A’s bullpen catcher Phil Pohl has Cooperstown roots, lots of fans

A’s bullpen catcher Phil Pohl has Cooperstown roots, lots of fans

Phil Pohl, the A’s new bullpen catcher, comes so highly recommended that everyone from the grounds crew to an All-Star to the president of the Baseball Hall of Fame praises him.

Incredibly intelligent, one of those kids you could tell if it didn’t work out playing, he had the passion, the aptitude and the desire to coach.

Zach Ricketts, who is Huss’ top assistant in Arizona, was at for Class-A Beloit (Wisc.) when Pohl was playing there in 2013, and, Ricketts said, “Phil was always asking me what he could do to help.”

[...] it’s no surprise, then, that when longtime A’s bullpen catcher Casey Chavez left to work to become a minister, Oakland farm director Keith Lieppman immediately put in a word for Pohl, who’d been released by the Rockies last year.

He knows many of the A’s coaches already - Marcus Jensen was his manager in rookie ball, for instance.

“I played with Phil in instructional league,” All-Star Sonny Gray said.

“Phil’s incredibly well balanced, he has an incredibly positive outlook on life, he gets along with people,” said Idelson, who believes Pohl will make an excellent manager someday.