Best Catchers?

[GoingtoRightField]

Has a hose. Is throwing out >75%.

 

 

Let me doublecheck, but I think I recall him throwing out Tony Kemp tonight.

[NewellHartbaseball]

If i was to coach i would LOVE a left handed catcher. The batter is IRRELEVANT because its the same as when lefties are up to bat and a right handed catcher. Also, imagine the pickoff move he would have to first base. with a majority right handed batters he would be able to make GREAT snap throws to first from his knees. also he may get more batter interference calls with missed hit and runs. Only problem is stealing third, but hey if you pick them off at first base they may not get there.

 

 

thanks! I really just wish they'd give him a chance, even if it's at JV level. I'm all about EARNING your way!

[bananas10]

i think Patrick Bunch or something like that.. my team played oz last year cause i played for coalfield and he is a good catcher just has to work on his throws to second.. not a bad catcher other than that though.

 

The Catcher from Oliver Springs is Patrick Burnett and he can also pitch. (ask Coalfield)

[dburgfanatic]

Ok...so I am going to be very honest........my son is one of the best catchers I've seen in awhile. He has caught since little league and now will not get the chance in High School because he's left handed. I know, I know.... I hear all that crap all the time, but I got to tell ya, he's better than a lot of righties and trust me, I am NOT one of those parents who thinks their kid is the best no matter what. If he's not that great, I'm the first one to say it. Just like pitching......cause he's left handed they want him to pitch. He's so/so but does okay at the JV level and could possibly hold his own against weaker teams for Varsity.

 

I just don't get it.......HE doesn't let the batters get in HIS way. He moves where he needs to in order to throw someone out and he's gunned many down over the last few years....at first and at 2nd; therefore, he doesn't have to throw down much to 3rd, but definately can and does when needed.

 

????

 

ummm.......i think this thread was meant for catchers that have caught in high school.....little league and high school are completely different there are faster runners and if a catcher has to move around more before he throws down it makes his pop time slower....

[droppinbombs09]

dexter cross at lebanon has a great arm. throws ppl out left and right, and has great throws to pick ppl off at first also. anyone who has played against him knows not to get too far off.

[E5]

dexter cross at lebanon has a great arm. throws ppl out left and right, and has great throws to pick ppl off at first also. anyone who has played against him knows not to get too far off.

 

 

I agree. Great character as well.

[turnin two]

thanks! I really just wish they'd give him a chance, even if it's at JV level. I'm all about EARNING your way!

 

 

 

a high school team with decent speed will steal 3rd base like crazy off him. Ive seen a lefthanded catcher tried at the high school level and it just doesnt work. Sorry.

[NewellHartbaseball]

ummm.......i think this thread was meant for catchers that have caught in high school.....little league and high school are completely different there are faster runners and if a catcher has to move around more before he throws down it makes his pop time slower....

 

 

He has caught 1-2 games for JV/scrimmage but that's about it. He was a Freshman when he was catching for the travel team.....same age kids as high school and by the way his pop time is .01 seconds behind the first string, senior catcher.

[NewellHartbaseball]

a high school team with decent speed will steal 3rd base like crazy off him. Ive seen a lefthanded catcher tried at the high school level and it just doesnt work. Sorry.

 

Just because you saw one left handed catcher struggle doesn't mean they all do. There have been MLB left handed catchers, just been awhile.....like in the 80's

 

Plus, what makes it harder for a lefty to throw down to 3rd....a right handed batter? Well, what if there was a left handed batter at the plate? My lefty would have the advantage to throwing to 3rd with a lefty batter at plate.

 

Anyone see my point? /dry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

[dburgfanatic]

Just because you saw one left handed catcher struggle doesn't mean they all do. There have been MLB left handed catchers, just been awhile.....like in the 80's

 

Plus, what makes it harder for a lefty to throw down to 3rd....a right handed batter? Well, what if there was a left handed batter at the plate? My lefty would have the advantage to throwing to 3rd with a lefty batter at plate.

