Mount St. Joe’s Clevenger has been a catch for Cubs

By David Driver
Posted: September 4, 2009

Steve Clevenger, 23, was a shortstop throughout his high school career at Mount St. Joseph and in college — one season each at Southeastern Louisiana and a Florida junior college. But after the 2006 minor league season, the Chicago Cubs, who drafted him in the seventh round that year out of Chipola Junior College, approached him about making the switch to catcher. Clevenger had never played the position, but he did not balk at the opportunity.

“They asked if I wanted to catch and I said, ‘Yes.’ We went from there,” Clevenger said Thursday from his hotel room in Omaha before an Iowa Cubs game. This season, Clevenger has worked on a regular basis with Jody Davis, the catching coordinator for the Cubs in player development. Davis caught in the majors for the Cubs and Braves from 1981-90. Clevenger said he realized being a catcher is a quicker path to the big leagues.

Clevenger began this season as the 11th-best prospect in the Cubs’ farm system, according to Baseball America. He began 2009 with Double-A Tennessee in the Southern League and was  promoted in May to the Triple-A level with Iowa of the Pacific Coast League. He hit .247 in 89 at-bats for Tennessee in 2008 and .313 in 284 at-bats with high Single-A Daytona of the Florida State League.

He began his pro career with the Boise Hawks in the Northwest League in 2006 and hit .286 in 220 at-bats. According to Baseball America, he did not have the speed for the middle infield, so the Cubs moved him to catcher during the instructional league that fall. Clevenger can also play first base and, as a left-handed hitter, he provides some options at the higher levels of the game.

Through Thursday, he was hitting .266 in 222 at-bats with no homers and 26 RBIs. “I am having a pretty good year at the plate. I am still learning,” he said. “My main focus is on defense. Hitting will come after that. Being 23 years old in Triple-A, that doesn’t happen all of the time.”

The major league rosters expanded Sept. 1, but Clevenger does not expect to be called up since the Cubs are making a run, however desperate, for a playoff spot. As of Friday, the Cubs were carrying catchers Koyie Hill and Geovany Soto, who was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2008 and an All-Star.

Clevenger grew up about five minutes from Camden Yards and his father played baseball at Cardinal Gibbons. In the off-season he works out at a facility in Glen Burnie. And Clevenger follows the Orioles. “They are still my favorite team in the big leagues. I am a Cubs fan, too,” he said quickly. He played several years for Dean Albany, a Baltimore scout, with the Oriolelanders travel team.

Clevenger played two years of junior varsity basketball at St. Joe before focusing on baseball. One of his teammates as a freshman was Will Thomas, who helped George Mason to the Final Four in 2006 and has played pro ball in Europe since his college career ended. Clevenger began playing baseball in the Linthicum-Ferndale league in Anne Arundel County and then switched to the Baltimore metro league.

One of his teammates with Iowa this season was pitcher Kevin Hart, a former University of Maryland player who was drafted out of college by the Orioles. Hart was traded by the Cubs to the Pirates in late July. The former Terp is 4-4 this year in the majors and is scheduled to start at home Friday against the Cardinals and pitcher Adam Wainwright, who is 16-7. Other players with regional ties who have played for the Iowa Cubs this season include former Orioles B.J. Ryan and Ryan Freel, former Oriole minor leaguer Jason Dubois and pitcher Casey Lambert, a University of Virginia product. The Iowa manager is Bobby Dickerson, the former manager of the Bluefield Orioles and once an instructor in the Baltimore farm system.

Iowa enters play Friday with a record of 71-69 in the American North division of the PCL. Memphis is in first at 73-66 and Nashville is second at 73-67. The Cubs end regular-season play Monday in Iowa.

In the Double-A Eastern League on Thursday, Calvert Hall graduate Jon Kibler pitched six innings and allowed two earned runs for Erie at Harrisburg in his last start of the regular season. He was not involved in the decision as Harrisburg won, 4-3. Drew Storen, a first-round pick of the Nationals in June, blew the save for Harrisburg but got his first win at the Double-A level. Storen has not allowed an earned run since his promotion from the Carolina League. Harrisburg begins a weekend series Friday night at Bowie.

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