He has more equipment and more attributes than players at the other positions. He must be large, brave, intelligent, alert, stolid, foresighted, resilient, fatherly, quick, efficient, intuitive, and impregnable.
- Roger Angell
In baseball, the catcher is the player responsible for catching pitches thrown by the pitcher as well as defending the area around home plate. Catchers differ from all other fielders in that they are required to wear an array of protective equipment while on defense, including helmet, facemask, chest protector, and shin guards. This equipment, affectionately known to catchers as the "Tools of Ignorance," helps protect their bodies from errant pitches, foul balls, and the occasional wayward bat.
Defense
Catcher is arguably the most demanding position to play on the diamond, both physically and mentally. The catcher's responsibilities on defense are many and varied. In addition to fielding balls around home plate, the catcher is expected to throw out would be base stealers and block pitches in the dirt when runners are on base to prevent them from advancing on a wild pitch or passed ball. Suffice to say, a catcher's job becomes much more complicated when runners are on base! A good catcher is expected to throw out about 30% of opposing base stealers, but even the greatest rarely throw out more than 40%.
Catchers are also expected to "call pitches" for the pitcher, suggesting what pitches the pitcher should throw by means of hand signals displayed between his legs (and thus out of sight of the batter). The classic signals are one finger for a fastball, two fingers for a breaking ball, and three fingers for a changeup or second breaking ball, and then the pinky or index finger flashing to indicate pitch location, but these signals are often rearranged to prevent opponents from stealing signs, especially when a runner is on second base.
Catchers are also expected to "handle pitchers" in a variety of other ways, setting targets with their glove, going out to the pitchers mound to calm the pitcher down or give advice, and preparing with pitchers before games by going over opposing batters' tendencies and reviewing pitch selection.
Finally, catchers are often called upon to give signs to the infielders to tell them where they should position themselves, and how they should rotate on given plays. This can be especially important when a bunt is expected, as some infielders will be charging and will need other infielders to cover their bases. For these mental aspects of the catcher's game, he is often awarded the nickname "Field General," and indeed many catchers have turned their on-field strategic savvy into successful careers as managers after their playing days are over.
The physical toll on catchers is immense. Despite the protective equipment, which does help a lot, catchers still suffer numerous bumps and bruises from being struck by balls and swinging bats. Catchers also have to withstand the occasional bone-jarring collision at the plate, as one of the most common tactics for runners attempting to score from third base is to simply run into the catcher as hard as they can and hope he drops the ball.
The biggest toll on the catcher's body, however, comes simply from squatting for long periods of time in the crouching position catchers use when they are waiting for the pitch to arrive. All catchers will eventually suffer significant damage to their knees over time simply due to crouching so much. Most catchers are slow to begin with, but they become even slower over their careers as their knees erode, once prompting catcher Joe Garagiola to remark, "The wind always seems to blow against catchers when they are running."
Historically, there have been almost no catchers who have been successful after the age of 32 or so because of the physical toll, but in recent years medical advances and better conditioning have allowed players to extend their catching years into the later 30's.
For scoring purposes, the catcher is denoted by the number "2". Thus if a catcher throws out a runner at first on a bunt attempt, the scorecard would read
2-3
whereas an outfield assist from the leftfielder to the catcher to throw out a runner at home would read
7-2
Offense
Because of the great demands put on a catcher defensively, catchers are typically not expected to provide as much offense as other players, and until recent years, good hitting catchers were extremely rare. Even today, as stars such as Mike Piazza, Ivan Rodriguez, and Javy Lopez redefine the catcher's role to include hitting prowess, most teams are still pretty happy to have a catcher who can keep his average above .250 and provide the occasional home run, provided that he can call a good game, block the plate, and limit the enemy running game. Indeed, once a catcher establishes his reputation as a good defender behind the dish, he is virtually guaranteed a spot on a roster somewhere as a backup, even if he struggles to keep his batting average above the Mendoza line.
