How great was the Datres catch?

Trevino the ultimate teammate; Darnold could turn it around

Good morning, all. I hope your week is off to a great start.

Around Dunkin Park, the home of the Eastern League’s Hartford Yard Goats, from now on when you refer to “the catch,” everybody will know you mean the sensational, dugout catch first baseman Kyle Datres made on Saturday night, Aug. 17. Click here to watch it. The play landed on ESPN’s “Top 10 Plays of the Day” at number one, until Patrick Mahomes decided to pass a football behind his back to Travis Kelce in a Kansas City Chiefs exhibition game, dropping it to number two.

Datres flopped on his back, after his flying Wallenda act, and somehow managed to hang on to the baseball, survive and play the rest of the game. Don’t ask me how he remained playing, after that violent somersault over the dugout railing.

I have broadcast and watched many a baseball game and was at the mic with the “Voice of the Yard Goats,” Jeff Dooley, for the call of Saturday night’s catch. It was one of the greatest catches I have ever witnessed on any field of play in any sport. Datres sacrificed his entire body to get an out for his pitcher and team. Coincidentally, the runner on third base tagged and scored to give Somerset, the Yankees affiliate, a 2-1 lead. Can you imagine if that ended up being the final score? As it turned out, Hartford, the Rockies affiliate, lost the game in 10 innings, 3-2.

Those who know Datres are not surprised he was the one who made the acrobatic catch. He only knows how to play the game one way; hard. The Yard Goats all-time home run leader plays numerous positions and is a leader on and off the field.

That he made a catch that went viral on this particular night was perfect timing with the Liitle League World Series underway in Williamsport, PA. Datres is from there and for decades his mother and father have served as a host family for players. His parents also volunteer at the series in several capacities. The experience has left an indelible mark with Datres. You know that catch had to be a big topic of discussion at the LLWS. It was a topic everywhere else in the sports world.

I don’t know if Datres, 28, will realize his dream of reaching the major leagues. The clock is ticking, as it is for all of us. But he made a catch for the ages on Saturday night and how he plays and comports himself on and off the field should serve as an example for all of us.

Trevino the ultimate teammate

Two years ago, Jose Trevino was an All-Star catcher, after the New York Yankees acquired him from Texas, before the start of the 2022 season. One of the reasons the Yankees traded for him was his defense. Trevino’s defense and hitting have slipped a little bit since that All-Star year, but not his ability to be a great teammate.

Last week, Trevino, rehabbing from a quad injury, played a couple of games against the Yard Goats. Meanwhile, he had nothing but nice things to say about his replacement in New York, Austin Wells. A first round draft pick by the Yankees in 2020, Wells is a catcher with some pop, as a left-handed batter. But he struggled this year in limited duty, only to take off, when Trevino was injured and he was handed the starting job. Wells has his average up to .252 with 9 home runs and 36 RBI. At one point last week, he was hitting .358, batting cleanup.  When Trevino was asked about Wells’ success he sang his praises:

“He’s the one who did all the work.  He, you know, put his nose to the ground and said, ‘you know what, I’ve got to get better at this,’ and he has done a really good job all year, even from last year.”

That is typical Trevino, the ultimate teammate. During his rehab stint for Somerset, he just didn’t disappear into the clubhouse after he took his batting practice cuts. He could be seen working with the young catchers on the Somerset club, imparting his wisdom.

Incidentally, two nights after playing in Hartford, Trevino was back in the Yankees’ starting lineup and contributed to a win at Detroit. Whether manager Aaron Boone decides to go back to his catching rotation remains to be seen.

Maybe Darnold will do the job

Football prognostications are fun, content fillers and nothing more. One of the reasons is the injury bug. If your team gets beset by injuries, you can throw those picks out the window. Currently, the San Francisco 49ers have so many starters sidelined that the second and third stringers are getting winded, the roster is so thin. And the season starts in less than three weeks!

Then there is the case of the Minnesota Vikings. Having lost free agent, starting quarterback Kirk Cousins to Atlanta, the Vikes were more than confident that J.J. McCarthy would do the job. After all, they did trade up to select him in the draft. Then along came a season-ending knee injury to McCarthy a couple of weeks ago and the Vikings are in a bind. Or are they?

Most so-called experts have already consigned the Vikings to the scrapheap with Sam Darnold now the team’s starting signal-caller. Darnold was a first-round pick out of USC by the Jets in 2018 and turned out to be a bust. He hasn’t exactly made people forget about Joe Namath in his other stops at Carolina and San Francisco. Now, after signing a one-year $10 million deal with Minnesota, presumably as the team’s backup, he is the starter.

Do not be so sure he will not succeed. Darnold is young, 27, and certainly has the experience. Many a quarterback has struggled early in his career, only to have a breakout season. Darnold might prove the Jets right with their pick in 2018, even if his success comes with the purple and gold. All I am saying is do not rule out the Vikings being a force. Darnold may turn out to be the missing link.

That is going to do it for this week’s newsletter. As always, thank you for your support and have a terrific week.

DAN LOVALLO