Catching is one of the most important positions on the field. There is no doubt, that if your team is weak behind the plate that you are in for a long day every time you go to the ballpark. We all know the catcher has a lot of responsibilities but there is one thing that I don’t see enough catchers doing and it’s time to get this fixed.
Catcher, one of your jobs is backing up first base when there is a ground ball in the infield. If there are no runners on base and a ball gets hit anywhere in the infield it is your job to get down the line and be in a position to back up the play at first.
I understand that, depending on where the ball gets hit, you might not be able to get far enough down the line to be in a perfect back up position on every play. If the throw is coming from the third base player you are not going to get all the way behind the throw but that doesn’t mean that your back up is any less important.
Many throws that get away from the first-base player are deflected or take crazy hops or bounce off the fences in a weird way. All of these factors mean the we never really know where the back up at first base might take place so we need you there every time, just in case.
Now if there is a runner at second or third to start the play, you would stay home to make the possible play at home plate. You need to assess the situation before the ball gets hit and understand what your priorities are. Remember, we know you have a complicated job, we just want you to do it right!
