Blocking baseballs with Joe Girardi

Joe Girardi has some tips and drills for young catchers on blocking balls.
And coaches... don't use real baseballs!

[@Kharmatos13]

This show is like the best thing in sports. They're teaching. One they're teaching current players how to do the thing but they're also teaching new fans or even old fans things they didn't know about the game which makes the game more exciting and interesting because it helps you identify the small stuff that we didn't notice before because we just didn't know. Fantastic job, team.

[@Nnamrc]

Well said.

[@jefffinkbonner9551]

I think this is one of the foundational pillars of how major league baseball needs to market it’s product: teaching the fundamentals of the game and educating fans. Baseball is a sport that goes from nice ambiance to magical once one can recognize some of the subtle nuances of the game.

[@Ben-il3oc]

Wish this stuff was Available during my youth. My coaches only cared about winning and not development.

[@kaiman5359]

Next day Cashman calls Girardi: Hey, Gary needs your help. Girardi just hangs up on him.

[@TheNegativeDude]

Garys recent troubles with passed balls are due to him trying to frame pitches. Wouldnt have happened with Girardi in charge.

[@TheForeverRanger]

Really liking Joe on here. Great insight and he won't be unemployed as a manager for long.

[@CatchingIQ]

such a great understanding of the position...great eye to recognize the difference in Freitas stances!

[@jefffinkbonner9551]

Seems like that’s a way of tipping pitches. Couldn’t a batter just glance at the catcher’s stance and basically know whether it’s going to be a fastball or breaking ball?

[@CatchingIQ]

@@jefffinkbonner9551 if you set up late, the hitter won't have time to look at you and then look back for the pitch.

[@TheJjv10789]

Way to teach freaking fundamentals!! Love it 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@artdeco64]

From someone who’s not really a baseball guy, I really enjoy these; helps me, not so much understand, but appreciate the game more.

[@josephrawe4423]

This reminds me of when I was a kid. I had a pitch back in my basement and I’d throw tennis balls into it for hours. As I got older (10-12) I figured out I needed to learn to blocks balls so I started by throwing them at the top of the pitch back so they would come flying down into concrete at me and bounce hard at weird angles. I started with full gears, then shin guards and mask, then just shin guards. When the game came, it was instinct to hit the dirt and block the ball... ahh, memories.

[@-Jansen155]

Girardi is a solid addition to the MLB Network crew, after being unfairly let go from the Yankees.

[@danielcirincione3812]

Shaby15v how he was not a good manager with the yankees, they one only 1 world series with him

[@tinyman520]

Issa Lil Mop he always done a good job I thought, he cared for his players as it showed because he always defended them and would be always try to run out and get tossed before letting a player regardless if they were wrong or right.

[@blhrm5]

? Joe was a fantastic manager. He was let go because he IS a manager, not a front office puppet like Boone is.

[@tinyman520]

Houston Snelbaker I hope this is Boone’s only season...

[@alto3386]

It wasn't his fault, Alex Rodriguez never showed up in the postseason, except for 2009, for example

[@KTF0]

Catcher is such a cool position. My coach at the time told me my knees were too wobbly for the position.

[@ToddieBender]

Tony Pena should give a lecture he was an unreal ball blocker

[@kingtrav]

Great video. Loved the bit at the end from Ripken

[@y.sasuke451]

you’re so correct about it being an instinct it absolutely is. when you’re like 11-12 and they get you to try to block the ball you’re going to WANT to block the ball but your instinct is to pick or get out of the way. once you do it a couple times in a game, you might block every ball in the dirt for a month straight. it’s straight up instinct you’re absolutely correct (that’s how it was for me and my peers)

[@larrymoore6640]

Growing up I used a pitch back screen and sponge rubber balls. The pitch back was the best thing Dad brought me. It was enjoyable and very helpful.

[@ShoeAlmighty]

my god. MLB network has by far the best content of any of the sports networks. It's not just clueless analysts and a random hot girl they found reading a script. It's former players doing REAL analysis of the game and teaching people new to baseball how things are done and breaking complicated concepts down. amazing.

[@jefffinkbonner9551]

Well said! This is what the game needs. People only say baseball is boring because they don’t understand the game. Great segments like this help to bring more people into appreciating the game.

[@mr.smithgnrsmith7808]

And they don’t have runway “models “ trying to tell us about the game of baseball….

[@ShoeAlmighty]

@@mr.smithgnrsmith7808 agreed!

[@TheArtOfDean]

Over 40 years of watching baseball, and I never knew this about catcher's stances.

[@emmanuelhuertas9566]

Joe!!!! 👍🏻

[@johnpestano22]

so that's why catchers spread their legs to call a pitch for a breaking ball never knew that interesting so when their legs are closed it's a strike for a fastball or some other pitch.

[@dirtymikeandtheboyz2570]

John Pestano you still have to be careful if there are runners on base... They can tip batter with next pitch coming to them so catcher needs to fake stances as well... All a mind game

[@mkeets]

John Pestano Yes, catchers generally widen their stance and slightly lift their hips in anticipation of a runner stealing and/or a pitch in the dirt.

[@johnpestano22]

oh i see well i didn't know much about the catcher's position until i watch this video so i understand now why they have the stances they have when they call a gm.