 

Anyone see my point? /dry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

 

wow think that statement over and you'll see how stupid it sounds about the left handed batter and throwing to third....plus he would have to turn his body a whole lot more to throw down to third regardless of the which way the batter hits.....anyways if he is as good of a catcher as you think he is based on j/v and little league, i'm pretty ozment would play him,if he is that good

[NewellHartbaseball]

Left Handed Catchers

 

 

Being left-handed in baseball, except in rare cases, means exclusion from the position of catcher. This is due in large part to the game's counterclockwise flow. There have only been 30 left-handed throwing players who caught in at least 1 defensive inning. If you exclude the seven men who only caught in a single game, then you're talking about just 23 players. If you count only those guys who caught 100 or more games in a career, you're down to exactly five left-handed throwing catchers. However, if you're only counting career catchers (minimum of 800 games caught), then you have exactly one and that is Jack Clements.

 

 

Why left-handed throwers are effectively banned from catching is less obvious than why they can't play shortstop or third base. And perhaps completely wrong. The most common reason cited is that a left-handed catcher is at a disadvantage in making the throw to third base, especially with a right-handed hitter at the plate. While this may be true, the overall effect is debatable.

 

The average major league team attempted 14.6 steals of third base during the 2008 season - - one every 11 games. Success rate of throwing out runners at third by a catcher was around 21% (3.07 caught out of 14.6 attempts). The success rate in 2008 at first base Pickoffs by a catcher with a left-handed batter at the plate was around 40%. Right-handed catchers appeared to have little problem with the pickoffs at first base, the equivalent of a lefthander's throw to third with a right-handed batter at the plate.

 

The lack of left-handed catchers is more of a traditional thing than reality say most scouts. There are obstruction issues on some of the throws a catcher has to make, but there are some advantages to being left handed as well. One advantage is a left-handed catcher's ability to frame a right-handed pitcher's breaking balls. A right-handed catcher catches a right-hander's breaking ball across his body, with his glove moving out of the strike zone. A left-handed catcher would be able to catch the pitch moving into the strike zone and create a better target for the umpire.

 

Several left-handed throwing major leaguers has a stint at catching early in their careers. White Sox first baseman Mike Squires even caught 2 games in the majors. Randy Johnson (Diamondbacks ace pitcher) caught for a little while.

 

Another reason there are no left-handed catchers today may be simply because there are few, if any, left-handed catcher's mitts available to young players. Virtually all left-handed mitts have to be top-of-the-line gloves specially ordered.

 

Just add that to the list of obstacles that have gone up without apparent reason. But, left-handed catchers have played in the major leagues, although there have only been a few. The first left-handed throwing catcher was Fergy Malone (1871-1877) who caught 27 games in 1871. This is the very first year of major league baseball, although there is some dispute as to whether or not the 1871 National Association should be counted as major league. The Last left-handed throwing catcher to play the position was Benny Distefano who caught 3 games in 1989 for Pittsburgh.

 

Through the 2008 season there have been 236 catchers (primary career position) who batted left-handed (out of the 1,693 career catchers). Of the 236 bat left catchers 225 threw right-handed. There were 11 who batted and threw left-handed and 3 who batted right and threw with their left.

 

The strangest left-handed throwing player to be listed as the starting catcher in the major leagues was Phillies pitcher Christ Short. Short never actually went behind the plate; he was listed as the starting catcher for a game because the Giants wouldn't announce their starter, and was replaced by Jimmie Coker when the game started with the Giants starter, Billy O'Dell, on the mound.

 

 

 

Lefty Catchers

Baseball Has A Right-Handed Bias When It Comes to Catchers

?© Peter Spiewak

 

Feb 23, 2008

There is a common belief that "lefties can't play catcher," this is not necessarily true.

 

The History of Left-Handed Catchers

The last left-handed catcher in the major leagues was Benny Distefano. In 1983, Distefano caught three games for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Before him, Mike Squires played two games for the Chicago White Sox in 1980. In the 1960??™s, Chris Short appeared behind the plate for one game for the Phillies, and in the 50??™s, Dale Long caught in two games for the Cubs.

