Handley doubles as an ump
2016 graduate Maverick Handley, in the baltimore Orioles system, actually called balls and strikes while catching in a Grapefruit League game; the former Male Student-Athlete of the Year and 6th-round draft pick goes viral; popular former Mustang still chasing his boyhood dream.
As a professional catcher, Maverick Handley surely knows about umpires’ calls for balls and strikes.
He just didn’t envision himself making those calls in a spring-training game.
The 2016 Mullen graduate, an All-Colorado selection and Male Student-Athlete of the Year by The Denver Athletic Club and Denver Post who’s a non-roster player this season for the Baltimore Orioles, caught the second half of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this week in Sarasota, Fla., and doubled as an ump behind the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning. The game had been official, a 7-4 loss, through nine-and-a-half innings, but managers wanted to get certain players some additional work.
In all seriousness, the soon-to-be 25-year-old Handley wanted to get his double duty done … quickly and without incident.
“We told the umpires we were going to pitch through the 9 innings,” Handley said. “But they just left and said their job was done.”
The segment went viral, even appearing on ESPN’s “Pardon The Interruption,” where it was also speculated the umps had tee times or restaurant reservations.
“It was pretty wild,” Handley said. “I didn’t know it would go this far.”
Having catchers call games is a regular practice in so-called “backfield” games, as the major leagues have multiple games and conditions in order to assess talent and prepare for the season, but not so much in a league game, particularly if the umps leave the site.
“I wasn’t trying to get any close calls,” Handley said. “Just throw a lot of heaters, try to get early contact … it went pretty quickly.”
Handley did it for a scoreless half-inning. The Pirates managed only a one-out single.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde approved of Handley’s work, telling MLB.com: “I thought he did a greta job behind the plate. He was surprised, but I thought (that) him kind of relaxing and just getting through that inning, it was awesome.”
It was another positive for Handley, a 5-foot-10, 210-pounder who was a sixth-round draft choice by the Orioles after a terrific career at Stanford. He’s in the fourth year of a six-year deal.
“It’s a big year for me,” he said.
Handley was in Double-A in 2022 at Bowie, Md., where he managed his best offense, batting .236 with 11 home runs and 45 runs batted in in 78 games. The Orioles, who have had their problems in recent seasons, have developed arguably the top farm system and Handley enjoys chasing his childhood dream in it.
“We have a lot of potential stars,” he said.
The first cuts are in a week and though Handley owns a Cardinal degree in bioengineering, he’s certainly not anxious to implement it.
“It’s tough to break into the bigs without a little luck,” he said, eyeing a potential backup position with Baltimore or advancing to Triple-A. “I knew it would be a climb.”
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