Eddie Taubensee – Parrillo Powered Professional Catcher

Like the old TV ad Cincinnati Reds starting catcher Eddie Taubensee, No. 10 has come by his hot commodity status the old fashioned way-he earned it. Taubensee ranked third in the majors among left-handed hitting catchers last season with 10 home runs. The 6 foot, four-inch, 225-pound ballplayer ranked second in the National League with six pinch-hit RBI’s; he led baseball’s first professional team (Cincinnati) with 10 pinch hits. The Reds recently signed Eddie to a two-year contract extension. Eddie pointed out that contractual arrangements are usually made near the end of the season, not at the beginning. “This shows me that [the Reds] have a lot of faith in me and confidence in my abilities,” The scope of Eddie’s abilities are seemingly limitless-and he can hit a baseball a country mile! Reds Manager Jack McKeon put Eddie in the No. 4 cleanup hitter spot for the early part of the season. A mart choice since Eddie held a .441 average with runners on second and third base. Midseason, with six home runs and 73 hits, his batting average is .307. vying for the Reds clubhouse RBI lead, with 41 RBI’s he is second only to power hitter Bret Boone’s 43 RBI’s/ Eddie is having many great games, though the Reds team sometimes struggles. “When you do have a good game, it takes away from it when you lose the game. It can be frustrating since everybody wants to win.”
Background
Born in Beeville, Texas, 29-year-old- Eddie lives with his wife Rene’ and their children Justin 2, and newborn son Benjamin in Windermere, Fl., during the off-season. Eddie has always been a catcher, and like most young boys looked up to players like Dale Murphy and Andre Dawson. He has aspired to be a professional ballplayer since age 10; his talent set him apart from the other kids. During his senior year attending Lake Howell High School in Maitland, Fl., he first recognized that unlike most young ballplayers, his dream would be realized. “I knew it was realistic in my senior year when I had a lots of scouts coming out to see me play,” he said. He began his professional career with the Reds as a sixth round draft selection in 1986. He made his Major League debut with the Cleveland Indians on May 18, 1991, and spent part of three seasons, ’92 through 94′, with the Houston Astros. After he was required by the Reds in 1994, Eddie made the acquisition worth their while. He hit .294 with 21 RBI’s and eight home runs in 61 games. Inspired by Johnny Bench and other Cincinnati greats, Eddie said. ” The Reds have a great tradition. I was also inspired by the tradition of the Reds, with the Big Red machine and 1990 World Series win.” Since his arrival in the Queen City, Eddie has been making a tradition for himself. Initially he was part of an offensive catching platoon with Brian Dorsett, Benito Santiago and Joe Oliver in successful years. ESPN’s scouting report stated that Eddie would “never be a full-time player,” and that “his future remains as a unity player with some value.” Boy were they wrong! Eddie’s numbers keep going up. Red’s management noticed that more games were won with Eddie behind the plate. This season, Eddie has earned the coveted starting catcher position over contender Brook Fordyce. What made the difference? The four Parrillo principles put into practice; nutrition, weight training, aerobics and stretching.
Training
During the baseball season Eddie is only able to get to the gym twice a week. During the off-season he trains hard to increase his strength, flexibility and speed. Trainer Mahmood Ghaisarzdadeh said Eddie’s dedication second – to – none. “He started training for the 1998 season only one day after playoffs; most players wait until December or so,” Mahmood said. When Eddie started training with Mahmood in the early October for the ’98 season, he initially weighed 229 pounds and was 16 percent bodyfat. By February, just in time for spring training camp, Eddie weighed 236 pounds at 11 percent bodyfat. More importantly, Mahmood said Eddie was much stronger and faster and all the better from his off-season training program. Mahommod implemented a weight training, pylometrics and speed training program specifically designed for the peculiarities of a catcher. In a squatting position much of the time, particular attention must be spent on developing the catcher’s leg muscles. especially around the knees. Mahmood prescribed one hour of intense, quick paced training in a four-day rotation using the following split: day one-chest, shoulders and triceps; day two – legs; day three-off; and day 4 – shoulders, biceps and legs.
Day one: Chest; Hammer Strength vertical press, incline dumbbell press, incline dumbbells press, pec deck: Shoulders; Hammer Strength shoulder press; and Triceps; dips tricep pushdowns supersetted with dumbbell kickbacks. Abdominal muscles are hit every workout, four sets of 25 reps on the hanging leg sling. Day two: Legs; leg press, leg extensions, stiff-legged deadlift, hamstring curls, seated and standing calf raises. Day three; off. Day four: Back; pull-ups, pulldowns, rope rows, Hammer Strength vertical row, hyperextensions, seated rows: Arms; seated dumbbell curl, hammer curl, reverse curls and repeat day one triceps; Legs: Repeat day one plus squat jumps, stationary lunges, jumping on the toes; and Shoulders: dumbbell presses.
Eddies’ daily workouts are juxtaposed with pylometrics and speed training exercises. To pick off runners at second base, Eddie needs to be able to jump up and throw the ball 120 feet like a bullet in one explosive moment. One pylometric exercise involves lateral jumps from squatting position on the opposite side of the box. Mahmood insists his athletes incorporate stretching-a full 10 minutes after each training session. However, weight training alone cannot sustain a professional l athlete.
Nutrition
The baseball season isn’t conductive to maintaining proper eating habits. On the road, after an evening game players eat what they can find.” I’m lucky if I eat two meals a day,” Eddie said, “after a late game, most restaurants aren’t open.” That’s where Parrillo Performance steps in. Nutrition is the key top taking his game to a new level and unlocking his potential. Several strawberry Optimized Whey Protein shakes and layered chocolate/peanut butter Parrillo bars supplement his lack of food. ” I have a protein shake after practice and a couple of bars to tie me over,” he said. Eddie credits Parrillo Creatine Monohydrate with giving him improved strength, which is vitally important in such a competitive league. The slightest edge over other players translates into millions of dollars. Through dedicated focused hard work Eddie has gone from a unity player “with some value” top a valued asset, both as a hard-hitting slugger and as a Reds starting catcher.