He was toughened by Buffalo winters. Now, the Marlins hope he’s their catcher of the future
Joe Mack – there’s a ruggedness and a succinctness to the name and the player.
Mack, who became the Miami Marlins’ catching hope of the future after getting drafted 31st overall last month, is from Buffalo, New York, where the wind is menacing, the cold is numbing and the winters seem to last forever.
It’s not the place where you would think to find a budding baseball talent, but Mack’s game has blossomed in part because of the family ranch home he once shared with his parents, Allan and Christina, and his two older siblings, Charles and Christy, in the Buffalo suburb of Wheatfield, New York.
In the house’s large basement, Allan would hit ground balls to the kids. He also built a makeshift mound and marked off 45 feet — the distance to the plate in Little League.
“It was a huge part of my childhood,” Mack said of basement ball. “Even when it was snowing, we’re doing shuttle drills and throwing off a full-length mound.”
Given that training, it’s no surprise that Christy earned a softball scholarship to the University of Hartford, and Charles, a 21-year-old who was a sixth-round pick in 2018, has been converted to catcher for the Minnesota Twins’ Class A team.
As for Joe Mack, the 18-year-old committed to Clemson University but instead signed with the Marlins for $2.5 million, which was $188,000 over slot.
A 6-1, 205-pounder, Mack’s biggest tool is his power arm.
“I’ve seen him throw a 1.74-second pop time to second base,” said Chris Gruarin, who coached Mack for his senior season at Williamsville East High School. “He throws 1.8 to 1.9 consistently.”
The Marlins also love Mack’s lefty bat, plate discipline and athleticism. He began his professional baseball career last week when he was assigned to the Marlins’ rookie-level team in the Florida Complex League.
As a senior, Mack hit .500 with eight doubles, one triple and eight homers in 21 games. He also drew 30 walks, struck out just six times and went 26 for 26 on steals. His on-base percentage was .678, and he scored 41 runs.
Mack Prodigy
When Mack was a 5-year-old Little League shortstop, his arm was so strong that his coach had a chat with the first baseman’s parents.
“You might want to invest in a face shield for your son,” the coach said.
At age 12, Mack hit nine homers in 10 swings during a “home run derby” competition at the Hall of Fame site in Cooperstown, New York, beating the previous record of eight that was set by Mike Trout and Bryce Harper.
As a seventh-grader, Mack not only played for his high school varsity team — he was their cleanup hitter.
“I coached against Joe when he was a freshman, and he hit a 415-foot homer against us with a wood bat,” Gruarin said. “It was a missile.”
In fact, from freshman year to senior season, Mack didn’t use metal bats.
“Joe’s brother used a wood bat as a senior to prove to scouts he could do it,” said Ronnie Bernick, who owns a player-development academy in Buffalo, Hot Corner Athletics. “So, Joe used a wood bat for four straight high school seasons.”
Mack’s comfort with wood bats — required in pro ball — may help explain why the Marlins passed on a pair of in-state and highly accomplished college catchers: Florida State’s Matheu Nelson, who was drafted 35th overall by the Cincinnati Reds; and Miami’s Adrian Del Castillo, who was selected 67th by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Then, just before last month’s trading deadline, the Marlins acquired two young catchers — Payton Henry, 24, and Alex Jackson, 25.
“One of our primary goals was creating more depth at catcher,” Marlins general manager Kim Ng told the media.
Mack is at the head of that plan.
Before last month’s draft, the Marlins had no catchers listed in Baseball America’s midseason ranking of Miami’s top 30 prospects.
After the draft, Mack ranked eighth among all Marlins prospects and No. 1 among catchers.
Bernick, who has worked with Mack for four years, said the young man’s name suits him.
He’s tough like a Mack truck, and with just seven letters in his entire name, there’s nothing extra.
“You know what you’re getting when Joe shows up,” Bernick said. “When you talk to him, he’s a normal guy. But on the field, he has a massive presence.
“When he steps in a batter’s box, it’s different. When he makes a throw to second, wow, it’s different.
“He has a presence I’ve never seen before for a kid his age. It’s like, ‘Joe Mack, this guy means business’.”
Bernick also said there’s a toughness about Mack that has something to do with his cold-weather upbringing.
‘You have to love baseball to play here, 35-degree weather in March,” Bernick said of Buffalo. “It’s so cold, you can’t even feel the bat in your hands. As a catcher, the ball hits your palm, and it really hurts.
“But Joe’s tough. He never complains.”Tough like a Mack truck … and with no unnecessary extras.
This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 4:33 PM.