The Flawed Logic Behind Why Lefties Don't Catch (Or Play Second)
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- Опубликовано: 25 ноя 2022
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Script written and researched by Mac Douglass 
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Matt Antonelli said it best in his video : "if you're a young lefty & you throw hard, more often than not your coach will encourage you to just be a pitcher"
If you are a young ANY HAND and you throw hard you will be encouraged to pitch.
_Kenley has entered the building_
@@AD-df5tm Correct, but because of the rarity of left handed players compared to righties, left handed pitchers are more rare. If a lefty has a strong enough arm to be a catcher, he’ll be pushed towards pitching during his development.
This is the real reason there really aren’t any lefty catchers at MLB level, but you will still see them at developmental levels (youth/high school).
Came here to say this. Was wondering if he’d ever say it, and he finally got it in in the last few seconds.
You can't pitch every game so if you want playing time, you need another position. Oftentimes, first base is where they stick a slow player with a big bat, so the lefty gets stuck in the outfield. As a lefty, I played catcher (primarily), pitcher, and even third since I had the arm strength, but I always hated the outfield.
In 1991, when I was eight, I was a left-handed catcher in little league, and that fall, my dad took me to a small local card show here in Syracuse where Johnny Mize was signing autographs. He asked if I played baseball, and my father proudly answered for me "left-handed catcher." Without any change in tone or emotion, in that deep Georgia drawl of his, Mize leaned down to me and said "Want my advice, kid? Get a new position."
Are you remembering the interaction or remembering being told how the interaction went?
@@pullt he clearly said “my dad took me” and recalled in a way as if it happened to him. Why do people have to call bullshit on every comment for the hell of it
@@Joe-gt5lw ....wrote the guy calling bullshit on a comment
@@pullt why is this important?
@@fliprodriguez5250 It is life and death
As a left-handed second baseman, I would find it extremely difficult to turn a double play hit to the left side of the infield.
Actually, that would be the easiest play for a Left-Hander. As the Right -handed has to shift to the left, shift 180 degrees to their right (clockwise) and then step and throw back to their left. A Left-handed would have to reach across their body, stand and they are already angled to step and throw to 2nd base.
@@X-Being By left side of the INF, they might have meant something hit to the SS
@@0v3rgr0wn Possibly, but context suggests, since he started with the perspective of a second baseman, the perspective of directions would be from that position.
But, of course, the turning a DP from a grounder to 3rd or SS would differ. As the second baseman only needs to come at the base from behind, when ball coming from SS (it's not as timely and less power), but the throw from 3rd would be more time consuming.
@@X-Being that's not how baseball vernacular works. You always talk as if you're standing at home plate, looking out, with directions.
@@brandonkiehl269 the other guy definitely doesn't know ball 😂
As a lefty and former left handed catcher, thank you!
Yes, yes, yes.
I was a lefty catcher who had to prove myself year after year after year until, guess what, they made me a pitcher because of my strong arm. But I loved catching with my view of the field and ability to pick runners off of first from my knees. As for runners stealing third, if I put it in the earhole of someone trying to block me once or twice, nobody screwed with me again for the season.
I loved and was great as a catcher but absolutely sucked as a first basemen whenever I got relegated there. I'd block any pitch in the dirt as a catcher, but got totally foiled by short hops at first base.
I totally hate all this standardized thinking. As for me, once I knew I wasn't getting out of college ball to the pros, and joined softball beer league, I absolutely loved taking some turns at short & third. Felt like a total imposter but freaking loved throwing the ball around the infield.
Similar story! Except I was a lefty who relied on movement on his pitches
I’m a lefty and I played catcher throughout elementary and middle school. I wasn’t the best on the team but my coach used me to get all of the pitchers warmed up. As soon as I got to high school, no one would even consider me at catcher. Made me quit the game. I hope lefties get to play catcher more in the future :)
Not trying to be mean here but it’s all just bc of the body position it’s just to thff
You found a lefty mitt?
@@flch95 I have one that I got off-the-shelf at Academy. It's a decent quality Mizuno.
Sigh, another player added to the Lefty Catcher scrap heap 😢
Body position to do what? It's all the same except taking a throw to home you just have to square yourself up to give your guy a big target and then orient your body to make the tag. Is that the same logic we use for righties fielding 1st? They've got to turn their body to apply tags and they put themselves in danger by having their backs turned towards the runner. I think it's just an archaic way of thinking.
Yes!! I was a lefty catcher and second baseman in little league, and I loved it. I still have my catcher’s mitt and use it as my primary glove to this day.
Let’s get more lefties behind the dish and in the infield! Think of all the interesting and creative plays we’ll see once that starts happening.
Rizzo having 2nd Base eligibility in Fantasy Baseball was an amazing time to be alive 😂
Yes yes it was.
As a little league coach, I'd say it has it to do with the lack of lefty catcher's mitts available.
This is an excellent point. I'm a lefty, and when I was in Little League I always wanted to play catcher but could never find a mitt anywhere. This was in the early 2000s too, so even online there weren't really viable options.
@@deadletterman I've had countless kids asked me if they could catch that were lefty.
Unfortunately the equipment provided to me by the league never includes a left-handed catcher's mitts. I guess maybe I should look out for one and keep it in my possession for next season 🤔🤔
What's rarer than a right hand catcher's mitt (for left throw catcher) ? A right-stick/ambi fight stick that's both 6 or more buttons or more and more mass produced than single unit.
I was a lefty catcher in little league and had to order my glove. This was back in the 90s, so while not readily accessible in a store, they still make them.
I was a left handed catcher 16-18 years ago and was able to just walk into Dicks and get a catchers mitt for the same price as the right handed mitt.
As a southpaw who somehow got to play second base decades ago for one of my youth-league machine-pitch teams and who has a left-handed nephew who caught growing up, I appreciate this. Thanks for sharing. Shawn R., Mo-Mutt Music/Sacred & Secular
I was a lefty catcher who was converted to 1st base in middle school bc of this unwritten rule. I went from a good fielding, average hitting catcher to a 1st baseman that was a liability with a bat. Ruined any (small) chance I had of playing HS or college.
