NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP) -- When Sal Fasano managed the Double-A New Hampshire Blue Jays in 2011, he quickly saw how well one of his catchers talked with the pitchers.
Travis d’Arnaud. Just 22, he sounded much older.
As a former catcher who played in 427 major-league games, Fasano noted how well d’Arnaud did one-on-one with each pitcher. He not only listened to what the pitchers said but he watched their body language. He also tried to get a working idea of what they wanted to accomplish before using trial-and-error to keep progressing, keep getting better.
“First thing I noticed,” Fasano said.