Characteristics of Great Catchers in Baseball

Learn great catching tips for baseball catchers who want to be their best. What DOES it take to be a great catcher? More development help in my new book, Clean Your Cleats 👉 amzn.to/3evISyN
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Signs with a runner on second base: • Catcher Sign Systems w...
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[@DanBlewett]

Did I miss any traits? Leave a comment below

[@tucoblondy1643]

Catchers also need to be body language experts when the batter steps in .

[@DanBlewett]

agree!

[@laurarosesheppard]

Catchers need to be social, and build a rapport with the umpire. It's really important, and it's a two way street with the umpire, both parties have to contribute. As much as we umpires strive for total neutrality, a friendly rapport with buy you better answers when you want to know where a ball missed, and maybe even buy you a better chance at a strike call on that edge pitch that could go either way. A catcher's number one job is to protect the umpire at all costs from being hit, but building that trust also comes from social skills.

[@kurtnevermind9683]

Good comment. ... but I'm not a big fan of asking "where the ball missed". As a catcher (and also as a pitcher) I usually have a pretty good idea where it missed. When it's high in the zone (but still in), and it's called a a ball, the umpire probably disagrees with "stilli n the zone" and the answer is ... well, it was too high. Oftern catchers and especially pitchers pose that question, just to kind of ... articulate theit disagreement. And also when it comes to framing pitches; as a catcher there are many pitchers that I don't even try to frame 'cause they are too far off anyway. I'm worried that the umpire would almost take it as an insult. ^^

[@kyleschnichels4983]

Your comment on catching reflexes, about how quickly they have to be, ties into your emphasis on catching bullpens. The best way I can explain it, from my limited experience and talking to amateur teammates who have caught at the collegiate level, is that you don’t react as much as you anticipate. After seeing enough pitches from a particular guy, you learn to pick up on where the pitch is going (and if you need to catch or block the ball) as the pitcher releases the ball. And, as you said, the only way to learn this for each pitcher a catcher works with is to catch a lot of bullpens and treat those bullpens like catching in a game.

[@ricky5369]

Reflexes are 10000% built on practice. I don't think anyone is built with superhuman reflexes to catch fast pitches, they just have to have intuition from practicing 10000 pitches.

[@av8tordonny398]

My son is a catcher heading into his freshman year of HS. You hit them all, but the Xfactor is definitely guts or grittiness as you say. I’ve known kids that are quicker and have better arms even, but they won’t dare don the gear in and get back there. It takes a special person to be in a squat, in the heat, geared up, touching the ball more than anyone on the team, having balls thrown at you that are in the dirt, up high to the side etc, all while a deadly weapon is just inches from your head. And like you said, the catcher is expected to be on at all times, and in every play. Love your videos!

[@ms19027]

This was exactly what I was looking for! Thank you👊🏿

[@CatchingIQ]

Great stuff Dan... one of the biggest separators between good catchers and great catchers is their mobility, at least on the physical side. If catchers lack mobility they'll lack speed and quickness from every position. Appreciate your take on the catching position.

[@stanleysmith8943]

Great words. I caught for years. He's spot on!

[@kevinlatham9033]

Great content as always, best baseball advice I have ever heard! Love Dans content

[@jclongaphie]

You need tough knees. I would fill in as catcher once in a while and would always be amazed how these boys were able to take a crouched position so often and for so long.

[@bb1039]

nice , first good low key real baseball talk. as I understand the catcher is kinda the key stone to baseball, without a solid catcher your game will fall apart

[@Datruth330]

On point.

[@MiguelHernandez-tz4ml]

You need flexibility as well. Your size can get in the way of catching and framing pitches, so flexibility is useful. The moment you flip the glove down, there is a high likelihood that pitch will get called a ball. If you can keep your glove up to catch those lower pitches, you'll help your pitchers get more called strikes. This means you need to be able to crouch a bit lower on those pitches to try and sell the strike. Think Tony Peña.

[@zsmokey9931]

Very good info!

[@DanBlewett]

Thanks!

[@kyleschnichels4983]

I’d love to see a video on pitch sequencing and how to teach that to younger players. When do you pitch backwards? When do you call for a breaking ball in the dirt compared to in the zone? I feel I’ve learned a lot from playing MLB The Show and experimenting with different strategies and testing them out in my own games, but it would be nice to learn a few tips from someone with professional experience. Understanding what pitches to call and when seems to be a dying art with so many coaches calling pitches from the dugout, especially when catchers have the best view of what the hitter in the box is trying to do.

