Setting Up and Pitch Selection
I find it amazing how many coaches at all levels of youth baseball do not allow their catchers and pitchers to call the pitches they throw. Based on my experience I would estimate that something like 40% of coaches in the age groups where pitchers throw anything other than a four seam fastball (12U - 14U) call all pitches.
The coach will normally sit on a bucket outside the dugout facing the catcher and will put down signs between his knees which the catcher sees and then relays to the pitcher. The pitcher does not have the option to change the pitch, he throws what the coach tells him to throw.
In my opinion, this does a huge disservice to the pitcher and the catcher who never learn how to make these decisions for themselves and are thus not prepared for High School ball (and later) where they will be required to understand what pitches to throw in what situations and why.
A huge part of developing pitchers and catchers is helping them to understand when to throw what pitches and why. This post will discuss the thought process that goes through the mind of the catcher and pitcher when deciding what pitch to call through or throw and also how the catcher will setup behind the plate to receive the pitch depending on the pitch and game situation.
The Most Important Pitch in Baseball (the importance of the count)
There is an old adage: What is the most important pitch in baseball? Strike one!
It is important to start out ahead in the count and have the batter playing catch-up. The chances of striking a batter goes up dramatically when the pitcher is ahead in the count.
According to studies, in American League plate appearances between 2015 and 2017, the average on base percentage (OBP) for all batters was .352. When the count goes to 0-1, that OBP drops to .332, that's a 20 point drop in chances of getting on base just by establishing strike 1.
With a count of 0-2, that OBP drops to .165.
Interestingly, the OBP does not change appreciably with a 1-0 count, or a 2-0 count, but the OBP goes up to .944 with a 3-0 count. That OBP stays very high when the count goes to 3-1 (.689) and even 3-2 (.450). This means it is very important to stay out of 3 ball counts.
Conversely, once 2 strikes have been established, the OBP stays below .200 regardless of the number of balls until it gets to a full count at which time the OBP goes up to .450.
These statistics should inform the pitcher and catcher with regards to how to setup and pitch to the batter based on the count.
Setting up for the Pitch
The "center square" is the hot zone for every batter on the planet. This is where batting practice is pitched and where the batter has the highest chance of crushing the ball. In most fastball situations, throwing the ball in this spot should be avoided at all costs.
The ideal place to locate a pitch is on any of the four corners with as little of the ball touching the corner as possible. These are the most difficult locations for a batter to make good contact.
When deciding to set up the batter inside or outside, the catcher will look at the location of the batter with respect to the plate. If the batter is crowding the plate, a great place to set them up is on the inside corner. It is very difficult to hit a ball three inches from your knee on the inside corner and it is very satisfying for the catcher and pitcher to see a batter jump back to keep from getting hit with the ball and hear the umpire call a strike.
If the batter is standing away from the plate, set him up on the outside corner. It is also very difficult to hit a ball off the tip of the bat down at the knees. Batters will swear a ball at the knees on the outside corner is a ball, but that's just because they are standing too far away from the plate.
Adjusting for the Count
When the ball count is getting higher (2 balls or more), the catcher would do well to try to make it easier on the pitcher by bringing the glove more into the center of the box, but staying at either the very top of the zone or the bottom of the zone. These locations are also very difficult for the batter to hit and if contact is made, it will rarely be a solid hit. Even if contact is made, pitches at the top of the zone are typically a pop-up and pitches at the bottom of the zone are typically a ground-out.
Adjusting for the Pitcher
If a pitcher is struggling to find the strike zone or if the batter is known to be a weaker hitter, the catcher can setup closer to the middle of the vertical plane of the strike zone, but on the inside or outside edges. This will provide more opportunities for a swing and miss or a weakly hit ball.
Mostpitchers will be less accurate with pitches other than the fastball. For this reason, when calling for a curveball, slider, changeup, etc., the catcher will normally setup the batter directly in the center square. This is less risky for those pitches because the effort to get a strike on the batter is from the misdirection (different speed, ball movement, etc.) and not location.
I always know when my catcher has called for a breaking or other off speed pitch because he is setup right in the center square.
Adjusting for the Batter
Another exception to this "center square rule" is with a particularly weak batter and a particularly fast pitcher. I have heard many people say "you've got 2 strikes and no balls, this next pitch shouldn't be anywhere near the strike zone". On a particularly bad hitter this may work, but a pitcher only has so many pitches in his arm and a ball that is nowhere near the strike zone will not likely entice a swing and is just a waste of one of those pitches.
If the batter is known to be a weak hitter and is consistently behind a fast pitcher (or shying away from the ball), the catcher may choose to just call for the fastball closer to the center square to get the batter out and get on to the next batter. I would rather use that saved pitch on another batter with my ace on the mound than waste one and have to pull him one pitch earlier.
Changing the Eye Level
Setting up the batter at the very top of (and even slightly out of) the strike zone can get a batter swinging wildly and up at a pitch were they know they have to swing at "anything close". It is extremely hard to hit a high fastball and is even more difficult when every pitch up to that point has been at the bottom of the zone.
Once again, this is a good way to get a K without having to waste any pitches and have to pull your pitcher earlier because of a high pitch count.
Helping a Brother Out
One other thing that affects where the catcher will setup a pitcher is how a pitcher may be struggling that day.
