OTHER CHAPTERS

The single most important thing that a catcher does behind the plate is receiving. It’s not blocking, nor is it throwing runners out. In a single game a catcher will receive anywhere from 90-120 pitches. That’s 120 opportunities for a catcher to present the pitch to the umpire so that they can make an accurate call of ball or strike. It’s also 120 opportunities for a catcher to take a perfectly good strike and present it to the umpire as a ball. 

As a catcher our focus should be on keeping strikes looking like strikes and maximizing the number of chances we get to ensure a borderline pitch is called a strike. While receiving should not be some sleight of hand magic trick that attempts to fool the umpire into calling a ball a strike, we do need to fully realize the effect on how pitches are perceived by the umpire. Please understand that we are NOT attempting to fool an umpire into calling a ball a strike. However, we also have to recognize human error is a part of this game. Umpires are going to make mistakes. It is our job as a catcher to increase the likelihood that, if an umpire is going to make a mistake, it goes in our favor rather than the hitter’s.

The single biggest problem that catchers have in receiving, throwing, blocking and fielding is an improper stance. I get countless e-mails and phone calls, from coaches at every level, asking to help fix some mechanical problem their catchers might be having. The first question I reply with is this: “Can you please send me a photo of what your catcher looks like in each one of their stances?”. Very often, just fixing the stance will address many of the issues. The human body works best when it can move efficiently. That efficiency is partially achieved by starting in a position which is balanced, powerful and athletic. Consistency with your stance can greatly increase efficiency in each skill area. 

An inefficient stance will have a negative effect on one or all of the skill areas. Our goal should always be to limit the spectrum of outcomes when it comes to anything that we are doing behind the plate, so again, consistency is key here. 

In order to achieve a strong foundation behind the plate, we advise players to use three different stances. Each stance has a defined purpose and their use will vary depending on game situations.

THE SIGN GIVING STANCE:

Sign giving is a private conversation between the catcher and their pitcher. However, we typically see catchers approaching this commonly overlooked skill in a way that leads to them giving away information about the pitch that is being called to the other team. At the end of the day, our only advantage as a catcher over the opposing team is that we know what pitch is coming and they do not. The moment we give up that advantage, we have immediately hurt our team. This isn’t as large a concern at the youth levels, but we strive to train catchers of all ages the right way to approach each skill, and understand what is expected of them at the higher levels.

Our goal when giving signs is to make sure that this private conversation between us and our pitcher stays private. We want to communicate as clearly as we can what pitch we want our pitcher to throw and where we want them to throw it.

Key points of focus for this stance:

1. The outside of the catchers feet in the stance should be no wider than the outside of the hips.

2. The knees point forward in the stance not to the side.

3. The width of the catchers knees should be no wider, nor narrower, than the width of their glove.

4. It is the only receiving position where the catchers heels are off of the ground.

5. The chest should be straight and upright to minimize the possibility of casting shadows which might impede a pitchers ability to see the sign.

6. The wrist bone of the glove hand should rest over the middle of the glove-side knee, with the glove serving as an extension of the knee. The glove should face in wide open, tilted slightly up to protect the sign from being viewed by the base coach.

7. The signing hand is tucked tight into the upper seam of the pants with the knuckle of the thumb sitting against the upper edge of the inseam, tight against the body.

8. The only part of the body that should ever move while giving the sign are the fingers.

A few common mistakes we see catchers make when giving signs are:

 1. The stance is too wide.

A stance that is too wide may allow the opposing team to see the signs. 

2. Too much movement while giving the sign. 

We often see catchers tapping the inside of their thigh to indicate pitch location to the pitcher. The problem with this is that most base-coaches will be able to see the catcher’s arm move in either direction and will be able to relay that information to the batter.

3. Pointing the sign so low below the thighs that an on-deck hitter (or teammates in an in-ground dugout) can see it. 

All of the above mistakes provide ample opportunity for the opposing team to pick up on added information like the pitch type and/or the pitch location.

The correct stance for sign giving needs to be compact and has very little movement:

THE NOBODY-ON STANCE:

With no runners on base, and less than two strikes on a batter, our only job is to present the pitch to the umpire in a way that gives them the best possible chance of making the correct call. 

