How many catchers is too many?

[ChrisSB]

My daughter was offered a spot on a college team that plans on carrying 6 to 7 catchers. This seems like a lot. How many catchers is too many, and is there any advantage to carrying that amount of catchers?

 

[YoungBuck]

My daughter was offered a spot on a college team that plans on carrying 6 to 7 catchers. This seems like a lot. How many catchers is too many, and is there any advantage to carrying that amount of catchers?

How many kids over all ?

 

[BT3100]

My daughter was offered a spot on a college team that plans on carrying 6 to 7 catchers. This seems like a lot. How many catchers is too many, and is there any advantage to carrying that amount of catchers?

Depends on what she offers them that the others don't. Is she a better option behind the dish then the others? Can she hit better? More Power? DD played for 2 years on a mid-major and we carried 3 catchers but only one played most games. Now she is on a P5 and they have 4 or 5 catchers. With 5 I suspect that most are really just there to catch BPs.

 

[ChrisSB]

How many kids over all ?

30 total on the roster, and while they don't specifically have a JV team, they do play some JV games for the athletes that are not getting much play time in regular games.

 

[YoungBuck]

Probably comes down to what your DD wants to get out of it?

Six catchers seems like too many, however, from the coach's perspective I would take as many catchers as I could get away with.

If playing that position is paramount then you probably look at more options. If just looking to crack the starting nine then it shouldn't sway a decision.

Maybe other questions to look at ... is it your top school? do they win? how many kids stick around for year 2,3, and 4? coach's reputation? do the assistant's stay?

Lots of nuance - enjoy the ride!

 

[Orange Socks]

Are the other catchers really catchers? I would ask the prospective coach how they manage the catcher pool. Also, go back and look at the stats to see who played catcher in every game. DD played almost every single inning last year and would have loved to have a legitimate 2nd catcher. There were other "catchers" on the team, but they weren't game impacting catchers that the coach felt comfortable with playing instead of my DD.

3 game ready catchers is ideal, but you need more for BP sessions and warming up.

 

[softball dad 6]

Barring injury, college teams rarely give more than 2 catchers significant playing time. For many teams, 1 catcher gets the majority of the playing time. DDs coach brought in 7 players that are listed as catchers this year. According to DD, the coach said 2 would be chosen to stay at catcher, and the rest would move to their secondary positions at the end of fall. The team has 1 returning catcher.

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[Rolling Hard]

They recruite up the middle? Most catchers can play 3rd and most SS can play anywhere and all CF can play LF or RF.

 

[RADcatcher]

My daughter was offered a spot on a college team that plans on carrying 6 to 7 catchers. This seems like a lot. How many catchers is too many, and is there any advantage to carrying that amount of catchers?

Hmmm? Always carrying that many or that particular season and then a couple graduate and they were only carry four or five?

6-7, That seems like a bit much. Five imo would be a fair maximum. However pending what other positions they might play and all of their hitting capabilities there may be some in that group that are Dual Purpose starters?!


Also pending the college's academic rigor they may be considering some becoming ineligible and of course the consideration of injury.

 

[ChrisSB]

Thanks for all the ideas.
My daughter really loves this coach but felt kinda mediocre about the school. Carrying 7 catchers is a drawback for sure. She ended up turning down the offer but it was really hard because she loved the coach so much.