That sucks
@@XCodes the coach’s son was the main LHP on the travel team, and his other son (twin) was the primary catcher. No chance I was taking either of their spots lol
If lefties were in the majority we'd run the bases clockwise! Good video, in that you really touched on most of the reasons why lefties are excluded from the 4 positions. I think you undersell the difficulty of turning the 6-4-3 double play from 2nd base, it's not a wash at all. Righties can make the pivot-throw or short flip to the SS way easier than lefties could make the turn at 2nd. I know some have different opinions, but spinning toward CF just takes too long to get ML runners, and you have to take your eye off the target leading to inaccurate throws. And just pulling your arm back and throwing with all shoulder is a weak throw and can lead to injury.
As for catcher, the tag on throws from the right side against a hook slide is just impossible. You can grab the ball and just throw your whole body toward the runner but it's a long way to go. I don't think the throwing issues hold much water though, I think a lefty catcher could make all the throws and as you show the throws to 1B would be easier and better. The only one I'd consider is trying to throw out base stealers at 3rd, which requires a faster pop, rather than just the element of surprise like throwing behind the runner at 1st.
All in all, as a lefty that has played just about every position in rec leagues, the hardest plays to make due to my "disability" :) are as a 3B charging slow rollers and turning DPs at 2nd. Also, at 3B and SS I'm tempted to field everything on the backhand in order to get a head start on my throw, which is not good form and can lead to "ole" errors. Thanks for the video!
In the mid-19th century, the bases could be run in either direction until "anticlockwise only" was mandated.
Tag at home plate with a throw from right field could be performed with a reverse, sweeping tag.
So as a lefty who did play short and third at least a little bit in rec/town ball growing up (I did primarily play first, not because I'm left handed but because I was good at it), I believe a lefty in any of these positions is completely viable.
The video makes an interesting point about lefties vs the run game. The new rule in MLB is going to be that a pitcher can't throw more than three pick off attempts per at bat. I'm not aware of such a distinction from the catcher. So...this likely encourages bigger leads, and the bigger bags also will increase steal attempts (I think.) So the catcher pick off to first is going to be a more common play, and this is a BIG advantage for the lefty catcher. I played with a lefty catcher in an amateur league as an adult and this guy had an absolute howitzer of an arm. His throw was so natural to me (when I played first, also as a lefty) that we would pick off like a dozen guys a year together. In this particular play the lefty catcher throwing to the lefty first baseman is actually a massive advantage.
As for playing 3B or SS...when I did this I did feel at a SLIGHT disadvantage in turning my shoulders to throw. But really all I would is come at the ball and field it backhanded. As the ball would reach me, instead of fielding it fundamentally, squared up behind the ball, I would slide my left foot behind me and turn my body with it, turn my glove to back hand, and be in a fine position to throw to first. This worked a lot of the time, honestly. I wasn't exactly smooth but...that's because I'm not smooth in general. A more athletic lefty could pull this off more easily than I would. The only issue I ever really felt strongly disadvantaged was coming in on a ball that would be a bang bang play, because making this kind of backhanded play at maximum speed and making a good hard accurate throw was actually really difficult. unless I turned my back to first, fielded the ball basically behind me, and was able to spin and throw. Which worked, but is challenging since you have to pick up your target so late. This usually led to me cheating a few steps in towards the batter...which hindered my range a bit. I had to decide what the give and take was there based on the matchup. I found this actually made third base was easier than shortstop for me, with the exception of a double play hit to the second baseman (when I was SS). When I was SS turning a 4-6-3, I actually felt like I had a huge advantage to just come across the bag and throw.
Playing second base though and turning two, I feel like I would have to take a throw from a third baseman in one of two ways, at least in the context of being able to get my throw off as quickly as possible...if his throw tails to first base side of second base, I have to hold my left foot on the bag (like a lefty 1b) and then make my pivot backwards behind the bag in order to square my shoulders. OR, if his throw tailed to the right side of the bag, I'd want to have my right foot on the bag and basically turn my back to the runner, and then spin to my right and throw...which actually is a pretty natural motion. This would NEVER work in a league that allows base runners to break up double plays with aggressive slides...lefty second basemen would get killed turning their backs like that. But it could work where they are more protected like they are now.
Long story short...I think a lefty playing any of these positions works, with catcher in my opinion being the most obvious one. The only clear advantage a righty has (IMO) over a lefty is a base runner stealing third. Otherwise, lefty catcher I actually think is actually preferable in a lot of situations.
The way the ball tails for lefty catchers is what stuck with me when I watched the Braves broadcast used in this video. I also remember how hard it was to find lefty catcher's mitts in the same time frame when I was working part time in a sporting goods store and a youth league coach had two left handed catchers, and he had to order mitts from one of the glove manufacturers. We had plenty of righty mitts, but nobody had even heard of lefty mitts, and online shopping was sci-fi future stuff.
I’m a lefty and was a pretty good fielder as a kid. 1B was my position and I loved it. Especially because I was not great at throwing but very good at catching anything within reach.
We had other first baseman that my coach wanted to give a chance to, so he decided to let me play 3rd and catcher (he even bought a lefty catchers mitt for me to use). I resented this, because I didn’t think I threw hard enough and was a bit embarrassed showing my weaknesses.
Because of this, I never really gave it my all, and was moved back to 1st after a short while.
Now that I am an adult, I am a bit disappointed in myself for not doing everything I could to succeed in those positions. I was brainwashed with the “lefty’s only play first” mentality.
My coach was trying to give me opportunities to showcase my talent, but I did not take advantage of them.
I had a few seasons where we had way too many lefties on a roster. Something like five lefty hitters and four fielders. This would pose a problem if we had a righty on the mound (summer ball we usually only had 10 players at a game because we were in high school usually the other four or five players would be working) there was a few times we put a lefty at second and one at first, then two in the outfield. I learned to love the outfield as a lefty and never really tried for infield. I played second a few times when I was ten then soon after my coach (who was also my dad) moved me to first base and then outfield. I don't play anymore but I still umpire and I can confidently say, nobody knows how to coach lefties unless you're one yourself. I see way too many players not bunting like a lefty, and not holding runners on first like a lefty.
