Catcher

The position of the catcher

Catcher is also a general term for a fielder who catches the ball in cricket. Katcher is one of the programs which make up konspire2B

Catcher is a position played in baseball. The catcher crouches behind home plate and receives the ball from the pitcher. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the catcher is assigned the number 2 (see Baseball scorekeeping). The role of the catcher is similar to that of the wicket-keeper in cricket.

Catching is arguably the most difficult and important task in baseball. Positioned behind home plate, the catcher can see the whole field, and therefore is in the best position to direct and lead the other players in a play. The catcher typically calls the pitches by means of hand signals, and therefore requires awareness of both the pitcher's mechanics and strengths and the batter's weaknesses. In addition, because the catcher's job is to catch pitches which often come in at speeds exceeding 90 miles per hour, the catcher wears protective equipment including a mask, chest protector, knee pads, and an extra-thick glove (see photo). Because the position necessarily involves a comprehensive understanding of the game's strategic elements, the pool of catchers yields a disproportionate number of major-league managers, including such prominent examples as Mike Scioscia and Joe Torre.

Catchers virtually always throw with their right hand. Since most hitters are right-handed and thus stand on the left side of the plate, a catcher who throws left-handed would often have to avoid these right-handed hitters for most of his throws from behind the plate. Thus players who throw left-handed rarely play catcher. Lefty catchers have only caught 11 big-league games since 1901. However, some observers, including the famed statistician Bill James, have suggested that the real reason that there are no left-handed catchers is because lefties with a strong throwing arm are almost always turned into pitchers at an early age.

The critical defensive plays of catchers, aside from managing the pitcher by calling pitches and catching the ball on all pitches, include:

1. Preventing passed balls and wild pitches. Although the pitcher has the responsibility to not throw erratic pitrches, catchers must have enough mobility to field the passed ball or wild pitch appropriately to prevent base runners from taking even more bases.

2. Fielding high pop flies often hit at unusual angles.

3. Fielding weakly-hit fair ground balls (including bunts) in front of home plate to throw them to a base to complete a groundout or a fielder's choice play. The catcher must avoid hitting the batter/runner with the thrown ball.

4. Covering home plate on any play in which a baserunner attempts to score. The catcher is obliged to attempt to catch a thrown ball while preventing the runner from reaching the plate.

5. Preventing stolen bases by throwing to second base or third base to allow an infielder to tag a baserunner attempting to reach the base. A very good catcher at preventing stolen bases has a low stolen-base rate per game against him; a poor one has lots of stolen bases occurring while he catches. Even if a great defensive catcher deters all but the most effective base stealers, he keeps the double play in order by keeping a runner at first base.

6. Rarely, a catcher can make a successful pick-off throw to first base to surprise an inattentive or incautious base runner at first base. Even the attempt may cost the base runner a stride or two that may be the difference between reaching second base safely on a ground ball and being put out at second base on a fielder's choice play or a double play.

7. Rarely, a catcher can go to first base or third base on rundown plays at those bases.

Much can go wrong with any failure by the catcher. Wild pitches and passed balls are possible at any time. A failure to block the plate or dropping the ball thrown from the outfield on a play at home plate means that a run that otherwise might not occur does occur. On a throw to prevent a stolen base, a bad throw might get past the infielder and allow an advance to another base as the ball goes to the outfield.

Injury

Despite being heavily padded, catchers routinely suffer the worst physical abuse in baseball. The catcher has the physically risky job of blocking the plate from runners. Catchers are also constantly getting bruised and battered by pitches, and have a long history of knee ailments stemming from the awkward crouched stance they assume. Because of this, catchers have a reputation as being slow baserunners; even if they have speed at the beginning of their careers, the eventual toll taken on their knees slows them down. Some players who begin their career as catchers may be moved to other positions to preserve their running speed; recent prominent examples of this include Craig Biggio, B.J. Surhoff, and Dale Murphy.

With few exceptions, catchers of good-to-great ability as hitters have shorter careers than players of similar offensive value. Bill James cites as an example the contrast between Johnny Bench and Reggie Jackson, who had similar value as hitters in the peak of their careers; Bench had a career about five years shorter than Jackson. The larger the catcher, the greater the effect tends to be. No catcher has ever hit 400 career home runs or had 3000 career hits. James associates this effect with the crouch.

Catchers also have an increased risk of circulatory abnormalities in the catching hand. A study of minor-league ballplayers showed that, of 36 players in various positions, all 9 of the catchers had hand pain during a game and several had chronic pain in the catching hand. The results of catching high-speed pitches constantly causes the index finger on the glove hand to swell to twice the size of the other in some cases. Ultrasound and blood pressure tests showed altered blood flow in the glove hand of five of the catchers, a higher proportion than the other baseball positions in the study. (Ginn, et al., 2005)

Blocking Balls in the Dirt

To block balls pitchers throw on a bounce to the catcher, or "in the dirt", they will slide over, drop to their knees, and "scoop" it up. This process is often hard, depending on how fast the ball travels.

Catchers in baseball use the following equipment to help prevent injury while behind the plate:

Mask - To protect their head
Glove - Catchers use a special thick glove to lower the impact of the ball on their hand
Shin Guards - Also called spike protectors, used to prevent injury from base runners advancing home with "spikes up"
Chest Protector - Similar to a policeman's bullet proof vest, this piece of equipment protects the catcher's body from the impact of the pitch if he fails to catch it or stop it.
Protective Cup - protects the groin from pitches that might be missed.
Knee Savers- special pads which are comfortable for the catcher to rest on when in the squat position; they also provide support of the knee ligaments which can stretch and break over time
Inner Protective Glove- a glove which is worn inside of the mitt with the purpose of absorbing the shock of the pitched ball

Given the physical punishment often suffered by catchers, the equipment associated with the position is often referred to as "the tools of ignorance".

Hall of Fame Catchers

All-Star Catchers

Trivia

Mike Piazza holds the record for most career home runs as a catcher. He passed Carlton Fisk, the previous record holder, on May 5, 2004 with his 352nd career home run as a catcher.
In some parts of the United States, particularly the South, catchers are referred to as "hindcatchers". It is not clear where this term originated.
By rule [1], the catcher is the only player who is allowed to be in foul territory when a pitch is thrown.

References

Ginn TA, Smith AM, Snyder JR, Koman LA, Smith BP, Rushing J (2005). "Vascular changes of the hand in professional baseball players with emphasis on digital ischemia in catchers". Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. 87 (7): 1464–9. PMID 15995112.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links