Hanigan a philosophical catcher

ST. PETERSBURG -- Ryan Hanigan majored in philosophy in college and completed all of his core classes toward his degree.

While the Rays' catcher explained that he did so with the idea of going to law school, he also enjoyed the subject.

"I was always into it, even in high school when they wouldn't offer those types of classes. On my own, I was interested in it," Hanigan said. "For me, it's always whenever I'm interested in something, then I'll want to know everything about it.

"You're basically looking at the history of early Western thinking all the way through. Pretty much it's how I went through it, and that's kind of how I approach everything. Start at the bottom and work your way to the top in terms of understanding it at its most basic level."

Hanigan noted that there were many applications of philosophy in regard to baseball, but he added: "I don't dwell on it too much."