What are some tips that catchers should use when blocking pitches in the dirt? A fastball has a tendancy to jump when it hits the dirt. Everything begins and ends at home plate on a baseball field. Home...
Everything begins and ends at home plate on a baseball field. Home plate is where the batter attempts to return, too, before the defensive team is able to record three outs.
With runs so hard to come by at times in a baseball game, having a catcher who can successfully put his body in the path of a baseball is a huge advantage.
With runs so hard to come by at times in a baseball game, having a catcher who can successfully put his body in the path of a baseball is a huge advantage.
In order to successfully block a pitch in the dirt, the catcher must practice on the proper technique. In times past, the catcher would be the biggest guy on the team. But now, the quickness and ability to be very mobile behind the plate that some catchers possess makes them even more valuable to their team.
Kevin McMullan played in the New York Yankees organization before coaching in the Atlanta Braves organization. Currently, he's the assistant coach at the University of Virginia in charge of hitting, infielders and catchers. McMullan said that before a catcher can properly know how to block a pitch in the dirt, he must first know what pitch is being thrown.
With so many pitches to choose from, we put them into two categories. The first being fastball and the second being off speed pitches (curveball, slider, knuckle, etc).
According to McMullan, blocking a fastball in the dirt is the hardest of all the pitches to block.
"It's the toughest pitch to block because mentally you expect the guys to throw the ball in the strike zone," McMullan said. "Reading the ball off the ground is difficult."
With pitchers fastballs consistently clocking in the 90 mph range, there is very little time to think about what needs to be done to properly block a fastball in the dirt.
So, in order to be better prepared, McMullan said that all catchers should work on the proper technique for blocking a fastball when it's in the dirt.
"You lead with your hands, and then your knees and hips will follow," he said. "You might have a little bit of an angle with your upper body. Keep your knees out and the glove in what they call the 5-hole."
The 5-hole is the area between the catcher's legs and is normally the spot where most passed balls will slip through.
Most catchers will come off the ground on a baseball thrown in the dirt expecting it to rise. And in the cases where it doesn't ride, it goes right through the 5-hole.
For off speed pitches, the technique has to differ a little because of the way the baseball is thrown.
"You have to attack the baseball to be able to cut off the angle," McMullan said. "Because of the rotation, when the ball hits the ground, it has a tendency to jump. Fast balls have the tendency to stay down so they can skip. I think you have to beat the rotation of a right-handed breaking ball and get a little bit of an angle."
"I would say wherever the ball is going is where you have to be to cut the angle off," he added. "I think you can gain a little bit of ground if you lead with your hands, because your knees always follow your hands."
