SETTING UP FOR PITCHES
A sure give-away to a hitter is for a catcher to give their signs and immediately
set up inside or outside. A catcher should give the sign and location for the
pitch they want called and move to location as the pitcher begins his motion.
An important point is for the catcher to get the glove up and give the pitcher
a target as early as possible. Again, don't give away location too early. More
so, give the pitcher a reference point to immediately focus in on.
When a catcher is setting up for a fastball to be thrown right down the middle,
the catcher should cheat slightly to the backhand side. The reason for this is
it is easier to move and catch an errant pitch to your glove hand side than it
is to your backhand side. Unless you are calling for a pitch up in the strike
zone, your glove should target the bottom of the zone. If the target is mid-thigh
and your pitcher hits his target the ball may land 400 feet away, if the target
is at the knee, the pitcher has a greater chance of success if they hit their
spots.
Once the pitcher gets ahead in the count, the catcher should set up for pitches
differently than if the pitcher is behind in the count. If an outside pitch is
called, the catcher should set up off the plate about three inches. Having command
of the strike zone will increase the chances of the umpire giving you the outer
half. The same holds true for the inside pitch. The only difference is that instead
of setting up three inches off the plate, you only need to set up one inch off
the plate. It is important to remember one of the cardinal sins of baseball; never
hit the batter when you have them down in the count.
Once a pitcher falls behind in the count it takes away some of the latitude from
the umpire and the catcher. If the catcher calls for a pitch away, they need to
set up on the plate. You want the pitcher to hit the outer third or the black.
Again, the same holds true for the inside pitch. You don't want to fall behind
even further. Set up on the corner and give the target on the plate.
When a breaking ball is called, the catcher can still cheat slightly to the backhand
side. They must again target the bottom of the zone. The glove must be at the
knees. Mentally, the catcher must assume the ball will be in the dirt. Always
be ready to block all balls in the dirt.
When the pitcher gets ahead in the count and a breaking ball is called, the catcher
will set up on the plate and want the ball in the dirt. You want to try to get
the hitter to chase the breaking ball and get himself out. Again, be ready to
block all balls in the dirt. When the pitcher is behind in the count, the catcher
should set up on the plate and target the bottom of the zone. In this case we
want a rhythm breaking ball thrown for a strike. An important tip to the pitcher
and the catcher; if you are going to miss, miss down and toward location. You
won€t get hurt if you miss down. However, if you miss up in the zone, bad things
will happen.
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