Greenmonsters
Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
FFS has nailed it. In major college softball the opponent scouting by the pitching coach is intense and certainly should give them a better understanding of a certain hitters weaknesses relative to their pitchers strengths.......in most cases (including me) the pitcher is allowed/encouraged to shake off a pitch if they feel uncomfortable with the one called or if they feel another pitch is going to be more effective. My pitchers last year were allowed to shake and did.
Rick, your thoughts and participation here are invaluable, but, and no disrespect intended, I'm sure you could call an even better game if you were catching rather than in the dugout!
100% agree that a pitcher should be able to shake off any pitch at any time as the last thing you want is to have them throwing a pitch that they don't have complete confidence in at that point and time. That said, I don't believe that the pitcher is best at making real-time unbiased, objective assessments of their own pitches and effectiveness. IME, that evaluation is best made collaboratively by a good pitching coach and catcher.
Pitchers aren't robots and don't bring the same stuff to every game or even every inning, umpires all have their own zones and idiosyncrasies, and batters too make adjustments as games progress.. That the read on this is more accurate from behind the plate than from the dugout really isn't debatable. The crux of the situation is that it takes a catcher that has learned to make those reads and is capable of processing them to effectively use that information mid-inning in the larger context of the game plan, which previously has been discussed w/ the PC and pitcher (and can be effectively summarized on an arm band). IMO/IME, its much easier to convey the game plan to the catcher than it is to relay the pulse of the game back to the bench. Unfortunately most catchers haven't been taught those skills and developed that experience before they get to college where the coaches' records and job security often don't allow for a learning curve.
IMO, opportunity and experience are the only things that prevent catchers from becoming better at calling a game than the coach who was never involved in calling a game before they started coaching.