Alcombrack in for the long haul
Former Bear River standout enters third season in minors, which means 144-game slate
By Brian Hamilton, brianh@theunion.com
» More from Brian Hamilton
12:01 a.m. PT Mar 27, 2008
He's just 19 years old, but Robby Alcombrack is already entering his third year as a catcher in the Cleveland Indians farm system.
And if the former Bear River star has his way this summer, he'll be providing the Lake County Captains with the steady presence of veteran starter behind the plate.
"My goal this year is to play every day," Alcombrack said by phone Wednesday from Winter Haven, Fla., where he and his teammates are wrapping up spring training. "I just want to do my job. And that's to control the running game, control our pitching and get the hits the team needs so we can get some Ws.
"As much as I want to move up (within the organization) and put pressure on the guys above me, I want to get a ring this year. I've always been close to getting one, but I think with this team we can get a ring. I'm ready for it."
Lake County, where Alcombrack was promoted at the end of last season after hitting .244 with seven home runs and 23 RBIs with the Gulf Coast League Indians, is a Class A club that competes in the South Athletic League. He played in just two games there before the end of last season.
If he stays put with the Captains through the 2008 campaign, he's likely to see action in many more games than the 40 he played last season. Lake County has a 144-game schedule, for which he trained hard while back home in Nevada County.
Alcombrack, who had slimmed down to 205 pounds last season, spent the offseason bulking up his now 6-foot, 220-pound frame.
"I'd spend three hours a day at the Courthouse (Athletic Club in Grass Valley)," Alcombrack said. "I'd take a spin class and lift weight with some real good friends over there.
"It was good. I worked for my dad (Gary Alcombrack at Liberty Motors) in the morning and then get my workout going around mid-afternoon."
Apparently his preparation is already paying off. Alcombrack blasted a home run in his first spring training plate appearance.
"This spring I just feel so comfortable at the plate," he said. "I'm seeing pitches even better and I'm drawing a lot of walks by making pitchers throw strikes.
"I think my role in the lineup is definitely going to be an RBI guy this year."
That was certainly his role in his senior year at Bear River back in 2006, when he hit .557 with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs as the Bruins posted a 22-2 record.
Alcombrack says the key to him having a successful season is staying healthy. He's already been beaten up this spring. He said he fouled a fastball off his shin, resulting in a black-and-blue contusion "the size of an apple," and he also "blocked a curveball with my throat."
Helping him stay healthy, however, is his Jessica, his wife of 14 months. He said having her with him made a big difference not only with his happiness, but also in his day-to-day play.
Maybe it's because he's now in his third year with the organization or maybe it's because he's a married man, but Alcombrack said his teammates have even taken to calling him and his wife "mom and dad." Either way, he's enjoying the stability of his home life.
"There's nothing like coming home and having dinner waiting for you and something there who cares for you," Alcombrack said of Jessica, whom he met while attending Forest Lake Christian prior to transferring to Bear River as a junior in high school. "I went through a season without her being here. And now I'm not as distracted.
"Now I can come home and enjoy my time with her and still have time to hang out with my teammates during the day."
After returning to Eastlake, Ohio from spring training, the Captains will face the Indians' Class AA team out of Akron in an April 1 exhibition. Lake County's season opener is slated for April 4 in New Jersey against the Lakewood BlueClaws.
For more information on Alcombrack and the Lake County Captains, visit the Web site www.captainsbaseball.com.
To contact Sports Editor Brian Hamilton, e-mail bhamilton@theunion.com or call 477-4240.