The proper nobody-on receiving stance has both feet firmly planted on the ground. We aren’t sitting on our heels (that would also be very un-athletic and unbalanced), but the entire foot must maintain contact with the ground to maintain balance. The weight of our body should be mostly towards the front, or balls, of our feet. This will preserve our mobility and athleticism. Both feet are pointed outwards up the first and third baselines. 

The advantage of having the catchers stance with the feet pointing out and the heels touching the ground is that they can then shift their body with their glove across the entire width of home plate, and then some. This allows the catcher to beat the pitch to any spot with their body, as well as create a positive attack angle with their glove. This allows the catcher’s body to support the glove and avoid any excess movement after the pitch has been received.

Catchers in this stance should be as low to the ground as possible (while maintaining balance and mobility), and the glove should be presented to the pitcher away from the body, absolutely motionless prior to the pitcher beginning their motion in an effort to avoid creating any kind of distraction to the pitcher or the umpire.  

While presenting the target, the glove needs to be away from the body, but not with locked elbows. It is a soft bend of the elbow (with the elbow positioned just further forward than the front of the chest protector) and I prefer the thumb is pointed to the 3 o’clock position (or 9 o’clock for our lefties out there). This glove positioning serves as a good neutral starting point prior to the pitch. If the catcher prefers an alternative starting glove position, that is fine, but they must be consistent with it and show the pitcher the exact same look every pitch. The glove will NOT be staying there long, but it gives a consistent initial target to the pitcher.

THE THROWING HAND:

With nobody on base and less than two strikes on a hitter our only job is to catch the ball and present it to the umpire. We do not need our throwing hand for that. We must keep it safe, as it is the most vulnerable part of our body that is not protected by any equipment. If it gets hit it can be injured enough to keep us off the field for a lengthy period of time. We have to keep it safe.

Some coaches might suggest keeping this hand tucked between the hip and thigh. My only question to that would be why? What do we need our throwing hand for when our only job is to catch the ball? We don't. Keep it behind the body. Specifically behind the outside heel of our cleats. We do NOT want the hand tucked behind the catcher’s back as commonly done at the youth levels, as this position will force the bone in the front side of the catcher’s shoulder through the shoulder muscle and press it right up next to the skin. Were a ball to hit this part of the catcher’s body, they would have significantly less protection. We’re going to get hit enough. As catchers, we’re going to get bruises. But a bone bruise is an injury that can keep us on the bench for a while.

We want to maintain a relaxed fist with the tip of the thumb tucked into the hand, all five fingers loosly wrapped around it. This will ensure that the most vulnerable part of a catcher’s body (their fingers) stays as protected as possible through the pitch. We want to keep the fist loose and not cliched tightly so that if our hand slips out in the heat of the moment and gets hit, the relaxed fist will give a little upon contact. This will help prevent serious injury. When muscles and other soft tissue are relaxed they are generally less susceptible to injury.

THE RUNNERS-ON STANCE:

With a runner on base, or two strikes on the hitter, the list of our responsibilities grows. We must now consider the fact our pitcher could throw the ball into the dirt and we’ll need to block it, or the runner may attempt to steal 2B or 3B on us. Both situations require us to plan ahead and adjust the stance we set up in as a way to give ourselves every chance at either blocking the ball or throwing the runner out.

We’re going to make three distinct changes to our stance that differ from our nobody-on positioning.

1.) Our hips, instead of sinking below our knees, will come up in line with them. Our thighs should be flat, parallel to the ground.

If our hips start below our knees before a block, our body will have to go one of two directions first before we can get our knees to the ground and block the ball. The first possibility is that our hips go up. In order for our hips to clear our knees before our knees can begin going back to the ground our hips will have to move upwards. This wastes a considerable amount of time executing a skill that is very time-sensitive. The second possibility is that our hips go forward. If we don’t go up, the only way for our knees to get to the ground is for us to propel them forward. Not only will we now be moving into the ball as it hits our body, adding energy to it, pushing it away, but it’ll also take us longer to get to the ground. The quickest path between two points is a straight line. When our knees roll forward they are moving along an arc, or a curved path. This means our knees are taking a path to the ground that is longer than it has to be and delays our ability to get to the ground in time to block the ball.

2.) Our feet will spread apart by about two inches each.

This creates a wider and much more athletic stance. If our hips came up in line with our knees and our feet didn’t get wider we would be very top heavy and not very athletic/balanced. Widening our feet also gives us the added benefit of being able to cover more space laterally if the ball is thrown there.

