Pop times/HS teams

You're young yet.  POP's look ok at 80 foot bases -- I'm thinking it would be just over 2.0 on 90 foot.  So keep working.  Most JV level catchers are in the 2's for pop.  Work on your receiving skills -- get your pitchers strikes.  And hit the snot out of the ball. You seem to be on the right track.  Good luck. 

I don't see why not.  And you can achieve a lot by working hard at it. 

Why not shoot for Varsity?  I know is a rare thing in most cases, but it doesn't hurt to set the bar high and work to try and achieve it.  And I know that at your age when you look at Varsity players they look large, strong and intimidating.  And they are large and strong compared to your age group.  But that doesn't mean you can compete at their level.  Your body is just starting to mature that way, so just be aware that you'll get there too.  Just don't be intimidated and work hard on you game skills so that you might actually be the intimidatore when each time you leave the field and say "I'll be back." 

Next year, go a HS varsity game (like at the HS where you'll be going) and sit behind the backstop directly behind the catcher and ask yourself if you feel you can hit, catch, run and throw at that level.   If you think of a lot of reasons why you can't, then you probably won't or can't.   But if you think you can handle it, then there isn't good reason why you shouldn't have a good shot at it.  Just don't give up on the the idea or your goals and you just might surprise yourself.  

Work hard, have fun and I wish you the very best!

Golfman25 posted:

You're young yet.  POP's look ok at 80 foot bases -- I'm thinking it would be just over 2.0 on 90 foot.  So keep working.  Most JV level catchers are in the 2's for pop.  Work on your receiving skills -- get your pitchers strikes.  And hit the snot out of the ball. You seem to be on the right track.  Good luck. 

Thankyou.

Hey Ben,  sounds like everything is on track but it really depends who is above you.  Don't just restrict yourself to the catcher spot, make sure the coach knows that is your primary but you are willing to play where ever the coach needs you to play. 

The number one thing my son's coach looks for in a catcher is the bat, the second is the speed in which he gets the ball AFTER it gets passed him.  make sure you can scramble quickly, some of those HS backstops are beyond brutal!

Study the game. I need a SMART catcher as much or more than I need a 2.0 pop time. I can handle a dumb 1st baseman, but I need intelligence, or savvy, behind the plate. You're in charge of the biggest decisions out there. Be a student of the game first and foremost.

CaCO3Girl posted:

Hey Ben,  sounds like everything is on track but it really depends who is above you.  Don't just restrict yourself to the catcher spot, make sure the coach knows that is your primary but you are willing to play where ever the coach needs you to play. 

The number one thing my son's coach looks for in a catcher is the bat, the second is the speed in which he gets the ball AFTER it gets passed him.  make sure you can scramble quickly, some of those HS backstops are beyond brutal!

Plus beware of the coach who will take a player who played a different position and "convert" to a catcher.  Make sure you can adjust and hit. 

I think alot of this also depends on how good your high school baseball teams are.  We have many freshman in our school district who play JV and also a few who play Varsity as a freshman.  But that being said, our baseball program is not the best in the district.  We have many talented players but for various other reasons, the program is not successful.

Maybe some of you can answer this question that I was thinking about as I was watching my son's team last week....why is the number of passed balls a catcher allows in a season not a statistic people seem to be interested in? Why is it all about pop time? The catcher on the team we were playing allowed many passed balls and every time our players moved up a base (even stole home one time). I was thinking that it did not matter what this catcher's pop time was if our team was getting so many free bases on passed balls. My son who catches has only had one passed ball all season yet nobody seems to be impressed (other than me, his mom).

Passed balls should be a rarity - the equivalent of an error by an infielder.  More important would be the ability to corral a wild pitch (those pitches which are not controllable with ordinary effort).  Once you get passed both of these (treat them as prerequisites) the catcher needs to be able to control the base paths and therefore must be able to throw out runners.  I'm sure if that opposing catcher had a 1.7 pop time but had several passed balls, a coach may be able to coach him up on receiving and treat pop time sort of like foot speed - either have it or don't.  If your catcher has a very slow pop time (hopefully that is not the case) then perhaps he still had folks steal on him with his throws simply being too late for the tag.  

Ben,

Sounds like you have a lot of talent.  Keep working and you will end up playing a lot.

Louise,

You are right, the number one most important thing is receiving the ball. If you can't do that you won't get very far as a catcher.

However, there are lots of catchers that are good at receiving the ball.  Then they are separated by their other abilities, which throwing and release is a big difference maker.

Louise,

Pop time to me is not that important as long as I throw out runners which I do. It is just a statistic to see where you are. Just like a 60 yard dash time most will probably not run that same speed but it shows if you need help or if when you out by a defending player he just has a good arm.

Louise posted:

Maybe some of you can answer this question that I was thinking about as I was watching my son's team last week....why is the number of passed balls a catcher allows in a season not a statistic people seem to be interested in? Why is it all about pop time? The catcher on the team we were playing allowed many passed balls and every time our players moved up a base (even stole home one time). I was thinking that it did not matter what this catcher's pop time was if our team was getting so many free bases on passed balls. My son who catches has only had one passed ball all season yet nobody seems to be impressed (other than me, his mom).

Because pop time is easy to measure and compare.  

Louise posted:

Maybe some of you can answer this question that I was thinking about as I was watching my son's team last week....why is the number of passed balls a catcher allows in a season not a statistic people seem to be interested in? Why is it all about pop time? The catcher on the team we were playing allowed many passed balls and every time our players moved up a base (even stole home one time). I was thinking that it did not matter what this catcher's pop time was if our team was getting so many free bases on passed balls. My son who catches has only had one passed ball all season yet nobody seems to be impressed (other than me, his mom).

