backup catchers, some from different eras. The chapters try to take a different angle on the position, whether that's how they get traded often, or how they become coaches more than players at other positions. Each chapter is entertaining, but put them altogether into a book and it's a bit long and repetitive. I wish they'd trimmed it down a bit, 300 pages seemed too long. It's fine though, there is enough new information and angles throughout the book that it was never too annoying.
I really enjoyed the chapter about DNA school, where Mike Scioscia got all his catchers together and got them to go through what pitch they'd call in different situations. Depending on the batter or the count or whatever. I thought this was the best chapter in the book because it was closest to discussing actual baseball strategy, a theme which doesn't really come up otherwise. I think the people reading a book about backup catchers might have enjoyed a bit more of an inside baseball approach. Oh well.
A good baseball book, but not a great one.
The book follows Erik Kratz and his long career through dozens of different teams. There are also interviews with other backup catchers, some from different eras. The chapters try to take a different angle on the position, whether that's how they get traded often, or how they become coaches more than players at other positions. Each chapter is entertaining, but put them altogether into a book and it's a bit long and repetitive. I wish they'd trimmed it down a bit, 300 pages seemed too long. It's fine though, there is enough new information and angles throughout the book that it was never too annoying.
I really enjoyed the chapter about DNA school, where Mike Scioscia got all his catchers together and got them to go through what pitch they'd call in different situations. Depending on the batter or the count or whatever. I thought this was the best chapter in the book because it was closest to discussing actual baseball strategy, a theme which doesn't really come up otherwise. I think the people reading a book about backup catchers might have enjoyed a bit more of an inside baseball approach. Oh well.
A good baseball book, but not a great one.
June 28, 2023
The Tao of the Backup Catcher
By Tim Brown with Erik Kratz
Twelve Books
304 Pages
Publication Date: July 11 2023
When seeing the name Erik Kratz, the first thing that comes to mind is a viral clip of his days as a Houston Astro, when offered $2000 to faceplant on the opening day roster introductions. Every time I see this video pop up I cant help but watch it a couple of times. Erik Kratz has always seemed like a likeable guy and this book further cements that.
An entertaining, heartfelt account of Erik Kratz and many other unsung heroes playing the role of backup catcher. On first glance, I expected a biography of Erik Kratz but the book profiles not only Kratz but is sprinkled with many stories of other backup catchers- Scioscia, Cash, Redmond, Thole, Joe Maddon and others though the story of Kratz and family is the main subject of the book. An ode to hard work and sticking things out and keeping the faith when things seem dour. This book has left me with a new respect for the role of backup catcher and provided me with some solid entertainment over a few summer evenings. If you know a kid who is a catcher or is thinking about becoming one, toss them this book.
5/5
By Tim Brown with Erik Kratz
Twelve Books
304 Pages
Publication Date: July 11 2023
When seeing the name Erik Kratz, the first thing that comes to mind is a viral clip of his days as a Houston Astro, when offered $2000 to faceplant on the opening day roster introductions. Every time I see this video pop up I cant help but watch it a couple of times. Erik Kratz has always seemed like a likeable guy and this book further cements that.
An entertaining, heartfelt account of Erik Kratz and many other unsung heroes playing the role of backup catcher. On first glance, I expected a biography of Erik Kratz but the book profiles not only Kratz but is sprinkled with many stories of other backup catchers- Scioscia, Cash, Redmond, Thole, Joe Maddon and others though the story of Kratz and family is the main subject of the book. An ode to hard work and sticking things out and keeping the faith when things seem dour. This book has left me with a new respect for the role of backup catcher and provided me with some solid entertainment over a few summer evenings. If you know a kid who is a catcher or is thinking about becoming one, toss them this book.
5/5
June 22, 2024
Realistically, a 4.5 star, but given that within its context, length and other things, I'll give it the bump.
First, Tim Brown's a good sportswriter, and decent to good writer overall, with nuances, cultural references, etc., peppering the story.
Second, precisely because this is not about someone who's an A-list baseball legend, it gets that bump too.
Erik Kratz is the entree and focal point for Tim Brown to write about backup catchers in general. That includes what they bring to the game beyond their playing skills itself. This includes the observation about how that may be why many of them go on to become baseball coaches and managers.