3.) Our throwing hand will move from behind our leg to behind our glove.

For as much as we want to keep this hand out of the way behind our body with no runners on base and with less than two strikes on a hitter, that is the absolute worst location for it with runners on base or with two strikes on a hitter. If the hand starts behind our leg, and we are asked to block or throw, the throwing hand will not stay behind our leg. In an effort to get behind the glove on a block or to make a quick exchange of the ball during a throw, our throwing hand will be completely exposed in no-man’s land, vulnerable to a foul or deflected ball.

The safest location for the throwing hand to start when there is a runner on base or with two strikes on a hitter, is in front of our body, behind the glove. Now, to be clear, the hand will not sit behind the glove the entire time during the pitch. It has to go somewhere. We don’t want to follow the glove since that could force a turn of our upper body and cause us to allow our glove to be pulled out of the zone since we’d be providing no counter-force to the ball as it hits our glove. We also do not want to leave the throwing hand out in no-man’s land while our glove loads to the ground and eventually moves towards the ball. So, it has to go somewhere.

While we will talk more about the pre-pitch load of our mitt later, it is important to know that the glove needs to drop down towards the ground before we attack the pitch. This allows us to establish a positive attack angle to the ball and gives us far more control. While the glove hand motion is occurring the throwing hand needs to go somewhere. We prefer it to float halfway between the glove and the chest protector.

If the pitch results in the catcher simply receiving the ball, the throwing hand will get pulled all the way back to the chest protector. Any ball that gets fouled straight back towards the throwing hand will almost always hit the glove first. It may seem like the hand is exposed, but I assure you that the glove movement back towards the ball before a hitter has a chance to make contact with the pitch will inevitably keep the throwing hand far more protected than if it starts anywhere else.

If we realize that the ball is heading for the ground and we need to fire a block, we simply shoot the throwing hand down and tuck it behind our glove as we pull both to the ground to initiate the block.

If we see a runner attempting a steal, we will let the throwing hand float in front of the middle of our chest protector, behind our glove, to prepare to make the exchange in the middle of our chest (more on this in the throwing section) as our glove works back up to receive the pitch.

Is this a 100% foolproof method to make sure that catchers will never get hit in the throwing hand by a foul or deflected ball? Absolutely not. Unfortunately, no such way exists. But, it is the way to keep the throwing hand as safe as possible.

KEY RECEIVING CONCEPTS:

One of the most important things we teach our catchers is to visualize the strike zone through the eyes of the umpire behind you.

Once a catcher develops this view of the game, they will realize how much they can affect the “look” the umpire gets at the pitch as it crosses the plate and the moments shortly thereafter. We need to understand that a flawed approach to receiving can take a perfectly good strike and make it look like a pitch that is actually out of the zone.

It is important to note, there is a short period of time that while the umpire is tracking the ball with their eyes, that the catcher is out of their direct line of sight. This occurs when the umpire has their eyes focused on the ball leaving the pitcher’s hand and continues tracking it until just in front of the plate.

Once the catcher has called a pitch and set up, the umpire’s eyes are focused on the pitcher. Their eyes are on the pitcher throughout the entire pitching motion, and all the way up until the moment the ball is released. After the ball is released, the umpire’s eyes are following the ball. It isn’t until the last three feet of a pitch’s flight that the umpire’s eyes are going to drop down towards the catcher’s mitt. Up until that point, the catcher’s movements are very hidden from the umpire’s view.

It is during this time, from the pitcher’s release to about three feet in front of the plate, that catchers are going to beat the ball to the spot with our body and create a positive attack angle with our mitt. 

Our goal should be to keep every pitch that is anywhere near the strike zone in between our shoulders, and as close to the strike zone as possible. This allows us to maintain more control of our body, arm and our mitt as the ball is making contact with it. Our body can help support the glove arm through the impact of the pitch if it is positioned behind our glove. This allows us to minimize unwanted glove movement after pitch contact (the glove will ALWAYS move after contact no matter what - it’s our job as catchers to ensure that any movement occurs in a direction that is advantageous to our pitchers). If we are reaching outside our shoulders to receive a pitch, it is far less likely we’ll be able to control the movement of our glove at pitch contact, and could end up forcing a perfectly good strike out of the zone.

