Spring training | Ex-Pirate Mike LaValliere offers wealth of knowledge for Pittsburgh catchers
BRADENTON -- His knees might not be what they used to be, but his baseball acumen is still sharp.
Bradenton resident Mike LaValliere -- known best by his nickname, "Spanky," from his playing days -- used a bat to help him walk around Pirate City earlier this spring. Now he gingerly walks around the friendly McKechnie Field confines to take a spot along the back row of the coaches' bench outside the Pirates' home dugout.
LaValliere is in his third season as a special spring instructor for the Pittsburgh Pirates under manager Clint Hurdle.
The former Pirates catcher brings a wealth of knowledge for several Pittsburgh backstops in camp. Whether it's new acquisition Francisco Cervelli or another major-league veteran in Chris Stewart or guys like Tony Sanchez and Elias Diaz, who have little or no big-league experience, there's something to be gained by listening to Spanky.
"It's a wonderful way to honor our history and absolutely honor these men and the sacrifice and service they put forward for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization," Hurdle said of bring former players into camp. "The beautiful thing about this is that every one of these men have areas in which they can help younger players improve."
When LaValliere played in the Steel City, the Pirates were regular playoff contenders. That success waned over the next two decades until Hurdle arrived.
The culture began changing, and the Bucs reached the postseason in 2013 for the first time since LaValliere and Co. did it in 1992.
The Pirates made the playoffs again last season. Now they're gearing up for another push deep into the postseason.
"It's a situation, say five years ago, being a Pirate had a stigma," LaValliere said. "Now it's back to being proud to wear the black and gold. That's from (owner) Bob Nutting all the way down to (general manager) Neal (Huntington) and Clint (Hurdle) and his staff, and what they've done."
Part of that culture change is with the catching. In the past two seasons, Russell Martin brought experience that steadied the Pirates' ship.
"The catcher position is a tight unit anyway," LaValliere said. "I think they do some fabulous things in controlling the running game. It's not just the catchers. The pitchers have bought into it. They're holding guys on better."
Showcasing how to control the running game in Saturday's Grapefruit League game was Diaz, who picked off Tampa Bay's Ryan Brett leading too far off first base in the eighth inning of the 1-1 tie in front of 8,303 fans.
"Not only was he in the big leagues for a while, but he was in the big leagues with a successful team," said Stewart, who started Saturday's game behind the plate. "Championships and won a gold glove. He did all these things as a player, and just having that experience around he's able to offer tidbits here and there. ... Some of us, Cervelli and I, have been around a little bit so there's not too much coaching that needs to be done, but there's definitely insight into certain situations that he's gone through in his career. He has that winning leadership attitude."
Cervelli said it's amazing to have guys like LaValliere around because of how much information they have.
"They can tell you real baseball," Cervelli said.
In addition, Stewart said putting zeroes on the board means the catcher is doing his job. That's something LaValliere was accustomed to during his career. Spanky caught 15 games during the 1992 season that ended in shutouts of the opposition.
"A perfect day with us is a shutout, regardless of what we're doing at the plate," Stewart said. "We know that if we caught a shutout, we're doing our job behind the plate, getting that pitcher doing what needs to be doing, helping our team win the game.
This story was originally published March 7, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Spring training | Ex-Pirate Mike LaValliere offers wealth of knowledge for Pittsburgh catchers."