Q&A with Twins Catcher Mitch Garver

Mitch Garver just keeps getting better. A 9th round pick out of the University of New Mexico in 2013, Garver steadily climbed up the Twins minor league ladder, debuting in 2017. Since then, the catcher has shown steady improvement behind and at the plate.

In 2018, his first full big league season, Garver showed he was legit, posting a .268/.335/.414 batting line with 7 homers and an OPS+ of 105 (100 is average). This year, he’s become a star. The 28-year-old is hitting .264/.343/.591 with 23 long balls and OPS+ of 140 for the first place Twins. That production will warrant silver slugger consideration as the American League’s top hitting catcher.

The Albuquerque native and I chatted last week.

DZ: Well, obviously you guys are playing in a pennant race. How much more fun is that with the games right now versus last year at this time?

GARVER: It’s a 180-degree turn from last year, at this point. Last year we’re trying to get to September and get to the end of the year and stay healthy for the next year, but now it’s fun to compete.

DZ: Obviously everyone’s talking about productive catchers (have been), you and Jason (Castro)…What’s it been like with Rocco, how he is using you guys this year?

GARVER: I like it. Rocco has something; he has an idea and his idea is to make sure guys are rested for the long run. And that makes a lot of sense because you look around the league and you see catchers that are catching a hundred games by now and they’re numbers just starting to decline, they’re getting tired, or beat up, or injured. So that’s something that we — I think we value together, is being rested.

DZ: What’s it like having Jason Castro here, guy who has a lot of experience…?

GARVER: It’s nice to have him around. He’s smart, he’s been around the league for a while. He’s a guy that you can rely on for questions or for concerns about anything, and just watch him play and the way he calls the game.

DZ: Well, I think one of the coolest things about watching you, as a fan and as a reporter, is…every year it seems like you improve a considerable amount. What has that process been like? Have you identified things going into the off season to work on?

GARVER: Oh yeah. I knew I had to make a change this past off season to be where I am now. I wanted to hit more home runs and I wanted to be a better catcher. And those are the two things that I’ve made a conscious effort to do and I’ve done both of them.

DZ: You have any breakthrough moments that stand out, where you just think ‘I got this now.’?

GARVER: I feel like I learn something every day or I learn something every series. Things are compounding together and I’m getting better and better as the year goes on. Obviously, you know, you’re going to get tired throughout the year and your body is not going to do everything you want it to do, but I’m learning more and I’m trying to get better at every series.

DZ: Early in the year I asked you about switching numbers from 23 to 18 (when the Twins signed Nelson Cruz, he requested No. 23) and you said you would kind of wanted to go back to 23 at some point. Have you considered sticking with 18 after all your success this year?

GARVER: Yeah, I haven’t really thought about it to be honest with you. I’ll probably stay with (18) for a while.

DZ: All right. And this one last thing. I know you’re a Fortnite guy and so is Trevor May. Do you guys play together at all?

GARVER: No, we’ve never played together actually. He plays with all those streamer guys and I play with all the other baseball players.

DZ: Is that kind of another level that he’s at?

GARVER: Not really, not really.

DZ: Just different crowd?

GARVER: Yeah, different crowd.

See more of David Zingler’s 2019 athlete interviews: August 23: Trevor May August 21: Sergio Romo August 17: Sylvia Fowles July 25: Max Kepler July 20: Kyle Gibson July 10: Alaina Coates June 25: Taylor Rogers June 19: Ryan Eades June 16: Jason Castro May 18: Seimone Augustus April 24: Ryne Harper April 21: CJ Cron February 2: Caleb Truax

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