By shifting our weight, one way or the other laterally across the plate, we can ensure control of our arm and glove. This should be no more than a slight lateral shift of weight in the direction of the ball. When the umpire looks down we want them to see the ball hit the glove while it’s in between our shoulders. If the glove arm moves outside the shoulders with no weight shift, it forces the umpires eyes outside the strike zone.

Doing this allows us to take full advantage of whatever angle of attack we’ve determined will give us the best chance of keeping the strike looking like a strike. Bottom line is whether we are early, late or on time, if our glove is moving away from the middle of the strike zone as the ball contacts our glove, we are at risk of losing that strike.

Our goal should be to present the pitch to the umpire in it’s best light, while minimizing anything that could potentially lead to an umpire making a call against our pitcher. Baseball and softball are both games of human error and umpires will make mistakes. Our goal should be to minimize the number of times an umpire’s mistakes go against us and maximize the number of times their mistakes go in our favor, all the while being as respectful as possible towards the umpire. We are NEVER trying to show up an umpire.

“FRAMING”:

One of the most common techniques taught to catchers, which many coaches and players think is part of good receiving, is “Framing”. What the term “framing” actually means and what coaches or young catchers think it means are often two different things.

On one hand, there is a belief that moving a pitch which was thrown outside of the zone back towards the plate will actually turn clear balls into strikes. On the other, I have always felt that this technique is mostly insulting to the umpire. They can see the ball hit the glove, they can hear the ball hit the glove, and they aren’t stupid. So what's the point in dragging or pulling the ball somewhere it wasn't? We aren’t fooling anyone. Our goal should be to build a better relationship with the umpire by not trying to deliberately move a clear ball into the zone after it hits the glove. 

How many of you have ever heard a group of parents, or coaches for that matter, jump on an umpire’s back for making what they think is a mistake while calling balls or strikes? Now how many of you would love to be in the umpire’s shoes in those situations? I can’t imagine many of you would volunteer to take that verbal beat down.

Now, let’s be realistic about who actually has the best point of view when determining whether a pitch is a ball or strike? To be clear, it’s not the parents or the coaches sitting at a 45-degree angle and anywhere from 50-150 feet away from the plate. It’s the home plate umpire. The umpire saw the ball hit the glove, they heard it hit the glove, and then the glove moved. 

The umpire, who’s not blind, deaf or dumb, saw the glove move after the ball hit it and read the situation correctly. But the parents and coaches? All they saw was the glove hovering over the middle of home plate, wondering why the umpire called the pitch a ball. While I don’t agree with a parent or coach verbally abusing an umpire, on a certain level I can understand the discontent. 

While I don’t teach catchers to approach the position the same way like I did when I played, I can say that my best games behind the plate were a direct result of minimizing glove movement away from the strike zone. That’s how you “sell” a pitch to an umpire. Avoid any movement away from the strike zone, and you’ll have that much greater a chance of earning the call.

Now, over the years, we’ve done quite a few deep dives into the approaches that we teach and have made a fair amount of adjustments based on that research. At the end of the day, we are only ever going to be as good as our students are. As a result of that understanding, it’s important for us to always be searching for the most efficient and successful means of doing our job behind the plate.

One of the results of our research was a realization and understanding that some movement back towards the plate is a good thing. However, it must be seamless and had to start before the ball hit our glove.

I’ll explain…

After recognizing a trend in 2019 among some of the most well known catchers in MLB, I had to take a step backwards and reevaluate our approach to teaching receiving.

Interestingly enough, a few catchers who rated as some of the worst receivers in the league in 2018 all of the sudden became some of the best. The changes they made were very apparent, but went completely against what we had been teaching (ie. “Beat the ball to the spot with the glove and stick the pitch”).

You can read more about these catchers and their adjustments HERE:

The long and short of it was that each catcher’s angle of attack to the ball (the path the glove takes to the ball) had changed considerably. Most of these catchers used to start their glove inside the strike zone at pitch release, subsequently working their mitt to the spot the pitcher threw the ball to. Now, the best receiving catchers in baseball and softball today are starting their mitt below the ball and are waiting to make their move back towards the strike zone until the last possible second to ensure that their glove is NEVER moving away from the plate, and any excess movement will always be towards the center of the strike zone. While I personally do not want catchers pulling pitches multiple inches towards the strikezone, the greater evil is receiving pitches in a way that forces that post-pitch glove movement away from the strike zone.