 

In earlier times it was easier for a left-handed catcher to make it to ???the show.??? Several lefties made appearances right after the turn of the century, highlighted by Jiggs Donohue??™s 42 games combined from the 1901 and 1902 seasons. Donohue accomplished this for the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Browns.

 

Lefties Are Limited

In baseball, lefties don??™t have many options. They are either a pitcher, first baseman, or an outfielder. Since base runners run counterclockwise, the majority of ground balls need to be thrown to first base. So second basemen, shortstops, and third basemen would be at a great disadvantage if they were left-handed. The angle and distance in which potential left-handed infielders would have to throw the ball at first, would make it to difficult for a left-handed player to be successful on the left side of the infield, or at second base. What would be a routine play for a right-handed infielder would be an extremely difficult play for a left-handed player. A lefty would have to pivot like a right-handed second baseman trying to start a 4-6-3 double play, or spin and throw much like a right-handed third baseman does when he makes a throw across the diamond, on what would be simple plays for a right-hander.

 

Excuses Given For Lack Of Lefty Catchers

Some of the common reasons given to why left-handed players cannot catch are: a lefty catcher??™s throw will fade away to the shortstop-side of second base. Right-handed catchers??™ throws fade to the second base-side, making for an easier tag. Another reason given is that framing pitches is harder for left-handers. One last reason is the lack of left-handed catcher??™s mitts. It is much easier for parents and Little League coaches to teach their young left-handers to play first base or the outfield, rather than pay the extra money for a new mitt. This is especially true young players who have not began taking the game very seriously??”not many parents want to spend $60 or $70 on another glove for their eight-year-old. So, it is easy for a young lefty to get to high school without ever getting a chance to play catcher. However, players do learn new skills throughout their minor league and major league careers, so this does not excuse major league teams from never giving a lefty a chance. The first two explanations are not enough for baseball teams to completely exclude that many players from playing a certain position.

 

So, Why Don??™t They Catch?

The reason there are no lefty catchers isn??™t because of the slightly more difficult throw to third, or because of lack of left-handed catchers playing in Little League. The real reason that there is not one left-handed catcher in the major leagues, and that there won??™t be for a long time, is that in order to make it to the big leagues as a catcher, you need a strong arm. Teams would view using a left-handed player behind the plate as a waste of resources. Lefty pitchers are considered to be very valuable in baseball. If there??™s a kid that is lefty and has a great arm, any coach at any level??”high school, college, or professional??”would always put him on the mound, before he puts him behind the plate, or at first base. Right-handed people are much more common, so when a good lefty comes around, pitching coaches are going to pay lots of attention to him. The fact that left-handed people are a minority is also why lefty pitchers tend to hang around longer in baseball??”even mediocre left-handers. At the same time, mediocre right-handed pitchers are a dime a dozen, and wouldn??™t last half as long than if they were lefty. That is why players like Mike Stanton and John Franco are able to play into their 40??™s.

 

References:

J.C. Bradbury. The Baseball Economist: The Real Game Exposed. New York: Dutton, 2007.

 

 

The copyright of the article Lefty Catchers in Baseball is owned by Peter Spiewak. Permission to republish Lefty Catchers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

 

 

 

Read more: Lefty Catchers: Baseball Has A Right-Handed Bias When It Comes to Catchers - http://baseball.suite101.com/article.cfm/l...s#ixzz0Bg9TRLDN

 

 

Read more: Lefty Catchers: Baseball Has A Right-Handed Bias When It Comes to Catchers - http://baseball.suite101.com/article.cfm/l...s#ixzz0Bg9TRLDN

[NewellHartbaseball]

wow think that statement over and you'll see how stupid it sounds about the left handed batter and throwing to third....plus he would have to turn his body a whole lot more to throw down to third regardless of the which way the batter hits.....anyways if he is as good of a catcher as you think he is based on j/v and little league, i'm pretty ozment would play him,if he is that good

 

Sorry darlin......read over it...........not stupid. With a left handed batter there is no one in the way to throw to 3rd. ? what do YOU think is so stupid about it?

 

He's good.......promise you. You're from dyersburg........ask some of those sophomore dyersburg players that played travel ball with him. they know.