MLB catchers?

Question

don't you think catchers should have high battin averges? they probobly can recognize many pitches faster because the are used to seein them. i guess fatigue affects them too. what do u think?

Answer 1

As a former catcher, I can tell you the reason is simple: the ball just doesn't look the same when you are batting. It comes at you on a different plane. As a hitter, you don't often know what pitch is coming, either.

Fatigue can be a factor sometimes. I don't think it effected me that often. Then again, I wasn't the World's greatest hitter. 8P

Answer 2

If you are good enough to play at the major league level you have seen enough pitches to be able to recognize them no matter what position you play. I don't think seeing an extra 120 pitches from behind the plate makes much of a difference. For instance, Joe Mauer would probably hit for a high average no matter what position he grew up playing, and he might have hit for a higher average than .347 last year had he not worn down a little at the end of last year and pounded every pitch on the ground to the 2nd baseman

Answer 3

Besides the pitcher the catcher expends more energy than any other player on the field. The physical beating that a catcher takes during the course of a season does, in fact, take away from his ability to be a stronger batter. They see the pitches but at times can't physically catch up with them.

Answer 4

In a nutshell: no "leg" hits. One extra hit a week could raise your average 50 points, but as a rule, catchers don't beat out any groundballs, hence their average is lower. Like the responder said above, catching is more of a defensive position. I'd rather have a catcher who could call a good game, throw out half the base runners he sees, block the plate 20 times a years to stop a run from scoring, hit .270 and drive in 75 runs from the seventh spot, then a glamour boy who hits .300 and a bunch of homers who doesn't have any of the defensive skills.

Answer 5

The other position players don't take the physical beating that a catcher does. Foul tips off the arms, hands, shoulders, blocking pitches in the dirt, the occasional collision at the plate all take there toll. Hitting on the ML level is tough enough, to do it all beat up only adds to the difficulty.

Answer 6

I am a former catcher as well. I could recognize the pitch well, but didn't have the bat speed to allow me to hit for a high average. I was a how contact/decent power hitter. My best skills were my defensive skills, not my hitting skills. I could call an excellent game, making our average pitchers have above average success. Swinging a bat, and catching a ball are two different skill sets.

Answer 7

I played catcher for many years and batting is a different story. You do not always know what pitch is coming since your battery and the opponents battery differ in pitch selection.
Also, squatting for a couple hours does take a toll on the legs.

Answer 8

Well, Joe Mauer the catcher for the Twins was the batting champ last year and that is rare for a catcher. I do agree with you a lot.

Answer 9

No way! I think catchers know a lot about their own pitchers, but it is so hard to crouch for nine innings and expect to hit well. Baseball is a long season and fatigue certainly has something to do with it.

Answer 10

It's the defensive spectrum at work again... catching is a defensive position, so those who are good at it usually aren't as good hitting. Those who do both very well (Mauer is excelling at both categories) are few and far between.

For the record, the defensive spectrum as is shown below
C - SS - 2B - CF - 3B - RF - LF - 1B
The more to the left you are on the spectrum, the more is required from you defensively, so offense tends to be lower to that side.