May 4, 2010

BP Unfiltered

Five Minutes with Jason Jaramillo

by David Laurila

Jason Jaramillo is working to get better and he is doing so in relative obscurity. When you’re the backup catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, that comes with the territory. A 27-year-old native of Racine, Wisconsin, the switch-hitting Jaramillo has four hits in 20 at-bats thus far this season.

On his career thus far: “I achieved a big dream last year by getting to the major leagues and I just want to build off of that and continue to grow as a player. I hope to continue to expand my skills, and polish them, and continue to play well.”

On how he views himself as a catcher: “I take tremendous pride in my defense, so as far as that is concerned I consider myself a defensive catcher. Hopefully my offense will come around a bit more. I’ll continue to work on that, switch hitting, and it’s a work in progress.”

On scouting reports: “You’ve got to know your opponent. There’s a great amount of time that goes into studying scouting reports and knowing the hitters on opposing teams. In that capacity, it’s a big deal. You have to do your homework and be prepared. Everybody has scouting reports, hitters on pitchers and pitchers on hitters. It’s continuous work.”

On earning the respect of a pitching staff: “It takes time, catching bullpens and working with them on sides and in games. It’s just catching them continuously. Like with anything, it takes time. One thing I really like about catching is that I have to be continuously learning. There are things here and there that I have to know and it’s my job to make sure that I’m making those adjustments for my pitchers in order for them to be successful. I take pride in that.”

On growing up in Wisconsin: “It was very, very cold. We didn’t get many games in, high school-wise, but I love it there. I wouldn’t pick anywhere else to have grown up. I had a blast. I worked hard, and so far it has worked out for me.”