Episode 142: Interview with former MLB Player: Erik Kratz

In this episode, we sit down with Erik Kratz — former Major League Baseball catcher, author, coach, and current host on Foul Territory TV. Erik shares his inspiring journey from not starting in high school baseball to playing at Division III Eastern Mennonite University and eventually making it to the MLB for an eleven year career. We talk about player development, the art of catching in 2025, and his approach to coaching high school baseball. Erik also shares how he fosters competition with his sons as they pursue college baseball opportunities. Plus, we dive into recent MLB front-office hires and the current state of ownership spending across professional baseball. Follow us on Instagram and Youtube: @emdbaseball Presented by Kali Gloves - www.kaligloves.com Chapters (00:00:02) - Kevin Smith Gives Kids the Right Glove(00:01:12) - Quadrunk Box(00:03:42) - Adam Jones on His Path to the Big Leaguer(00:11:15) - Erickson on Playing as a Freshman(00:17:00) - Bradley Manning on grinding out the minor leagues(00:24:16) - The Catcher-Pitcher Relationship(00:30:22) - Joe Maddon on His Relationship With the Umpires(00:34:36) - Tyler Flowers on One-Knee Catcher(00:41:12) - Adam Jones on Catcher Training(00:47:21) - Phillips on Having Multiple Sports on the Field(00:53:42) - Andy Pederson on His Competitiveness(00:59:29) - Adam Jones on Drew Waters' Struggles(01:08:11) - Teammates on the Try Hard(01:14:34) - Tony Vitello's San Francisco Giants Contract(01:20:55) - Tony Watson on San Francisco's new manager(01:29:12) - Tom Savage on the Dodgers Not RUINING Baseball(01:36:15) - Paul Skeens Needs to Be traded(01:42:42) - O' Neill Cruz on the Milwaukee Brewers(01:44:42) - Eric Kratz on The Tao of the Backup Catcher