B.J. Surhoff

By Timothy Hanlon

Issue date: July 13, 1987

The only guy in Milwaukee who doesn't seem to be satisfied with B.J. Surhoff's rookie season is B.J. While the rest of the baseball world routinely includes his name in this year's bumper crop of new talent, the 22-year-old catcher is unimpressed. "It's nice to have your name thrown around like that, "he says, "but that's only for this year. Next year it doesn't get you one base hit."

This year, though, the hits have come with increasing frequency. A recent hot streak in which Surhoff batted .391 over 13 games helped raise his average to .285 through Sunday. Five of his hits this season have produced game- winning RBIs, and in 186 at bats he has driven in 36 runs. For the wildly erratic Brewers, his steady production has been a lift. "I don't know where we'd be without him," says manager Tom Trebelhorn. "He's been a very integral part of our season."

Going into spring training, Trebelhorn knew that Surhoff could hit (he batted .308 for AAA Vancouver last season) but was cautious about his talents behind the plate. However, Surhoff convinced his manager to put him on the roster by working dutifully with catching coach Andy Etchebarren and by improving the speed of his release on throws to second. Declares Etchebarren now: "We have no more doubts about his catching."

"In a tight ball game, I'm not afraid to run him out at a different position," says Trebelhorn, who has used Surhoff at third base and first base as well as behind the plate. Furthermore, his five stolen bases prove he has speed on the base paths, a rare commodity among major league catchers.

But for B.J. (William James), it's not enough. "I like to think that I'm learning from my mistakes," says the Rye, N.Y., resident and former North Carolina collegiate star. His mother, Nancy, has seen this aspect of B.J. before. "He's extremely hard on himself," she says. "He's his own worst enemy." "B.J.'s biggest problem right now," says outfielder Rick Manning, "is that if he doesn't go 4 for 4 every day, he gets upset. But I look at that as a positive."

So does Brewer bullpen coach Larry Haney. "Come All-Star time in the next five or six years, B.J. Surhoff is going to be one of those guys you automatically fill in." Just don't expect B.J. to vote for himself.

Issue date: July 13, 1987