Catcher moving too fast?

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I had an interesting call over the weekend by an umpire. The umpire began calling pitches that were perfect strikes, balls. When the coaches questioned the umpire he said the her was moving too quickly to return the ball to the pitcher. However he didn't explain it well enough and caused some confusion for my 10u DD. Which threw off her and the pitcher's groove. She thought she was not allowed then to rise up to throw the ball back to the pitcher or to second base. We ended up losing the game. My thought is shouldn't the umpire position himself in a manner that gives him full view of the pitch. Any advice on how to slow a catcher down?

 

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I'm at a total loss to explain this one...

If these were ten-year olds, I can't image it being too hard to look around or over them. It's not like when you're doing the older girls and the catcher is six feet tall! And it is the umpire's job to adjust to the players, not the other way around.

Catchers move around all the time. When they do, you have to adjust. One nice thing though...even when a catcher does move, home plate does not! If you're setting up consistently you should have a pretty good idea where the plate is...and it's not going anywhere!

All I can guess is that, as often happens with the youngest age groups, you had an inexperienced umpire. Sounds like a rookie making a rookie mistake.

 

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Then someone needed to give some pointers to MLB umpire Jerry Layne - he had trouble calling strikes in the 2009 ALCS because Mike Napoli was blocking his view.
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=7078469&topic_id=7221926&c_id=mlb

Many people underestimate the effect catchers can have on whether pitches are called balls or strikes. Awareness and proper mechanics are a big help to the team.

 

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Well, if we're going to compare a 10U softball catcher's mechanics to a Major League Baseball catcher...no, let's don't!

Sure, catchers move and sometimes it does block your view. And some play right up on the plate, half stand up when a pitch is coming in, hold their gloves out when they go to grab a pitch or do lots of other stuff that makes it hard to see the pitch. When they do, you need to adjust for it.

It's usually only an issue with pitches that are right on the border and usually just the inside ones. "Right down the middle" with a kid that's barely five feet tall and pitches that might be hitting 45 m.p.h.? I can't see that throwing me off too much!

Catcher's can help their own cause by using good technique to receive pitches. The revese is, of course, also true. If you're blocking the plate you are probably going to cost your pitcher a few borderline calls. If that is happening, then the umpire should be able to articulate to the catcher or coach exactly what is happening and why. And a coach should be able to use that information to...coach his catcher.

In all but the most extreme cases, an umpire should be able to adjust. You work a little higher, a little further in or out, whatever it takes to see the plate. You are allowed to move around back there, ya know!

None of this is anything new- but it might be new to someone just starting out at the 10U level. It's a conversation I might have with a coach or catcher a couple of times a year. It's probably an issue that's come up ever since there were catchers catching pitches and umpires standing behind them to call the pitch.

 

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We had an umpire who was not wearing a chest protector behind the plate. As a result he buried himself (understandably) so far behind the catcher for protection that he could not see the plate at all. Needless to say it was frustrating for both pitchers when their pitches were called BEFORE they even reached the plate. Had more than a few he called balls/or strikes that got fouled off! :yahoo:

 

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We have a name for an umpire that fails to wear the proper protective equipment behind the plate....stupid!

 

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I had a guy last year tell me that my catcher couldn't set up on the inside because that is where he stands and he wouldn't call the strikes there because he couldn't see them. You can argue that he is wrong all you want but if he thinks he is right, you are wasting your breath. It's frustrating for the pitcher and catcher from both teams but what are you going to do about it?!?

A catcher needs to make sure they are in the best position to receive the ball or drop to scoop it but if it means you lose the whole side of the plate because of an inexperienced umpire....you have to adjust. As wrong as I knew that guy was, I wasn't willing to lose all the inside pitches to prove him wrong. Sometimes you just have to adjust to the ignorance and just try to make it through the game.

 

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I had a guy last year tell me that my catcher couldn't set up on the inside because that is where he stands and he wouldn't call the strikes there because he couldn't see them. You can argue that he is wrong all you want but if he thinks he is right, you are wasting your breath. It's frustrating for the pitcher and catcher from both teams but what are you going to do about it?!?

File a protest. There is no rule about where the catcher can set up, as long as she's in the catcher's box and not obstructing the batter. Him telling you your player can't do something that is 100% legal under the rules is an obvious rule misinterpretation.