That said, it's also about the grind involved with doing that, primarily through the eyes of Kratz, who played with nine different MLB teams — but also nearly as many minor league teams, and was never a starting catcher for a full season, and with the exception of a year or two, was never with a big league squad at all for a full season.
In other words, this is something for the non-casual fan.
First, Tim Brown's a good sportswriter, and decent to good writer overall, with nuances, cultural references, etc., peppering the story.
Second, precisely because this is not about someone who's an A-list baseball legend, it gets that bump too.
Erik Kratz is the entree and focal point for Tim Brown to write about backup catchers in general. That includes what they bring to the game beyond their playing skills itself. This includes the observation about how that may be why many of them go on to become baseball coaches and managers.
That said, it's also about the grind involved with doing that, primarily through the eyes of Kratz, who played with nine different MLB teams — but also nearly as many minor league teams, and was never a starting catcher for a full season, and with the exception of a year or two, was never with a big league squad at all for a full season.
In other words, this is something for the non-casual fan.
September 6, 2023
How can you not be romantic about baseball? One of the best books I have read in years. I'm not sure it is for everyone, but this book was definitely for me. I am the guy who recognizes players I've seen before at an independent league Southern Maryland Blue Crabs game. Who will sit in the heat all alone at a Chicago Dogs game. That will make sure my flight is early enough so I can see a Bowie Baysox game. That will plan a trip to drive from SF to LA just to catch a San Jose Giants and a Visalia Rawhide game. That'll drop the kids off at a children museum with my wife to see a Birmingham Barons game in 100 degree heat. That drives back from Florida through West Virginia to catch a Power game. That'll drive to the Field of Dreams game on a school night and get home at 2 a.m to watch a minor league match up between the Quad Cities River Brandits and the Cedar Rapids Kernels. That'll go to Utica, MI during a pandemic just to catch a ballgame. This book is so for me. What a find.
January 27, 2024
The book was an interesting look behind the perceived glitz and glamor of professional baseball players and focuses on the gritty underdog, the backup catcher. This book centers around the unsung, blue collar, show up and get it done guys that are the backup catchers. Often an unheralded and thankless job, the backup catcher can be a very important aspect of a baseball team and this book proves that point.
I really enjoyed the unique story of Erik Kratz and his wife Sarah. Tim Brown did a fantastic job of detailing the strength that she exerted helping hold the family together while still supporting her husband’s dream of playing Major League Baseball, which he eventually achieved after many years of trials and tribulations.
This book was a quick, sports related read, while not focusing solely on the X’s and O’s of the game itself. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it! This book was provided by NetGalley and Twelve in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
I really enjoyed the unique story of Erik Kratz and his wife Sarah. Tim Brown did a fantastic job of detailing the strength that she exerted helping hold the family together while still supporting her husband’s dream of playing Major League Baseball, which he eventually achieved after many years of trials and tribulations.
This book was a quick, sports related read, while not focusing solely on the X’s and O’s of the game itself. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it! This book was provided by NetGalley and Twelve in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
June 29, 2023
I loved every word of this book! Mr. brown has written an ode to the unsung hero ( and his wife/family). The backup catcher.
If you really like baseball, you may have wondered what does the backup catcher do? Turns out he does an awful lot if he is a good one. He is the team guy. He is a leader. He is an all round helper guy. The guy in the shadows that sees all. And they make pretty darned good managers after their playing days are done.
Mr. brown tells ( mainly ) the story of Erik Kratz, who spent two decades bouncing from team to team in order to try and get to the big leagues, A consummate professional team player, he went where he was sent, did what they asked and was never famous but was an integral part of the team..
Wonderful baseball stories and terrific amount of information. I highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC.
If you really like baseball, you may have wondered what does the backup catcher do? Turns out he does an awful lot if he is a good one. He is the team guy. He is a leader. He is an all round helper guy. The guy in the shadows that sees all. And they make pretty darned good managers after their playing days are done.
Mr. brown tells ( mainly ) the story of Erik Kratz, who spent two decades bouncing from team to team in order to try and get to the big leagues, A consummate professional team player, he went where he was sent, did what they asked and was never famous but was an integral part of the team..