Don't feel too bad. Being a left handed catcher would have been a waste
As a lefty this hits deep bc i always wanted to play a infeild postion outside of first base and pitcher, so if coaches logic change im gonna be sad bc its to late for me but happy for other kids
i embraced the outfield early on lmao at least im a fast runner
While, like others commenting here, I am Left-Handed and I did play Catcher, 3rd and 2nd. I also Coached High School Baseball. I can say, without doubt, the biggest reason Left-Handed Catchers are rare is due to the timing on the steal at 3rd. With most steal attempts at Third, you will find there is, more often than not, a micro-fraction of a second difference. This is with a catcher throwing with maximum angle, meaning maximum power. Not comparable to a back pick, as it's a totally different timing, since the base runners generally changing direction, which counters the decreased throwing strength. Simply, a left-handed catcher would have to turn nearly 90 degrees, then shift their momentum in the opposite direction.
To put into comparison, a 3rd baseman or Shortstop is more likely to throw wide to 1st base when they are charging the ball parallel to it. It's not about the shoulder being square, it's about the momentum of the player going in the direction of the throw. Same physics behind hitting, whereas a player that "steps in the bucket" is taking away power. Same physics of why the Pitcher winds up, points his pivot foot towards home and the timing of pitching hand be at the top of throw at maximum point of weight shift....
With the throw to second, the throwing hand is negligible. A left-handed catchers on back picks would actually be negligible, because they are generally thrown from a down-position and they are throwing across their body, versus the whip action of a right-handed. So, the advantage is the ability to hold runners closer at First. Throw to Second would actually be an advantage for a Left-Handed, when a SS is covering (the ball tends to arc left but tail off right), inline with the momentum. But it goes against the 2nd baseman.
As for playing infield, 3rd and SS on a soft grounder in more likely than not to go wide, due to shifting momentum, not in one or two directions, but three! The only advantage for the left-handed in grounders hit to their left, as their body wold already be in the position to step to first... the problem, Baseball fundamentals 101.. always keep the ball in front of you.
Second base is actually harder to throw to first. It is a bigger angle they need to turn to be able to set and shift momentum to first. But, they have a bigger advantage for a throw to 2nd or third... but which one is more routine?
Simple fact, the percentage of scenarios where the Left-Handed Infielder (outside 1st) has an advantage is very low compared to the percentage of routine plays they would be disadvantaged. Baseball is all about milliseconds. Even the slightest shift of momentum can make a difference between an All-Star and Bench Warmer.
I am a lefty I was playing in a social league with friends from work and I was playing catcher. I could make the throw to first for the out no problem on bunts but with 3 chances at tagging runners out at the plate I was only able to get 1 as trying to get my glove across my body from a throw by 4 and 9 proved difficult. All and all my team was happy with my performance!
I figured catcher would be the best position for a lefty because of the throws to first or second for a steal/bunt and I also thought it would be easier to go for the tag at the plate but I guess that’s assuming the throw to home is coming to the left of the plate
@@taylorb9860 one of the biggest thing with throws to second is teams aren’t trying to build. I remember a maximum of 2 lefties on each team. Mainly remember cause I was a catcher and on those occasions I remember a mental block of them being in my way. But realistically going from hs to college to mlb, it’s damn near 50/50. Definitely more of an infield problem than a catcher
My immediate thought when considering lefty catchers was that pickoffs at first would be such a huge weapon for shutting down the running game. That's even more valuable than being able to gun down runners who attempt the steal, because you're making every single secondary lead more dangerous for runners. Keep runners closer to first and you cut down on their ability to go first-to-third on a single, or score on a double. That's massive for run prevention.
I like the logic for 2B, and while there are advantages and disadvantages regarding different double play scenarios, I can see adaptations to the mechanics when turning around the bag (like feeding a throw from the left side towards the inside of the bag, so 2B's first step can be towards the pitcher's mound) that would mitigate some disadvantages. Importantly, it would take a team effort from the entire infield to properly integrate a lefty 2B, which does pose a challenge, but not an insurmountable one.
I think in general, you'd see an overall decrease in double plays, but there are several advantages to a lefty 2B that I think increases the likelihood of getting more outs at second on close plays, meaning you get the lead runner out on fielder's choice situations more often than whatever the current ratio is.
Something you didn't mention that I think is an important consideration is that a lefty 2B has all the natural advantages to make hard accurate throws to THIRD, again increasing the likelihood of retiring lead runners. With two men on, you now have the potential for 4-5-3 double plays, and a hard-hit ball to a lefty 2B puts a "routine triple play" in the conversation. You're also able to challenge the conventional wisdom that a groundball to the right side automatically moves the runner over from second to third. Runners would have to make more judgement calls on whether they can safely advance those 90 feet.
So, as you can probably tell from my multi-paragraph comment, I'm intrigued ;)
I was a lefty myself who aspired to play catcher, but often found myself forced to play outfield. Now, my daughter is a lefty herself with an affinity for shortstop. She gets frustrated when I tell her we should prepare her to be asked to play second, or center field. But I'll be damned if I'm not determined to teach her absolutely everything about shortstop so maybe, if it's even just high school women's fastpitch, we can prove some of these set-in-stone and unchallenged rules wrong. Great video.
love love love the argument you made for the "mystery pro" in the pros v cons list. There's an unknown amount of good to be had from trying new ideas and I wish more people were down to try.
Starting in 1960 (or around then) the Detroit Tigers had a middle infielder (2nd base and shortstop) named Dick McAuliffe. He was an integral part of the the (pre-free agency) Detroit line up during the '60's and early '70's. While not really challenging Al Kaline for the team batting championship, he did perform with an acceptable batting average, OBP (he drew a lot of walks), and decentish power numbers. He batted solely from the left-hand side of the plate (not a switch hitter) with his own distinctive stance; the bat held high above and behind his head, his leading leg stretched out in front of him, and an enormous "foot in the bucket" step when taking a swing.
The thing is that he was a lefty at the plate but threw righty in the field. I don't know if he was a natural right-hander who developed a lefty batting stance or the reverse, a natural lefty who taught himself to throw right-handed even to the extent that he was able to credibly plat shortstop! My guess is that he a natural lefty, as he would otherwise have batted right-handed against left-handed pitching.
