Brent Mayne

Today’s Tip: The “Four-Seam Grip”

Proper hand position of "the four-seam grip."

Here’s another catching tip….

It never hurts to review the basics, and this is an important one.  As a catcher (or any position player for that matter), you must throw the ball with a four-seam grip!

Unless you’re pitching, you want the trajectory of the ball to stay true and straight. The rotation which results from using a four-seam grip will consistently create this path.

Gripping any other way will cause ball flight to dive, cut, sink, or rise.  Unfortunately, you may do everything else correctly only to have your throw move off target at the last moment.

Pay attention and consciously find this grip everytime you warm up.  Never throw a ball without it!  When you’re at home watching TV, flip a ball in the air and practice coming up with four seams quickly.  Make it second nature so you won’t need to think about it come game time.

Till next week, good luck, have fun, and keep your eye on the ball.

Today’s Tip: “Catching is a One-Handed Position”

Here’s another catching tip….

By adding a “break” in the catcher’s glove back in 1969, Randy Hundley and Johnny Bench changed everything. Now catching is a one-handed position, just like first base.

This quantum leap in equipment design allowed post-1970 catchers to safely maximize their athletic abilities. The old glove required two hands to catch which  pulled the upper body out of alignment (athleticism) and opened one up to serious finger injuries. With the modern glove, we’re safer because the bare hand isn’t involved in receiving the ball. Plus the upper body can stay “stacked” and more upright when the arms can work independently of one another.

So, in a non-throwing/non-blocking situation, keep the bare hand behind the body, protected and out of the way.

And even if you choose to have the bare hand out in front of the body in a throwing/blocking situation, make sure it doesn’t follow the glove out to receive the ball. It’s only there to aid with transition and works independently from the glove.

There are two exceptions to this rule. Try to use two hands when you’re catching a pop fly and when you’re tagging a runner out.

Till next week, good luck, have fun, and keep your eye on the ball.

Today’s Tip: Block with Conviction

Control the reaction of blocked balls by getting in position quickly.

Here’s another catching tip…

Before we explore today’s tip, first let’s review a few requirements for the successful blocking a wild pitch. Remember, blocking is really three things combined into one. First, the bounced ball must hit the catcher squarely in the chest area. Second, the resulting ricochet must stay close to his body. And to complete the play, the catcher must have enough athleticism to bounce on the block and throw out an aggressive base runner.

For today’s purposes, let’s take a better look at the second part – keeping the block close. If you recall, the reaction of two things moving towards and colliding with each other is going to be dramatic. In other words, if a catcher is still moving when the ball strikes his chest, the ricochet is going to bounce too far from his body to be effective. To best control and predict the trajectory of a blocked ball, the catcher must have stopped his forward momentum by the time he and ball meet.

I’ve seen a wide variety of blocking methods, but almost all the good ones share this common trait. That is, good blockers get down quickly and with violent conviction. I’ve yet to see someone get the job done consistently with slow, soft movements. For some reason when you go at a block lethargically, the body never completes it’s movement and the ricochet becomes impossible to control.

So to sum it up and to simplify, make all of your blocks one speed – fast. Regardless of the pitch’s velocity, be it a slow breaking ball or a fast ball, your reaction if it’s in the dirt is going to be violent and quick. With that commitment, it just boils down to timing. Obviously, for an over-the-top curve you’re just going to wait longer than a hard slider to start the whole process.

Once comfortable with the timing, the violent blocking technique ultimately allows a catcher to stop body movement at the right time and control the ricochet of a wild pitch. And when a catcher can do that, his pitching staff can go for the strike out and stay down in the zone with confidence.

Till next time, have fun, play hard, and keep your eye on the ball…

Today’s Tip: “Work Hard”

Grind it out till the last out of the last game of the season.

Here’s another catching tip…

Alright, we’re almost there. The end of the season is right around the corner and you can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. You’ve caught 130 plus games. You’re tired, I get it. You’re hurt, I get it. You’re teams out of the race, I get it. Trust me, I’ve been there.

But that’s still no excuse for not busting your ass till the end. Keep pushing yourself to hustle out to your position. Challenge yourself to pounce on balls that get away from you – whether they dribble a foot or ten feet away, whether a man is on base or not. Sprint to back up first base on ground balls to the infield. Keep moving, keep bouncing, keep working hard!

Here’s why. As a catcher, you set the tone for the whole defense. You’re the focal point. Do you think a third baseman or a middle infielder or an outfielder is going to dog it after he watches you bouncing all over the place in game 150? Absolutely not. Your job behind the dish is fifty times more demanding than everyone else’s, and if you’re hustling they have to as well.

You can lead as much as you want with your mouth, but to me, this is the type of leadership that works. Leadership by example. And if I can do it, or Jason Kendall or Mike Matheny, or any number of pro’s can do it after playing 150 games in 150 degree heat, there is absolutely no excuse for an amateur at any level not to do it.

You’ll feel better about yourself, you’ll be a better teammate, and you’ll give people evaluating you the impression that you’re tough. Bouncing around also gives the illusion that you’re light on your feet and faster than you actually might be.

I know it’s hard. But I’m pretty sure it’s not as hard as a “real” job.

Till next time, have fun, work hard, and keep your eye on the ball…

Today’s Tip: “Visual Focus When Throwing Out Runners”

Yadier Molina is one of the best throwing catchers in baseball.

Here’s another catching tip…

First off, let’s get something straight. As a catcher, you must understand there’s many things that are out of your control which will determine how effectively you throw out runners. How quickly the pitcher delivers the ball to the plate, how big a jump the runner gets, and how well the middle infielders cover and handle your throw are but a few of these components.

You can only do what you can do. Ultimately, that would mean an accurate toss with a sub two second pop time. From there, the rest is up to the baseball gods.

So, here’s something that helped me consistently do my job to the best of my ability. Once the pitch was thrown and I noticed that the runner was stealing, I made a conscious effort to just focus on the ball. Like I said, it’s out of your hands whether he got a great jump or your pitcher is slow to the plate. What’s in your hands is how quickly you can turn that pitch around and put it over second base.

Instead of keeping one eye on the progress of the stealer and one eye on the pitch, just focus on the ball and your timing. Once that guy goes, it’s simply becomes a dance between you and the incoming pitch. The rest is out of your control anyway. If you’re reacting and adjusting to the runner, I think you’re barking up the wrong tree and sacrificing consistency.

Throwing out base stealers in this way will help you stay within yourself. You’ll end up throwing some guys out by ten feet and some by an eyelash. Ultimately, it’ll insure you throw out the ones you should throw out and help you sleep at night knowing you did your best.

Till next time, good luck, have fun, and keep your eye on the ball…