Youth baseball: What to look for in a catcher
Having a great catcher is a serious asset to a baseball team at any level. It doesn’t matter how good your pitcher and the rest of your defense is, if the catcher is lousy you have a real problem. This begins as soon as kids start pitching, at this point we need to start viewing the catcher as an important position and recruiting/developing accordingly. This post will cover some qualities that a good catcher needs.
Good decisions
Catchers need to be able to make good decisions and they need to do it quickly in a game. They are the only position that sees the entire field. They call pitches, call pickoffs, make throw downs, and even direct the defense in certain situations – so they need to be able to make good decisions. For example, if base runners are on first and third we don’t want a throw down or pickoff move to first base because the runner on third is going to come in and score.
Resilient
Catching is difficult. It’s hard on the legs, requires constant concentration, requires explosive movements, can involve contact with base runners, and means getting hit by the ball when blocking. It takes a special kind of person to thrive under these situations.
Good thrower
Throwing accurately is such an important skill for a catcher. If they can’t make a good throw back to the pitcher then base runners will run. If they make a bad throw on a throwdown then the runners will run and maybe even score. A catcher who can’t throw is a liability to a team
Hard worker
Catchers have to execute a myriad of skills well. They have to put in time to work with different pitchers smoothly. They have to learn the game well enough to make good decisions. And they never get to take a defensive play off mentally or physically. This means you need a really hard worker as a catcher.
Quick learner
Every pitcher is different, they all have stronger pitches and weaker ones. Catchers have to learn this to be able to treat each pitcher differently and call things based upon the pitcher’s strengths. If we know the batters then we factor that in too. Sometimes we have to make up signs on the fly right before a game if we have a pitcher guest playing for us at a tournament. Plus we have to recognize defensive situations. This requires someone that can learn quickly and be adaptable.
Fundamentally sound
Catchers have to be able to catch, frame, throw, block, chase down passed balls, and make explosive throwdowns to the bases. All of these skills have to be practiced until they are second nature. Athletes that are incapable of learning the skills won’t be assets as catchers, even as youth catchers.