- sj
I was a lefty fielder, righty hitter. Too many broken windows in my youth from drives down the right field line!!!
Being naturally left-handed and poor, I inherited my brothers' gloves, so I just learned to play right-handed, although I retained the ability to play either way. What you failed to mention is how left-handed people are forced to adapt to a right-handed world from day 1, and we have very innovative ways of solving problems that right-handed people may never be able to or be forced to learn. Almost every lefty I know is ambidextrous, not naturally, but because they were basically forced to be because..... anyway if they actually made left-handed catcher's mitts I guarantee you would see lefties come out of the woodwork to play that position. I played every position on the diamond, and was always the super-utility guy even though I usually started at center field or first base, playing right handed, but I was also the 2nd catcher on all my teams, and that usually meant I caught every 4th to 5th game as our starting catcher was almost always a pitcher too. Lefties are extremely adaptable, if encouraged to do so they would figure it out, we don't really have a choice most of the time. Just my 2 cents as a born lefty living in this right-handed world!! PS I also play guitar right-handed because growing up in the 70's -80's left handed guitars were virtually unobtanium!!
Man same when I started I just assumed you just couldn’t do it so now I’m just right handed in a lot of aspects. It’s tough for us lefties out here but we make it work lol
There is actually lefties catcher gloves. When I was coaching little league teams for 12 - 13 age group, I had a lefties catcher on my team. The only issue was that the pitchers had trouble aiming for the glove of a lefties for the first few weeks.
do you actually think there arent left handed catchers gloves being made? lol
They just cost a lot more, just like left-handed guitars and such.
i'm left handed and so are my dad and older brother. however my right hand it basically useless. i'm pretty sure I only have it to look symetrical.
I'm a lefty (dedicated first baseman). I always had a lefty catcher's mitt and infielder's glove in my bag juuuuuuuust in case. My Little League team only had 9 kids one year, and our second baseman jammed his knee pretty hard one game, so we swapped positions for a couple of innings since I was a really good defender. One unassisted triple play later... Of course, the other couple of balls hit towards me were a lot more awkward to deal with, but I'm not sure how much of that was me being lefty and how much of that was me not having played middle infield before.
I caught a couple of innings as well, and our #1 catcher was a lefty, so I never understood the "no lefty catchers" thing, especially since there's so much more to being a catcher than just throwing out baserunners.
A lefty catcher has several advantages over a righty. All throws to 1B are more natural: ground balls fielded in front of home base, snap (pickoff) throws behind a runner, and the X-2-3 (bases loaded) double play. Throws to 2B are about the same as with a righty, except that a lefty catcher will have to step out to avoid RH batters (i.e. the majority) on the throwing side.
I coached one of my sons in club ball for years. He is a lefty that pitched, caught, and played 1B for my teams. Behind the plate he was a stud. I saw some advantages with him being lefty, like fielding bunts. It’s all foot work. However, the one disadvantage I saw was a massive difference, the tag play at home. It’s an out vs a run. When you add that to the advantage that lefties have on the bump and 1B, MLB has it right.
As a Lefty this has always been a troublesome topic for me. My two favorite positions on the diamond are Catcher and 3rd base. As someone as already stated, the higher up you go the margin of error comes down to micro seconds. First I will address 2nd base, it is the only position I feel a lefty has the true disadvantage; particularly the double play ball to the left side of the diamond and I speak from experience. You have 2 choices: stop your momentum to turn and square up to 1st (too slow) -or- continue momentum clockwise 360 degrees (faster) but this leaves you completely vulnerable with your back to the oncoming runner (possibly dangerous). I agree that lefties should not play 2nd as a regular position.
The stance that lefties should not play catcher is hogwash. While playing Little League and then through Pony/Colt I was always battling to gain my spot behind the plate. Even though I was the better catcher, I had to fight tooth and nail. It always amazed me that other teams would not attempt stolen bases if I was behind the plate; but if I was playing first they were always attempting them. I made all stars almost every year, but generally never got to play because I was a left handed catcher. It finally came to a head one year when our pitchers refused to pitch unless I was behind the plate. I knew how to frame their pitches. I knew how make them better pitchers. with all of that said... There is no verifiable advantage/disadvantage to "handedness" behind the plate. We all have to make adjustments at what ever position we play and this is no different.
Sadly can relate, my sons a lefty catcher and currently going through a similar fate unfortunately.
Very detailed discussion on the subject. Thank you. All the points you made confirm why I only ever had one lefty baseball catcher who was amazing but because of the throw to third and the tag at home became a PO by sophomore year in HS. If you need more stats on lefty catching look to girls fastpitch where it’s more common because 60ft bases lead to more bunting and lefty catchers cover the bunt quicker. With that said they also have problems with the throw to 3rd and tag at home.
Benny Distefano was actually my baseball coach when I played little league
As a lefty who played a few times at shortstop and third base, I can get the logic behind why the only position you see lefties play in the infield is first base.. especially at the professional level. There are so many "bang-bang" plays that could be outs if it's a left hander throwing to first base.. the split second it takes to turn to make a good throw can be all the difference between "safe" and "out"
As a lefty who literally BEGGED for a chance to play catcher in little league (and was told "no" every time) I do not understand the "logic" at all.
The first position Babe Ruth ever played when he was a kid was catcher!
Appreciate your take!
The logic is simple. A LH catcher has a massive disadvantage throwing to 3rd. Runners would have a field day on him.
Also a LH catcher wouldn't be able to apply a tag at home without reaching all the way across his body which massively limits his reach. A catcher stands in front of the plate and the runners go to his left. So a LH catcher (aka he catches with his right) would be facing the wrong way.
@@AD-df5tm You didn't watch the video.. he covered that
Catchers make more throws to first base than third
@@LiveFromThePorcelainPalace I did watch the video and he covered it very poorly. catcher throws to first are almost always very easy throws though. They have plenty of time to get a better angle and make the throw. Throws to third are almost always very difficult throws (pretty much stolen bases). You can't simply look at the total number and pretend they are the same. That's just poor analysis. It's like looking at the total number of hits two guys have and saying they are the same. One guy might have 3x as many HR's.
