Dozens of major league scouts, each conveniently located behind the backstop, raised their radar guns with every one of J.A. Happ’s 126 pitches on April 2.
But besides examining the Northwestern baseball team’s ace in the 2-0 win over Indiana, scouts were checking on the destination of each pitch — the oversized, padded glove of catcher Dan Pohlman.
The senior is in just his first season as the Wildcats’ starting catcher, but coach Paul Stevens believes Pohlman has the potential to catch for a major league ball club.
“I believe that Dan can get to the Big Leagues, the same way (former NU catcher) Joe Girardi did and the same way that I believe (former NU catcher) Joe Hietpas will,” Stevens said. “I think that Dan will be the next guy that will be able to attain that level of professionalism.”
It would come as a shock to most that Pohlman has been scouted as a catcher from the day he began to formally play that position. But the senior said there has always been interest in his catching abilities.
“In high school the same kind of thing started happening in the draft process,” Pohlman said. “I had never played catcher, and every team that I talked to had told me, ‘We’d like to see you behind the plate.’ So every tryout I went to, I’d play my outfield position, I’d pitch and then I’d get behind the plate and throw to second.”
However, high school scouting occurred at a time when baseball wasn’t even Pohlman’s primary focus. The senior originally came to NU on a football scholarship as a linebacker.
Pohlman played for Randy Walker’s Cats his freshman and sophomore years. But missing 35 baseball games because of spring football practice his freshman season made Pohlman wonder about the realistic possibility of playing two sports.
“It was a kind of misunderstanding between myself and the football coaches about my spring schedule,” Pohlman explained. “Things that I was told I would be able to do and would not be able to do didn’t necessarily happen. So I decided to go in the opposite direction and play baseball full time.”
In more than three years with the baseball team, Pohlman has played every position on the field except for second base and shortstop. But with the departure of former starting catcher Ken Padgett after last season, NU needed a veteran behind the plate — even if his experience came at another position.
“We were fortunate the last few years, having Kenny Padgett, who was a solid catcher,” Happ said. “And Danny just filled right in for him.”
Stevens said that at this point, scouts are interested in Pohlman for his strong arm, his potential to be a slugger and, most of all, his great speed, an unusual characteristic for catchers.
The coach said he gets about 18 calls a week from scouts interested in Pohlman and Happ.
“I just think they’re looking for an individual who fits a certain profile,” Stevens said. “In that position, I think Dan Pohlman fits that profile very, very nicely.’
“You’re talking about a kid who’s 6-2, 6-3, 210 to 215 pounds, who can run, has a tremendous arm and has the potential to hit anywhere from maybe 25 to 30 home runs later on in his career.”
