Alabama Catcher Dominic Tamez is Turning Question Marks into Exclamation Points

Following the conclusion of the 2021 college baseball season, Alabama had question marks at multiple positions. The question at the catcher position, though, was arguably the greatest of all.

Spending four years with the Crimson Tide, First Team All-SEC catcher Sam Praytor was drafted last summer in the sixth round by the Miami Marlins. Not only a solid fielder at the position, Praytor's bat was one of the best in the Alabama lineup from the first time he stepped behind home plate in 2018.

With Praytor having departed the program, head coach Brad Bohannon was left with the task to fill the void. He admitted as much with an exclusive interview with BamaCentral.

“Going into this season, the catching position is a huge question mark just losing an All-Conference three-year starter in Sam Praytor,” Bohannon said.

However, Alabama might have found an answer: JUCO transfer Dominic Tamez.

"Dom had a tremendous fall," Bohannon said. "He hit seven home runs and did a good job of catching and throwing and even though he’s new, he’s probably as equipped as a new kid could be to be acclimated here. He did spend a year at Arkansas, he played in the JUCO College World Series and won a national championship — one of the best JUCO programs in the country — and played in the Cape Cod League over the summer.

"So he’s got some really good experience, it’s just not Alabama experience or playing in SEC games. But he’s a skilled player and he’s another kid that just socially fit in right away and has done a great job and we’re expecting big things out of him.”

As Bohannon mentioned, Tamez brings a lot of experience with him despite having limited experience in the SEC. During his prep years at Claudia Taylor Johnson High School in San Antonio, Texas, Tamez was the No. 308 recruit in the nation according to Perfect Game and was a PG Underclass Preseason All-American in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Tamez spent his freshman season at Arkansas, but COVID-19 ended his season with the Razorbacks earlier than he expected.

"My freshman year I committed to Arkansas,” Tamez said. “I was one of the first commits to commit there. I loved Arkansas. I loved everything about it. Coach [Dave] Van Horn, coach [Nate] Thompson — all those guys — they were all great to me. So it was the COVID year when I was there, and I left because Casey Opitz the catcher there, he was supposed to get drafted but the COVID year was only a five-round draft and I needed to play, so that’s when I decided to go to Junior College.”

Tamez left Arkansas and joined McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. While there, he helped lead his team to its second JUCO World Series title. Over the course of the season, Tamez posted an impressive .380 batting average with 17 doubles, three triples and 12 home runs across 61 games. He also added 62 RBI and 41 runs while being walked 31 times and stealing three bases.

In the championship game against Central Arizona, Tamez accounted for four hits, including a home run in the 7-3 Highlanders victory.

Following his success in Waco, Tamez had the opportunity to return to Arkansas. However, he instead opted for a change in scenery with a new program: Alabama.

“I had an opportunity to go back to Arkansas — but Coach Bo wanted me to come to Alabama, and we had known Coach Bo for a little while and he’s a great guy and everything he told me was great,” Tamez said. “I think he has really helped me understand what a true SEC school means.”

Tamez added that Bohannon was a crucial element in his decision to come to Alabama as well as the facilities in Tuscaloosa.

“It was also because of the environment," Tamez said. "The baseball field is nice, the indoor [facility] is nice and I knew a couple of people coming in here as well.”

During Alabama's first official spring practice session and scrimmage, Tamez displayed a solid bat during batting practice. While his hitting is certainly a key aspect of his game, his fielding is also solid.

For a young player that models his game after St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, Tamez does a decent job of representing his childhood hero.

“He’s been kind of a role model ever since I was able to understand baseball,” Tamez said. “I’ve always watched Yadier Molina. He’s a great catcher, a great leader — he’s always been one of the guys that I look up to.”

While catcher might have been a question mark following the 2021 season, that question mark has been turned into an exclamation point by Tamez. While Praytor's shoes at Alabama are certainly big ones to fill, Tamez is well-suited for the challenge and has the opportunity to make a big impact for the Crimson Tide this season.

After explaining that his top goal is to help lead Alabama to its first College World Series title, Tamez took a second to let Crimson Tide fans know what they're getting from him as a player in an Alabama uniform.

“I bring a lot of energy, a lot of leadership, a lot of fun,” Tamez said. “I mean, I love having fun. When I’m on the field, I’m kind of a totally different person. I’m more serious, but I still know how to have a lot of fun. I try to work as hard as I can. No days off, and even off the field I try to do some baseball stuff mentally just to be focused and not take a day off from baseball. I mean, it’s a job.

"And also, to be as great of a teammate as I can. I try to be a team guy and involve everybody. If someone’s down, I always pick them up. But for me, to work hard and grind and have fun.”

⬛️ ♦️ Get to Know ♦️ ⬛️@dominic_tamez #RollTide | #GVT pic.twitter.com/18tre3zdPF
— Alabama Baseball (@AlabamaBSB) January 19, 2022