Should coaches or catchers call pitches?

[ArmWhip]

How does the pitcher signal the pitch to the catcher?

The pitcher shakes off the pitch if she doesn't like it, just like in MLB. This assumes that the pitcher and catcher are generally on the same page. In MLB there are also cases where the catcher will put down the signs and the pitcher will nod when they get the one they want.

 

[Tango]

Had a MLB catcher tell me that he had a pitcher that liked to work extremely fast and the way the pitcher caught the ball determined the pitch. FB he would slap at it. Change pull back. Slider pull it sideways. I thought this was interesting. No time for signals.

 

[Hustle LI]

correct. cr not otherwise in game. that is their roll for the game

 

[Hustle LI]

their main skill is being the last prior out

incorrect. cr's are not otherwise in the game. they did not get an AB and are not in the field that game. also CR one for catcher and 1 for pitcher. team generally designates 2 courtesy runners each game since we have 2 to 3 girls on the bench each game with no other roll.

 

[Cornbread]

The pitcher determines who calls pitches. If she understands her pitches, batter placement/posture, count, batting order etc then the pitcher calls them. Now that could mean the catcher calls them and the pitcher ultimately shakes until she’s got what she wants. If the pitcher doesn’t under the aforementioned then I call them. At the end of the day all my pitchers are free to shake any pitch called

 

[JayW]

incorrect. cr's are not otherwise in the game. they did not get an AB and are not in the field that game. also CR one for catcher and 1 for pitcher. team generally designates 2 courtesy runners each game since we have 2 to 3 girls on the bench each game with no other roll.

depends on whether you have bench players

 

[GunnerShotgun]

I have to disagree on that one. If it were not a skill, then it would make no difference what pitches were called.

Who is good at pitch calling? Better yet who is bad at it?

You are saying that some players are better than random chance....how do you quantify that? What if your SS is better at it than your catcher, does she call the pitches?

How do you determine if that pitch that you called was better than all other choices? What if you call a pitch and the pitcher can't execute it exactly the way you called it?

It's ridiculous to think that pitch calling is a skill and that you are better than random chance. Almost as ridiculous as that pitch calling chart that gets floated around (based on how the batter is standing/swinging).

The reality is that a coach in concert with the pitcher and catcher are executing a predetermined series of pitches to give themselves the best leverage possible against a hitter. It's mostly based on the pitchers primary pitches, any data that you might have available on a particular batter, and what the catcher is seeing (from the pitcher, from the umpire, and from the batter).

Thinking that "Suzy" has a sixth sense as a catcher (or coach or left fielder) on what pitch to call at a particular time is not a quantifiable skill.

How many catchers have you met that are great receivers, great framers, awesome at blocking, but call a poor game. Just couldn't master that "pitch calling skill"... said no catcher ever.

 

[Eric F]

Who is good at pitch calling? Better yet who is bad at it?

You are saying that some players are better than random chance....how do you quantify that? What if your SS is better at it than your catcher, does she call the pitches?

How do you determine if that pitch that you called was better than all other choices? What if you call a pitch and the pitcher can't execute it exactly the way you called it?

It's ridiculous to think that pitch calling is a skill and that you are better than random chance. Almost as ridiculous as that pitch calling chart that gets floated around (based on how the batter is standing/swinging).

The reality is that a coach in concert with the pitcher and catcher are executing a predetermined series of pitches to give themselves the best leverage possible against a hitter. It's mostly based on the pitchers primary pitches, any data that you might have available on a particular batter, and what the catcher is seeing (from the pitcher, from the umpire, and from the batter).

Thinking that "Suzy" has a sixth sense as a catcher (or coach or left fielder) on what pitch to call at a particular time is not a quantifiable skill.

How many catchers have you met that are great receivers, great framers, awesome at blocking, but call a poor game. Just couldn't master that "pitch calling skill"... said no catcher ever.

A good pitch caller recognizes what pitches are working (and not) for her pitcher, where the umpire's zone is, what the batter might be struggling with, and applies that to the moment. Poor pitch calling is predictable, uses pitches that have a low chance for success (i.e. pitcher doesn't have good command of), and/or doesn't adapt to the situation. I've heard some people say that effective pitch calling is to not throw the same pitch twice in a row. I disagree with that, too. If the batter is having obvious trouble with it, throw it again. I've watched my DD strike out on 3 riseballs in a row. I've watched my DD call 3 change-ups in a row for a K. I would consider both of those examples of good pitch calling that were both adaptations to the situation. Sure, there are some sequences that tend to be effective, but recognizing when to adjust is part of the skillset. Recognizing how the batter is reacting to pitches is part of the skillset. Understanding the most effective locations to speed up or slow down in order to exploit a batter's weakness is part of the skillset. Those aren't things you get from blindly calling random pitches.

I would agree that quantifying the quality of pitch calling is difficult. However, pitch calling effectiveness is a growing topic of discussion on MLB radio.

 

[Fury_Mike]

How about the pitcher, why is she left out of this discussion?

I figured it was only a matter of time before the pitcher was brought up. Armwhip, how did you communicate what you were throwing?

 

[Eric F]

The pitcher shakes off the pitch if she doesn't like it, just like in MLB. This assumes that the pitcher and catcher are generally on the same page. In MLB there are also cases where the catcher will put down the signs and the pitcher will nod when they get the one they want.

My question was specifically about a pitcher who was initiating the pitch call herself, and how she communicated it to the catcher.