Jason Kulp, an officer for Columbus Division of Police, has added a new uniform to his wardrobe for the summer.
Kulp has been named the Columbus Clippers’ bullpen catcher and will be in right field this season. With the position comes the opportunity to catch for the pitchers of the Cleveland Indians’ minor league affiliate and have one of the best seats in the house for all of the home games. His main responsibilities include warming pitchers up in the bullpen and catching for pitchers on their off days.
Kulp, who grew up in Columbus, played baseball for four years and majored in criminal justice at Tiffin University before graduating in 2010. He then chose to return to Columbus to join the police department.
Kulp’s favorite part of his new job for the Clippers is being able to call himself part of the team.
“Just being out here and seeing these guys play. I mean, I’ve been playing for so long … it’s just good to be back out on the dirt,” he said.
But Kulp is no stranger to the Columbus Clippers. He can remember going to Clippers games when the team played at Cooper Stadium before switching to the Huntington Park in 2009.
The opportunity to become the bullpen catcher was presented by fellow officer and teammate on the Columbus Police Department’s baseball team, Scott Polgar. Kulp jumped at the opportunity and within a day had tried out and gotten the job. Having two jobs could be overwhelming, but Kulp seems unfazed by the busy summer ahead of him. He described it as a “pre-work activity” and admitted it will time-consuming, but was sure it would be well worth it.
George Robinson, director of clubhouse operations for the Clippers, said Kulp is adjusting well to the new job.
“He’s fitting in very well. He’s a very polite young man, pretty cordial and that’s the kind of people we need. And he wants to be here,” Robinson said.
Columbus Clippers pitcher Scott Barnes threw to Kulp and was happy with what he saw.
“Sometimes you can tell (from) throwing a few pitches to them whether or not they’ve had some experience,” Barnes said. “He seemed like he handled himself well and I look forward to throwing to him this year.”