Catching and Catchers discussion Pitchers catching good idea or not ?????????

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Just had new girl join team pitched OK Friday night then came back and struggled on Saturday after she caught. Is it to much wear on your pitcher to expect here to catch game then pitch. I would like other opinions. And yes we have other catchers but are short on pitching.

 

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My DD caught at the 10u level. But as she started to really flurish as a pitcher I no longer allowed her to catch. Just last fall we were playing 16u and we were winning by alot of runs and she asked to catch and I said no way. She would be considered an ace on most squads on the mound.

If the players future is on the mound I do not think she should be catching at all. If a players future is behind the plate and is a preatty good pitcher well that is up to you. I just fell those are 2 speciality positions that need to be mastered. My daughter would have never made it as a top nothch catcher so that is why I made that decision.

It takes too much out of a kid to pitch 4+ games in a weekend and then catch the others. Not to mention the risk of injury. As a pitcher you work hard than anyother player out their and need to be going 100% on every pitch. As well as a catcher, you are working hard then to add the gear..I think it is crazy to platoon these two positions.

 

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A pitchers power comes from the legs, catching is a lot of wear and tear on the legs and knees. Add in all the bumps and bruises a catcher gets and if you are counting on the pitcher I wouldn't not
recommend playing both positions. Most pitchers and catchers are good enough athletes to play the other position.

 

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Absolutely not, would you want your pitcher takeing a foul ball off of her throwing hand!

 

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Not a good idea at the older levels, 14U on up.

 

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I think using a ptcher as the catcher is a good idea if she is not your number one pitcher because they know what pitches to throw in curtain situations and the coach doesn't have to call every pitch.

 

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I think every pitcher should have to catch at least once so they appreciate what the other half of the battery does back there. ? ;D

 

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Thanks for the replies I was sure that was the case but wanted other opinions It is a very demanding position and not a very good idea to put that much where and tear on your pitcher. As far as calling pitches dont think that is a very good reason to abuse your pitcher in the summer heat JMO.

 

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My daughter does both at the 16U level. She is not the number one pitcher, and she usually only pitches for pool games to keep our other pitchers rested for the bracket games. Usually she will pitch the first game then sit half the next game before going in to catch. It seems to work well.

In the summer the girls don't seem to condition as much, and they tend to get tired faster. It is important for them to continue a conditioning routine during the summer as well.

 

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I wouldn't recommend it. My DD does both and last weekend took a ball to the ankle just warming up a pitcher. Unfortunately she wasn't wearing her gear and now has a nasty bruise and soreness when she runs. I was thinking about it and we are lucky she didn't get hit in her pitching arm. So as of now I don't think she will be catching any more. I know accidents happen. But if they can be avoid, why take the chance. And a lot of times a coach will tell a girl that is on the bench to warm up a pitcher, but be careful, it's not a good idea. Let the coach or parent do it, so your DD doesn't get injured.

 

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What age group? If girl behind plate wants to be/thinks she should be the one pitching - could be a problem, too. And catching too hard on legs (and the other way around, too)

 

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my dd does both. but her #1 spot is catching. She too only pitches a few pool games to give the other 2 a rest. I also agree we don't have to call pitches for her, she knows what to throw.
I agree if her #1 spot is pitching don't risk it.

 

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DD can do both. She does a good job behind the plate, but she's a pitcher & that's her #1 priority. I'd rather she not run herself ragged trying to catch & then go pitch a game not to mention the added possibility of injury.

 

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Strongly recommend against it. I did this with my daughter when she was a 12u. We played 3 games on Saturday where she caught a game, then pitched then caught. She was complaining about a pain in the back of her neck after the touranment. We just figured it to be normal muscle strain from a lot of throwing. When we finally took her to a doctor , an x-ray showed that she had fractured her top vertebrae . The doctor said this was caused by throwing too much and the muscle had pulled on the vertebrae to the point where it finally broke. It healed just fine, but caused a lot of discomfort in the meantime.

 

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All of the ideas of (why not) are represented well... 90 degree heat, extra equipment, injuries on foul tips, legs getting tired, will all take away from the pitching side. You can be great at one position, but not both...