PABaseball posted:Blocking.
A is mostly irrelevant in HS. C is nice to have but realistically most stolen bases are on the pitcher in HS. A good catcher will have about a 40% throwout rate. How often do those runs end up scoring? At least the runners have to earn those bags. If you can't block you are just giving bases away. If guys are reaching on strikeouts it is a problem. The runners are going to be safe at second the majority of the time anyway. I can sacrifice 10% to make sure nothing gets by my catcher.
Agree. Son was the starting catcher a HS sophomore simply because he blocked better than the senior. He still had a few get by him, but no where near what the senior allowed. It also helped he hit better, but the primary reason he was the starter was his blocking ability. Keeping the pitch in front of the catcher is a big deal in HS ball. I am not a coach, but my wife works at a local hotel. LOL!
Anectodal story - in fall ball one year (HS level) our ace pitcher pitched a no hitter, yet the team lost 1-0. How? He walked one batter early in the game. That runner made it all the way around the diamond on passed balls/wild pitches (son was not catching that day). And even though the team out hit the opponent, they never put enough of them together to score a single run.