In the hands of the receiver.

The catcher should put his hand down before the hitter gets into the box

The catcher is the defensive quarterback of the baseball team. He must lead by example and he can never let down. He must be decisive, vocal, encouraging - while calling every pitch, nursing the pitcher, and keeping the baserunners honest.

For two or three hours, he has one mission in life: to get the most out of his pitcher by creating a positive environment, focusing the pitcher, and keeping the infield alive and in the game.

Everything in this large agenda hinges on the catcher's ability to win the pitcher's confidence. The pitcher must have complete faith in the catcher's pitch selection and receiving ability.

Since a sloppy receiver will undermine the pitcher's confidence, the catcher must work from a good, solid position that will facilitate the transmission of the signals and the reception of the pitch.

SIGNALLING STANCE

The catcher must sit down behind the plate with his legs close together, thighs parallel to the ground, and feet up on the toes and turned a bit toward third base.

The weight is balanced over the feet, and the left forearm is rested easily across the thigh, with the glove hanging over the knee or alongside of it, facing in toward the crotch to conceal the sign from the third-base coach and runner.

The catcher relays the signal to the pitcher by placing the signalling digit in the middle of his crotch, up against the body.

He must be careful not to drop the finger below the body line, where it could be observed from the rear, nor to put the finger down any noticeable distance away from the crotch, to prevent an overhead sun from casting a shadow of the digit on the shin guards or feet.

The whole purpose of the leg positioning is to funnel the sign to the pitcher without having it spotted by opposing base coaches and runners.

Any time the catcher leaves himself open in his stance, he should be tipped off by the first or third baseman.

Coaching point: We like our catchers to wear a long-sleeved shirt to conceal his elbow position and forearm movement.

SIGN POSTS

The catcher should put his sign down before the hitter moves into the box. This will enable the catcher to maintain the tempo of the game and to transmit the sign while the opponents are still flashing signs to the baserunners.

The pitcher can change the type of pitch or its location by touching or rubbing his shirt or pants to add to or subtract from the signal number. There is no need to run through all the signs or to repeat a signal, after a pick-off attempt.

The pitcher should be in charge of his own game, as he knows best what is working and what isn't. More importantly, he has a better feel for what pitch to throw. A pitcher who throws a pitch he believes in will usually throw it better than a pitch he doesn't believe in as much.

Golden rule: It's better to have the wrong pitch thrown with confidence than the right pitch thrown with doubt.

The catcher's signal should be thought of as a suggestion. If the pitcher doesn't agree with it, he should instantly signal the catcher with his glove that he wants a different pitch or that he is going to throw something else.

Whenever the pitcher shakes off a pitch that the catcher has total confidence in, he should call time for a consultation. If he cannot persuade the pitcher to go along with him, he should let the pitcher have his way.

In short, the pitcher has the final word. This is consistent with the philosophy that a pitcher is better off throwing strength against strength than weakness against weakness.

The catcher and pitcher should review the signals before the game and between innings, if necessary. They should also sit next to each other on the bench between innings. Coaches should discourage any meetings on the mound before the start of an inning.

The catcher should never use a fist as a signal for the pitch-out. He should understand that runners on second and third can look in and read the pitch-out sign, enabling them to get the third-base coach to take off the squeeze play.

The catcher must also have a system to hold runners. He needs signals for a step off, long hold, and all kinds of different moves to the bases and home; i.e., slide step, long hold and pitch, short hold and pitch, a wheel pick, a fake pick at third and throw to first or a fake pick to first and throw to third.

The catcher should finish warming up the starting pitcher the last five minutes in the bullpen, to discern what kind of stuff the pitcher has that day. He can then quickly review the signals with the pitcher - obviating time-wasting trips to the mound.

RECEIVING STANCE

After signalling the pitch to the mound (as described), the catcher is ready to set up under the hitter and perform his single, most important function: receive the ball with impeccable technique.

Catchers who cannot do this are never going to win the pitcher's confidence and get the most out of him.

With no one on base, the catcher has several options in his stance. With less than three balls or two strikes, he may sit down on one or both knees to provide the best possible target for the pitcher.

Coaching point: The only way to determine "best target" for the pitcher is by communication and experimentation.

The catcher must sit down under the hitter close enough to reach out with his glove and touch the hitter's back elbow. This close-up position will prevent the catcher from being chewed up by foul tips and balls in the dirt, and allow him to cut the ball off more quickly.

Catchers who like to set up a little farther back in the box can create problems on the breaking ball. They may find the pitcher throwing to them rather than against the hitter - giving the hitter a chance to contact the ball before it breaks while it is up in the strike zone.

The catcher must also have an awareness of free-swinging hitters who sweep their bat and create "catcher's interference."

BASIC STANCE

After giving the signal, the catcher should squat under the hitter with his feet spread a little wider than the shoulders in a right toe to left heel relationship.

He must lean his upper body forward to ensure a balanced, low center of gravity, with his head above the shoulders thrust forward to a point over the knees. The stance should be comfortable, giving the catcher total confidence in his ability to handle any pitch, move in any direction, and come up throwing.

The soles should be kept flat on the ground with the toes pointed out at about 45 degrees and the weight forward over the inside of the feet (with a little more weight over the left foot).

By keeping the feet flat on the ground rather than up on the toes, the catcher will ensure balance, agility, lateral range, and positive throwing momentum.

The upper arms and forearms should form a right angle outside the knees, with the mitt presenting a target at the lower half of the strike zone.

Caution: The catcher should make certain not to: (1) place the mitt too close to the face, (2) place the elbows inside the legs, and (3) fully extend the arms.

SITTING PRETTY

The catcher should generally sit out in the middle of the plate, though he may sometimes choose to sit in or out for a pitcher who likes to pitch fine.

Catchers who set up early tend to tip off their pitches. When they set up inside, it's usually for a fast ball, and when they set up away it is often for a breaking ball.

The catcher should be careful never to shift too early, as this may tip off the pitch to the hitter or enable the on-deck hitter or a runner on second to spot the location of the pitch and pass it on to the hitter.

The catcher can avert telegraphing the pitch by setting up a little off the center of the plate when he wants the ball in or out, or by sliding into position too late for the hitter to make an adjustment.

If the pitcher is unable to consistently throw in or out, it will be better for the catcher to sit over the middle and just target in and out off his knees. This will prevent him from constantly reaching for the ball - which often has umpires miscalling the outside strike.

The catcher must set up the same way every time. We prefer to use one set of signals (with or without a runner on base) to prevent our pitcher from having to think too much about the need to adjust to another set of signals every time a man gets on base.

The catcher must also be aware of "peekers" - hitters who like to peek in at the catcher while taking their practice swings. The catcher can trick the "peeker" by having the pitcher deliver the ball soon as the peeker begins looking back after peeking in.

This will generally put a stop to peeking, especially if the pitch is delivered hard and inside.

Another good way to discourage peeking is by setting up away and having the pitcher throw inside or by starting inside and sliding outside.

THE CATCHER'S "SUGGESTIONS" HAVE TO BE RESPECTED, OF COURSE, BECAUSE:

1. The catcher may spot a weakness in the hitter that the pitcher is unaware of.

2. The catcher's view from behind the plate will often enable him to see things that the pitcher cannot.

3. The catcher's greater experience as a hitter will give him a better knowledge of the hitter's strength and weaknesses.

4. The catcher may have a better memory of the scouting report on the hitters.