Mike Rabelo arrives in the clubhouse every day, looks at the lineup card -- and only then finds out if he'll be starting.
That's life -- at least Rabelo's version -- as a Marlins catcher. But, on most days, the 28-year-old from New Port Richey has another element to his routine:
He plays.
Before sitting out Sunday afternoon's win against San Diego -- he hasn't started a day game this season -- Rabelo had served as Florida's starting backstop in 15 of 21 games since coming off the disabled list. Naturally, this has some believing Rabelo has displaced Matt Treanor as the team's everyday catcher, despite their near-identical numbers.
''[It] kind of seems like he is the everyday guy now, if you ask me,'' starting pitcher Mark Hendrickson said.
``I mean, just because of the amount of time he's playing.''
Manager Fredi Gonzalez won't declare it, though. Rabelo won't even admit to aiming for that No. 1 spot.
Maybe it's because Rabelo thought he never would make it this far. Boston's 13th-round draft pick in 1998 out of Ridgewood High School, Rabelo instead picked the University of Tampa -- where he tried on catcher's gear for the first time, where he was ``just catching to try to pay for my school.''
Three years later, he was a fourth-round pick. Six years after that, he was backing up former Marlin Ivan Rodriguez in Detroit.
Then he became one of the six players the Marlins received in return for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis -- moving him off a World Series contender, but into an ''exciting'' situation, he said, ``a new chapter.''
So far, it has been a good read.
Although Hendrickson said Rabelo's confidence level ''kind of rubbed me the wrong way,'' the new Marlins left-hander quickly got over that first impression.
''We jelled pretty good in spring, the times that we had worked together,'' Hendrickson said, adding, in reference to Rabelo's knee injury that sidelined him until April 11: ``I was a little bit upset that he had gotten hurt, just because we had some good outings together -- as far as just the way we worked, the way he called the game, the way we could communicate between innings.''
Rabelo's effect hasn't been isolated to Hendrickson. Gonzalez likes the way his newest catcher handles the Marlins' young staff, also complimenting Rabelo's defensive skills and his solid bat (he's hitting .263 this season).
And then there's his energy -- which overflowed a bit last week when he spiked the baseball after successfully absorbing a hit at home from the Dodgers' Blake DeWitt.
''He gets a little out of the box,'' veteran outfielder Luis Gonzalez said. ``But that's good. We like that. He brings a different flavor to the game.''
That flavor, that excitement, starts every time Rabelo sees his name on the lineup card.
But wouldn't he like to end that uncertainty, to beat out Treanor for good and be the Marlins' main man at catcher?
''I don't even think about that,'' Rabelo said. ``As long as I still have that name tag over my locker, then we'll go from there.''