The difference in POP time to 3B between the best catcher and a below avg catcher is only like 0.3 seconds. The added time by being LH would instantly make that person the worst catcher in MLB on throwing to 3B by a wide wide margin. It's just not viable.
@@AD-df5tm you ever play pro ball? college? high school?
Or were you washed out in little league?
Growing up to be 4'11 at the age of 14 made me very small. My coach put me at second base when I didn't pitch because I couldn't throw far. Many people thought it was silly.
I refused to play 1B in high school and they didn't want me on the outfield, so I got to be second base. I was easily the best fielder on the team mainly due to people thinking I didn't belong there.
Sadly grew out baseball of it due to the coaching refusing to let me play near the end of the season because I wouldn't play first base.
Why wouldn’t you play first?
@@stephen_cs 1B is to reactive and I preferred the active mindset. Being 2B allowed me to cover more field and got more involved defensively. Instead of the waiting for my teammates to throw me a ball they over throw because I'm short or I struggle to pick out of the dirt because I couldn't reach far.
I just wasn't built for 1B.
I'm a lefty and in little league I loved playing second base and catcher and I was pretty good and I've always thought that the reasons for why we (lefties) can't play certain positions were dumb. However I played every position for at least 1 inning since it was little league and didn't matter but I actually still played a decent amount at second in high school.
At the lower levels, you can get away with it. I did, too. But, when I started coaching HS baseball, I started to see a different perspective. I was able to overcompensate my disadvantages, against athletes that were nowhere near skilled. College and Pros is not comparable, since they are all skilled. In College and Pros, it's a game of micro-seconds and micro-inches. Where a half-second delay could mean a world of different outcomes.
This made me laugh out loud. You should have seen me in tee ball! I was the man!
From little league through high school I pitched, played first base and right field...caught a few games in high school...I had a strong arm so throwing out runners going to 3rd base from right field or runners trying to steal 2nd base was a piece of cake for me...I liked catching, but recognized that most batters are right handed so I would always have to step to the side to throw at second w a right handed batter
Former right handed catcher, I found this pretty interesting and also hard to think about.
The only way I could make it work in my head was to picture playing catcher but reversing the rules:
Hitter runs to 3rd and so on.
I could make it work…
Left handed catchers have easier picks to first and frame right handed pitchers better, but tags at home aren’t good for lefties
Mirror image baseball? Lol.
I've played ball my whole life, I didn't have get great depth perception so I played all the corners and 2B, I was a ++ fielder but you can't always square your shoulders. On a slow roller where there isn't the time, you have to catch the ball with your back to 1B and let that momentum turn you into a power throw. You almost catch the ball with while facing the OF. On hard hits you have the time to square up traditionally.
I honestly was so happy that being a lefty I was never asked to play C I didn't want to squat all day but I agree there doesn't seem a reason for not having a lefty catcher other than growing up before internet finding a lefty catcher mitt was near impossible meaning lots of this generation had no way to practice being a lefty. OK you just made a point of this in the video as I was typing. Good Job!
When I was a kid I wanted to catch so bad but could not find a left handed catchers mitt or they were way too expensive ($250+) for me. I ended up just playing first base, outfield, and occasionally third base. But mostly all I did was pitch and always wondered what it would be like to catch and never got the chance to find out. As I got older I became more ambidextrous and could throw with either hand about equally, but by this time it was way too late. Just wish I would have had the chance, but I was a pretty good pitcher and loved it.
You'll never see this as an experiment to see if it improves defense. You might see it as a way to get an extra bat into the lineup which hopefully outweighs any sacrifice in defense. This is essentially what the Don Mattingly experiment was about, in that scenario, the first baseman was Dan Pasqua, another lefty with a good bat. To get Pasqua into the lineup, they would have had to remove either Mattingly, one of the outfielders (Dave Winfield, Rickey Henderson or Claudell Washington) or Mike Easler at DH. Instead, they got creative and put Mattingly at third, adding offense, maybe sacrificing defense, although with Donnie's reflexes, it was worth the gamble.
Don Pasqua!!! I couldn’t remember who the first baseman was in that clip. I was a big fan of the Yankees around that time because of where I lived and we didn’t have cable. I remember all those ‘80s Yankees. Good times and great memories. Thanks for taking me back a bit
It's waaay simpler than all that. First 12U team my son was on had a left handed catcher...because he was the coaches son. He pitched and caught. My kid was 2B and LF. Coaches kid would have been a good 1B. He made All Stars but wasn't good enough to help much and they bowed in the first round. My kid made the tourney team (2nd team all stars) and at first practice they realized they hadn't picked a catcher. Since he was learning to pitch my mitt was in the truck and he caught the first practice. It was obvious he had been playing out of position all season long. He threw about 6 guys out at third, zero passed balls, and ran the show like a catcher, lost in their championship game. Since only about 1 in 12 is LH, when your looking for the best players, that LHr is going to have to be better than a lot of RHrs.
I coached HS baseball and one of the best player I ever had on my team was a lefty. His Freshman and Sophomore year he was my starting SS. He was athletic enough to set his feet properly and make perfect throws to 1B. His Jr and Sr year I moved him to CF because he would never be looked at for college in the infield. I also had a lefty at 2B and think that another advantage for lefty at 2B is their glove hand is in the middle of the field where more infield hits will (or should) be. This is also a benefit if a lefty at 3B, the glove hand is on the line which allows the fielder to play more off the line and cover more of the field although setting the feet for a long more accurate throw to 1B is imperative.
One thing not mentioned about lefty catcher, or at least not in detail is a RH batter impeding the throw to 2B BUT most of the time a batters swing carries their upper body out of the batters box and therefore if they impede the throw it would be interference and an automatic out. Meaning if so were a left handed catcher, I’d just throw into the back or bat on every throw to 2B with a RH batter. 😂
I used to play with a left-handed 2nd baseman. His name was Spart, and he was silky smooth.
Mattingly played 2b in the pine tar game after the protest was upheld. Billy Martin sent out a defense with Guidry in center and Mattingly at 2B
That's right! That game was fun to watch.
You briefly touch on something that I think should've been explored more in depth: Lefties don't play those positions not just because of assumed disadvantages, but because they're considered more valuable in other positions.
The logic behind why lefties dont play catcher is not flawed. Its insanely logical.
