| rdfs:comment | - Depending on what day of the week it is, Catcher is either a band, or a person named Trevor Bennett, or some combination of the two. The music played by whatever "Catcher" is could best be described as radio-friendly, yet epic pop-rock. Originally, the band portion of Catcher was comprised of Sam Murphy, Zach Hall, and Jamie March, but these days the band is comprised of whoever happens to be there.
- Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to field his position well. The role of the catcher is similar to that of the wicket-keeper in cricket. In the numbering system used to record baseball plays, the catcher is assigned the number '2'. (See Baseball scorekeeping.)
- Catcher ist eine relativ anstrengende Position im Baseball – er ist ständig im Einsatz, oft der wichtigste Mann in spielentscheidenden Laufsituationen am Home Plate, hockt die meiste Zeit und trägt eine schwere Schutzausrüstung sowie einen speziellen Baseballhandschuh, der noch größer, dicker und schwerer als bei den anderen Spielern ist. Daher ist die Profikarriere eines Catchers gewöhnlich kürzer als die anderer Baseballspieler, die oft jenseits der 40 noch aktiv sind. Um bei besonders offensivstarken Catchern deren Fähigkeiten weiter im Team zu halten, „schulen“ gelegentlich solche Spieler auf weniger belastende Positionen (1st Base, 3rd Base oder Outfield) um.
- Catching is arguably the most difficult and important task in baseball. Positioned behind home plate, the catcher can see the whole field, and therefore is in the best position to direct and lead the other players in a play. The catcher typically calls the pitches by means of hand signals, and therefore requires awareness of both the pitcher's mechanics and strengths and the batter's weaknesses. In addition, because the catcher's job is to catch pitches which often come in at speeds exceeding 90 miles per hour, the catcher wears protective equipment including a mask, chest protector, knee pads, and an extra-thick glove (see photo). Because the position necessarily involves a comprehensive understanding of the game's strategic elements, the pool of catchers yields a disproportionate number
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| abstract | - Catcher ist eine relativ anstrengende Position im Baseball – er ist ständig im Einsatz, oft der wichtigste Mann in spielentscheidenden Laufsituationen am Home Plate, hockt die meiste Zeit und trägt eine schwere Schutzausrüstung sowie einen speziellen Baseballhandschuh, der noch größer, dicker und schwerer als bei den anderen Spielern ist. Daher ist die Profikarriere eines Catchers gewöhnlich kürzer als die anderer Baseballspieler, die oft jenseits der 40 noch aktiv sind. Um bei besonders offensivstarken Catchern deren Fähigkeiten weiter im Team zu halten, „schulen“ gelegentlich solche Spieler auf weniger belastende Positionen (1st Base, 3rd Base oder Outfield) um. Catcher werden primär nach ihren Fähigkeiten in der Defensive ausgesucht, d. h. wie gut und sicher sie fangen, mit den verschiedenen Pitchern harmonieren, wie gut sie gegnerische Läufer (Baserunner) „auswerfen“. Catcher, die zusätzlich stark in der Offensive sind, sind eher selten.
- Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to field his position well. The role of the catcher is similar to that of the wicket-keeper in cricket. Positioned behind home plate, the catcher can see the whole field; therefore, he is in the best position to direct and lead the other players in a defensive play. The catcher typically calls for pitches by means of hand signals; therefore, he/she must be aware of the pitcher's mechanics and strengths, as well as the batter's tendencies and weaknesses. Foul tips, bouncing balls in the dirt, and contact with runners during plays at the plate are all part of the catcher's job, so protective equipment must be worn. This includes a mask, chest and throat protectors, shin guards, and an extra-thick glove. Because the position requires a comprehensive understanding of the game's strategies, the pool of former catchers yields a disproportionate number of Major and Minor-League managers, including such prominent examples as Connie Mack, Steve O'Neill, Al Lopez, Yogi Berra, Mike Scioscia, and Joe Torre. The physical and mental strain of being involved on every defensive play can wear catchers down over a long season, and can have a negative effect on their offensive output. Due to catching's strategic defensive importance, if a catcher has exceptional defensive skills, teams are often willing to overlook their relative offensive weaknesses. A knowledgeable catcher's ability to work with the pitcher, via pitch selection and location, can diminish the effectiveness of the opposing team's offense. Many great defensive catchers toiled in relative anonymity, because they did not produce large offensive numbers. Notable examples of light-hitting, defensive specialists were; Ray Schalk, Jim Hegan, Jim Sundberg and Brad Ausmus. Schalk's career batting average of .253 is the lowest of any position player in the Baseball Hall of Fame. That he was selected for enshrinement in 1955 was largely a tribute to his outstanding defensive skills. Catchers are often able to play first base and less commonly third base. In the numbering system used to record baseball plays, the catcher is assigned the number '2'. (See Baseball scorekeeping.)
- Depending on what day of the week it is, Catcher is either a band, or a person named Trevor Bennett, or some combination of the two. The music played by whatever "Catcher" is could best be described as radio-friendly, yet epic pop-rock. Originally, the band portion of Catcher was comprised of Sam Murphy, Zach Hall, and Jamie March, but these days the band is comprised of whoever happens to be there.
- Catching is arguably the most difficult and important task in baseball. Positioned behind home plate, the catcher can see the whole field, and therefore is in the best position to direct and lead the other players in a play. The catcher typically calls the pitches by means of hand signals, and therefore requires awareness of both the pitcher's mechanics and strengths and the batter's weaknesses. In addition, because the catcher's job is to catch pitches which often come in at speeds exceeding 90 miles per hour, the catcher wears protective equipment including a mask, chest protector, knee pads, and an extra-thick glove (see photo). Because the position necessarily involves a comprehensive understanding of the game's strategic elements, the pool of catchers yields a disproportionate number of major-league managers, including such prominent examples as Mike Scioscia and Joe Torre. Catchers virtually always throw with their right hand. Since most hitters are right-handed and thus stand on the left side of the plate, a catcher who throws left-handed would often have to avoid these right-handed hitters for most of his throws from behind the plate. Thus players who throw left-handed almost never play catcher (external link to article on left-handed catchers). Lefty catchers have only caught 11 big-league games since 1901. However, some observers, including the famed statistician Bill James, have suggested that the real reason that there are no left-handed catchers is because lefties with a strong throwing arm are almost always turned into pitchers at an early age.
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