To show you what I am talking about please see the video below demonstrating several different catcher’s approaches to pitches that are outside each part of the strike zone.

In each of these examples, the catcher starts their glove outside the strike zone and below the path of the ball. Once the location of the pitch is known, the catcher syncs up their glove movement to receive each pitch on their way back towards the strike zone with their glove. Again, we acknowledge that movement is going to happen after we receive the pitch. Our approach to receiving will determine which direction that movement occurs. Don’t get me wrong, I would prefer less movement after contact in general than is shown in some of the examples, but that tradeoff is not nearly as detrimental as we once believed. And, if given the choice, I’d choose movement towards the strike zone rather than movement away from it ten times out of ten.

What these catchers are NOT doing is stabbing at a pitch and pulling it back towards the strike zone from their shoulder. The movement is not “catch the ball THEN move the glove”, it’s “move the glove WHILE catching the ball”. They are driving their glove THROUGH the pitch and the extension of their arm through the ball allows them to finish the pitch towards the strike zone. Because of the angle they took to receive it they are able to ensure zero movement away from the strike zone.

As far as movement away from the strike zone, the most common direction I see catchers losing strikes (or possible borderline strikes) is down. I routinely see catchers who start their mitt above the ball and the only direction to go from there is down.

While this movement back towards the strike zone doesn’t necessarily guarantee that we’ll expand the zone for our pitcher, executing this approach in one smooth and seamless motion can help us earn those borderline calls that could have otherwise gone against us had we shown the umpire any glove movement away from the strike zone.

GLOVE POSITIONS:

To be very clear, our goal should not be to deliberately fool an umpire into calling a ball a strike. However, we should get in the habit of receiving pitches in a way that results in an umpire’s mistakes working in our favor. It’s about perception versus reality, and understanding what our mitt looks like to the umpire from the umpire’s point of view is the first step expanding the strike zone throughout the game. 

We want to make sure that the glove is not moving randomly while attempting to receive the pitch, so we assign a specific glove position to each part of the plate. This enables the catcher to always look deliberate and precise. When a catcher meets the ball on the way back to the strike zone, and receives the pitch in the proper glove position, they are able to present the pitch to the umpire in the best way possible and provide a consistent visual representation of each part of the strike zone. 

If were are constantly receiving pitches in a way that leaves a portion of the glove outside of the strike zone (or outside of our shoulders for that matter) we are effectively creating a situation where the umpire could read the pitch incorrectly. We want to give the umpire every opportunity to call a close pitch a strike without insulting them by actively pulling the pitch back into the zone. 

We teach three specific glove positions and each glove position correlates with a pitch location. Most pitches thrown to the catcher’s glove-side of home plate should be received with glove position “A”. Pitches thrown across the middle third of home plate are usually to be received using glove position “B”, and any pitch that crosses the catcher’s throwing hand-side of home plate should be in position “C”.

The “B” glove position, used for pitches down the middle of home plate (and occasionally on the catcher’s glove-side - to be explained later) is our “default” glove position. We are catching the top half of the ball, locking the wrist, while keeping the back of the glove level with the ground. If we are ever confused as to which glove position to use, we should always go with “B”. At the very least, we are able to show the umpire the exact height of the pitch and some part of our glove will be over home plate. 

When a pitch is thrown across the edge of the plate, it is important for us to remember to catch the “outside half” of the ball. This way the majority of our glove is closer to the middle of home plate, while the outer edge of the glove indicates exactly where the edge of the ball is. 

The “A” glove position is used for pitches to the catcher’s glove side of home plate. We are receiving the pitch out in front of our body with our wrist locked, the glove upright and turned in towards the plate. We are only going to use this glove position when we have called for a pitch to the glove side of home plate. We are going to load our mitt to the ground a little different than we would if we were expecting the pitch anywhere else. Instead of loading the thumb or web of our glove to the ground, we will load the base of the glove, or pinky, to the ground to prepare to receive the outside half of the ball. If a pitch is thrown to the glove side of the plate and we were not expecting it, attempting to catch a ball in the “A” glove position would force us to turn the tip/web of glove away from the strike zone. This will most likely cause us to pull the ball further off the plate as a result.

