Baseball question - for your team, who calls the pitches, the coach, the pitcher, the catcher? Who should?

14Red

14Red

Well-known member
For me, and I played a long time ago. I called my own game as the pitcher, through college. I think coaches micro managing games by calling every pitch does not allow kids to grow with the game. Now there has to be some guidelines. You can't have a 12 year old throwing 75% breaking pitches just because they can.
 
 
I coach JV. Our JV and Varsity catchers call the game. We provide input/teaching moments after innings/at bats to help them continue to learn and call better games. But we feel it's important to empower them to do that. Especially if the catcher/pitcher wants to play in college.
 
thePITman said:
I coach JV. Our JV and Varsity catchers call the game. We provide input/teaching moments after innings/at bats to help them continue to learn and call better games. But we feel it's important to empower them to do that. Especially if the catcher/pitcher wants to play in college.
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I love this......

Teaches them to study the game on and off the field.
 
We always called our own, and when I coached we let the kids call their game.

Often times the pitcher, or catcher, has more intel on the hitter than the coaches do by facing them in JV, Frosh, spring season, etc.
We would often see players discussing certain hitters because they faced them often so why not use that knowledge?

I am a proponent that 'any pitch is the right pitch if located properly' and believe its is more about pitch execution than pitch selection.

My HS coaches were a former MiLB catcher, and the other MiLB pitcher, so if anyone I think would have been overzealous and want to control the game I would think they would...but they didnt. Maybe chimed in a little bit once in awhile, but rarely.

I stlll remember the lessons learned in pitch calling from LL that I learned from my dad.

I also believe it isnt rocket science. Stay out of the middle of the zone as much as possible and go for it. I always preached first pitch strikes and the % of getting on base with a 1st pitch ball vs strike was doubled over the ten year I tracked it. Some advice to a kid who was getting a lot of first pitch swings and contact when we discussed it as he thought maybe inside to brush them back, but instead went with the breaking ball diving out of the zone as they were all looking dead red getting alot of plate to get ahead.


but anyways....I will always die on that hill to let the kids call it and teach and instruct them to do so. If they are young.......then to be honest with you the game is not that important contrary to some parents and coaches beliefs. Learning in a LL game, or youth pool play or bracket, is the perfect time and they will learn, and learn quickly.

Plus I am all for the kids taking ownership of their selection. Make your call, deliver the pitch, and own the result on your selection and your execution.
 
Option #4 - Dads. ?

My experience was coaches calling with leeway to the pitcher and catcher but it was a spectrum based on talent and knowledge. We had catchers that called a great game and others who could not but were great behind the dish.
 
I would agree - coaches who do not chart are probably not as effective as well trained experienced catchers or pitchers in calling pitches.

Coaches who chart, however, have an advantage over even the catchers who are really good at pitch selection...they know what pitches were thrown in previous at bat(s), in what order, and which pitches the hitter could/could not handle in previous at bat(s). Even then though I give the catcher and the pitcher the option of shaking off my signal if either has a really good feel about a different pitch than I called.

Also agree with the importance of first pitch strikes, as well as 1-1 and 2-2. Stats are compelling. Those are counts where you challenge the hitter...it's not nibble time. If the pitcher can locate well, do so. But, in my experience, less than 25% of high school pitchers can locate consistently. For the other 75% I will almost always call something over the middle (and low) on an even count. If they miss (likely), they can be off by 8 inches on either side and still throw a strike. Trying to locate on an even count, and missing by an inch off the plate, puts the pitcher in a deep hole - the next pitch will need to be one the hitter can drive.
 
Ideally the pitchers should call their game. What is usually missing is the guidance to call their game. Instead of providing guidelines for pitcher nd catchers and coaching between innings, coaches just want to call the game. It can get pretty heated between pitchers and coaches about shaking off the pitch. As the parent of a college pitcher, I feel like if the coaches want to call the pitches then they should own the ERA. Come to think of it, that is probably what happened up at OSU this year.
 
CedarBuck92 said:
The older they get the more it should be catcher/pitcher with the coach contributing between innings
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Why not start from the beginning? WHen they are young kids should only be throwing a FB and change. Our LL doesnt even allow breaking balls.

I say start it from the day they start pitching, and to be honest, too many places are forcing the kids to start pitching WAY TOO EARLY.


Start them calling their own from day one and instruct between innings and games. Contrary to what some believe, those games when they are young mean absolutely NOTHING so why not do it then?
 
I'm in the middle. Catchers can call games most of the time but in crunch time coaches should be calling the pitches. More experience and making sure the defense is aligned based on the pitch selection. A catcher's goal with a batter may be different than a coach's big picture view
 
Yappi said:
I'm in the middle. Catchers can call games most of the time but in crunch time coaches should be calling the pitches. More experience and making sure the defense is aligned based on the pitch selection. A catcher's goal with a batter may be different than a coach's big picture view
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You are assuming that any said pitcher will be able to execute the pitches with accuracy. That doesnt happen.
It is not rocket science. Teach them to pitch the edges, read the swings/foul balls and bam, you have a battery that owns the pitch selection.

Ive seen coaches call pitches, as recent as this summer, who were doing a turrrible job at reading the batter. One hitter I see often cannot hit a FB that is anything above average. So late the ball is in the mitt dang near, but the coaches still call the breaking balls and doing the hitter a favor to speed up his bat and contact ensues.

