St. Augustine’s Dual Threat Catcher Shane Miranda

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – “If you believe your catcher is intelligent and you know that he has considerable experience, it is a good thing to leave the game almost entirely in his hands.” – Hall of Fame Pitcher Bob Feller

Those words from legendary pitcher Bob Feller still ring true today. There is a massive amount of responsibility to put on the gear and squat behind the plate. You must be incredibly good at calling which pitches to throw for the pitcher, while also being the field general for the entire defense in the field. With these hefty defensive requirements, good defensive Catchers usually earn their spot in the lineup regardless of how they swing the bat.

But every once in a while, a Catcher arrives on the scene who can excel behind the plate and in the batters box. St. Augustine Junior Shane Miranda, is just that Catcher. What makes Shane a great Catcher? Let’s revisit that Bob Feller quote one more time and see how Miranda fits the requirements:

Intelligence – Shane will be taking his athletic and academic career to the University of Notre Dame to play for the Fighting Irish.

Considerable Experience – Miranda has been the starting Catcher for the Saints since his Freshman year, “He’s been the starter since his Freshman year, and we’ve pretty much put it in his hands. If there’s some issue with pitch calling we’ll discuss it on the side, but we let him learn on the job as a youngster” said St. Augustine Head Coach Craig da Luz, so we can check off the “leave the game entirely in his hands” part of the Feller quote as well.

Through 16 games this season, Shane has a Batting Average of .372 with an OBP of .473 and is Slugging .465 for an OPS of .938. “I think it’s really great that coach thinks that highly of me…I’m put in the three-hole for a reason so I just have to keep doing what I’ve been doing and not change my mentality or approach” said Shane about the high demand batting third in the lineup as a Catcher.

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