May 2, 2011
Tips from the Pros: Conditioning is key for catchers
by David Laurila/
Sox prospect Tim Federowicz says catchers need to stay in line with the base they throw to. (photo: Salem Red Sox)
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the April 2011 issue of New England Baseball Journal.
Tim Federowicz knows that the term “the tools of ignorance” is a misnomer. The studious University of North Carolina product has mastered the nuances of his craft well enough to be rated by Baseball America as the best defensive catcher in the Red Sox system.
In our second installment of Tips from the Pros, the 23-year-old “FedEx,” as he’s known, takes us through the ins and outs of the catching position.
On how he became a catcher: “I started when I was about 10 years old. Playing the field, I kind of got bored not having a lot of action, so I decided that I’d move behind the plate where I’d be involved in every play. That keeps you in the game and I really like that.”
On a catcher’s top priority: “No. 1, you have to catch the ball. You have to catch every one, or at least keep them in front of you, and as you move up, guys are going to have better stuff. You’re going to have to block balls and throw runners out, but most of the time it’s about receiving.”
On receiving the ball: “There is a technique to it. My biggest thing is that you don’t want to let the glove travel after you catch the ball. A lot of young catchers try to bring it back to the middle of the plate, but you should just keep it where you catch it. You should also make sure that the umpire has a good view of the ball, and you want to catch it in front of your body — in front of your chest — so it looks more like a strike.
“When you catch a breaking ball, you don’t want to track the ball with your glove, you want to stick it right where the ball is going to be. You don’t want to have it go down with you.”
On finding the right glove: “The most important thing is to feel comfortable. Some guys will use a cooler-looking glove, but the older you get, the more important it becomes to have good leather that will last longer. When you try one on, you want to make sure it feels right. I go with a smaller glove, but a lot of people like a bigger one because they have a better chance of catching (the ball). With a smaller glove, it’s easier for me to find the ball when I need to throw someone out.”
On footwork and stance: “You want to make sure you stay in line with every base you’re throwing to. Generally, when you’re going to second, you want to make sure you gain ground so that you get more on the throw.
“When you’re receiving, you don’t want to be too high or too low. You find a spot where you feel comfortable, and as you get older, you kind of get locked into it. Your muscles get used to it and you feel relaxed in that position.
“When there’s a runner on base, you want to be a little higher in your stance and more agile. That way, you’ll be able to come out of your stance and throw a guy out, or drop down to block a ball, if you need to.”
On conditioning drills and flexibility: “You need to make sure that your legs are nice and strong. You need a strong butt, strong legs and quads. I do a lot of squats in the off-season. You don’t really need to do a lot of long-distance running, but catching is hard work, so you have to be in top condition.
“Flexibility is big, because if you don’t have it, you’re going to be slow and not as agile as you need to be. You can never be too flexible, because it helps keep you healthy and stronger.”
On leadership: “Leadership is huge, because you’re the guy that everybody is looking at before the play starts. You need to make sure that you know exactly what you’re doing, so that everyone has faith in you. The pitcher needs to trust you so he doesn’t shake off. He needs to trust your decisions.”
On instilling confidence in a pitcher: “A lot of guys will get down on themselves when they make a bad pitch and you have to make sure they stay confident. You have to go out and let them know that everything is all right, that their stuff is still good. You don’t want them to get doubtful about their stuff. You want them to be confident about going after the next hitter.”
On preparation: “A lot of your work happens before the game. As you move up, you get scouting reports with hitters’ tendencies. They show things like where a guy usually hits the pitches, and if they’re a breaking-ball hitter or a fastball hitter. You also look at film. You see how guys have been pitched to in the past and if they’ve made adjustments.”
On reading hitters: “It becomes second nature, but it’s also really hard to perfect. First of all, you need to know a lot about swings, so it helps to be a good hitter yourself. You need to be able to read swings and stances to be able to tell if someone is making an adjustment in the middle of a game, or whether or not they can hit the inside pitch or the outside pitch. Some guys might open up a little if they want to get to that inside pitch, or close off if they want to get to that outside pitch.”
On relationships with umpires: “It needs to be professional. You don’t want to go out there and start joking around and trying to be buddy-buddy with the umpire. You do want to be close enough with him to where if you keep talking about a pitch you want, maybe toward the end of the game, he’ll give it to you. If you’re a real jerk, he won’t be as likely to give you close pitches.
“You also want to be relaxed. If there’s a guy back there who you don’t like, or he doesn’t like you, there’s tension. You don’t want that, because you need to be as relaxed as possible when you’re playing.”
David Laurila can be reached at feedback@baseballjournal.com