[@dagruddicker22]

closed legs butt low = less mobility to block. wide legs butt high = easy fall for blockballs and easy movment left and right. like a position player, a catcher must get set and be ready before the pitcher throws. small target (closed catching stance with no butt height) he expects an easy straight pitch like a fast ball to catch. catcher needs to save his energy to catch a complete game.

[@dagruddicker22]

@@dirtymikeandtheboyz2570 stance has nothing to do with pitch. it has to do with saving energy to play a full game as a catcher. closed stance butt low means he expects an easy straight pitch to cacth like a fasball or change up. wide stance with butt high means we are going to move laterally and maybe drop to the ground small closed off stance means he doesnt expect to move or drop to the ground to block the ball pitch does not dictate stance if a runner is on he should have had a wide stance with butt in the air to ensure proper blocking mechanics and have range dude screwed up and should have been ready Ripken is right you should have a consistent stance and you adjust for different reason such as runner on or runner going

[@soundhead18]

Great information ❤

[@briansmith5758]

I was a first baseman on days when I didn't pitch. Our coaches used the same type of technique to make us learn when to stretch and dig a ball or get off the bag and stop the runner. They would also wait until the last minute and scream 1st & 3rd up one and 1 out...then have someone throw the bad ball so we learned situational baseball and it became second nature.

[@paintview7911]

Girardi will always be my favorite Yankees manager.

[@djsiyreful]

Joe Torre still tops him. Joe was business.

[@Catcher34]

Turf field are a catchers nightmare the ball bounces why higher and moves more I remember catching on turf and having to stand up a couple times a game to block a baseball

[@krakenmetzger]

I really like hearing Joe Girardi, he should do commentary on live TV.

[@kingofcrusades3684]

Great video

[@TheLockdownKidNYC]

Wouldn't those different stances also serve as pitch tipping?

[@gallonthegreat7036]

Miss this guy managing my Yankees

[@dagruddicker22]

MY COACH TOOK A FUNGO BAT AND BUCKET OF BALLS AND I WENT 3 ROUNDS. I WAS IN FULL GEAR. after that drill i was never scared of getting hit with a ball again, not even when i was at bat, which helpped my hitting and bruised my left arm and back up.

[@lambon123]

Best show ever. Better than netflix

[@tigersfan14]

As a Tigers fan (hence my username) I HATE the yankees but I gotta say... Joe Girardi has always been a class act and an excellent manager. He knows baseball better than anyone and I respect his opinions. Glad he is finding success after the yankees.

[@sylvialuevano7461]

tigersfan14 as a Yankees fan, thanks! We miss him a lot

[@jacobrichardson1952]

Yankees and Tigers that's tough love.

[@Big_Steve11]

let's go joe

[@manny5186]

god damn this is so fucking cool i wish schools had classes like this

[@dape8993]

Terrific material. You would never get this type or quality of information from a sabermetrics/analytics clown.

[@askjrvbjkrfbvhjbdjf]

too bad he didnt pass this information to Sanchez...

[@mes98yng22]

DonJZA Or maybe Sanchez didn’t listen. That’s possible as well.

[@askjrvbjkrfbvhjbdjf]

true, but i'd listen if i want to stop losing games for my team

[@cadel7264]

Analytics has its place. But so does coaching the fundamentals obviously lol. Both can exist...

[@CSDonohue11]

That was just beautiful.

[@myfbusters]

The art of getting hit with a baseball

[@emilyvictoria5706]

I was taught to change your stance based on baserunners.

[@heydenleekley4757]

Seeing Dozier in a Twins uniform... Too soon guys, too soon.

[@sylvialuevano7461]

Bring him back, my Yankees need him, specifically Sanchez

[@jkilla3651]

Damn I miss joe. Wish he was still the manager of the Yankees. So much better than boone

[@jacobrichardson1952]

I know how you feel. If you seen Boone ejected the ghost of Joe Girardi was there.

[@robertharvey9047]

rutgers stadium baseball

[@RJN9008]

I purchased full catchers gear for my nephew (he's only in tee ball right now, but wants to be a catcher) and have been using tennis balls to get him ready for coach pitch next year. He told his coach(who will probably be his coach next year as well) and he told my brother-in-law that he should be using real balls because they "react differently." He's 5 years old, and this guy is going to be bouncing baseballs at him to block in less than a year. This guy and I may end up needing to have a talk.

[@CSDonohue11]

na1led_1t Show him the last minute of this video

[@jordanmcvey6565]

In high school, we always use incredi-balls.

[@robertharvey9047]

mariners stadium

[@ruckus1713]

Girardi is great when he's not setting lineups or making pitching changes.

[@prestongiles2513]

Note to self buy incrediballs

[@vivalaronco]

He wasn’t unfairly removed he lost the yanks the game before the World Series

[@joshuariston2924]

I hope the Orioles...or someone hires him.

[@steven1boricuavideo]

Giradi looking for a job

[@Bigshow-jy4mq]

Look how poorly.gary sanchez plays without.giradi now....but he "too hard on him"

[@mr.smithgnrsmith7808]

Girardi apparently loves himself a small package….

[@Ihateusername900]

I miss Joe as the yankee manager

[@jacobrichardson1952]

Yea the way he gets angry at the umpires had me crackin up