To think just because a coach is an adult that he will call a better game than the pitcher/catcher can be a fallacy.
 
The flipside is true too. Catcher's can be calling pitches like its a video game.

Imo, this is a coach's decision on who should call pitches and I respect their decision. No one size fits all here...

I also think a coach that calls pitches should talk with pitchers/catchers between innings to explain why pitches are being called. Should also have other pitchers/catchers sitting beside him during pitch calls to pass on his experience.
 
PaulieD said:
It has gotten so bad with coaches calling pitches, I wish OHSAA would ban coaches calling pitches. I don't know how many times I saw the catcher get the sign from the coach, look at his wrist band, signal it to the pitcher AND THE HAVE THE BATTER STEP OUT OF THE BOX BECAUSE IT TOOK TOO LONG!

And then the catcher would look at the coach and start all over again.

I bet this happened a dozen times a game. Speed up the game!
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That’s Due to coaches thinking their signs have to be G14 classified. I’d say at 90% of high school games I can pick up the coaches signs defensively in about 10 pitches. The strategy is not that different across teams. When it’s 1-2 to the eighth hitter we all know what’s coming.
 
thavoice said:
Why not start from the beginning? WHen they are young kids should only be throwing a FB and change. Our LL doesnt even allow breaking balls.

I say start it from the day they start pitching, and to be honest, too many places are forcing the kids to start pitching WAY TOO EARLY.


Start them calling their own from day one and instruct between innings and games. Contrary to what some believe, those games when they are young mean absolutely NOTHING so why not do it then?
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I think we are just approaching this differently. My thought it by letting the coach call pitches for at least a bit at the beginning (and spending time talking and teaching between innings) you can help the boys (or girls) learn the game and understand why a certain pitch is better in a situation.

I think you are approaching it from the perspective of enough failure will eventually teach them. This can certainly work but I would worry that you end up discouraging a lot of kids in the process because they gave up 8 runs in an inning.

We both agree that LL W-L doesn't matter in the grand scheme but it may matter to the kids.
 
I coach a 12u team and I have our catchers calling the game. We take 30-45 minutes out of every BP to do live cage. Meaning we are pitching off a mound in the cage to a live batter. We have one coach behind the plate calling balls and strikes as well as talking through the at bat with the catcher. Another coach stays by the pitcher, talking him through the at bat as well. This is where they learn. Catchers learn their pitchers, pitchers become comfortable with their catchers. All this teaching helps the batters understand their at bats as well. When it's game time they are on their own. In my eyes, no pitch is going to end the world. Let them learn and try things. We can talk about at bats between innings during the game, that way we can take advantage of any potential learning chances. I want students of the game, not robots.
 
My High School coaches' philosophy was to let the catcher call pitches and the pitcher could shake him off. Threw 85% fastballs and 99% 1st pitch fastballs. Ahead in the count up and in (hard) or low and away off the plate (breaking balls or hard). I was a mid to high 80s guy - worked great in high school. Went 19-5 in my career.

Got to college and pitching coach called pitches, he was a finesse pitcher and wanted me to nibble more than I was used to and fell behind in the count too much and didn't have a great season. Coaching change the next year and got back to pounding the zone and getting ahead of the count even if that meant grooving 1st pitch fastballs. Led D2 league (GLIAC) in ERA 1.02.

As long as the pitching coach/catcher calling pitches doesn't slow down how fast the pitcher works I don't care who is calling the pitches. BUT, whoever calls pitches needs to understand the pitcher on the mound and what their strengths are. No one size fits all.
 
Smalls said:
My High School coaches' philosophy was to let the catcher call pitches and the pitcher could shake him off. Threw 85% fastballs and 99% 1st pitch fastballs. Ahead in the count up and in (hard) or low and away off the plate (breaking balls or hard). I was a mid to high 80s guy - worked great in high school. Went 19-5 in my career.

Got to college and pitching coach called pitches, he was a finesse pitcher and wanted me to nibble more than I was used to and fell behind in the count too much and didn't have a great season. Coaching change the next year and got back to pounding the zone and getting ahead of the count even if that meant grooving 1st pitch fastballs. Led D2 league (GLIAC) in ERA 1.02.

As long as the pitching coach/catcher calling pitches doesn't slow down how fast the pitcher works I don't care who is calling the pitches. BUT, whoever calls pitches needs to understand the pitcher on the mound and what their strengths are. No one size fits all.
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Over ten yrs coaching HS aged baseball I always preached first pitch Strike is the best pitch on baseball. First pitch ball batters got on base over double that of first strike.

Even if you get a lot of the plate on the first pitch....your gonna be successful. You can also roll up a garbage hanger that screams hit me, hit me and most will not swing at the first pitch breaking ball.


While baseball is an incredibly difficult sport, many coaches make it even more difficult. It is a complex, yet simple game.
 
Smalls said:
As long as the pitching coach/catcher calling pitches doesn't slow down how fast the pitcher works I don't care who is calling the pitches. BUT, whoever calls pitches needs to understand the pitcher on the mound and what their strengths are. No one size fits all.
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My brother pitches. This was always his thing. One of his strengths was the ability to vary his delivery timing. In order to best do this he needed the pitch called quickly. When his favorite catcher was behind the plate they would occasionally call 2 pitches at a time to allow for faster delivery of that second pitch.
 
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