Catcher Technique
Posted in Baseball
The biggest difference between playing the catcher position and every other position on the baseball diamond is the point of view that catchers have to field.
The other eight positions on the field all face the batter. But for the catcher, he plays behind the batter allowing for the techniques he needs to field certain baseballs different from those of other players.
One situation where a catcher’s technique is different from others is when he’s trying to catch a foul pop fly baseball. For infielders and outfielders, a fly ball hit in their direction basically does what it’s supposed to do. It goes up, it travels in the direction of the infielder or outfielder and then it comes down. But when a fly ball is hit in the direction of the catcher, his technique will vary vastly from that of an infielder or outfielder.
Kevin McMullan played in the New York Yankees organization before becoming a coach in the Atlanta Braves organization. Currently, he is an assistant coach for the University of Virginia baseball team where he deals directly with the catchers among other areas.
McMullan has taught several young catchers the technique of fielding a pop fly and said it all starts from knowing the batter.
“I have always said that wherever the open side is the catcher should turn that way first,” he said. “From a left handed hitter when the ball goes up in the air, open to your left.”
One of the biggest tips for catching a pop fly hit straight up in the air from the catcher position is to remember that the ball will spin back towards the infield. So in order to get in a better fielding position the catcher should turn his back to the infield to help read the backspin of the baseball.
“In a perfect world you have your back to the infield, but a lot of it depends on where the ball is hit,” McMullan said. “However, you never want to get yourself directly under the ball. You would like to be behind it where the ball is out in front of your eyes and you can work your way back at sort of a 45 degree angle.”
Situations that may prevent the catcher from getting in the proper fielding position might be on pop fly balls hit back in foul territory. It is a little more difficult to get behind, but McMullan said that there are certain techniques that can help in foul situations as well.
“If it’s hit toward the first base or third base dugout, you might need to get at an angle,” he said. “If it’s behind you, you’ll want to get your back toward the infield.”
In addition to getting your body in proper fielding position, the catcher should be aware of what he should do with his catcher’s mask. McMullan said that what the catcher should do with his mask depends on if the baseball is landing near the hitting circle at the plate.
“If the ball is in the hitting circle, the mask gets out of the circle,” he said. “If the ball is out of the circle, the mask stays in the circle. At the peak of the ball and sometimes with those medium ones, you’ll have time to throw your mask down. Ideally you can make that decision when the ball is at the top of its apex.”