I am a lefty. I was a really good fielder. I was short, so they wouldn't let me play first-base. I wanted to try being a catcher, but that wasn't going to happen. My dad, who was a HS baseball coach, was convinced that the "only right-handed players could play second" was a fallacy. So, he trained me to play second. On the rare occasions I was allowed to play that position, I did really well. Mostly, I was relegated to the outfield. Since I couldn't pitch, the coaches basically ignored me and I left the game. I have always regretted that because I loved to play and the camaraderie of a team. It's a real shame because a lot of decent players, or players who will become good as they grow older are being discouraged and leaving the game.
On the plus side, I have noticed the past couple of year that Dicks Sporting Goods has be stocking an few left-handed catchers mitts. So maybe, this is a sign that things are changing. I hope so.
TERRIFIC-- Great out of the box thinking, covering many angles and scenarios. Really nicely done.
Thanks for tackling this subject but baseball is a game of inches and 2nd baseman still need to get the ball from glove to first as fast as possible teams would loose dozens of close plays on double plays and regular ground balls due to this I have a left handed brother we played baseball together and even though he is a tremendous athlete whenever he played infield (not in real games just in practice) it was really awkward and costly with so many close plays in every game it just makes no sense to place a lefty at second
I'm left handed and ended up quitting baseball because I was forced to play 1st, pitch, or outfield, all of which I hated. I was an a travel team in 8th and 9th grade and was one of the better kids on the team but wasn't allowed to play 2nd even though it was my favorite position and I was probably the second best fielder on the team because I was left handed. I ended up just kind of wishing we would lose games in tournaments like that South Park episode so I could just go home because I thought playing 1st and outfield was so boring. Haven't really even thought about playing baseball since.
Thing is though, coaches and trainers will quickly move even a half-decent left-handed bat out of the catcher position even if the player in question really has his heart set on playing catcher.
i swear this guy's entire clip is based on the comment i just made on this same discussion in another clip last month - "The Time A Lefty Played Catcher In The MLB". he covered every single point i made! kudos.
Great vid! Keep up the great work!
It was always fun to hear the other teams coaches question me being a lefty catcher and then watch me throw people out all around the bases and realize it didn’t make a difference. I wish this weren’t so stigmatized so I could have played what was my favorite position longer.
as a current lefty high schooler, in one of my jv games last year the starting catcher couldn't make it to the game, so last minute they put me in the lineup at catcher. I caught all 7 innings and only had like 1 passed ball.
On my old team I had a lefty catcher. He was actually really good and I loved it when he caught for me. He threw guys out at 2nd like it was nothing and framed pitches really well. Eventually my coach put him a first base and that is where he still plays today. The great thing about my new team now is that our bullpen catcher is a lefty.
What level baseball is that?
Seen three left handed catchers in college softball, one was North Carolina Central’s Andrea Searles who picked a runner off third after Morgan St had a go ahead rally, then ended the inning nailing the runner stealing 2nd.
I just wanted to say because it's fun trivia and he didn't mention it in the video but the last lefty to "play second base" was also Don Mattingly in the resumption of the infamous "George Brett pine tar game". If I remember the story right the manager put the left handed Mattingly in at 2nd and I think put a pitcher in the outfield to make a mockery of the game in protest of the league's decision to make them replay the end of the game.
i am a left handed back catcher. and my local team relies on me a lot to play behind the plate! i enjoy it and gives me confidence knowing my own teammates want me to play backcatcher
Another thing is if you're a kid and want to play baseball but you're left handed, you're reduced to pitcher, 1st base or outfield. The thing those things have in common is that when you're being chosen for position, they want players at all of those positions to be big. Outfield & first base are power positions. Pitchers are also supposed to be big & powerful. If you're a smaller lefty, and not made to hit for power, you almost have nowhere to play. If you're very speedy and can cover ground, you can play outfield, but what if you're not? Then you're basically shut out of baseball. However if the catching & 2nd base positions are open to lefties, that opens more possibilities for the left handed kid who is not a power hitter and does not throw a 99 MPH fastball.
Also, just a note, I understand from reading baseball history that the St. Louis Browns experimented with the idea of playing George Sisler at shortstop. In spring training, I think. They never tried it in an actual regular season game. About 40 years later, the Pirates tried a similar experiment with Dale Long at catcher. Long later filled in as a catcher with the Cubs in a couple of games in an emergency, in the late 50's. The common tie in the experiments was Branch Rickey, who was with St. Louis in the Sisler days and Pittsburgh in the Dale Long days. Long was tried as a catcher in the Pirates minor league system, but never played the position in the majors until after he was traded and the Cubs emergency situation came up.
Lefty Catcher here! Played Catcher my entire youth career. Jr year scout told me i needed to switch positions after 10+ years of perfecting. Things gotta change
A long time ago in a league much less skilled than the MLB, I was a left handed first baseman. I was a pretty good fielder and would get bumped from 1st to 2nd if there was an emergency, like the time our normal second baseman got hbp and it broke his hand, and I had to play 4 for a couple months. I switched feet from what the righties would do. My teammates said I played 2nd goofy footed. It made the turn to 1st a lot easier if I was trying for a double play, and it put me a bit closer to the catcher if I was covering the bag on a steal. It all kinda came out in the wash at 2nd. If you're athletic and flexible - like a 2nd baseman needs to be anyway - the movement on the steel isn't bad, and I doubt it's actually slower from plate to tag than it is for a righty; though it is more of a sweep across than a slap down motion.
Likely the best video you ever unloaded!
My presumption on catching had to do with arm slot and how the catcher might bean the hitter in the back of the head rebounding it to the pitcher.
Saying this as an ardent left hander (one that got hit on the hand in school as a kid), geometry is a better word than body positioning. This is about angles, and fielding angles are no different than pitching angles (re: LH or RH hitter vs RH pitcher). Right handers at 2B, SS, 3B and catcher are about improving angles. And with 90% of people being right handed, why experiment (and use time and resources) with putting a lefty in those positions?
