TUCSON — It shouldn’t be a surprise that Miguel Olivo has made a strong impression with the Rockies.
Like the “Today” show, he does his best work early. Darkness greets the catcher as he arrives in the Hi Corbett Field clubhouse at 5:30 a.m. He hasn’t helped serve breakfast, manager Jim Tracy said, but he could.
Food consumption, weightlifting and catching drills with prospect Wil Rosario follow — all accomplished by 7:30 a.m.
“For a veteran to come in and work like that says a lot. I will go to work out around 6, and he’s already in there,” said Rockies catching instructor Mark Strittmatter. “He’s had a positive impact on Wil.”
Forget the powerful bat — a .583 average in 13 at-bats — that has impressed teammates during the Cactus League. The real test for Olivo is his defense. How much can he improve on his receiving skills if he’s to carve into Chris Iannetta’s playing time?
“Those drills are something I am going to try and do every day during spring training,” Olivo said Wednesday. “I am only 31. I can still learn and get better. Why wouldn’t I do it?”
Olivo is built like a linebacker at 6-feet, 229 pounds. That makes him a great target, but can leave him a little stiff. Olivo led baseball in passed balls last year, a problem traced to his jabbing at pitches.
Strittmatter discussed it with Olivo this spring and implemented drills to address the issue. So Olivo squats behind the plate and a pitching machine fires baseballs for 20 minutes on a lonely back field as the sun peeks out. “We are just trying to create less movement so he has softer hands when he receives the ball,” Strittmatter said.
Though it’s a work in progress, Olivo has already witnessed a difference. He believes his reaching at pitches fooled umpires into believing a ball was out of the strike zone a year ago.
“I am getting more comfortable with it. I want to do anything to help our pitchers,” Olivo said.
The reality is that Olivo wouldn’t be with the Rockies if he hadn’t made strides last season. Tracy demands defense from his catchers, not only in calling a game, but controlling the running game.
Beginning in earnest a year ago with Royals pitching coach Bob McClure, Olivo became a better student of his position.
“I would give him scouting reports and I ask him about him the next day. He took pride in it,” McClure said. “This is a guy who cares.”
Olivo caught all but two of Zack Greinke’s starts last season as the Royals right-hander won the American League Cy Young Award. Greinke praised Olivo for helping him keep his focus.
“He was good for me. I liked throwing to him. A lot of the guys did. He worked hard at it,” Greinke said Wednesday. “Last year he started paying more attention to opposing hitters. We wanted him back.”
Olivo’s willingness to learn hasn’t been the only surprise. His personality is borderline effervescent, hardly matching the scouting report of a player who used to keep to himself early in his career.
“You got bad info on that. I love the game. I love my teammates,” Olivo said. “You are always going to see me smiling. Maybe even dancing.”
True enough. He did a little jig Wednesday after he left the batting cage around 10:30 a.m. Not bad for a guy who had been up for nearly seven hours.
“I have (six) kids. I am always up early. God blessed me. I feel good every morning,” Olivo said. “Plus, there’s no traffic when I come to the ballpark.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
