Catcher vs Coach Calling Pitches

How major would be the effect on the game if coaches were not allowed to call pitches; only the catcher could call pitches?

 

Would not have much effect on our games, as the Lady Blues 18U catchers have been calling their own pitches for the last couple of seasons. Overall, they do a very nice job with it.

 

getting it down...

These girls really do get it down to a science. Never really saw it until my DD learned to swing a bat. Once you get beyond mecahanics it really becomes cat and mouse between the battery and the hitter. We've had one travel ball coach in 2 years talk to my DD about pitches after an at bat. For him to do that to a guest player was refreshing.

 

not the dad please

I've seen dads (in HS ball and not as an asst coach) call the pitches, sometimes stationed in or near the dugout. to me, that's bush league and uncalled for / unprofessional.

 

It will happen

when they eliminate base coaches....

Of the 8 D1 college world series teams, only 1 team had their catcher call
the game...
It is not always about a particular pitch, as defensive sets are also called, outfield positioning and pick offs, etc...

Corner players, ( 3rd, 1st, LF, RF ) cannot always see what the catcher is calling...if they can, most likely so can to base coaches... but they can all see dugout area...

This ain't broke, lets not try to fix it...

Making it illegal would just create another strategy to cheat...
Besides that, where would I sit...

 

I've also seen that. It can get especially ugly if the catcher is unaware and calls for a drop curve and the person in the stands calls for, say, a high screw ball.

We played a team in Greenville a season or so ago where the pitcher's dad called signals from just to the right of the catcher outside the backstop fence. I can't remember clearly but I believe we found that to be illegal.

 

Very few understand what decides the pitch selection against a batter. The batter determines what pitch is thrown.That involves watching the girl swing in warmups or when she is on deck. Faults in the mechanics. Where is she in the box . How is her bat speed. How does she hold her hands and bat. How aggressive is she. Physical build. Alot of the dads have spent alot of time and money to make their dd a succesfull pitcher and that can be shot to hell if some one is calling pitches that don't have a clue so I do not have a problem with them calling pitches. It kills me seeing pitches called before the batter even gets in the box. An at bat is a chess match between the battery(pitcher, catcher, pitch caller) and the batter. The batter can make 2 mistakes and still be in the running, if the pitcher makes one mistake its over.

 

Ahah! You're the first one I thought of when starting this thread! I know personally what the effect would be in this case. There would be quite a few less trophies at Grand Slam if you didn't have a place to sit.

A couple of pitchers I thought about when asking the question were Chelsea Leonard and Chelsea Wilkinson in the HS championships. And those Region 5 pitchers in the State Games didn't go unnoticed either.

I'm not sure if the coach was calling for Chelsea Leonard (it wouldn't have mattered; she's the best I've seen) but I know Chelsea Wilkinson and the Region 5 pitches were being called by the coaches. Those pitchers are the ones who made me wonder--especially Wilkinson, a freshman. Obviously, she has the skills needed to put it where and how it's called. But I wondered what if the catcher didn't have the skills that a coach had? And again, in the Wilkinson example, the catcher is a freshman. I'm pretty sure it would make a major difference who is calling pitches there. And in that case it may very well come down to who had the better coach. Just saying.

 

Interesting thread

After 12U my DD's pitches were called by she and her catcher in HS, TB and college with the exception of the part of her college Freshman year. She was fortunate to have the same knowledgeable catcher in HS & TB and only one catcher for four years in college. When I pointed out to her college coach that her ERA was a full run lower when the catcher/pitcher called pitches it put an end to signals from the dugout. The person calling her pitches didn't understand her 'radical' pitching philosophy . . . that you can throw fastballs to D1 batters and get them out. My DD also didn't pay a lot of attention to scouting reports choosing rather to read the batters and simply challenge most with her best stuff. Her coaches learned to trust her and it worked out pretty well for all concerned.

Since pitching is 60?, 70?, 80? percent of the game, though, I can certainly understand how individuals whose paychecks are dependent on the game's outcome would want to control that aspect of the game. I also understand how it would be a 'security blanket' for the pitcher . . . . 'I threw what you called so it's not my fault it got hit'. If the catcher/pitcher are calling the game the 'lines of responsibility' are clear. I've always thought the pitcher should throw whatever pitch she wants. After all, if the pitcher doesn't have 100% belief in every pitch she releases the results are not going to be good. This thread caused me to remember watching one of the best pitchers in the state struggling to throw what her very famous pitching coach was calling at Walnut Creek a few weeks ago (the coach was visibly upset at her). Made me thankful that we were able to 'keep it simple'.