How Cubs, Miguel Amaya, are trying to boost offensive production from catching position

ST. LOUIS – The whirlwind beginning of Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya’s major-league career didn’t afford him any time to slow down.

Easing back from a lisfranc fracture in his left foot, and Tommy John surgery before that, Amaya’s call-up from Double-A came earlier than expected, moved up when veteran catcher Yan Gomes sustained a concussion.

Then he was fully immersed in adjusting to a new level and major-league pitching staff.

Last week, the Cubs made space for him to take a breather to focus on his swing.

“We know that it's in there for him, and he knows that he's a better offensive player than what he showed,” hitting coach Dustin Kelly said in a recent conversation with the Sun-Times. “So knowing that part of it is reassuring.”

Knowing Amaya’s makeup, offensive peaks in his rookie season and minor-league track record, the team had expected his offensive production to rise eventually. Plus, Gomes, who the Cubs released last month, was also having a down offensive season.

“Miguel has struggled,” manager Craig Counsell said. “There's no other way to say it: he's struggled. And so at some point, for the player and really for the coaches, it's like, we've got to try something different. And that's really the point that we reached.”

Amaya had won the No. 1 catching job with his work behind the plate and management of the pitching staff. He entered Saturday ranked No. 6 in the majors in blocks above average (5) according to Statcast — five passed balls, a couple in big situations, aside.

Right-hander Kyle Hendricks has been especially vocal about Amaya’s impact, pointing to the young catcher’s game calling as a major factor in the veteran pitcher’s turnaround.

“There’s always a small window that I can get to work on [hitting,]” Amaya said. “But my main stuff is, take care of my pitchers, do my homework and be ready with a plan when we meet to go out there.”

The balance in his pregame routine makes sense, considering the position’s unique in its demands. And a catcher has more opportunities to impact the game on defense than on offense.

“Even for catchers that are rolling and having really great offensive seasons … they're spread so thin that when you get them, you don't always have a lot of time,” Kelly said.

By the fourth of July, Amaya’s batting average had dropped to .186. And though former Mets catcher Tomás Nido hadn’t provided the offensive boost the Cubs had hoped for, his transition into the organization was going smoothly on the defensive side. The Cubs decided it was time for an intervention.

They identified Amaya’s timing as the root of the issue. He’d played with widening his stance on and off earlier in the season, Kelly said. But from July 4-6, they gave him three straight days off and committed to a wide stance with a no-stride load – lifting his front heel instead of using a leg kick.

“A couple of years ago, that was my two strike-approach stance,” Amaya said, “so it wasn't new for me at all.”

His 10 at-bats since the mini break weren’t enough to judge the effectiveness of the adjustment going into the Cubs’ doubleheader against the Cardinals Saturday. But immediate results help reinforce confidence in the process. He had two hits in his first game back, and on Friday in St. Louis he logged a pair of line-drive singles and a sacrifice bunt.

“So far it’s feeling good,” Amaya said before the game Friday. “Something that I’ve just got to transfer to the game, and go out there and compete with that.”

Amaya doesn't have to rank among the Cubs’ best hitters. But if he can get on base at the bottom of the order to extend rallies, that immediately boosts the Cubs’ run-scoring potential.

“Whether this is it, or it leads us to the next place that might get us to a good place, you don't know,” Counsell said. “But sometimes you’ve just got to try for the next thing.”