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Article Series: Baseball
Teach Me About Baseball
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Catcher’s Guide To Establishing Pitches
To anyone unfamiliar with baseball, catchers
may look like they have the easiest job on the field; they
crouch down, catch the ball, and toss it back to the pitcher.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Aside from playing
just about every position on the field as they chase pop-ups,
bunts, foul balls, and protect home plate, they are also the
voice of the coach out on the field. Because they are the only
players who can keep an eye on the whole field of play, they
must communicate defensive decisions to all the other players.
Though the catcher’s communication with the all the players
is importance, the most important communicating they
do during a game is communicating with the pitcher. The catcher and pitcher
must make complicated game decision together, without saying
a word. Establishing pitches is an absolutely necessity for
both players.
From a catcher’s perspective, they must establish with the
pitcher, which pitch to throw without any other the opposing
teams players seeing and decoding the catcher’s signals. Pre-game
communication is of course important for this to happen smoothly.
The catcher and pitcher should both agree upon and fully understand
which hand signal means what and be able to act accordingly,
and they must be able to communicate without allowing anyone
else to see. There are a few methods the catcher can use to
accomplish this. The catcher should shield their hands from
the view of the third base coach by placing their glove on
the outside of their left knee before signaling. To obscure
the first base coach’s view, the catcher should point their
right knee directly at the pitcher before signaling. The signals
should be done between the catcher’s legs, at about groin level.
Any lower or higher, and the signs may be visible to the other
team. The signals should be done with the fingers spread as
widely as possible, to make it easier for the pitcher to read.
The catcher should have two
sets of signals they use to communicate
with the pitcher. If there are no runners on base, the catcher
can signal which pitch to throw using just one hand sign. If
there are runners on base, or if the hitter keeps trying to
catch a glimpse of the signals, the catcher should use a more
complex system. They can signal to the pitcher using a series
of signals instead of just one, with the agreed upon number
of signal being the real message. For instance, if they agree
in advance that the second sign is the intended sign, then
when the catcher signals fastball-curveball-change, the pitcher
understands to throw a curve ball. Of course, the system must
not be so complex that either catcher or pitcher will struggle
to remember it in the heat of the game! The simpler the system,
the better; it should be only complicated enough that other
side will not have time to decode it.
The pitcher can confirm the catcher’s direction or make an
alternative suggestion with signals as well. A simple nod of
the head or tip of the hat may be enough to communicate with
the catcher that the pitcher plans to follow directions. If
they want to be sure they have understood the catcher’s signals,
or if they want to make an alternate suggestion, they can signal
back a different kind of pitch. There are some widely used
pitcher signals, like moving their glove up and over their
chest area means a pitcher is going to throw a curve ball or
showing the catcher their glove, palm side up, and then moving
it close to their chest means the pitcher is planning on throwing
a change. Of course, these pitcher signals can also be used
to confuse the hitter, as long as the pitcher and catcher have
agreed on a system before the game.
The catcher must determine the pitch by understanding the
players coming up to bat and taking into account their own
team’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as game specific circumstances,
like how many runners are on base and how many outs they have.
In this way, the catcher really does carry the weight of the
team on their shoulders. Establishing pitchers is one of their
most important responsibilities.
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2008
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