What makes a good catcher?

On my DD's 13u team...there are two catchers.

Catcher A is more fundamentally sound. She actually calls the game, good athlete...not great, very few passed balls. But, not a lot of throw outs at 2nd. Can get it there, but it has a small arch.

Catcher B is more athletic, doesn't call the game as well as a A, allows some passed balls in crucial situations, but you're not stealing on this girl at all. She has a cannon! She'll gun you out at 2nd, 3rd, etc and she's tough to steal home on as well

So, who's the better catcher at 13u? (My DD is a pitcher...so, I don't have a dog in the fight)

Depends on the P but I think communication is the biggest part on a C’s job.

Making sure the defense is lined up correctly and keeping the P’s head in the game.

Honestly I do not care who calls the pitches so this part does not mean much to me.

It's impossible to make a decision about a catcher based on the skills alone. Talking to a catcher is a good way to seperate them. Good catchers are everywhere. Great catchers are very very rare. It's all about the intangibles like respect, trust, command...........

Your daughter must be confident that she can bare down and throw whatever,whenever to her catcher.

There's no way anyone can give you a correct answer based on the information given. The better catcher is the catcher that gives you a better chance to win, does not lose games for you, and the one that the pitchers and coaches trust.

Thanks...625ender, my DD doesn't mind either one. She likes both. I was just curious based on their contrasting styles.

There are so many intangibles that a catcher can bring to a game which are overlooked in favor of a strong arm.
Others have already said being able to communicate with the pitchers and defense are key, and the pitcher having the confidence to throw any pitch is a must.

She's the only player that can see the whole field, and the defense sees her. They will feed off of her energy. I like catchers that are vocal, understand game situations and can take charge.
Is she's calling pitches, she should be thinking 2-3 pitches ahead. She should (quickly) be able to determine the umpires zone, and set up in her receiving position accordingly.
Receiving the ball properly, with as little glove movement as possible, can help with borderline pitches. Establishing a good rapport with the umpire (which sometimes means just keeping your mouth shut when calls don't go your way, or not allowing them to take shots to the shin)

At 13, if she's still struggling to get the ball to 2nd, I would take a good hard look at her footwork.

If you are allowing runs because of passed balls, then go with Catcher A. If you are allowing runs because of steals, then go with Catcher B. Your stats could tell the story and could change depending on who the starting pitcher is and what style of ball you are playing against.

As other have said, there are so many parts to a good/great catcher that it's hard to make that assessment based on the little bit of info provided.

An important - and often overlooked - factor is how well the catcher receives the ball. This isn't just about making the catch and limiting passed balls, but also about keeping strikes looking like strikes. It's surprisingly easy to catch a pitch at the edge of the zone and make it look like a ball with poor receiving technique. A good catcher will not only keep the strikes looking like strikes, but will regularly get favorable judgement on pitches that may be just out of the zone. More strikes = more strikeouts = less runners = less runs. This is one of the little things that can add up in a hurry.

One of my favorite examples of Maddie keeping a strike looking like a strike...


This young hitter ^ was not happy with the umpire's call - LOL.

ADDED:
As the players get older, the edges of the zone are where a pitcher must live to be effective. Pitches down the middle get crushed. In this case, it becomes even more critical that the catcher is keeping strikes looking like strikes. Good receiving is a skill of subtlety. A big movement of the mitt, pulling every pitch to the middle of the zone is just as effective as pushing borderline pitches away from the zone - not at all. Stick the pitch where it is. If it's on the outside edge catch it there and freeze it at the spot.

Thanks for the feedback. I was just curious. Sometimes my mind wanders!

cbullard said:

Thanks for the feedback. I was just curious. Sometimes my mind wanders!

Click to expand...

It's good to be curious. P and C are the tightest bond on the field, and need to work together for success. Educating yourself on what to look for in a quality C for your P-DD is a worthy pursuit.