12:00-12:30 - You're overlooking an important fact. If a right handed catcher screws up the throw to first around a left handed batter, the runner advances to second. If a left handed catcher screws up the throw to third around a right handed batter, the runner scores. You also left out or missed that a right handed catcher throwing to third will step forward before throwing to third, which adds to his momentum (re: your chair analogy). A left hander has to step sideways or backwards around a right handed batter.
This isn't like lefties in other sports. Lefty quarterbacks in football are actually more effective than right handers (compare the percent of lefties with long careers and percent in the hall of fame compared to right handers) because handedness has no effect. Coaches are the reason so few lefties play the position. And of course, basketball doesn't care about handedness, only scoring percentages. Coaches want talent and plan around that.
"Conventional wisdom" was proven 1d1otic in hockey. Traditionally, left wingers were left handed and right wingers were right handed, the idea being both would pass to the centre who would score. But talented centres starting in the 1970s (e.g. Gilbert Perrault, the Red Army USSR teams) threw that logic out the window. The centre became the setup man, and the wingers were the scorers. Left handers started playing right wing for a better scoring angle on the net, and vice versa on the other side. It's now a rarity to see a left handed left winger AND a right handed rightwinger on the same line.
15:30 - If ONLY the glove were the issue for left handed goaltenders. They need left handed blockers, gloves, and other gear. Many left handed kids are forced out of the position because they can't get the gear due to right handed bias. Many of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history were lefties (catch right, block left): Grant Fuhr (HoF), Bill Durnan (HoF), Roger Crozier, Tony Esposito (HoF), Tom Barrasso (should be in the HoF), Tomas Vokoun, Roman Turek, among others.
And I'm surprised / disappointed there was a single word about Jack Clements. Over 1000 career games caught as a left handed catcher, career .287 batting average, and the first catcher to wear a chest protector on an everyday basis. According to Historical Baseball Abstract, Clements was the 58th greatest catcher in MLB history.
The problem with expanding lefties into those "forbidden" positions in practice is that it's almost a catch-22. Youth (high school, college, etc.) coaches won't make the change because the majors are so set against it, but the youth coaches would have to make the change first in order for any left-handed players to reach the majors with enough experience at any of those positions to play them at the highest level. Trying to put any current left-handed big leaguers at catcher or second would probably fail miserably, not because the concept can't work, but because you're putting that player at a demanding defensive position that they have virtually no experience at. It's just so much easier for a right-handed thrower to learn to bat lefty (and thus gain the biggest advantage of being a "left-handed" position player) than for a left-handed thrower to keep battling their way into a C/3B/SS/2B spot as they grow up.
Side note: I'm pretty sure we'll never know if left-handed catchers have any advantage in framing pitches. Even if coaches do start letting more left-handers catch, we'll have robot umps long before any of them make it to the majors.
Both me and my brother are lefties, and we have both played on the same field, he as a catcher, me as a second baseman in a in house league. Not saying that those were are main positions, or that the competition was anywhere near MLB level, but it was both a lot of fun, and we still won those games, so it didnt hinder the outcome of the game at all.
Don't know if double play comes out a wash for lefty second baseman. The flip to second is much shorter and requires much less power than turning it from second to first. So a righty can do the flip to second without having to rotate their body pretty easily while it's extremely hard for a lefty to throw the whole 90 feet with accuracy and power when turning a double play without fully resetting themselves. There's also more 6-4-3 + 5-4-3 double plays than 4-6-3 double plays.
I'm with you on left handed catchers though. That's way more doable.
This is a point a tried to make earlier, but not as well as you did. A righty can get away with a shovel throw to 2nd on the 4-6-3. A lefty can’t do a shovel throw from 2nd to 1st on the 6-4-3.
Regarding the 2B double-play scenario, I don't think it's a wash. It's still advantage righty. On a 4-6-3 double play, the throw to the SS is easier for a lefty, but only slightly easier. On the other hand, on a 6-4-3 double play, the throw to first by a lefty second baseman is a lot harder. These don't balance out. A righty throwing to second only has to turn his shoulders about 90 degrees to throw to second, but a lefty receiving the throw from the SS has to turn his shoulders about 180 degrees. Add in the tag play at second and there's no good, compelling reason to put a lefty there if you have a good righty.
Also, there's the issue of balls hit to deep to the right of a 3B or SS. It's pretty hard for a righty to make the throw to first; it's a great deal harder for a lefty to do it.
For second basemen, I don't think the double play issue is a wash - rather I think it goes against lefties. With a ball hit to the second baseman, it's a pretty short throw over to second base that a righty can usually make pretty easily by turning their body or by flipping the ball. With a ball hit to the left side of the field, the second baseman usually has to throw it immediately and with a lot of velocity to get the ball over to first base in time to complete the double play. I think a lefty would have a lot of issues there as they'd have to completely turn their body, so you'd get fewer double plays and also probably more errant throws as guys wouldn't have their feet as set (whereas a righty's feet are basically automatically set properly in this instance), and the lefty wouldn't provide that much marginal benefit on balls hit to themselves.
Another note: with the shift gone next year (RIP), there will be more instances of second basemen needing to cover more ground than before, so you're going to have more plays where they're ranging far to their left or right and need to make close plays. I think this also marginally goes to righties - while lefties would have an easier time fielding balls up the middle, the benefit of having your feet set to first base seems to outweigh (especially since righties have an easier time fielding balls to their left, though those plays are usually much easier on net because of the short throw).
Overall I think it would be really interesting having lefties catch, but I think for infielders it makes more sense to keep using righties. An exception would probably be if you have a uniquely poor fielding righty and a uniquely good fielding lefty, but lefty throwers are rare enough anyways that you can probably still use that fielder in the outfield or first base (e.g. Jason Heyward, Cody Bellinger, etc.)
Made the Cut, do you have a Patreon? I need to buy a new mic lol
10:47 it's been a 26 man roster for a couple of seasons now
I do have a counter argument about the lefty tag at home: unlike at second, where the ball can come from anywhere, the ball always comes from the catcher’s right as he faces 3rd. As a result, he can keep his body open toward the base path while waiting for the ball. This has two knock on effects. One, he doesn’t really need to reach across his body for the tag. Two, he has much better peripheral vision of the runner coming in to home while waiting to catch the incoming ball. This could help avoid some of those plays you see where the ball beats the runner to the plate but the runner manages to slide in behind the (righty) catcher, who can’t turn around fast enough to make the tag.
