Skip to main content

9 replies

What do you guys think or do

coach2709coach270910,000+ posts
Tonight I was standing in front of the dugout watching the other team take IF / OF when I saw them doing OF throws home.

Ok here is the situation - RF is throwing home, catcher is lining up the 1B. Throw is way offline and the 1B moves with it but the catcher never says a word so the 1B lets the ball go through and the catcher gets the ball about 20 feet up the line. Coach turns around and admonishes the catcher for NOT saying anything. But I'm standing there thinking - "why didn't the 1B just relay the throw to the plate on his own? Why does he have to have the catcher tell him what to do?" It was obvious the throw was totally offline so why doesn't he just do it on his own without being told?

I'm pretty sure most of us teach roughly the same thing - the catcher makes the decision to cut or relay the ball on in.

So my question is - why don't we just teach the 1B to make the call on his own if he wants to relay it or not and the catcher doesn't say anything? Now for clarification's sake the catcher still has the power to cut the throw to go to another base.

I can see some problems with this such as the 1B or 3B not really knowing where the runner is but this is where the catcher can step up and say something.

Basically I'm just wondering if it's possible to simplify the process a little by letting the corner men make the call as to relay or not? Other than that nothing else really changes.

I'm hoping this makes sense and I'm hoping this doesn't prove I'm always late to the party because you guys have already figured this out.

What do you guys think? Is this something that could be done or just forget?

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. Thomas Jefferson

Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

EH Emanski's Heroes1,000+ posts
I think this is the biggest thing to simplify it for the particular situation you mention:

The cut guy has to rely on the catcher to line them up. From there, if the throw is offline, it's an automatic cut. The catcher only needs to let the cut man know based on the strength of the throw (although your right that the cut man should be able to judge this) and also the catcher can see if the throw should be cut to try to nail a runner elsewhere.

But, if the throw is offline, it's an automatic cut because what's the point of letting it go through? I don't think that will ever fail you...just my opinion.
SA S. Abrams100+ posts
Understand your point. Coaches are right in getting after the catcher as he has to at least comminicate something on this play. Silence is often worse than the wrong command on these plays.
There are other plays where the catchers commands are kinda secondary such as the SS should know where to throw the ball with no runners on. Doubtful the SS even hears the catcher.
CoachB25CoachB25Honorary "Old TImer"
I taught this by landmarks. The base lines and the pitching rubber are all land marks that the 1st baseman can use to know what to do. Then, you can have the first baseman "swing" between landmarks on throws from OFs shorten up some and told to throw on or off line. Teach the firstbaseman that they have to have "common sense" and read a ball that has to be cut.

I do agree that the catcher has messed up in this scenerio. What most coaches preach is that the catcher must communicate at all times. Again, practice that.
EyeontheballEyeontheball100+ posts
Just had this come up at practice Tuesday night. I made the point that it is the catcher's call to cut/redirect, but that the relay/cut man is not a robot. He has to use his head. If the OF throw is offline or has lost steam, cut it! I would rather teach everyone to be thinking about what is the best option to get an out, rather than strictly following a script. This does not mean the catcher should not be directing/communicating, but I want to see everyone thinking and making decisions. Its when the decision-making process grows to where they think alike and are anticipating each other's actions accurately, that they become a "team."
birdman14birdman141,000+ posts
I'm going to give you a little different take on this one. There may be times, even when the throw is obviously off line that the catcher wants it to come through. Silence lets the ball come through, cut and the base or hold (in a drill instructors voice) takes care of all cuts. Real simple - admonish the catcher in this case.
K kevins1100+ posts
I understand why you have the corners cut the ball if the throw is offline, but why not also have him cut it if it is short. I mean from the catchers point of view it is hard to tell whether the throw is good or needs to be cut and then it is even harder to communicate with the corners in time for them to cut the throw or let it go.
H hsballcoach100+ posts
The catcher should always be ready to communicate, but..if the 1st or 3rd baseman see they will have to move for the ball, they need to cut it automatically. The catcher should still communicate as they need to know whether to cut the ball or relay it to the base. We have a simple rule for the catcher; if it is going to hit you in the air or on one true hop, say nothing. If the ball is going to bounce more than once or is off-line, cut it or relay it.

Add Reply

Post

Membership Required

We're sorry. You must be signed in to continue. Sign In or Register
×
Are you sure you want to remove from your Block List?
×
Loading...
×
When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content.
Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following .
×
Advanced Search
Advanced Search
Link copied to your clipboard.
×