cabbagedad posted:Batty67 posted:cabbagedad posted:You win games by scoring more runs. You score more runs by winning more bases. Defensively, do everything possible to not allow bases.
Before seeing other posts, my first three thoughts were same as Rob T comments...
- you never know which way the ball will kick
- habit to instantly bust when no one on is way better than allowing for decision time
- know the field and what holes in the dugout need protected
To me, this all adds up to "bust".
For those commenting that it is rare that a play develops or a catcher does any good, I think we are ignoring the fact that when the catcher does his job and is there in the vicinity of the ball, the runner stays put and there is no play. That is the objective. So, we don't always register that a base was just won by the defense.
Per my original (slightly edited) post, I agree with you. The only quibble is the subjective "bust a gut" to back-up the throw to 1b. If that means full-tilt sprint every time, instinctively, than I'd say that burns more energy than it is worth given the rarity of the need to back-up the throw and prevent the runner from advancing (=the main point). Of course, on a beautiful day with few runners and pitches in the dirt, I suppose an instinctive full-tilt sprint to 1B for a well-conditioned catcher is a non-issue. But the vast majority of the time, an instinctive move toward 1B in a slow run/quick jog will suffice to address the main point and a full-out sprint every time is not warranted.
I hear ya but I'm gonna hold my ground and here's why...
One of our primary objectives is to prevent the throw from finding that open dugout or opening/s in the dugout. So I don't just want the C to be there to pick up the rebound off the fence, I want him to beat the ball. So, he has roughly 4 seconds to go from squat to protecting the dugout hole. My math says he better get after it.
Fair enough. I guess we'll have to disagree on the extremes. I agree with your premise.
Again, on a nice day with good pitching, no "extra outs," and a well-conditioned catcher, a full-tilt sprint to cover 1B on every ground ball with no runners on probably does not make a difference and could conceivably be a game-changer. But when it is 95F, humid, pitchers are bouncing pitches, and defenders are missing some routine plays, all that sprinting (when a slow to moderate run will suffice the great majority of the time) might have a cost. My son's wisest catching instructor (who moved too far away to make continued instruction viable) loved to say "more close games are lost by tired catchers than any other position" by not sticking that marginal 2-2 pitch followed by base-emptying double, critical passed ball, errant throw, etc.