I am just sitting here with two broken legs going stir crazy and trying to solve all the world's problems.
While sitting here I began to think of which is more important to a baseball team, a solid catcher with knowledge of the game or a slick fielding shortstop?
I know not much of a question, but at least it will keep me occupied for a while reading the responses.
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Catcher.
Touches the ball every pitch, usually involved in more plays than SS, significant degree of influence on the other most important position (pitcher), traffic cop, more opportunity to save or yield a base advancement, hopefully a vocal leader who somewhat sets the tone on defense. This is all before you start talking about catchers who call games.
There can be games where SS is a relative non-factor. Not so with the catcher.
Agree with Cabbage In principle. If your choice was between having an adequate catcher and and adequate SS, no doubt you would take the catcher. A lousy catcher will cost you the game every time. But what if you are already adequate at both positions, and the choice is between an outstanding catcher and an outstanding SS? I'll take the SS. He gets more chances than any other player and a good one helps keep the bases empty for the catcher and his pal on the bump.
I truly believe a team can only be as good as its catcher. The catcher is involved in every aspect of the game from what pitch is called to how the defense needs to be aligned. Not to mention controlling the running game. It is no accident that the St Louis Cardinals are as good as they are because of Yadi Molina. The impact he has on every game he plays is huge IMHO. He is the best position player in MLB. I vote catcher.
I think at the lower levels it is definitely catcher. When I watch teams I determine how good they may be based on their catchers. So I say catcher. As you move up, I think catching becomes less important. So I say SS at higher levels.
I truly believe a team can only be as good as its catcher. The catcher is involved in every aspect of the game from what pitch is called to how the defense needs to be aligned. Not to mention controlling the running game. It is no accident that the St Louis Cardinals are as good as they are because of Yadi Molina. The impact he has on every game he plays is huge IMHO. He is the best position player in MLB. I vote catcher.
^^^^^^^^^^^^This!
My son is the starting SS on his varsity team. He also has caught quite a bit in the past. If we had another capable SS, I think he'd be catching...but our our coaching staff feels he is serving them best at SS. I don't agree....though my son is happier at SS, so I'm not pushing it. Our travel team this past summer had a very good catcher. I can't tell you how many games we won because of him. Roughly half of our games were 1-run games...and I would say he was responsible for a saving a run with his defensive skills in at least half of those...so he theoretically he won us 25% of our games. That may seem like a stretch, but he missed a few games over the summer...and we just weren't the same team with him gone....even though our backup was very capable...just not at the level of our starter.
I had a team one year that was going to be one of the top teams in my state. I knew we had all positions covered with the exception of catcher. The young man that was the heir to the catcher position did things that demonstrated to me that he could not be counted on. My SS would go on to play in the Big 10. He was also drafted by MLB. If you were to ask him who the MVP of that team was, he'd tell you outright it was the right fielder who I went to and converted to catcher. That young man was smart and tough. He could remember all of my signals, codes, ... and learn how to call a game in a short amount of time. We had the best year to that point in my school's history. Without a doubt, the leader of that team was the catcher.
In football you want to put the ball in your best player / athlete's hands. So depending on the type of offense you run you want your best player / athlete at either QB (spread) or RB (I formation) because they will get the most touches. Never put your best player / athlete at WR. Will he make great plays in games? Yes no doubt but he won't be getting the ball as much as the QB or RB.
That being said the catcher is like the QB and / or the RB - put the ball in his hands so he can run the show. Always think of this - there's not much defense when the ball is at the backstop on most pitches.
Coach, it is ironic that you said this because the OF that I made the catcher was the QB of our very successful football program.
Just to keep Capt. Hook occupied (get well soon!)
HOF:
SS 22
C 13
And again, just to keep the Capt busy...
Over the course of his career, the best catcher currently in MLB is Molina.
Though he's at the very end of his career, Jeeter is the cream of the current SS crop.
You're building a franchise, and you can take only one of those guys in his prime. Is it even close?