If the pitch is thrown to the catcher’s glove side and they weren’t anticipating it to that side, the catcher should receive the pitch in the “B” glove position. This way, they minimize the likelihood that their glove will be traveling away from the zone and some part of it will remain hovering over the plate.

The “C” glove position is used when a pitch is thrown to the catcher’s throwing-hand side of home plate. Similar to the “A” glove position, we want to catch the “outside half” of the ball with the glove extended forward. Again, we want the bulk of our glove closer to the center of the strike zone, while the edge of the glove indicates exactly where the edge of the ball is. 

There are, however, some exceptions to these rules. 

If the pitch thrown to the catcher’s glove side is thrown at a height near or above the top of the strike zone, we recommend receiving it in glove position “B”. The reason for this is fairly simple. Umpires are far more likely to give us strikes on pitches thrown off the edges of the plate than they are with pitches located up and out of the strike zone. By receiving both inside pitches at the top of the strike zone in the “B” glove position, we are showing the umpire the actual height of the pitch. The chances of a pitch in that location being called a strike is already relatively slim, so we might as well use the glove position that is most likely to earn us the call. 

A good rule of thumb is that if we aren’t sure which glove position to use, always default to the “B” glove position.

THE ONE KNEE DOWN STANCE:

A number of years ago we started to see much wider use of the one-knee-down (“OKD”) stance from catchers at the higher levels. As a result, we started seeing this approach being utilized by more and more amateur catchers, and we started getting asked about this stance regularly from catchers, parents and coaches alike. Up until recently, we were vehemently against this stance. Our reasoning was very similar to what you would hear from a lot of very experienced coaches: ”it’s lazy”.

However, a number of years ago, a long and heated discussion with former Atlanta Braves catcher Tyler Flowers sparked my curiosity and I began to look into the merits and viability of this stance as an alternative to the more traditional approaches. What that research turned up has completely reshaped how I feel about this stance, but I still do not fully align with the majority of catchers and coaches who have begun implementing this stance as the new “default” positioning for a catcher.

The fact of the matter is this: a OKD stance can be incredibly valuable to all catchers. It gives us the ability to become even more efficient with the way we receive pitches, it helps keep more strikes looking like strikes, as well as earning more borderline calls…but, IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS ONLY!

A OKD stance should NEVER be used with a runner on base or with two strikes on the hitter. It’s as simple as that. There is simply too much risk to being in that stance in critical moments of the game and not enough value gained to make the risks worth it.

If you watch any high level baseball or softball game these days, you will most likely see one or both of the two catchers defaulting to the OKD stance. Now, I have worked with athletes at the highest levels and I can tell you that most, if not all, are better at receiving from that stance. That said, those same catchers are still also very good on two feet in a traditional stance. The value added from being on one knee is very apparent, but the difference in value between receiving on one knee as compared to two feet does not offset the increased risk when considering how much more difficult it is to block out of that stance, and the value lost when considering how much a catcher’s accuracy can be affected when throwing out of that stance.

When it comes to blocking, a catcher’s lateral mobility is limited in that stance, as is their ability to adjust up to ball thrown up above their head. There is no getting around this point. Then the natural question begs: “why do athletes playing at the highest levels of the game, in the highest pressure situations, still utilize that stance as a default position if it’s so harmful to them and their team?” The answer is very simple. The benefits still outweigh the risks much of the time. However, the same cannot be said for amateur and youth catchers cannot. Why? Again, a very simple reason. Their pitching isn’t good enough and it’s not even remotely close. The frequency a professional or high level softball pitcher throws a pitch into the dirt to a location where the catcher cannot get to it because they were anchored to a spot on one knee, or throw a ball over the head of a catcher because they can’t stand up in time since they are starting with a knee on the ground, is so minimal that the added value that the OKD stance provides them while presenting pitches to the umpire is often worth the risk. At the amateur levels it’s NOT EVEN CLOSE.

I don’t care how good you may think your pitchers are, they aren’t good enough. The spectrum of pitch outcomes with an amateur pitcher is far wider than that of a professional and it’s important to understand this when determining how to provide the most value as a catcher at those levels.

