Experienced P, Inexperienced C

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Nov 18, 2013
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My DD is a starting P on a 2nd year 12s team. Recently their #1 C left the team, and now trying to train another player to C who has very little if any exp playing C. (Maybe a season of Rec a few years ago) My DD has been pitching 4+ years now, and considered #1 on her team.
Last weekend, the HC put the new C in with DD in a game against an even competition team. The C dropped 90% of her pitches, she ended up BB 3-4 players in 2 inning, 3 D3S, one which scores a 3B, and finally the C was pulled in the middle of an AB at the end of the 2nd inning because she kept taking her glove off and shaking her hand, and finally broke down in tears after the 3 or 4th run scored in steal Of home or overthrow to IF.
It was rough.
my DD was a good sport about it, but long term, I’m not sure this is going to work out.My DD likes this team a lot. Shes been on it a couple years.The HC says he’s working in recruiting another C. The other C w/exp ages up so will be left with only the new C unless he can find another one.My concern is if we stay on the team, this C is going to affect DD pitching. We spend a lot of outside time and $ working on pitching.
There’s another team abt 45 min away that’s much better then DD team overall and they recruited DD to pitch on that team. They have one of the best C in our region and 2 back ups, but DD doesn’t really know anyone on that team, and doesn’t want to leave her team.
I don’t know what to do. I’m concerned her current team won’t find a C and she will be stuck with this kid who cannot catch DD. it seems like a no brainer from a parents perspective to put DD on a team with a solid D and catching staff. But DD is “shy” and comfortable on this team, even though in a few weeks she will not have an experienced C unless they find one. Since it’s Covid, I’m not sure how that will go.

Am I reading this correctly that the CATCHER walked 3-4 batters???
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
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So Cal
Am I reading this correctly that the CATCHER walked 3-4 batters???

Yeah....That's the way it was phrased. While I believe good receiving keeps strikes looking like strikes, and poor receiving can lose a few, 3-4 BBs in 2 innings isn't all on the C, no matter how rough she is.

I suspect we might have chased away the OP since we haven't been very supportive of her position.
 
Nov 18, 2013
2,255
113
Yeah....That's the way it was phrased. While I believe good receiving keeps strikes looking like strikes, and poor receiving can lose a few, 3-4 BBs in 2 innings isn't all on the C, no matter how rough she is.

I suspect we might have chased away the OP since we haven't been very supportive of her position.

As a pitchers parent I understand the frustration when a catcher or any defensive position does something that leads her to throw extra pitches. The pitcher also plays a role in it so it’s hard to blame it all on the defense or any one player. Nobody likes those parents who blame all their DD’s mistakes on other people.

If the OP’s DD wants to stay on this team they have several months to work with this catcher and get her game ready by next spring. As others have noted, have your DD practice with the catcher and bring her to pitching lessons.
 
Dec 3, 2018
1
3
DD spent a season pitching to a not-great catcher. After a couple tough games, she started changing the way she pitched because she wanted to make it easier on her catcher. As you can imagine, this meant she wasn’t pitching as well as she could.

DD’s coach told her not to worry about C; her job was to pitch, and she needed to think about what she needed to do and stop wasting her time thinking about C.
 
May 11, 2018
91
18
my DD's old team had one catcher on her team that closes her eyes every time a batter swings. you can imagine how well that went over with all the pitchers on the team. it took some time before the coach realized it wasn't the pitchers that was the problem.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
my DD's old team had one catcher on her team that closes her eyes every time a batter swings. you can imagine how well that went over with all the pitchers on the team. it took some time before the coach realized it wasn't the pitchers that was the problem.
'The cringe' much more noticeable when its a ball flying at the defense and body language with facial expressions are exposed.
Learning curves!
 
Aug 21, 2008
2,359
113
Calvin stole my thunder. But, I was gonna suggest going out of your way to get that catcher to your DD's lessons. And do additional work whenever you and your DD pitch without lessons.

It's easy to think, "It's not my job to get that girl catching practice or help her get ready, I'm worried about my own kid!!' And you'd be right.... and you'd be wrong.

Every pitcher is at the mercy of their catcher. We'd all like to think it's the other way around but, it's not. And the sad state of things is, Good and Bad, there are 2 million pitching coaches out there (many are part of the PCM and should be locked up). Good and Bad there are 4 million hitting coaches out there. But you rarely see catching instruction and lessons. You rarely see that as a topic in coaches clinics/conventions. People like @RADcatcher are gold if you can find them: experienced players who teach from their experience.
 
Nov 18, 2015
1,585
113
my DD's old team had one catcher on her team that closes her eyes every time a batter swings. you can imagine how well that went over with all the pitchers on the team. it took some time before the coach realized it wasn't the pitchers that was the problem.
If she was missing the ball, it wasn't just b/c her eyes were closed. I've seen enough MLB photos to be confident in saying that blinking is a natural reflex.

If she's squeezing her eyes shut and tightening up, then she's likely reacting to her expectations of a batter swinging (and probably does this on check swings as well).

It should only be a problem with the latter.
 
Jan 6, 2009
6,591
113
Chehalis, Wa
I was umpiring a rec game and the catcher didn’t move to catch the ball and it hit me. The pitch was decent and she didn’t even make a move to catch it, she just stayed in her stance. She did it on every pitch, just stayed in her stance and didn’t make a movement. They switched catchers after the inning.

Never seen anything like it.
 

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