The second-year Renegade entered tonight’s game against the visiting Brooklyn Cyclones having thrown out 23 of 39 opposing runners who’d tried to steal against him; that’s a league-high 59 percent. By comparison, the league’s second-best catcher threw out 39.6 percent of runners. As a team, the Renegades lead the league by throwing out 31 of the 57 runners who have tried to steal against them, good enough for a 54.4 percentage."There are quick guys (in this league) so I have to prepare every single day, mentally and physically," Acosta told me before tonight's game.
More than just throwing out runners, Acosta is an even bigger asset to the team, manager Jared Sandberg said. Be it receiving pitches well, calming down pitchers or pumping those hurlers up, his skipper said Acosta is extremely valuable to Hudson Valley.
"Mayo is an outstanding character guy, good clubhouse guy, just a joy for me to coach and a joy for this staff to have behind home plate," Sandberg said. "He's like another coach on the field. He comes every day with energy, plays with energy. He loves the game of baseball, he works hard and loves to get better."