The Great Ones
Some of the greatest players in baseball history sat behind the plate. Among them are (Hall of Famers in bold):
Johnny Bench - Yogi Berra - Bob Boone - Roger Bresnahan - Roy Campanella - Gary Carter - Mickey Cochrane - Del Crandall - Spud Davis - Bill Dickey - Buck Ewing - Carlton Fisk - Bill Freehan - Rick Farrell - Josh Gibson - Gabby Hartnett - Elston Howard - Sherm Lollar - Ernie Lombardi - Biz Mackey - Joe Mauer - Thurman Munson - Lance Parrish - Tony Pena - Mike Piazza - Jorge Posada - Ivan Rodriguez - Benito Santiago - Louis Santop - Ray Schalk
- Ted Simmons - Jim Sundberg - Gene Tenace - Joe Torre
Catcher History
1870 – New York Mutuals catcher Nat Hicks starts creeping closer to batters. Before him, catchers had stood far behind the hitters, fielding pitches on the bounce.
June 28, 1870 - Catcher Doug Allison becomes the first player of any kind documented to have used a baseball glove.
May 4, 1871 – Bill Lennon becomes the first catcher to throw out a runner attempting to steal second base, in the seventh inning of the very first major league game.
1877 – Harvard University baseball captain Fred Thayer adapts a fencer's mask to be used by catchers, although it won’t appear in the major leagues until 1890.
1885 - Catchers and umpires begin wearing chest protectors under their shirts.
1886 - Detroit Tigers catcher Charles Bennett becomes the first to wear a chest protector (made by his wife) above his uniform.
1887 – Charles Zimmer is the first catcher to consistently play right behind the batter (2-3 feet). Draper and Maynard becomes the first company to market a mitt specifically designed for catchers.
1890 – Several major league catchers begin wearing face masks.
1907 – New York Giants catcher Roger Bresnahan introduces the shin guard.
August 3, 1914 – New York Yankees catcher Les Nunamaker becomes the only player ever to record all three outs in an inning by throwing out three runners attempting to steal.
July 19, 1915 - the Washington Senators steal eight bases in one inning to set the major league record against Cleveland Indians catcher Steve O'Neil
1941 – In perhaps the most famous catching blunder in baseball history, Mickey Owen drops a third strike to cost the Brooklyn Dodgers a World Series title.
1960 - Clint Courtney of the Baltimore Orioles becomes the first catcher to use a special, larger mitt to catch knuckleballs.
1987 - Helmets are made mandatory for catchers, although certain players are allowed to wear soft hats for the remainder of their careers.
2002 - Mike Piazza establishes a new record for defensive ignominy when he fails to throw out 51 consecutive base stealers.
Records
Career
Games caught: 2226, Carlton Fisk
Doubles: 483, Ted Simmons
Home Runs: 396, Mike Piazza
Runs Batted In: 1430, Yogi Berra
Stolen Bases: 354, Buck Ewing
Batting Average: .320, Mickey Cochrane
On-base Percentage: .419, Mickey Cochrane
Slugging Percentage: .555, Mike Piazza (through 2005)
Runners Caught Stealing Percentage: 57.4, Roy Campanella
Single Season (since 1900)
Games caught: 155, Frankie Hayes, 1944 Philadelphia Athletics, and Ray Mueller, 1944 Cincinnati Reds
Hits: 201, Mike Piazza, 1997 Los Angeles Dodgers
Doubles: 47, Ivan Rodriguez, 1999 Texas Rangers
Triples: 13, Johnny Kling, 1903 Chicago Cubs
Home Runs: 42, Javy Lopez, 2003 Atlanta Braves
Runs: 116, Yogi Berra, 1950 New York Yankees
Runs Batted In: 148, Johnny Bench, 1970 Cincinnati Reds
Stolen Bases: 36, John Wathan, 1982 Kansas City Royals
Batting Average: .362, Bill Dickey, 1936 New York Yankees
Bases on Balls: 122, Mickey Tettleton, 1992 Detroit Tigers
On-base Percentage: .459, Mickey Cochrane, 1933 Philadelphia Athletics
Slugging Percentage: .639 Mike Piazza, 1997 Los Angeles Dodgers
Runners Caught Stealing Percentage: 68.1, Roy Campanella, 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers
Most Gold Gloves, National League: 10, Johnny Bench
Most Gold Gloves, American League: 11, Ivan Rodriguez
Baseball Positions
Pitcher - Catcher - First Baseman - Second Baseman - Third Baseman - Shortstop - Leftfielder - Centerfielder - Rightfielder - Designated Hitter