Wonderful baseball stories and terrific amount of information. I highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC.
December 3, 2023
as a certified backup catcher enthusiast, i enjoyed this book and appreciated its focus on the physical and emotional demands of the unsung heroes of any baseball team. ironically, i felt the weakest sections were the ones devoted to erik kratz's story- it just wasn't as interesting as the parts devoted to other backup catchers, and his parts were often repetitive. "erik had been part of 14 transactions within the last two seasons." "sarah kratz had to throw all their belongings into another moving van." ad nauseum. yep, we got it, thanks! definitely needed more editing, and could have been much shorter while still retaining its best content.
however, as a whole, it's a very hopeful book about the most thankless job in the sport that is equal parts rewarding and cruel. worthwhile if your favorite baseball players are often catchers, as mine are!
however, as a whole, it's a very hopeful book about the most thankless job in the sport that is equal parts rewarding and cruel. worthwhile if your favorite baseball players are often catchers, as mine are!
February 25, 2024
If you like baseball, you'll enjoy this book, but it's not an easy read. It kind of jumps around and it's hard to tell the theme of each chapter. It's the story of the co-author Erik Kratz, but his story is so fragmented throughout the book, I'm not sure I followed it completely except he was a backup catcher for a lot of teams for a long time.
There are two great messages in this book that are emphasized more at the end. One is the importance of doing the things that are unseen, the things that don't make the headlines, but are necessary for teams to win and others to succeed. Others may get the spotlight, but the backup catcher is the one who might have gotten them there for their big moment. It's humility at it's finest. The other is about putting others first and being OK with that, for an entire career. That is being a servant.
There are two great messages in this book that are emphasized more at the end. One is the importance of doing the things that are unseen, the things that don't make the headlines, but are necessary for teams to win and others to succeed. Others may get the spotlight, but the backup catcher is the one who might have gotten them there for their big moment. It's humility at it's finest. The other is about putting others first and being OK with that, for an entire career. That is being a servant.
July 1, 2024
If you’re a baseball fan, you’ll likely enjoy this book, which focuses on the nature of the backup catcher. It’s a different kind of position because it specifically requires you to be a guide and leader for your pitcher, even after you’ve been sitting on the bench for days. The book centers on Erik Kratz, but Brown interviewed quite a few other backup catchers and their stories are interspersed throughout. It’ll make you think twice about scoffing at the batting average of the seemingly unknown player who suddenly shows up on your team (which seems to happen frequently).
The only small downside is some repetition. The book could be a bit shorter without losing any of its impact or substance. Brown is trying to get at the essence of the position, which at times can lead to some rather purple prose.
The only small downside is some repetition. The book could be a bit shorter without losing any of its impact or substance. Brown is trying to get at the essence of the position, which at times can lead to some rather purple prose.
March 20, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and Twelve Books for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
As a lifelong baseball fan whose favorite player of all time was a catcher, I thought this book would be right up my alley. While it was very entertaining at times, it was so repetitive that I lost interest & found myself speed reading a lot. Oddly enough, my favorite part of the book was Mike Scioscia (ironically, not a backup in his career) talking about his managing career and how catchers (and there is a long list) seemingly make the best managers. That's pretty obvious when you think about it - they are constantly "on call" and observing and learning everything about the opposing team. I would have liked to read more about behind-the-scenes in the majors.
As a lifelong baseball fan whose favorite player of all time was a catcher, I thought this book would be right up my alley. While it was very entertaining at times, it was so repetitive that I lost interest & found myself speed reading a lot. Oddly enough, my favorite part of the book was Mike Scioscia (ironically, not a backup in his career) talking about his managing career and how catchers (and there is a long list) seemingly make the best managers. That's pretty obvious when you think about it - they are constantly "on call" and observing and learning everything about the opposing team. I would have liked to read more about behind-the-scenes in the majors.
September 3, 2024
This book was a really interesting look at the life and the role of a backup catcher. It’s eye opening how brutal the up and down nature of ball players living on the edge of the major leagues is. It’s also eye opening that back up catchers give so much of themselves to prep for so little.
