How should a baseball catcher block the plate to prevent a run? Catchers should stand with the proper technique to prevent injury with a colliding runner. For those who say baseball is not a contact sport,...
For those who say baseball is not a contact sport, they obviously have never played the catcher position on a baseball team. All throughout the game, the catcher is being bruised and banged by foul balls, bad pitches and free-swinging bats.
And if that wasn't enough, the catcher can also find himself in one of the biggest collisions in the game of baseball: the play at the plate. Some say it's like standing on the tracks with a freight train barreling down. Others say it's the equivalent of an unstoppable force meeting up with an immovable object.
Regardless, however you want to slice the play at the plate, no one really talks about how vulnerable and open to injury a catcher can be on a play to the plate because of the equipment he's rolling. But when a catcher is standing still awaiting the impact of a baseball player, sometimes, catcher's equipment just isn't enough.
Kevin McMullan played in the New York Yankees organization before becoming a coach in the Atlanta Braves organization. Currently, he is an assistant coach for the University of Virginia baseball team where he deals directly with the catchers among other areas.
During his tenure in the sport of baseball, McMullan said that he's seen his fair share of home plate collisions and gives tips on how catchers can better protect themselves from injury by having proper technique.
"Ideally you should have your foot straight up the baseline, with your knee in line with your left foot," he said. "You do this so if the runner collides with you, you'll have a stable position. When you start opening your foot or closing your foot, you open yourself up for injury."
"From the blocking standpoint," he added. "If you are going to run into the base runner, make sure your ankles and knees are tucked. I would also prefer that the mask stay on."
One of the difficulties that catchers have to deal with on the play to the plate is the throw. Ideally, the catcher would like to get the throw in enough time so that he can either brace for a collision or apply the tag and get out of the way.
But, more times than not, the throw will not be perfect, so the catcher must have certain techniques practiced to ensure safety. One tip for catchers is to assess the situation as it develops.
For example, if the throw is going to be late and there is no chance to get the runner out at the plate, the catcher should remove himself form home plate to be safe not to be involved in the play. Doing so could result in an unnecessary collision at the plate or an error.
These tips and pointers dealing with collisions are basically for younger kids to be better prepared. One thing to know about plays at the plate is that they are illegal at every level except the professional.
"College rules are different than professional rules," McMullan said. "Professional rules say that you can block the plate, but in college you have to allow the runner to see the plate."