Passed balls for a catcher are like errors for a SS or wild pitches for a pitcher... not that important of a stat unless they're really bad. They can distinguish you on the negative side, but not so much on the positive side. I think the definition includes the phase "ordinary effort". Are you sure the opposing catcher was giving up passed balls, or was he just not very good at corralling wild pitches?

One other important thing about passed balls/wild pitches is if the pitcher does not throw the pitch that is called and crosses up the catcher.  Most times those will be scored against the catcher as a passed ball because they often hit the tip or part of the catcher's mitt.  But really that one should be on the pitcher, and many people watching a HS game with no replay have no idea the catcher was crossed up and blame him. 

I agree the catcher's fundamental job is to catch pitches.  But the further up the youth chain you go, pop time becomes more and more important.  With scoring runs at a premium, teams tend to really take advantage of catchers who cannot get the ball down to 2nd base quickly and accurately.

And a pitcher who doesn't telegraph that he's throwing to the plate would help with those outs at second!

CaCO3Girl posted:

And a pitcher who doesn't telegraph that he's throwing to the plate would help with those outs at second!

Not only that, pitchers that are 1.5 or higher to the plate are doing their catcher a disservice.   

Louise posted:

Maybe some of you can answer this question that I was thinking about as I was watching my son's team last week....why is the number of passed balls a catcher allows in a season not a statistic people seem to be interested in? Why is it all about pop time? The catcher on the team we were playing allowed many passed balls and every time our players moved up a base (even stole home one time). I was thinking that it did not matter what this catcher's pop time was if our team was getting so many free bases on passed balls. My son who catches has only had one passed ball all season yet nobody seems to be impressed (other than me, his mom).

Also college coaches figure they can teach a catcher to block and receive pretty easy. Arm strength on the other hand is harder to coach. 

ironhorse posted:

Study the game. I need a SMART catcher as much or more than I need a 2.0 pop time. I can handle a dumb 1st baseman, but I need intelligence, or savvy, behind the plate. You're in charge of the biggest decisions out there. Be a student of the game first and foremost.

I agree. A catcher who can throw out runners is a plus but at the HS Level I would be very happy as a Coach to have a catcher that blocks everything and knows how to Play the game. If you can hit a Little that helps too.

of course you should work on your Pop time but most catchers lose way more runs through wild pitches/passed balls, throwing Errors and maybe even dropped third strikes than they gain through throwing out runners.

of course to Play college you Need to throw out runners but I guess in many HS programs you will Play if you can hit a Little and if you are a human backboard out there.

Don't let anyone tell you pop time does not matter, it's all that matters.  I don't believe that, but I'm not the ones recruiting.  No ones going to teach blocking 92mph wild pitches, you have to just react and the only way that happens is if you have been doing it all your life.  Keep up your blocking, work hard on framing, and work hardest on ball velocity.  Good luck!

"Maybe some of you can answer this question that I was thinking about as I was watching my son's team last week....why is the number of passed balls a catcher allows in a season not a statistic people seem to be interested in? "

Passed ball or wild pitch?  This statistic is not very helpful because 1) most HS scorekeepers can't consistently identify either, and or the/coach or scorekeeper changes the scoring for other reasons.  AND/OR  2) A catcher working with a strong pitching staff will have fewer pass ball opportunities.  

CollegeParentNoMore posted:

"Maybe some of you can answer this question that I was thinking about as I was watching my son's team last week....why is the number of passed balls a catcher allows in a season not a statistic people seem to be interested in? "

 

Passed ball or wild pitch?  This statistic is not very helpful because 1) most HS scorekeepers can't consistently identify either, and or the/coach or scorekeeper changes the scoring for other reasons.  AND/OR  2) A catcher working with a strong pitching staff will have fewer pass ball opportunities.  

 

 

 

Kids mom made this observation.   Little Johnny is a much better catcher when the pitchers are good.  

CollegeParentNoMore posted:

"Maybe some of you can answer this question that I was thinking about as I was watching my son's team last week....why is the number of passed balls a catcher allows in a season not a statistic people seem to be interested in? "

 

Passed ball or wild pitch?  This statistic is not very helpful because 1) most HS scorekeepers can't consistently identify either, and or the/coach or scorekeeper changes the scoring for other reasons.  AND/OR  2) A catcher working with a strong pitching staff will have fewer pass ball opportunities.  

 

 

 

I'm not sure that it matters all that much. a bounced throw by the SS is not an error by the 1B but still coaches expect the 1B to pick pitches. of course many wild pitches are not catchable at all but a good catcher will still catch more of those borderline wild pitches. what matters in the end is how many pitches go to the backstop and I think a Coach can judge that quite well no matter how the scorer scores it. for example a pitch that bounces 2 feet left of the plate would be a wild pitch but some catchers can still Keep it in front.

that is not to say that Pop time doesn't matter, it is important but it is also a big plus to have a catcher that Limits balls to the backstop and can receive the ball well.

Ben ,

As speaking from experience , my son started this past season at Varsity as a freshman in 29 games , he started at the 8th spot in the line up then moved to the 2nd and 5th spot mid season, and ended up at the 3rd spot in our Region game, most of the advice is true, you have to work hard , you must treat framing and blocking like a art(take pride)! I wasn't so much on pop time for my son , as I was for arm Strength, he was @ 80 mph from the chute, don't know what the pop time is, ill find out next week at Area code tryout, we couldn't care less what everyone thought about size, they all said he was too short ,too skinny , etc, what they didn't know that he just started catching lol, he is a center Fielder by birth, speed kills , and I never had let him pitched till now, Weds will be his 1st pitching lesson( funny how things work)I know he throws hard, I always was about arm care, and bat speed and getting better, don't get caught up in anyone else ,stay within yourself.

if your were my kid , I would  say work on getting better at more than one position,  and if you can hit you wont sit!