Men of Steel: How Big Train’s Catching Duo Show how Catchers have Evolved

Dylan Murphy hugging Kide Adetuyi

ROCKVILLE, Md. - Catcher is one of the most grueling positions in all of sports. The wear and tear of sitting in a squat for a nine-inning game day-in and day-out takes a huge toll on someone’s legs and knees. It’s a major reason why many catchers might move off of the position later in their careers. There also is so much that goes into the position behind-the-scenes. The preparation of scouting the opposing team while also developing a close relationship with every single pitcher on your own roster can be exhausting. It is why some teams might put up with lackluster offensive production at the position. For the Bethesda Big Train, Jacob Hauk (University of Maryland) and Dylan Murphy (Florida Atlantic University) have paired to become a lethal duo behind the plate. Hauk got off to a blazing start while Murphy has been red hot the last few weeks, as the latter was named to the North Division All-Star team. 

Murphy grew up surrounded by baseball. Both his father and older brother played. Murphy can’t remember the time in his life before he picked up a glove. 

“I’ve been playing ever since I could walk,” Murphy said. 

In eighth grade, Murphy’s brother became a full-time pitcher. He caught his brother to help him get better on the mound. The FAU sophomore loved it so much, he committed to solely becoming a catcher. The pitcher-catcher relationship is incredibly important. They constantly need to be on the same page. For Murphy, that’s where he believes he excels. 

“My biggest strength is making sure my pitchers are locked in,” Murphy said. “I’m really good with communication and making sure we’re on the same page.”

Assistant Coach Galvin Morris compared the connection to the relationship between a quarterback and a center. Morris is a former catcher himself and loves teaching the position to the next generation of athletes. He’s worked extensively with both Hauk and Murphy. He said Hauk is more quiet while Murphy “is kind of a character.”

Like Murphy, Hauk’s dad also played college baseball. With his dad operating behind the plate as a catcher himself, Hauk naturally gravitated towards the position. 

“It’s the most physical position on the field,” Hauk said. “I like the challenge that it brings. My favorite part is being in every single play. It takes a certain kind of person to be a good catcher.”

Jacob Hauk by Andrew Weitzel

Murphy’s teammate at FAU, Kide Adetuyi, is also here with the Big Train. Adetuyi explained that having one of his college teammates in Bethesda helps make his own life easier. 

“It’s awesome having my boy up here,” Adetuyi said. “He knows what I want to throw in what counts. He’s not going to set me up for failure.”

A lot of that relationship is built off the diamond. Murphy said that he tries to spend as much time in the bullpen even if he has the day off. When a pitcher is in a jam or may have lost command, Murphy takes it upon himself to talk with him on the mound. He tries to get his pitcher to block everything out. 

“I’m just telling him ‘it’s just me and you man, throw it right through me. I’m not going to miss it,’” Murphy said. 

Dylan Murphy by Mark Thalman

Adetuyi can attest that Murphy is able to calm things down. He explained that he does a great job of bringing things back to that specific moment in time. 

“Whenever I’ve struggled, I remember Dylan coming out and talking to me just to slow me down,” Adetuyi said.

As the catcher position requires so much physically, Morris said that he requires leadership at the position as his core principle. 

“All eyes are looking at you,” Morris said. “You’re the quarterback of the defense. You’ve got to be that vocal leader. A lot of teams feed off their catcher.”

Morris agreed that Murphy has developed a great rapport with his pitchers and “loves communicating” with them. As Murphy hopes to make a bigger impact at FAU, Morris tells him it’s sometimes best to slow it down. 

“He’s trying to be too quick,” Morris said. “I always tell my guys to be quick but not in a hurry. He wants to be the guy in the spotlight.”

Adetuyi pointed out that Hauk’s biggest strength is his arm. Hauk agreed that his ability to throw out runners sets him apart. 

“I definitely have a really good arm, so don’t run on me,” Hauk said playfully. “I’m pretty athletic behind the plate.”

Through both Morris’ playing and coaching days, the position has evolved, especially with the technique players are being taught. 

“The glove-hand exchange has definitely grown,” Morris said. “Guys are definitely quicker and their arms are a lot stronger. I would say you have to be a superior athlete to be behind the plate nowadays.”