[@DanBlewett]

I have videos on all of those things. search my channel. I also have an online course called Ace of the Staff that goes deep into the weeds on pitching strategy.

[@kevinlatham9033]

Thanks!

[@DanBlewett]

Welcome! Thanks Kevin!

[@VegasGuy1975]

This was a great video to watch as a casual dad who is just starting with helping his son with pitching. I figure if he’s going to get good at pitching, I better get at least decent at catching if I’m going to be helpful in the off-season when his catcher is taking. Break from baseball. Thanks for this great content Dan.

[@DanBlewett]

Yeah, its a good investment to grab a face mask and pair of shin guards. You can hop out of the way pretty easily from a high squat position, but breaking balls will often chase you and catch you on the lower leg. Chest protectors arent too necessary if you're nimble enough to start bailing when you see the ball is headed for the dirt, but a mask and shins make for a much less stressful experience. I've caught a lot of pens that way

[@VegasGuy1975]

@@DanBlewett you hit the nail on the head. A full catchers set is under the tree and will be put to good use quite soon. I figure I’m getting older and I don’t need any ball strikes to the face to make me uglier to boot. 😂

[@charlielajeunesse78]

I have a question as i recently watched your create your own baseball workout video. I have a bench but one that can’t incline and was wondering if doing a normal row on a bench will still be good because I am unable to do a chest supported one. Thanks

[@thomasexum9877]

Great video 😊👍

[@DanBlewett]

Thank you 👍

[@fuzzbuzz2968]

As a 16-year-old catcher catching high 80's, I can say it's tough, but it's weird, the days when its hottest, I tend to push my limits to a whole new dimension of play. For example, I was in a tourney in Indiana and it was 40 degrees. I had just caught all the bullpens and the other catcher got taken out so I went in. One of my best catching performances ever, making some very extreme crazy blocks.

[@Chad-mc5hk]

I've had people tell me that my catcher daughter is as "tough as nails". My response was - "nails aspire to be as tough as her".

[@kurtnevermind9683]

Hey! Thanks for your video; I've been bingewatching your videos the last week, when I was sick. So just as an idea/request for some content for catchers: you one made a video about dealing with powerhiters (as a pitcher). But maybe you can do some content about dealing with them as a catcher too; questions like: how to read the hitters; how to find out at least some weaknesses, how to deal with the situation that of cousre pitching is hard an pitchers simply can't always deliver what you expet them to, and the rosters are also limited. I'm playing in Austria (very, very, very low level) and here sometimes "being a good pitcher" means "being able to throw the ball into the zone" - and everything moe than that is kind of ... a bonus. So when you meat a team that can hit it's kind of frustrating Do I call a pitch at the corner so that it's harder to hit (and then get a ball 50% of the time) or do I request ... a fastball/curveball in the middle of the zone and then get big hits. Stuff like that; so ... pitchcallings and reading the batters. And maybe - I know it's not exactly your target group - maybe some content for "old players"? I'm 36, I've been catching "a lot" (in Austrians terms of "a lot"; US is of course a different world); but it gets a bit harder; the feed are getting tired faster, is there something more than "just try to stay fit"? :D And maybe: how to hold runners/read runners/deal with runners from the catchers perspective. I know that's even more the fielders and pitchers responsibility, but maybe there is stuff that I can do? ... like when to use Pitch-Outs, when to throw a catcher-pich-Off (which can in fact be risky at my low level; cause on my level we make a lot of mistakes, bad trows or ... know can I surprise the runner without "surprising" my own 1st baseman/3rd baseman? How can I deal with runners how take an INSANE 2ndary lead on 2nd base? anyway... thanks for your videos. :)

[@DanBlewett]

thanks for the comments; i always read them and look for topics. Most of these will be the same for pitchers and catchers, and you may like my Ace of the Staff online course, which is VERY in-depth on pitching strategy, though from the pitcher's perspective. Can be found on my website.

[@TK-fc8rh]

Is 8 years old to young for a child to play as a catcher?? My son’s coach advised against the position due to catchers having knee problems, he said wait until he is older because its really bad for the knees. Any thoughts?

[@KyngMarshall-qq9uw]

I am a catcher in the little leagues

[@coachnate5747]

Just like a hockey goalie

[@loganmicheals713]

every team needs 2 starting catchers

[@DanBlewett]

with a competent third.

[@n_bear1920]

Farst

[@user-kp7ls7ml1h]

seriously if u really want to talk about catchers..go check the diference betweeb catchers from 1990--1995 to now !! i still prefer 1990-1995 catchers

[@DanBlewett]

no, why would anyone do that