Feb. 23 -- CATCHING ON

When I left the clubhouse this afternoon, I intended to write a story for Saturday's paper about the Phillies' catching duo of Rod Barajas (left) and Carlos Ruiz. But, as I was writing, the focus of the article changed, and it became more of a feature about Ruiz. So, I figured this would be a good time to pass along some information about Barajas that didn't make the newspaper.

First, he's a very laid-back guy, at least off the field. But Barajas assured that he's much more vocal behind the plate, communicating with pitchers and guiding them through a game. Handling a pitching staff appears to be his forte, and over the past few days, he has spent a lot of time getting to know the Phillies' pitchers.

"It's about building relationships," Barajas said. "It's getting to know these guys. It's getting to know how far you can push them and how to push them. Some guys, you might need to get on them, and some guys, you might need to calm them down and talk in a quieter voice. It's trying to gather as much information as you can from every aspect, and then being able to use it when you have to go out there and talk to them.

"I'm definitely going to have to learn each guy's strength and weakness. What might work for Cole Hamels might not work for Jamie Moyer. It's a learning process, and that's where I'm going to rely on my coaches and teammates to try and speed up that process."

With so much information being gathered, I wondered if Barajas keeps a journal or a notebook on each pitcher. Turns out, he just stores the information in his head, as if his brain is a filing cabinet.

Offensively, Barajas expects to see a lot fewer fastballs this season. Batting in the Nos. 8 or 9 spots in the AL, like he often did in Texas, meant a potentially dangerous hitter was coming up behind him. Batting eighth in an NL lineup, like he'll probably do with the Phillies, means the pitcher is coming up next. When he played in Arizona, he struggled in the No. 8 hole.

"Being a young hitter, you wanted to hit every ball over the fence," Barajas said. "You want to make a big impact on every swing. Going to the AL, I didn't have the pitcher behind me, so I was able to see more pitches. Coming back here, I'm a little more mature, and I know what they're trying to do and what I have to do to be successful now."

Well, that's all for tonight. Stay tuned for more over the weekend.