A Guide to Baseball Catching Signs

The catcher comunicates to the pitcher by using his fingers, to tell him which pitches to throw. The standard signals are one finger for a fastball, two for a change up, three for a curve and four for a slider. While these are easy enough to remember, they are also easy enough for the opposing team to figure out. Even though the base appears far away, the runner on second has a clear view on second. This is also true with the batter. They both can get a clear view of the signs the catcher is using.

The best thing to do is hide the signs so that only the pitcher knows what the catcher is attempting to communicate. For example, before each pitch, the catcher flashes his fingers three times; the second time he flashes represents the throw that he wants the pitcher to use. For this to work, the catcher must communicate to both the starter and relief pitchers before the game begins.

Catching signs are not only used to tell the pitcher what to throw; they are also used to communicate to the entire infield. For example, if the catcher believes that the batter is going to bunt, he may wave the infielders to play in closer to the plate. He also can have a sign to the pitcher if he believes a base runner is leading too far off a base.

Hiding the signs gives an edge for the players in the infield. However, the opposing team will be observant and may be able to pick them off. As long as the signs are consistent, easy to follow communicated to all the team players, the catcher most lifely will lead the team to victory.

Sometimes, during the game, the catcher may have to change signs. This may be because the opposing team has figured them out. He may communicate by adjusting his mask, tugging at his ear or calling a time out to talk to the pitcher.

Sometimes the pitcher may not want to throw a pitch that the catcher is suggesting. A simple shake of the head tells the catcher to choose a different pitch. He nods his ehad when he is going to throw what the catcher suggests.

Not only does the catcher tell the pitcher what type of pitch to throw, he tells him where to place the ball. For example, if he wants the ball thrown towards the inside of the plate, he moves his hand to the left of his thigh. If he wants it to the outside, he moves his hand to the right. If he wants the ball high or low, he positions his glove high or low. Even if the batter knows where the pitch is going to be, he will not be able to tell what the pitcher is going to throw if the signs are well hidden.

Sometimes a catcher does not want a batter to get a chance to hit the ball. The reason may be that the batter is a powerful hitter and the batter on deck is a weak hiter. It would be better to walk this batter and attempt to get the next one out. Therefore, the catcher will hold his glove out to the side and up in the air to tell the pitcher to intentionally walk him.

As in the Army, baseball is a game of offense and defense. The catcher takes up the rear as je has the closest view of the opposing team when they are at bat. He is the one who can predict what the batter is going to do-bunt or swing. He can tell what their weaknesses are. For example, one batter may be unable to hit curve balls amd another is weaker on fastballs. When he knows heir weaknesses, he communicates to the pitcher on what type of pitch to throw.