Sometimes, a pitcher will come into the game and is consistently killing worms (everything he throws is in the dirt) and he can't seem to bring it up to the bottom of the strike zone. The responsibility of the catcher is to recognize this and start setting him up higher so that those low pitches start catching the zone.
Normally, as the game progresses and the pitcher starts to get in to a rhythm he will start dialing it in and the catcher can move back to a more conventional setup, but when a catcher notices that a pitcher is consistently missing high or low or in some specific location he can help him dial it in by adjusting the setup location accordingly.
Of course, this only works if the pitcher is actually throwing at the glove and has not just lost so much confidence that they are just aiming for the center of the strike zone on every pitch regardless of where the glove is set. If this is the case, it's time to call a timeout and change the pitcher.
Pitch Selection
There are many things that go into deciding what pitch to throw at any given time including:
- Pitches a pitcher knows how to throw
- Confidence of a pitcher in a given pitch
- Skill level of the batter they are facing
- Presence of base runners
- Count
There are no hard and fast rules about what pitch to throw when. In fact, it can be very helpful to throw a certain pitch where it isn't expected (like throwing a curve with 3 balls) if it can be effectively executed. Having said that, however, there are some guidelines that I use for my team.
First, don't fall into a rut where you always throw the same pitches in the same situations so the batter can anticipate what you will throw. You gotta keep 'em guessin'.
Also, as noted above, the first thing to consider when choosing a what pitch to throw is the count. The count will dictate the pitch to a large degree.
Go-to Pitches
With three balls you will almost always want to throw the pitch in which the pitcher has the most confidence. This should be the fastball. It could be the 4 seamer or 2 seamer - but is normally the 4 seamer. If a pitcher can't reliably throw a 4 seam fastball for strikes it should be considered if they should be pitching at all at any age.
Auxiliary Pitches
A pitcher will gain confidence throwing pitches they are just learning to throw if they can throw some during a game. When a pitcher is up 2 strikes and no balls (or even just 1 ball) and there are no runners on base, it can be a good time to try out some of the auxiliary pitches.
As these pitches become more and more reliable they can be used more and more often in a game. The pitcher and catcher should always be aware of where the pitcher is confidence-wise with every pitch in his arsenal so that they can work on it together and grow in confidence as the pitch continues to develop.
Remember the above discussion of OBP with various pitch counts? There is not a huge difference in outcomes with an 0-2 count, or a 1-2 count, or even a 2-2 count. That makes this the ideal time to try out those auxiliary pitches. With younger or newer pitchers I would not go to a 2-2 count and assume they can throw 2 strikes in a row. :-)
Changing the Pace
The second pitch that every pitcher should develop is the change-up. Pitchers can make a good living with no pitches other than a good fastball and a good change-up. This is especially the case for younger pitchers. If a 10 year old pitcher can throw a fastball and also a change-up for strikes they can usually dominate. IMPORTANT: Pitchers younger than 12 - 14 should not throw a circle change - only a 3 finger change. The forces placed on an arm from the circle change are similar to that of a curve ball and young arms are not yet well enough developed for that pitch and they are usually not disciplined to throw it correctly. These forces can damage the growth plate and cause a lot problems for young pitchers.
The objective of the change up is for it to approach the plate 5 - 10 MPH slower than the fastball. The change-up, however, is not effective, if the fastball is not established first. Once the lineup has figured out the timing of the fastball, throwing a change up will have them swinging before the ball even reaches the plate.
The change-up can be used at any time during the at-bat and should not be used only with 2 strikes or at any particular count. You don't want your opponent to be able to anticipate the change-up. It can also be very effective as the very first pitch to a batter who has faced the pitcher before and is expecting a fastball on strike one.
I coach my pitchers that they should not throw anything other than fastball and change-up until they can reliably throw both of these for strikes.
Multiple Times Through the Lineup
It has been well documented and I have seen it myself time and again that once a batter has faced a pitcher 2 or 3 times in a game and have seen all the pitches that pitcher has to offer, their ability to figure out how to hit them improves significantly. Players will (should) also come back to the dugout and tell their teammates what pitches they saw in that at-bat so they know what they could face when they are up.
To combat this "Third Time Through the Order Penalty" (TTTOP) many pitchers will not use all of their pitches the first time through the order - or even the second time through the order. So, if a pitcher has a 2 seamer, 4 seamer, curve, and change-up, they may only show them the 4 seamer and change-up the first couple of times through the order and then break out the 2 seamer and curve the third time through the order.
Since most youth league players don't have that many pitches in their repertoire this does not nearly play as big a part in the game as it would for a high school, college, or pro pitchers, but the TTTOP is real enough that I will often pull a starting pitcher before they hit their pitch count if they are going through the lineup and seem to be less effective. I can then bring in someone with different pitches or a different speed to change up what the batter is seeing.
Again, this is something that has much less bearing on most youth league games, but is real and something to be considered depending on the level of play.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the objective for the pitcher/catcher battery is to work together to try to keep the batters off balance enough that they get fewer solid hits leading to more outs and less runs scored. The game plan for doing that will be different based on a bunch of different factors, but some principles remain the same regardless.
Hopefully, this discussion has helped to give young pitchers and catchers and less experienced coaches some idea of how the battery can work together to be a more effective team.
