Navarro 'A New Man'

When Rays manager Joe Maddon examines the work of his catcher, Dioner Navarro, he expresses admiration.

Along with some head-scratching disbelief.

Is this really the same guy Maddon first witnessed in 2006?

The guy lugging around 15 pounds of extra weight? The guy who seemed overmatched at the plate? The guy who didn't have enough presence to guide a young, promising pitching staff that needed direction?

"Imagine if we could juxtapose the Navi of then with the Navi of now," Maddon said. "It's amazing. It's inspirational. He is a new man."

In every way.

•He's the leader. Last season's celebrated dust-up with Matt Garza got plenty of air time during the postseason, and it was mostly portrayed as a coming-of-age moment for the young pitcher. But it was also when Navarro displayed his true colors. He calls it a "younger brother-older brother argument." It was so much more, probably the sequence that crystallized everyone's respect for him.

•He's an All-Star. Last season, Navarro became the first Rays catcher to make the All-Star Game. He went 1-for-4, with a 15th-inning single that was part of the American League's game-winning rally. And the rest of the year he played like an All-Star, batting .295 with seven home runs and 54 RBIs in 120 games, then hitting .293 in the postseason and catching all 16 games.

•He looks the part. After an offseason training regimen - with a heavy nod toward nutrition - he weighs about 205 pounds. He's quicker, and he feels great.

"What worked for me is staying away from soda and eating smaller portions," said Navarro, 25, who emerged from arbitration with a $2.1 million salary, quadrupling his 2008 earnings. "Every now and then, I'll have a taste of soda. But I don't need 10 servings. It's all about making the right choices.

"My stomach feels better. My legs feel so much better. I have more stamina now. I feel like I'm ready to go."

His pitchers have noticed.

"We have all these young guys, but the catcher has to be a leader out there," pitcher Scott Kazmir said. "He calls great games, keeps the runners at bay, positioned all our guys very well. He runs the show, no question.

"He helps me in subtle ways. You have a good idea of what you want to do with every hitter, but it's all about setting guys up, seeing where their feet are, seeing if they're making any adjustments during the at-bat. That's what a catcher sees. Navi pays attention to those details. I think we're all really in synch with him."

That dynamic has definitely been noticed by Shawn Riggans, Navarro's backup.

Riggans wants to play, of course, but he said the chance to work with Navarro has provided an invaluable learning experience.

"I wouldn't want to be with anybody else," Riggans said. "His mental makeup is second to none. I need more of that. Just watch him call a game, watch his energy.

"He doesn't have to be 4-for-4 to catch a great game. He can be 0-for-4, catch a great game and he's as happy as if he hit two home runs. He knows all of these guys pitchers, knows what makes them tick, knows who to pat on the back and whose ear to get in. The value of that is just enormous."

James Shields, the Rays' Opening Day starter, said Navarro's maturation is more impressive than any physical tools. Navarro was called up to the big leagues at age 20. He was viewed as a big-time prospect with the Yankees, then the Dodgers. And for a few seasons, he fell short of those expectations.

Navarro found his rhythm.

And he's only 25.

"You think about everything that has happened for him, but there's so much more that's going to happen," Shields said. "We're all growing up together."

"Things are pretty incredibly different for Navi," Maddon said. "He has taken a pitching staff to the World Series. That's not a theory or a projection - he has done that. You can see it rub off in the way he carries himself, the way he expresses himself."

Navarro sees the differences, too.

"I had a bad, bad year batting .227 in 2007, but this organization stood behind me," he said. "They saw some things in me. What happened to me maybe happened for the whole team. We were tired of being pushed around. We wanted to show that we belong, too, and we plan on staying there."

They are the words Navarro wouldn't have said two years ago.

They are the words of a new man.