Years ago, I coached fast pitch softball with a good friend who just loved the game of baseball. He was a former catcher and spent a lot of time working with our catchers, including my niece. I can still hear him say when there was a pop up behind home plate, “get that pot off your head”. The pot, or protective mask, is part of the equipment a catcher uses to play his position, along with shin guards, chest protector, and a mitt. In baseball terms, catching equipment is often affectionately referred to as the “tools of ignorance”. You need a lot of courage to crouch behind the plate with a high speed missile coming at you. Let’s take a look back at the art of catching, some great catchers in MLB history, and the evolution of the position.

In the early days of baseball (circa 1850), pitchers threw the baseball underhanded to home plate. Catchers stood about 20 to 25 feet behind the plate and did not have any protective equipment at all. In 1858 with the advent of the called strike, catchers were forced to move closer in since a strikeout could only happen if a catch were made. By 1870, when pitchers began to introduce curveballs to the game, catchers were forced to move even closer in to catch the pitch. Catchers began to use padded, fingerless gloves and protective masks. It wasn’t until the 1880s when padded chest protectors became popular. In 1907, shin guards were introduced and completed a catcher’s tools of ignorance.

Catching is much more than just receiving the pitch and throwing it back to the mound. Most agree that the catcher needs to have the best understanding of game strategy than any other position player. From his position he sees the entire field. Importantly, he sees firsthand the speed and spin of the pitches from a particular hurler. Calling the game used to be the biggest skill for a catcher, although input from the dugout and now PitchCom has chipped away at it. The art of framing pitches is a talent as well. The pitcher’s best friend is a batterymate who can make a pitch look better than it really might be. The toolset of a catcher is multifaceted – blocking pitches in the dirt; signaling the infield what play is on; throwing to the bases; tagging a runner at the plate; and oh, I forgot, contributing to the offensive side of the game, hitting!

We’ve seen some great catchers in MLB history, each exhibiting one or more of these special skills. On the top of many lists is Yogi Berra, who spent 19 seasons in the MLB (1946-1965), all but one of them with the Yankees. Those who saw Berra play credit him with having a great feel for calling the game and situational play. He holds the all-time record for shutouts caught with 173, among those Don Larsen’s perfect game and Whitey Ford’s remarkable 45 of them. Berra could also flat out hit with a lifetime batting average of .285 with 358 HRs. Yogi, most of all, was a winner, a 13-time World Series champion. Like many other catchers, Berra ended his career as a manager, serving on the top step of the dugout for both the Yankees and Mets.

On the top of my list is Cincinnati’s Johnny Bench who spent his entire career with the Reds (1967-1983). He received his NL Most Valuable Player awards in the two seasons he had monster home run and RBI seasons (1970 – 45 HRs and 148 RBIs; and 1972 – 40 HRs and 125 RBIs). Bench was so much more than that. His defensive prowess was remarkable – blocking pitches; catching foul balls at the screen; and throwing to the bases. My Dad used to take me to Reds games early so we could watch fielding practice and see Bench throw bullets right on the bags. To illustrate his arm, during Lou Brock’s record-breaking 118 steals in 1974, Brock made four attempts against Bench, only one successful one! And in one of the highlights of my life, he hit a game-tying home run off Dave Giusti of the Pirates in the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 1972 NLCS into the green seats at Riverfront Stadium 12 rows in front of me. He was the best!

A little later in life I had the pleasure of also seeing in person Yadier Molina play numerous games for the Cardinals (19-year career spanning 2004 to 2022). While “Yadi” did bat over .300 in five seasons and was known as a clutch hitter, the bulk of his acclaim concerns his defensive skills. He won nine Gold Gloves, and in doing so, put up some amazing numbers. He ranks first all-time in putouts for catchers and second overall among catchers with 130 defensive runs saved. Remarkably, he threw out over 40% of runners on steal attempts during his career. Together with his longtime fellow Cardinal, pitcher Adam Wainwright, he has the record all-time for most games started and won as a battery. Molina absolutely mastered the skill of framing pitches, something that Wainwright and other St. Louis pitchers took great comfort in.

Many catchers have gone on to become great MLB managers – Bruce Bochy, Mike Scioscia, and Bob Melvin, in most recent history, to name a few. What you might not know is that one of the greatest managers in MLB history, Joe Torre, started off as a catcher for the Braves. Torre’s baseball talent though was clearly at the plate, not behind it, as he maintained a lifetime batting average of .297. In his NL MVP year In 1971 with the Cardinals as their third baseman, he led the league in hits, RBIs, and batting average. His first few stints as a manager (Mets, Braves, and Cardinals) ended with disappointing records, but as the Yankees skipper, he won four World Series titles and two Manager of the Year awards (1996, 1998). Torre went on to become a special assistant to the MLB Commissioner.

With the advent of ABS this season, there is another task for catchers – deciding whether to challenge a called ball. In addition to having an educated feel for the strike zone, a catcher needs to have a good understanding of game situations. Since you only get two wrong attempts, you need to challenge during the right spots. Some catchers are better at it than others. With a league wide average of 53% correct challenges, the Tigers are setting the standard at 83% correct challenges from their catchers and the Cubs are close behind at 71%. Indeed, the Cubs Carson Kelly was correct in 18 of his first 20 challenges. Kelly has gotten eight strikeout calls so far with successful challenges. Shea Langeliers, catcher for the Athletics, ranks high on the list as well. Is it a new skill? Kelly’s skipper Craig Counsell and Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon credit Kelly for having a good feel for it and adding this new dimension to the team.

I’ve always thought of the “tools of ignorance” to be a complete misnomer. Catchers add a layer of on-field strategy, direction, and steadiness under pressure like no other position player. We often joke about “Yogi-isms”, Berra’s fun expressions that had an element of contradiction. My favorite one has always been: “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.” With catchers in mind, that makes perfect sense.

Until next Monday,

Your Baseball Bench Coach