The Flawed Logic Behind Why Lefties Don't Catch (Or Play Second)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
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Script written and researched by Mac Douglass
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.
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
Rizzo having 2nd Base eligibility in Fantasy Baseball was an amazing time to be alive 😂
Yes yes it was.
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
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.
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!!!
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 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.
The logic behind why lefties dont play catcher is not flawed. Its insanely logical.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
I was a decent pitcher, but fielding wise my natural position was catcher. In high school I just rode the bench outside of pitching because it doesn't really matter that you can throw to second on your knees at first base. It makes sense at low levels why left handers don't play catcher, but in the majors like half of the batters are lefties or switch hitters, so handedness is just irrelevant for catchers.
I've never understood the arguments against lefty catchers. The position is in the middle of the field. Pros/cons are equal. The disadvantages (throws to 3rd and tags at home) are pretty equal to the advantages (picks, dropped 3rd strikes, bunt coverage).
It is more common in softball than baseball to see a lefty catcher. I was a lefty catcher in college at the University of Michigan, and there was a lefty catcher a few years before me and a few years after me, just at UM alone. In softball, the argument for a lefty catcher is even stronger because there are more bunts and a steal to third base is rarer.
If the strongest argument against lefty catchers is tags at the plate and throws to the other side of the field, then baseball should also never have a righty first basemen. There is no advantage to having righty at first. Pick plays from the pitcher and catcher are more awkward for righties and the throws to second and third a righty would have to flip their feet to square up your shoulders, unlike a lefty. Why should right-handed first basemen exist? Perhaps it's because some of the differences in tagging and throwing are actually pretty neglible in the long run and coaches should be more open-minded and adaptable when it comes to catching as well.
At this point it's just a self-fulfilling prophecy. Because it's not a thing to have lefty catchers currently, lefty catcher gloves are difficult to find, and you have so many parents and youth coaches strongly discouraging it along the way. When I was growing up, I would occassionally hear from coaches that I shouldn't be a lefty catcher and it was always from coaches with baseball backgrounds. I hope things change. It would be cool to see a lefty catcher in the MLB!! I think it would be a gamechanger for young lefty baseball players to just have one success story to look up to!
If there's anything we've seen from the last few years of baseball, it's that the sport as we know it a la unwritten rules, two way players, and potentially umpires, are effectively being torched in favor of playing the sport in new ways. This is only a good thing, in my opinion. In a way I'm thankful that these taboos existed in baseball for so long. It becomes more thrilling, exciting, and special when they are finally broken. Bat flips used to get you thrown at. Now they're routine across the league. How exciting was it when that change was happening, that we actually got to see players celebrate their home runs?
"What if we find that lefties frame pitches better?" Framing pitches will be obsolete when umpires no longer call balls and strikes.
Roughly 2/3 of all hits are singles. First basemen generally have far more putouts than any other player, which means the other infielders throw to him more often than anywhere else. He is, in most cases definitely to their left, so there is a strong throwing advantage if they are righties. The catcher, however, has the first base to his right at about a 45° angle exactly the same amount as third base is to his left and second base is dead ahead so there is no left vs. right advantage geometrically, but first base will be a target for the catcher far more frequently than third. So it seems that throwing left-handed would be an advantage except when getting a throw from right or first on a runner trying to score (not very frequent).
I played second as a lefty in LL and SL. I was a much better fielder than anyone else in the infield and also played 3rd and even SS a few times. The only thing that was a bit difficult, was turning double plays, and that wasn't really a problem. You have to re-square up and throw half the time anyways depending on which side the ball's hit to.
I was pretty fast, so I usually had time to turn my body or do even do a 360 and throw. The big advantage was covering up the middle from 2nd, and covering the line at 3rd, is easier as a lefty.
I feel, as a former catcher, that it would be cool to have a specialist lefty catcher for a lefty SP, because it is much more difficult to frame a ball that is down and gloveside vs armside. Would be taking up a valuable roster spot but if you have the space to carry a third catcher why not make him a specialist.
The year after that Cubs shift, Rizzo was eligible to be a second baseman in a lot of fantasy games, I think he technically ended up with like a dozen games played at second which got him over the minimum threshold for it being a secondary position
Benny Distefano was actually my baseball coach when I played little league
The percentage of comments on this video from left-handed people is staggering. Probably the highest ratio ever. My best friend in HS went out for the baseball team. He had a difficult time catching a righty for the first couple of days because he was so used to playing catch with me. I am sure there are others who resemble that remark.
I learned to play throwing righty and batting lefty, but it wasn't until I got much older, playing for fun, that I realized I was doing it completely backwards--I needed to throw with my left and bat right. I do sometimes wonder if I might have played longer as a kid if I switched sooner.
Always thought not having lefties play C or 2B was silly; Pavin Smith is a prime example of a profile being artificially devalued due to being left-handed and limited to 1B/OF (where he doesn't have the range to play CF)
Our catcher in hs was left handed. Ended up going to college as a pitcher. I played 3rd in like 8th grade lmao.
At the highest level of play, tiny advantages make all the differences. A tenth of a second difference in completing a throw or applying a tag can be the difference between getting an out or not and over the course of a season, that adds up. A lefty catcher would have an advantage in throwing to first over a righty, but a disadvantage at throwing to second or third or tagging a runner at home and those are much more high value plays.
