Jonathan Lucroy puts painful 2015 season in past
Phoenix— How many people do
you know who forked over a lot of money for a health club membership,
only to stop going after a few sessions?
That was not an option for Jonathan Lucroy over the winter, though he did admit it was an incentive to pay in advance to have longtime friend and fitness guru Eugene Kwarteng put him through rigorous daily workouts.
"You're paying for it, so you've got to go," said the Milwaukee Brewers catcher. "If you don't, you're wasting money."
With that in mind, Lucroy awakened every morning at 5 a.m. at his home in Lafayette, La., and made his way to the Maximum Intensity Training room of Red Lerille's Health & Racquet Club. There, he was joined by younger brother David, a minor-league pitcher in the Brewers' system.
The African-born Kwarteng, who played football at Louisiana-Lafayette when Lucroy was on the baseball team there, put the Lucroys through their paces without mercy. Friendship be damned. Business is business.
"It's torture, for sure," said Lucroy. "He'll put it on you. But he'll make you better. He's extremely intelligent and he knows what it takes. He's one of the best trainers I've seen."
Lucroy, 29, never has been afraid of hard work. But after a disjointed 2015 season in which he missed two months with a broken left big toe and then couldn't catch at the end after suffering a concussion on a foul tip off his mask, he rededicated himself to being in peak physical condition.
"I'm a lot stronger, more connected (physically) you could say," said Lucroy, who when he was able to play didn't produce to previous levels, finishing with a .264 batting average, seven home runs, 43 runs batted in and .711 OPS in 103 games.
It was a far cry from his all-star level of 2014, when Lucroy compiled an .837 OPS, set a major-league record for catchers with 53 doubles and finished fourth in the voting for National League most valuable player. The offensive decline, in conjunction with the injuries, provided fuel for Lucroy's fire as he focused on showing he has plenty of game left.
"Last year, not to get into too many mechanics, but when you're disconnected with your upper and lower body, you're totally broken apart in terms of being able to be consistent hitting," said Lucroy.
Then, rubbing his stomach area as if just finishing a big meal, Lucroy added, "This is where the magic happens, right here. Those workouts tied a lot of things in with all the core stuff."
For the first time, Lucroy had Kwarteng incorporate neck-strengthening exercises into workouts in an attempt to avoid a recurrence of the debilitating concussion that nagged him for several weeks in September. He's thinking of switching to a more impact-resistant catcher's mask but figures the concussion was bad luck for the most part.
"I'm not worried about it," he said. "I think it was the angle of the ball that got me because I've been hit a bunch with no problems. It was a freak angle in the way it hit me.
"This game is awesome at humbling people. It's a great game, it really is. Freak things happen like that. You have to learn how to bounce back from them."
Lucroy had quite enough of being humbled, both individually and as a team in 2015, with the Brewers foundering badly (68-94) and embarking on a massive rebuilding process in which one veteran after another was traded. He publicly suggested it might be best if he was moved as well but tired of the blow-back from those comments and focused instead on getting ready for the season.
Beyond the Brewers not being offered enough for Lucroy, he remains in their uniform because they have no suitable replacement as a No. 1 catcher. Martin Maldonado has been a defensively dependable backup but doesn't have the offensive firepower (.628 OPS in 279 games, including .575 in 79 last season) of Lucroy.
The difficulty finding well-rounded major-league catchers makes Lucroy a valued commodity and one manager Craig Counsell doesn't take lightly.
"He's a self-motivator and he's accountable to himself," said Counsell. "Those are two great qualities. He's hard on himself sometimes. If he has a great season, he's going to want to do better.
"I told him to really enjoy what he's doing here. He's created something that's pretty good."
With this year plus a club option for 2016 remaining on his contract, Lucroy has no idea how much longer he'll be in Milwaukee. He approached management last spring about the possibility of a contract extension but was told no thanks.
So, after an off-season of preparing like never before, Lucroy has changed his focus to getting the job done today and not fretting about his baseball future.
"I try not to think about that stuff," he said. "I just try to be grounded and stay honest with who I am.
"I guess there's a shortage of (quality catchers). It's tough back there. A lot of guys get hurt. You have to take it."
Now, the highly motivated Lucroy plans on giving some of it back.
279 Games played in the major leagues by backup catcher Martin Maldonado.
26% Caught stealing by Lucroy in 561 career attempts.
34% Caught stealing by Maldonado in 140 career attempts.
