How Cardinals bullpen catcher Kleininger Teran’s work ethic landed him a spot in the Home Run Derby

ST. LOUIS — Earlier in the season, as the Cardinals were finishing up a round of batting practice, Albert Pujols struck up a casual conversation with Cardinals bullpen catcher Kleininger Teran. Teran, who usually throws batting practice to the first group of hitters, must have been especially exceptional that day. In fact, Pujols was already envisioning Teran’s next stage.

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“I told him, ‘Hey, if I get invited to the Home Run Derby, get ready,’” Pujols recalled.

He was lightly kidding at the time — the Home Run Derby was still weeks away — but when Major League Baseball reached out to Pujols earlier in the month with an invitation to participate, he knew who he was calling next.

The answer from Teran? A resounding “Let’s go.”

Teran will be Pujols’ pitcher at the Home Run Derby at Dodger Stadium on Monday, the fifth and final time Pujols will participate in the event. The 42-year-old plans to retire after this season, wrapping up a brilliant Hall of Famer career. For Pujols, choosing Teran was a no-brainer. The two work together consistently, as Pujols is usually in his batting practice group. There is also perhaps nobody more deserving. Teran, who is about a week shy of his 33rd birthday, has spent over 15 years with the Cardinals organization. While bullpen catcher is his official title, Teran’s daily duties and responsibilities expand far beyond that. Lauded for his work ethic, professionalism and willingness to learn, Teran is one of the Cardinals’ unsung heroes in terms of the team’s daily routine.

Now he’ll take his talents to Los Angeles, where he’ll be amongst some of the game’s biggest stars on one of the game’s biggest stages. It’s a dream-come-true moment for Teran, who describes himself simply as “a humble man from a humble neighborhood” who has settled down with his wife, Nathasha, and their 4-year-old son Khristopher.

But how he arrived here is even more of a surreal story.

As he was growing up in Venezuela in a small town named Samán de Güere in Maracay, Teran and his father would play baseball together in a local ballpark not too far from their home. When Teran was 16, he was scouted by the Cardinals and eventually signed as an international free agent. For six seasons, he played as an infielder in the lower levels of St. Louis’ farm system, but in 2011, the organization thought he’d be better suited as a catcher. Teran spent the entirety of the 2012 season learning the position on the back fields or catching bullpens for other players, but after the season ended, the organization had a change of heart.

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Former Cardinals manager and long-time minor-league evaluator Mike Shildt approached Teran and disclosed that because of the number of catchers already in the system, Teran’s route to the big leagues as a player might not be sustainable. But Shildt saw other qualities in Teran, like his discipline, his demeanor and his commitment to learning, which led to him identifying a different role. Had Teran ever considered coaching? If so, Shildt believed Teran would be a perfect fit for the Cardinals.

For the next three years, Teran bounced around different levels of the organization. He began in Double A under Shildt’s guidance, worked as a hitting coach in the Gulf Coast League and almost spent time in the Dominican Republic. In 2015, Cardinals director of player development Gary LaRocque approached Teran about an open position as the Low A hitting coach in Jupiter, Fla. Teran signed the contract and flew back to Venezuela for the remainder of the offseason.

But just like in 2012, a different plan came to fruition. While Teran was in Venezuela, the Cardinals called him again. Forget Jupiter. There was an open spot at the major-league level for a bullpen catcher. It would be a one-year position, but the organization believed it would be a good learning opportunity for Teran.

It’s been eight years since that phone call. Teran is still with the big-league club. He laughs when he recalls the last decade. It still doesn’t seem real.

Bullpen catcher duties vary by organization, but in St. Louis, the amount of work Teran, catching instructor Jamie Pogue and bullpen coach Bryan Eversgerd put in expands far before the first pitch. Teran — or K.T. — as he’s better known, arrives early at the stadium each day, usually seven to eight hours before first pitch. He’ll try to get a quick workout in before players arrive, which is when he’ll be asked to catch a couple of flat ground or bullpen sessions. In his spare time, he’ll study the different metrics and analytics to get a better read on opponents, information he needs to know to supply to his pitchers. Teran — who is bilingual — also regularly communicates and checks in with the Latin players on the roster in an effort to make sure they feel they’re where they need to be.

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“If you want to be a good coach, you better have good communication,” Teran said. “Players have to trust you, so when you say something to them, they know you’re being honest.”

After his daily batting practice group has finished, Teran will stay on the field, assisting with long-toss or shagging balls. If a glaring need or a pressing issue arises, he is the first to volunteer his help. For example, when former team interpreter Antonio Mújica was promoted to a player development role before the 2022 season, it was Teran who the team approached to handle those duties. After every interview, Teran would reach out to Mújica and local media to ask for tips to improve. For those who know Teran, his relentless desire to learn a new role and adapt to it quickly came as no surprise.

“K.T. has a few responsibilities,” Pogue said. “He’ll do advanced work on opposing team’s catchers, their defense to see if there are any little things there that we can use. But the main thing he brings is just awesome energy and his personality every day. He’s super consistent. His new word is camaraderie, and he’s great for camaraderie.

“But he does so many things that people don’t see. He’s our guy that gets our baseballs ready for batting practice. Like they just don’t magically get sifted through, the good ones kept and the old ones out. He does the non-glamorous things that people don’t realize.”

“It tells you a lot about who he is as a person,” Eversgerd added. “He fits in where he’s needed. Our guys love him, I love him. I’ve been here five years now and there’s something that makes me laugh with him every day.”

It doesn’t matter where or when, Teran is almost always smiling, shaking hands or swapping fist bumps, checking in on others. He likes to help people, he says. That quality, along with his willingness to take a few chances along the way, is why he is so highly regarded within the organization.

Tossing batting practice to the first group of hitters is no small feat. That initial group is usually comprised of the club’s best hitters. In most cases, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado will join Pujols, and Teran knows that when working with a group of players so intense and focus-driven, he has to perform that way as well. That’s the same mentality he will take into the Home Run Derby. He’ll also hope he can forget about a packed stadium and nationally televised event in the process, though that might be difficult with the number of times Pogue and Eversgerd have reminded him.

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But it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Teran, who always joked his talents were All-Star caliber.

“I would always have some fun with the guys that I throw to and tell them one day I would throw in the Home Run Derby,” Teran said. “This year, Albert would say to me almost every day that he would take me, without even knowing if he was going or not. When he found out he had an opportunity to do it, he asked me and I was very happy.”

“Hopefully we can both go perform and do a good job,” Pujols said. “Hopefully he can find that sweet spot and hopefully I’ll be able to put a good swing. We want to put on a show for the fans, that’s what the Home Run Derby is all about. I’m just going to try to have fun.”

Teran’s career path isn’t one that can be scripted. He took some risks and bet on himself a few times, but was proven to be successful each time because of his mentality and drive. Now he’s just grateful — grateful to be in the big leagues, even if it wasn’t how he imagined. He’s grateful for his wife and son, who now reside with him in St. Louis. And he’s grateful for the Cardinals organization and what they have helped him accomplish.

“I’m a humble guy,” Teran said. “I’m really happy with the family that God has given to me. I’m a guy that didn’t have the opportunity to be in the big leagues as a player, but can still be in the big leagues as a bullpen catcher. And now having the honor to do what I’m going to do with Albert, it’s a blessing.”

(Photo of Teran throwing batting practice in 2019: Orlando Ramirez / USA Today)