At the dish or behind it, Pat Winkel is making an impact

Pat Winkel fell in love with catching over unusual circumstances.

When he was about 9 years old, head lice was running rampant in Winkel’s hometown of Orange, Conn. Pat’s mom, Marcy, bought him his own personal catcher’s mask so he wouldn’t share a mask with anyone.

"I thought it was the coolest thing ever," Winkel said. "Little by little, I started playing it, and I was one of the only kids that wanted to get in front of the ball and get hit with it. Naturally, they stuck me back there, and ever since then it’s been my favorite position."