Anthony Seigler may be the Swiss Army knife of high school baseball players, but he’s betting his future is as a catcher.
Seigler first gained national attention as an ambidextrous pitcher, but the 6-foot, 190-pound senior is capable of playing any position on the field. This season, while mostly playing catcher, he’s hitting .424 with 13 homers and 32 RBI, leading Cartersville, Ga., to the AAAA state championship series, which begins Monday.
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He’s also 2-1 with a 0.00 ERA and five saves in 19.2 innings.
“I’ve always been able to switch pitch but I feel my real calling is as a catcher,” Seigler said. “I love being involved on every play. As a catcher, you have to be the main leader on the team. To handle a pitching staff, you have to be able to deal with different personalities and that’s why I feel I like catching.”
Todd Siegler, Anthony’s father, teaches at Cartersville, and coached his son in youth baseball growing up. He said it takes a little crazy to be a catcher.
“When Anthony was nine years old, a friend and I were coaching a 12-year-old team,” he said. “Anthony had just finished up his game and came over and sat in our dugout.”
One of the catchers who was warming up a pitcher abruptly quit and Anthony stepped in and acted like he’d been catching all his life.
“Catcher is not a position you play if you don’t have a screw loose,” his father said. “My friend asked me if Anthony had ever caught before because he sure looks like he knows what he’s doing. That’s when he started catching, but he’s always played catcher, pitcher, second or third base. He really started focusing on catcher the last couple of years. It’s something he’s fallen in love with.”
The Florida signee is considered a potential first or second-round draft choice, so he may have a tough decision after the June Amateur Draft.
“His athleticism really plays,” his father said. “(Scouts) have definitely said he will stick behind the plate. They’ve also said he’s athletic enough to play second or third. I do feel ultimately his home is behind the plate.”
Seigler has helped his draft stock in the playoffs, where he’s hit .636 with five homers. Over that stretch, the Purple Hurricanes have won eight of nine games. He helped clinch his team’s second-round playoff series against Marist (Atlanta), hitting a grand slam from the right side of the plate and then a solo homer from the left side in a 12-2 victory.
“I feel like I’ve put in a lot of work with my hitting,” he said. “It’s slowly progressed. I’ve slowly come into some power. I have been pushing the weights to improve my lower body and upper body a lot.”