GT,
Here are some general thoughts from a book on catching I am in the process of publishing.
PITCH CALLING STRATEGY
This is the most important responsibility you have and it is the biggest contribution you will make to a win on any given day. You will affect the game more by calling 140 pitches than you will with four productive at bats.
This is all based on the pitcher. You must know your pitcher. If you had a choice of playing against a team that you never played against or catch a pitcher that you have caught 30+ times, you would have a much better chance of being successful with the pitcher you know over the team that you know.
The key is to not ask the pitcher to do something that he is not capable of doing no matter what is the right thing to do according to the “book”. It centers around pitch calling to the pitcher’s strengths even if it means pitching into the hitter’s strengths. The number one priority would be to pitch to the hitter’s weakness with the pitcher’s strength. However, there are certain advantages in pitching to the hitter’s strengths because it will most likely start his bat giving you a chance to get the hitter out on that pitch. The key when going strength against strength is to locate the pitch within the hitter’s swing zone but outside his solid contact zone and outside his timing zone. For example, get low fastball hitters out with low fastballs that are slower or faster than what he is expecting, lower or further in or out than he can hit solidly but will swing at.
Obviously it is imperative that you know your pitchers as well as the opposition’s hitters. It’s often about pitching to the lineup as opposed to individual hitters. This directly relates to pitch arounds and situational pitching.
You need to not only know your pitchers, but you must also command their trust in order to help make them the best prepared pitcher, mentally and physically for each pitch in every game. Your job is to help them execute their pitches to the best of their abilities.
JW
