May 3, 2016 5 min read

Late last season, after Wild Things catcher John Fidanza was placed on the disabled list with a season-ending quad muscle injury, then-pitching coach Ben Moore sat in the home team’s clubhouse at Consol Energy Park and tried to explain how Fidanza helps a pitching staff.

“There was a game on the last road trip,” Moore began, “when John was catching and somebody tried to steal second base against him. I did a double-take. It caught me by surprise because it had gotten to the point where John had shut down everybody’s running game. Teams had stopped trying to steal on him.”

Defense has been Fidanza’s calling card through an unusual college career and one season of professional baseball. He’s a talented defensive catcher with a quick release and a strong, accurate arm.

The defensive skills were there when Fidanza began his college career as a freshman at the Division I level, playing for Coastal Carolina. The skills were there when he played junior college ball at Georgia Perimeter College. They were there as a junior at Division II South Carolina-Aiken, and during his senior season at NAIA powerhouse Georgia Gwinnett College.

“I’ve always been the best defensive catcher wherever I played,” Fidanza said confidently.

You might have noticed Fidanza’s college days consisted of playing at four schools in four years and at four different levels of competition.

“I think I might be the only player in college baseball history who did that,” Fidanza said with a laugh.

For the first time since his high school days, Fidanza will be playing for the same team this spring. He enters his second season in Washington and the Frontier League, but it’s apparent Fidanza wants to be someplace else. That’s the nature of minor league baseball players. They’re always looking ahead, wanting to be someplace else.

That someplace else for Fidanza is with a major league organization. And to get there, Fidanza knows the other half of his game – hitting – has to help him get there.

Fidanza struggled at the plate as a rookie, after Washington drafted him with the 22nd pick in the Frontier League draft. Former Wild Things manager Bob Bozzuto gushed with enthusiasm after drafting Fidanza, calling the much-traveled player “the best catcher at the tryout – by far.”

Fidanza began last season as a switch-hitter, something he did in college, including his senior year when he batted .281 and helped Georgia Gwinnett to the NAIA World Series. He had a strong start with the Wild Things, batting .308 in May. Then came a hand injury in June and Fidanza began scuffling at the plate. He gave up switch-hitting but the batting average began to nose-dive. It continued falling as he tried to play through the quad injury. He finished the season with a .183 average and one extra-base hit in 120 at-bats.

“The biggest thing for me – no matter how good my defense is – I have to produce with the bat,” Fidanza said. “I have to hit .270 or .280. Scouts aren’t going to look at a catcher hitting .183.”

To get better with the bat, Fidanza scrapped switch-hitting and will stick with his natural right-handed swing. The 23-year-old also knows he has been his own harshest critic. Too often, he has been unable to forget about one bad at-bat. He let it negatively impact his ensuing at-bats.

“I am my own worst enemy,” Fidanza admitted. “I’m a perfectionist. I’ve always been that way. I’m really emotional, both positively and negatively. Scouts say, ‘That kid’s a real firecracker.’ But if something bad happened, I’d carry it to the next inning or next at-bat. I can’t do that.”

So Fidanza sought advice on how to remain calm and on an even keel. He didn’t have to search far for psychological advice. His father, John Fidanza III, is a sports psychologist and works with the Houston Astros.

“He told me to just keep the game simple, stay calm, focused on the next play not what happened an inning ago,” the younger Fidanza said.

Staying healthy also will be key. Fidanza never had an injury until his senior year in college. And it cost him a chance to play in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ organization. On the final play of his college career, Fidanza suffered a broken wrist when he was steamrolled on a play at the plate, though running over the catcher is prohibited in college baseball.

The Diamondbacks drafted Fidanza in the 23rd round in 2014 but didn’t sign the catcher because of the broken wrist.

“My goal is to get picked up and not get comfortable here,” Fidanza said. “In other words, stay hungry and striving for improvement. I believe I’m an affiliated guy. I was drafted to be an affiliated guy.”

Washington will play three exhibition games at Consol Energy Park beginning Friday against the New Jersey Black Sox, an independent team of unsigned players. The Black Sox are playing several Frontier League teams during spring training. A day-night doubleheader is scheduled for Friday and a single game Saturday night.