I agree with the 2nd base points but I think some points were over valued. I think on the double play a 2nd baseman will receive at the bag more often. I also think the flip negative is not as bad as having to full turn your body. A lefty covering 1st is also quite rare as normally the pitcher will take it at higher levels. The points are fair though.
I played catcher throughout little league before being stuck at first in HS because of the myth. I was decently good at it and never found the same passion for any other position at the higher levels I played at.
I loved playing catcher as a lefty, I got thrown into it and somehow was on the all-star team as a lefty as a thirteen year old 😂
The 5-4-3 or 6-4-3 double-play where the 2nd baseman is _set_ at the bag should not be _much_ harder for a lefthanded thrower because either handedness has their back to 1B. Only when the 2nd baseman is approaching 2B during the throw, where they're unable to get set on the infield side of 2B, do they have to pirouette to throw to 1B. But again, SSs coming across the bag on a throw from the 2nd baseman, also have to awkwardly pirouette or otherwise position themselves to get a strong throw to 1B, so I would not assume that adjusting in the opposite direction would be so much harder. The two other things that make it harder for lefties to work at 2B are the institutional lack of lefties at the position at all levels (i.e., a lack of peers able to teach the coping techniques) and the need for a stronger throwing arm to make up for the longer positioning needed for a lefthanded thrower (i.e., strong-throwing lefty = pitcher).
If you’re a right handed batter with a left handed catcher, you best get out of the way when a runner is stealing second 😆
I think I got the jist of the video: righties have a much easier time throwing in the infield, and tagging is harder for lefties
I couldn't hit a lick, but I was a great fielder. In 5th grade my coach said, "You are the best SS I've ever seen, it's too bad you're a lefty." I was stuck in CF. Meanwhile our SS bounced every throw to first.
My dad was a left handed catcher when he was in little league. Not because he was left handed, but because as he put it "was the toughest kid on the team" 😅
As an added layer of prejudice against lefties, video games such as MLB The Show won't even let you set the handedness of certain positions like catcher to be left handed. And if you take a lefty and swap their position in game, the game will force them to throw right handed.
I caught lefty for a couple years I’d say the throw to third was the most difficult part everything else wasn’t an issue at all
I was a lefty catcher in travel ball up until I was 17. Caught so many kids trying to steal 2nd, but was told “sorry, lefties don’t catch.”
Interesting side note is that it's a slight advantage to have a lefty 1st baseman but that's only really for pickoff attempts. Doesn't really matter otherwise.
Faced a lefty catcher back in 16u 8 years ago who was an absolute monster, was so weird but fun to see and play against.
I'm a lefty and I once asked my dad why there were no left-handed catchers. He said that a left handed catcher might hit a right handed batter in the head with a throw. My response was wouldn't a right handed catcher possibly hit a left handed hitter in the head? Ultimately, I believe it comes down to the long standing prejudice against left handers.
Realistically, if someone who's a lefty has that kind of arm to be an MLB catcher, they're putting him on the mound
One thing you didn't mention... since most people throw and bat the same side, and left handed hitters are often a premium product, why not get at least a couple more spots on the field where you can throw some lefties out there.
I also think, for plays at home, a catcher is almost always going to have time to position themselves to take the throw. They may usually be the slowest player on the field, but unlike pretty much everyone- except first basemen holding the runner, they start the play right where they are going to need to make a tag or force, so they have way more time to position themselves.
The problem with the left-handed hitter argument is that it's quite common for right-handed throwers to learn how to bat lefty, certainly much easier than for left-handed throwers to keep fighting their way into positions like catcher or 3B all the way up the ladder. So a righty thrower can get the best of both worlds with far less difficulty. Just thinking about this last season's Giants as an example, there were three righty-throwing/lefty-hitting infielders (Brandon Crawford, Tommy LaStella, and Jason Vosler) on that one team.
Ahhhh yes. I remember when Don Mattingly played 3rd base for a couple of innings. It was glorious. If I remember correctly he even started a 5-4-3 DP.
I really should've waited until the video got to 3:12 before making my last comment lol
Aubrey Huff (left handed 1B) played second base for the SF Giants in extra innings on Saturday, April 21, 2012
Correction: it was in the bottom of the ninth, not extra innings.
One counterpoint, my son is a lefty and a big kid with an arm. Naturally his dominant arm kept him off 3rd base and he didn’t have the control to pitch. So we caught him. There were plenty of left handed catchers mitts at the second hand sporting goods store. Although that could be coincidence as one kid could have sold all his old ones to that store. I still coach (my son is in high school now) and I’d put a lefty behind the dish in a minute.
I could see lefty catchers absolutely working out honestly. Fun video
I'm lefty, and in high school my coach had me pitch and play corner outfield, but I did get to play 3rd for a few innings one game and it was dope
I feel like a lot of second basemen start out training as shortstops before moving down the defensive spectrum, hence naturally causing them to be right-handed.
When I played growing up, we had an all lefty infield. We just happened to be the 4 best infield defenders. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked
Played catcher for a year as a kid, then transitioned to 2nd base for most of my childhood. It wasn’t until I got to highschool that I was forced to pitch😅
I am a lefty and had a catchers glove as a kid. Don’t know where my folks got it from as this was well before the internet.
I'm a lefty and was always stuck at first in my first couple years of little league until the coaches saw I was wasting good speed and glove work. Then it was outfield and pitching
Ha! This guy says physics are going to change really soon. Great click bait, you got me.
We had one on a little league team I coached. It was extremely difficult to find a mitt. Some how my Father found a used one and it was not cheap.
As a lefty 2nd baseman (in beer league softball), I can assure you turning a 6-4-3 is extremely hard for a lefty. It’s much easier for a righty to initiate a 4-6-3 double play, as the awkward throw is the short throw, not the long one. It doesn’t even out.
On catcher, there's a big point missed in this video -- the catcher needs the second best arm on the diamond, second only to the pitcher. At pretty much every level of the game, lefty pitchers are a fiercely coveted commodity. If you're a lefty and have the arm to be a catcher, you've got a much brighter future as a pitcher.
Dang that was a good piece of content