Norwood Little League to BC Baseball: An Interview with Catholic Memorial's John Gorman

Norwood resident and Catholic Memorial School senior John Gorman has developed into one of Greater Boston’s top baseball prospects. The pitcher and third baseman committed to continuing his career at Boston College during his junior year and spent last summer playing baseball across the country – including in Yankee Stadium and Tropicana Field – with other top-ranked national prospects. As Gorman and the CM Knights prepare to defend the Catholic Conference title they won last season (though they lost to conference rivals Xaverian in the South Sectional finals), we took the opportunity to talk baseball with one of Norwood’s more impressive athletes.

Patch: You spent last summer in an exhaustive manner, playing baseball all over the country against America's top high school talent, in front of Major League scouts. You were even able to play in Yankee Stadium and at Tropicana Field. Tell us about that experience. 

John Gorman: It was all really exciting. I mean, I couldn't have asked for anymore playing at all those venues with some of those kids. It's something I'll never forget, and it really prepared me for what's going to come next year after high school and in the future.

Patch: These days, a player playing at your level who's still finding success both at-bat and on the mound is considered pretty rare. Do you have a preference?

JG: I don't, really. People ask me all the time. I want to do both as long as I can, and whatever people pick for me is what I'll do. It really doesn't matter, I have no preference either way. I love doing both.

Patch: Which will you be focusing on at Boston College?

JG: They told me I'm going to do both for as long as I can, and if scouts say, "We want you pitching," or, "We want you at third," then I'll turn into that and focus on that. But for now I'm going to go there and do both for as long as possible.

Patch: Any Major Leaguers you model your game after?

JG: I would say from a work ethic and having intensity on the field, I'd probably say [Red Sox third-baseman] Kevin Youkilis. I have a similar body type and position type to him. So as a position player, I really like how he takes every at-bat like it's his last and really focuses on that. On the mound, there's not really one pitcher. I'd like to say I have a [Phillies ace] Roy Halladay mentality. I mean, I don't have his type of stuff, but I go out there every time trying to pick corners and I don't plan on giving up a hit every time I go out there. He always has types of games where he's going to go out and dominate for seven innings and that's something I try and do every game, though I may not have similar stuff to what he has.

Patch: How has Catholic Memorial helped hone you on and off the field?

JG: The biggest thing that CM has done is help me grow more as a person. I really grew up in my six years at CM mentally and athletically. It really made me want to work harder, seeing some of the kids that were ahead of me and that got to play high Division I ball, and the competition I had freshman year by having the opportunity to play on varsity and seeing the kids I had to compete with, it really helped me work hard in the offseason and allowed me to improve in the past couple years. Hopefully I'll do the same this year.

Patch: Any team and individual expectations this spring?

JG: As a team, nothing short of a state championship and conference championship would be acceptable. We have a lot of guys coming back, a lot of expectations. The last couple years have been a huge disappointment, losing to Catholic Conference teams in the South Sectional finals. Anything short of those goals would be a huge disappointment for us. And, individually, looking forward to leading our team to those goals. I'm trying to lead the team on the field, because people are going to be watching our team a lot this year, because we have high expectations, so I need to be a strong leader on and off the field, and continue to improve on the field.

Patch: How did the Norwood baseball programs, like Little League and Babe Ruth, help you develop as a player?

JG: The biggest part was having my dad [John, Sr.] as a coach because my dad's my biggest critic. He's tougher on me than anybody. If I ever did anything wrong in practice, I'd always be the kid who had to run and run more if I said anything about it. It really made me tougher mentally. And by the time I got to Babe Ruth, it was more just growing as a player. They didn't do anything to try and change me, they just let me develop, and I was able to work on the small parts of my game.

Patch: What brought you to the decision to head to BC?

JG: Honestly, since I was like five, BC was where I wanted to go. Since I started going to football and basketball games when I was younger. I just fell in love with the place. For me, it was a pretty easy decision, because that's where I wanted to go my entire life.

Patch: So it's reasonable to assume you're looking forward to it. What specifically are you excited about?

JG: As a local school, I'll have a lot of pride in playing New England baseball even though it doesn't get a lot of respect. I'm going to try and go there and gain more national respect, not just for BC but for the entire New England, Northeast area. It's looked down upon a lot. So I just want to try my best to build a legacy at BC, and all over this area, because that's pretty important to me.