I found the stats on how many no-hitters and notable games have been caught by backups. How many backups go on to managerial careers and continue the game and season long focus that they developed in the minor leagues. I also developed a real feel for who Eric Kratz is as a person.
Overall the book was very good. I found the sentences and chapters dragged at times. Sometimes I felt that the point and the story could have been told with about half the words.
I found the stats on how many no-hitters and notable games have been caught by backups. How many backups go on to managerial careers and continue the game and season long focus that they developed in the minor leagues. I also developed a real feel for who Eric Kratz is as a person.
Overall the book was very good. I found the sentences and chapters dragged at times. Sometimes I felt that the point and the story could have been told with about half the words.
February 11, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley, Twelve and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC.
I thought this one was ok, not as good as Brown's books with Rick Ankiel ("The Phenomenon") and Jim Abbott ("Imperfect"). Part baseball memoir with and about Erik Kratz, and part deep dive into the life of the backup catcher. Definitely an interesting angle to take for a baseball book, although I am simply not sure there is really enough here to write an entire 300 page book without getting repetitive about how hard of a life it is on the player, family and friends.
More for the diehard, thinking about baseball year round kind of fanatic than the casual fan.
I thought this one was ok, not as good as Brown's books with Rick Ankiel ("The Phenomenon") and Jim Abbott ("Imperfect"). Part baseball memoir with and about Erik Kratz, and part deep dive into the life of the backup catcher. Definitely an interesting angle to take for a baseball book, although I am simply not sure there is really enough here to write an entire 300 page book without getting repetitive about how hard of a life it is on the player, family and friends.
More for the diehard, thinking about baseball year round kind of fanatic than the casual fan.
July 30, 2023
As a middle aged dad, who’s own career has taken more of a turn for being in the background, building up the next generation, this book resonates on many levels. As a life long baseball fan, for the community and passion it builds among friends, family and strangers, the peek into the lives of players we all know - backup catchers, and know when they play - is not one to miss. It adds such a needed level of understanding and appreciation for players, that in our rush to cheer for championships as success we forget about the people.
I’m not sure why anyone would give this less than 5 stars outside of the odd narrative used, because it is a must for any baseball fan!
I’m not sure why anyone would give this less than 5 stars outside of the odd narrative used, because it is a must for any baseball fan!
October 15, 2023
Insightful, behind-the-scenes look at an important but unglamorous position on every baseball team. The storytelling is a bit lacking though, and some chapters wander and meander without taking hold.
The message of the book, about how backup catchers have to put the team first, everyone else first, and enjoy it and accept their role does come through and lands well in the last chapter. The really human chapters about Eric Kratz’s career were the most compelling. The chapters where the author just spews a bunch of information and quotes and jumps between all these different backups catchers within a few pages are much harder to read or care about.
The message of the book, about how backup catchers have to put the team first, everyone else first, and enjoy it and accept their role does come through and lands well in the last chapter. The really human chapters about Eric Kratz’s career were the most compelling. The chapters where the author just spews a bunch of information and quotes and jumps between all these different backups catchers within a few pages are much harder to read or care about.
March 17, 2024
I was prepared to love it, but it was incredibly repetitive. Eric got sent down. He packed his bags. He called Sarah. They moved their children to a new apartment. He got called up. He packed his bags. He called Sarah. They prayed. (Surprising amount of Christian content for a book with Tao in the title, but okay.) I enjoyed the parts about other journeyman catchers, and I enjoyed parts of Eric’s story. The first time I heard them. I might’ve enjoyed it more if I’d read it on paper/Kindle because the audiobook narrator was man with the kind of raspy voice I associate with Boomer voiceovers in movies about their golden 1950s childhoods. In the end, not for me.
September 25, 2023
Who would think that a book could be written about backup catchers in the major leagues? Well, here it is. A wonderful book for all baseball fans. The book details the sacrifices, and mostly unseen, the hard work of a backup catcher. The up and down career of Erik Kratz is very well documented. The sometimes cold decisions of major league execs, and the effects they have on a player. Not only is Erik Kratz highlighted, but the book is chock full of similar stories of other players. I now want to read other books by Tim Brown.
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