Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson hit a home run during his first at-bat in the big leagues. Between 2020 and 2021, Stephenson was the pinch-hitter that manager David Bell trusted to enter the game off the bench, stay calm and deliver season-changing hits.
Stephenson’s consistency was the first trait that he showed when he made it to the big leagues. But this season, particularly during a stretch in June, Stephenson wasn’t feeling like himself on the field.
“I was at a place early in the year, it was one of the tougher things mentally that I’ve had to go through,” Stephenson said. “It was the first time I’ve ever experienced this stuff. Failure. Especially at this level. There was definitely a point in the season where I was struggling mentally.”
Entering this season, Stephenson was known around the league as one of the best young catchers in MLB. He would have been an All-Star in 2022 if he hadn’t gotten hurt. Last year, Stephenson hit .319 with an .854 OPS. He was such a valuable hitter that Bell developed a day-by-day plan for 2023 to get Stephenson in the lineup for at least 140 games.
Will confidence lead to batting turnaround?
Now, entering Friday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Stephenson is hitting a career-worst .242 with a career-worst .678 OPS. Bell scrapped his initial plan for Stephenson less than a month into the season. Defensively, Stephenson has also been in the worst slump of his career. Journeyman backup catcher Luke Maile has had a much better season than Stephenson, who the Reds need to be their catcher of the future.
Stephenson hasn’t turned his season around yet, and he’s hitting .191 since July 1. But he feels a lot more confident than he did earlier this season.
“I know Jake Fraley talks a lot about mental skills,” Stephenson said. “I talked to his guy. I learned about not looking at the long haul but being consistent and doing the work I need to do to put myself in the best situations. Whatever happens in the game, it is what it is.”
Fraley turned his career around last year when he was on the injured list. He credits working with mental skills coach Brian Cain, who helped Fraley figure out why he was struggling with injuries and struggling to figure out who he is as a player.
How Jake Fraley can help Stephenson
During June, Stephenson struck up a conversation with Fraley about how Stephenson was feeling. Fraley recommended that he talk to Cain.
“It can change your life,” Fraley said. “A lot of people struggle with mental health and don’t even realize it. They think it’s just life. Living in that sadness or lack of joy or lack of peace is the very essence of struggling. You’re not meant to live like that.”
Stephenson said that Cain helped him look past his poor results on the field. Cain told Stephenson to emphasize the preparation that he was doing before games over everything else.
During the Reds’ off day on Monday, Stephenson went to Great American Ball Park and spent the day working on his swing.
“I’m trying to get back to the thoughts that I’ve had the last few years,” Stephenson said. “There have been times where I’ve felt really good, but that can be lost overnight. As weird as that is, you have to trust the process. Something that I try to do is not get too caught up in results. I trust myself and the work that I put in every day. In the long run, that can pay off. I’m not rolling over. I’m doing everything I can control.”
Stephenson is watching video of his swing from previous seasons. He’s looking for the differences so he can eliminate them.
He’s trying to hit the ball more to the opposite field. He’s focusing on swinging at pitches in certain parts of the strike zone, and he knows that he needs to cut down on his strikeouts.
“He’s staying pretty true to who he is,” Bell said. “I’m expecting Tyler to finish the season strong. We have a lot left to accomplish. The story of our season hasn’t been written yet, and he has a lot left to contribute. I’m really not concerned. I know he wants better results. They will come.”
Looking for new results behind the plate
Stephenson also doesn’t look like himself behind the plate. His blocking and his throws to second and third base aren’t as good as they’ve been, and Stephenson has made a few critical throwing errors recently where he airmailed a throw into the outfield.
He has made some adjustments, including changing his catching stance with runners on base. So far, the adjustments haven’t led to drastically different results.
“I don’t know the last time that I’ve had throws do this,” Stephenson said. “The fact that there are a few, man. You see a guy break early and try to do a bit too much. You speed up, you happen to be a little too quick and the ball sails. That’s part of it sometimes.”
Stephenson insists that his season isn’t a consequence of last year’s injuries or a result of his changing role at the start of the season. When he was looking for answers in June, he spoke with Fraley.
“This is a very special group here,” Stephenson said. “We can talk about real issues and real problems. To have people that support you is a blessing.”
“The more that mental health is talked about,” Fraley said, “The more that people like Stephenson or anyone who goes through things, it gives you more of a place to speak out and do something for yourself. All of those tools and knowledge is being applied to Stevo and his everyday life. When you can have a conversation, you give people a space to be able to talk about stuff like that.”
Even with this difficult season, Stephenson remains the most talented catcher in the Reds’ organization. Bell isn’t planning to reduce Stephenson’s role. Especially with Jonathan India and Fraley on the injured list, Stephenson has a chance to step up as a vocal leader on a young Reds team that’s pushing for a playoff spot.
This season has tested him, but Stephenson said that he hasn’t lost any faith in himself.
“It’s been a grind finding consistency,” Stephenson said. “I’ll feel it and then I’ll lose it. This game is hard. You get punched, and you have to get back up. I know I’m going to do everything in my power to get better. I have to trust that it’ll come.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Tyler Stephenson is battling new challenges for him in 2023