19 Career passed balls by Lucroy in the major leagues.
That was not an option for Jonathan Lucroy over the winter, though he did admit it was an incentive to pay in advance to have longtime friend and fitness guru Eugene Kwarteng put him through rigorous daily workouts.
"You're paying for it, so you've got to go," said the Milwaukee Brewers catcher. "If you don't, you're wasting money."
With that in mind, Lucroy awakened every morning at 5 a.m. at his home in Lafayette, La., and made his way to the Maximum Intensity Training room of Red Lerille's Health & Racquet Club. There, he was joined by younger brother David, a minor-league pitcher in the Brewers' system.
The African-born Kwarteng, who played football at Louisiana-Lafayette when Lucroy was on the baseball team there, put the Lucroys through their paces without mercy. Friendship be damned. Business is business.
"It's torture, for sure," said Lucroy. "He'll put it on you. But he'll make you better. He's extremely intelligent and he knows what it takes. He's one of the best trainers I've seen."
Lucroy, 29, never has been afraid of hard work. But after a disjointed 2015 season in which he missed two months with a broken left big toe and then couldn't catch at the end after suffering a concussion on a foul tip off his mask, he rededicated himself to being in peak physical condition.
"I'm a lot stronger, more connected (physically) you could say," said Lucroy, who when he was able to play didn't produce to previous levels, finishing with a .264 batting average, seven home runs, 43 runs batted in and .711 OPS in 103 games.
It was a far cry from his all-star level of 2014, when Lucroy compiled an .837 OPS, set a major-league record for catchers with 53 doubles and finished fourth in the voting for National League most valuable player. The offensive decline, in conjunction with the injuries, provided fuel for Lucroy's fire as he focused on showing he has plenty of game left.
"Last year, not to get into too many mechanics, but when you're disconnected with your upper and lower body, you're totally broken apart in terms of being able to be consistent hitting," said Lucroy.
Then, rubbing his stomach area as if just finishing a big meal, Lucroy added, "This is where the magic happens, right here. Those workouts tied a lot of things in with all the core stuff."
For the first time, Lucroy had Kwarteng incorporate neck-strengthening exercises into workouts in an attempt to avoid a recurrence of the debilitating concussion that nagged him for several weeks in September. He's thinking of switching to a more impact-resistant catcher's mask but figures the concussion was bad luck for the most part.
"I'm not worried about it," he said. "I think it was the angle of the ball that got me because I've been hit a bunch with no problems. It was a freak angle in the way it hit me.
"This game is awesome at humbling people. It's a great game, it really is. Freak things happen like that. You have to learn how to bounce back from them."
Lucroy had quite enough of being humbled, both individually and as a team in 2015, with the Brewers foundering badly (68-94) and embarking on a massive rebuilding process in which one veteran after another was traded. He publicly suggested it might be best if he was moved as well but tired of the blow-back from those comments and focused instead on getting ready for the season.
Beyond the Brewers not being offered enough for Lucroy, he remains in their uniform because they have no suitable replacement as a No. 1 catcher. Martin Maldonado has been a defensively dependable backup but doesn't have the offensive firepower (.628 OPS in 279 games, including .575 in 79 last season) of Lucroy.
The difficulty finding well-rounded major-league catchers makes Lucroy a valued commodity and one manager Craig Counsell doesn't take lightly.
"He's a self-motivator and he's accountable to himself," said Counsell. "Those are two great qualities. He's hard on himself sometimes. If he has a great season, he's going to want to do better.
"I told him to really enjoy what he's doing here. He's created something that's pretty good."
With this year plus a club option for 2016 remaining on his contract, Lucroy has no idea how much longer he'll be in Milwaukee. He approached management last spring about the possibility of a contract extension but was told no thanks.
So, after an off-season of preparing like never before, Lucroy has changed his focus to getting the job done today and not fretting about his baseball future.
"I try not to think about that stuff," he said. "I just try to be grounded and stay honest with who I am.
"I guess there's a shortage of (quality catchers). It's tough back there. A lot of guys get hurt. You have to take it."
Now, the highly motivated Lucroy plans on giving some of it back.
BY THE NUMBERS
710 Games played in the major leagues by No. 1 catcher Jonathan Lucroy.279 Games played in the major leagues by backup catcher Martin Maldonado.
26% Caught stealing by Lucroy in 561 career attempts.
34% Caught stealing by Maldonado in 140 career attempts.
19 Career passed balls by Lucroy in the major leagues.
Painful news
![Painful news]()
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