Is this stance something I would advocate using? Yes, absolutely…but only in the right situations specifically with no runners on base and less than two strikes on the hitter. In those situations, a catcher that has mastered a OKD stance can provide an incredible amount of value to their pitcher and their team. By starting our center of gravity lower, the OKD stance allows us to establish an angle of attack to the ball that keeps more force behind our mitt and gives us more control than we would otherwise have receiving on two feet.

So, should catchers use this stance? YES! Should they use this stance all the time? NO! Catchers can simply be better as a whole by allowing the game situation to determine the type of stance they’ll be receiving from.

OFFSPEED PITCH RECEIVING:

Receiving offspeed pitches requires catchers to demonstrate patience, adjustability and touch.  Our goal is to receive the pitch when it is a strike, not before nor after. 

In order to become proficient at this skill, catchers will need to avoid making one of the most common mistakes when receiving offspeed pitches: following the ball with their glove rather than their eyes. 

When this happens, the catcher’s glove often ends up above the break point of the pitch and from that moment on they are chasing the ball down and will end up on top of it, likely pushing it out of the bottom of the strike zone. 

Offspeed pitches approach home plate at a far steeper angle than a fastball. In order to match the plane that the ball is traveling on as it reaches the plate, catchers must keep their glove loaded on the ground longer, not lifting it off the ground until they can be confident that the ball will hit their glove on the way up towards the strike zone.

The timing of this glove movement is completely dependent on where the break of the offspeed pitch occurs. So, we’re going to separate offspeed pitches into two different categories. One, the offspeed pitch that starts outside of the strike zone and ends inside of it if we wait long enough to receive it. The second, an offspeed pitch that starts inside of the zone and will end up outside of it unless we prevent it from doing so.

A high offspeed pitch, which we know will eventually make its way back down towards the strikezone, is a pitch we need to wait on for as long as we can. This may lead to us receiving this kind of pitch closer to our body, behind the plate, and with our arm bent. Again, our goal is to receive this pitch when it’s a strike and let the umpire make the appropriate call. If it’s not a strike until it is right in front of our chest protector, then that is where we’re going to catch it. 

On the contrary, if the pitch starts inside the zone and breaks early, heading towards the bottom of the strike zone, we need to do everything we can to make sure that we get our glove underneath the ball in an effort to catch the ball while it’s still a strike.

Check out the examples below of how to, and how not to, approach this pitch:

High offspeed pitch: INCORRECT

You can see each of the catchers below extending to the pitch too early and actually making a pitch that should have been called a strike look more like a ball.

High offspeed pitch: CORRECT

In the examples below, you will see each catcher wait until the ball has fallen back into the strike zone as much as they can before it hits their glove. Both of these pitches crossed the plate as balls, but each catcher caught the ball late enough to receive them when they were back down in the strike zone.

Low offspeed pitch: INCORRECT

Both catchers below start their glove low, but both bring them up far too early and end up above the breaking point of the pitch. This causes them to force the pitches that should have been called strikes down out of the strike zone.

Low offspeed pitch: CORRECT

In the examples below, you will see these two catchers take a better approach. Both maintain the load of their glove on the ground until the last possible second. At that point, they extend underneath and through the pitch preventing any and all glove movement away from the strike zone. Now, some people may say that there was a bit of excessive movement after contact, but I disagree. The force needed to counteract a ball traveling downward from forcing the catcher’s glove down with it is substantial, and each catcher creates whatever counter force they needed to in order to prevent any and all glove movement away from the strike zone. As a result, each catcher was rewarded with a strike on two respective pitches that should have been called balls.

RECEIVING - FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

Receiving is an art form. That much is true. But, it takes a lot of work to put into practice the approaches we’ve talked about here. This means going out of your way to get behind the plate as often as you can. One of the most important aspects to receiving is understanding what any particular pitch is going to do, but that only comes with a lot of experience. Catchers should be going out of their way to put themselves in front of their pitchers to gain that understanding.

That means in the offseason, we should be asking our pitchers if they need anyone to catch their bullpens/pitching lessons. While they are going to think we are doing them a huge favor by volunteering to catch those pitching sessions, in actuality, it’ll be the catcher who gets to put in live catching work for free. The better the rapport a catcher has with their pitcher, the better the chances they have of making their pitchers feel more comfortable with them behind the plate than another catcher. Catchers should never miss out on any opportunity to give themselves an advantage for the next time they are behind the plate.

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