As the game has evolved over the years, pitch framing has been a significant development for catchers. It’s why many teams teach catchers to go down on a knee behind the plate instead of in a squat. The tradeoff is that it can be more difficult to block pitches in the dirt when having one knee planted in the ground. 

“I love to catch on one knee,” Murphy said. “It’s a lot easier to track pitches.”

Morris said he used to to fight against the one-knee stance, but although he still doesn’t teach it, he no longer will stand in the way of his catchers using it. The assistant coach admitted that he doesn’t emphasize pitch framing. 

Hauk has emphasized pitching framing and loves the finer technical points of the skill. The Maryland catcher admires San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey. Bailey has developed into one of the best defensive catchers in the sport. 

“When it comes to receiving, that’s where the evolution has happened in terms of staying under the ball and working through it,” Hauk said. “One knee every time.”

Jacob Hauk by Mark Thalman

Murphy only played in five games this past season. He jumped at the opportunity to play summer baseball because he needed reps, as he hopes to have an increased role in the spring. 

“My fall was pretty rough,” Murphy said. “I struggled defensively. My assignment was honestly just catching these guys.”

Adetuyi emphasized Murphy’s work ethic this past season. Despite Murphy only starting three games, Adetuyi said he was a fun guy to have in the clubhouse and was always working on his craft.

“[Murphy’s] strongest attribute is blocking the baseball,” Adetuyi said. “His mental [side] has improved a lot. He’s become a way better framer.” 

Now that Murphy has worked on the basic fundamentals, his next step is to throw out runners attempting to steal. On offense, his goal was to cut down on the strikeouts. The catcher has passed that test with flying colors. He currently has worked 11 walks and struck out just four times. He hopes to eventually lift the ball for more slug, but he believes the extra-base hits will come if he maintains his patient approach. 

“My approach is to mainly hit the heater,” Murphy explained. “If I don’t, I will definitely spread out and choke up.”

Dylan Murphy by Mark Thalman

Hauk is also working on his plate discipline and trying to walk as much as he strikes out. One thing he was able to do this summer was unlock his power stroke. 

“It was one of those blackout moments,” Hauk said of his long ball on June 30 against the Metro South County Braves. “I like to pick out a point on the pitcher’s body, focus on that and go right to the arm slot when he releases it.”

Morris agreed that the homer by Hauk was a crucial moment.

“His homer against the Braves on the road was a turning point,” Morris said. “He saw the ball well. It got our guys going.”

Offensively, Hauk believes the attitude when he first steps to the dish sets the tone for the entire plate appearance. 

“I try to limit how much I think when I’m in the box,” Hauk said. “From a mentality aspect, I try to tell myself ‘this guy is not going to beat me. I’m a tough guy, and I’m better than him.’” 

Jacob Hauk by Mark Thalman

Although catcher is a unique position on the field, Hauk said his mentality is that he’s playing offense and defense just like everyone else. Hauk’s high school playing career got off to a rough start. A broken ankle sidelined him for his entire freshman season. When he was finally healthy, he suffered another injury that further delayed his high school debut. Even with all of the missed time, Hauk made his first at bat count in a major way. 

“I came back and hit a home run in my first at bat,” Hauk said. “That meant a lot to me. Even though I went through all [those injuries], it couldn’t stop me.”

Murphy will always remember his first collegiate hit at FAU. 

“It was against UTSA. It was my first start. Coach was like ‘we’re going to give the freshman the chance.’ I got an RBI, and it fired up the guys on the squad. I was very thankful for that moment.”

Murphy wants to perform and come through for his teammates. He’s hoping to become a stronger defender and collect more extra-base hits. Although these are some of his goals, it all boils down to helping the team pile up wins. 

“I love winning,” Murphy said. “It’s very addicting. All I care about is catching winners. I plan on going into [the school year] and tearing it up.”

Dylan Murphy by Mark Thalman

With everything that goes into playing the position at such a high level, Morris believes that catchers are greatly underappreciated. 

“I will always say that catchers are the best athletes on the field,” Morris said. “People are always going to say the pitcher, but catchers are the best athletes, and I’m going to stick with that until the day I stop [working] with catchers.”