There is no shortage of right handed shortstops and lefties that are athletic enough for middle infield but too small for anywhere else would be encouraged to join the track team
Don Mattingly, who has played more third base than any lefty in history, is often asked if he could make it as a full-time third baseman, and he'll be the first to tell you absolutely not - It's practically impossible for a lefty to play third or second, and it's COMPLETELY impossible to play short.
Any short grounder to second where the player needs to charge the ball is impossible to field. A team would just need to bunt-cheese them to death.
Also, just for the record, Lefty Davis played short for one inning (and no one even hit a ball to him), being the only lefty to ever play short in the modern era, and even that was in desperation.
Also, Mattingly played second for an inning during the infamous pine-tar resumption, where Billy Martin picked the lineup from a hat.
he hasn't played more third than any player in history. not sure who told you that.until around 1900 it wasn't uncommon for lefties to play third or even second. mike squires played 14 games at third as a lefty in the 1980s although I believe Mattingly is the last lefty to start a game at third.
@@tomf5823 He only had four starts at the position. Sorry, I should have said starts and not games.
My high school had 3 left handed catchers at the same time so while I haven’t seen a lefty catcher in the pros, I’ve had my fill
As a coach, I had my players steal third base at will when we were against a lefty catcher.
I think the point you make about the availability of gloves is a good one. While it might be completely viable for lefthand players to play 3B, SS, and 2B, glove manufacturers simply don't make them. They don't make them because they aren't profitable. It would take a combination of lefthanded Major Leaguers playing the aforementioned positions and a demand for manufacturers to make the gloves. Lot's of moving parts. If someone could make an ambidextrous Pat Vendetti type glove that was effective and sold well, maybe that would create a pathway for more lefties playing unconventional positions.
I’m sure that was true in the past but now you can cheaply custom make any glove your heart desires, down to the thread used to sew it together
Seems you're not aware kids can buy custom gloves allover nowadays, including lefty catchergloves. Furthermore lefty catchergloves were always available, just not abundantly in stock in most stores.
This argument is totally backwards. They don't make them because it makes absolutely no sense to put a LH player at those positions so nobody does. Everyone knows this for very very obvious reasons. It's like asking why North America car dealerships dont sell right hand drive cars. Because it would be stupid.
On top of that, it's not even true. you don't need a specialized glove to play 2nd or 3rd when you are a kid. If you wanted to put a LH kid at 3b, he could use any LH glove. It has nothing to do with a "lack of gloves" and everything to do with it not working as well as a RH.
The glove argument doesn't really matter at the youth levels, at least for infielders. With the obvious exception of catcher, up until at least high school, a glove is a glove is a glove regardless of what position someone's playing. By the time a player reaches college or the minors, they can order whatever kind of glove they want.
Being a southpaw, and having played second base, the throw felt awkward, especially on a dp feed. My back was to first and had to do a complete 180 to make the throw. Playing short and third was much easier
I always thought it made less sense that left-handers don’t catch rather than play the infield.
I used to pitch and catch in High School!
Yeah, the reason you don’t see lefties in the infield (with the exception of First) is exactly because of a positioning, but in reality the disadvantage would be in very few scenarios. Most MLB lefties have the athleticism and arm to make plays on the routine stuff.
For Catcher it doesn’t matter. I think in the MLB’s case, it’s just a matter of odds. Catcher is a pretty specialized position and there are a lot less Left-Handed people, so what’s the chances someone comes in through the pipeline as both and then is.m good enough to start/play in the MLB. Pretty slim I’d say. It’s not like outfielders where they’re a dime a dozen. Although I remember playing against a left handed catcher in High School. It was a odd sight for sure, but it didn’t seem like he had any trouble throwing down to second.
These "unwritten rules" also come from an era in which left-handedness was frowned upon and children actively reeducated to use their right hand.
Lefty shortstop turning a 4-6-3 double would be quick af
Lefty catcher until high school. They told me I couldn't be catcher so I picked up tennis.
The problem with stat saavy current coaches discovering that being lefthanded at those positions is viable is that since no one does it, there are almost no stats to analyze to make that determination.
I'm a born lefty and played the hot corner all through Little League and college my only issue was fielding the ball between me and the SS in college my coach just had our shortstop field those cuz for the life of me could not get that out consistently and thats what held me back from the minors at least. We tried 1st but I couldn't get the hang of it
"I would say the double play scenario comes out as somewhat of a wash." I could not disagree any more. Many DP's are impossible to turn as a lefty. I see bare handed turns or throws from a 2B that barely beat the runner all the time. Lefties would miss out on all of those with virtually no upside. Bunts? Give me a break. When have you ever seen a runner beat out a bunt and thought, "damn, if only the 2B was a lefty..."
So I am an umpire for age group 12 and I have come across some lefty catchers
As an umpire it’s a very foreign view but doesn’t help against righty’s but instead hurts them. If a lefty catcher catches against another lefty that helps them.
Think of it this way. If a catcher is the same dominate hand as the hitter than the catcher will frame it better but if it’s opposite their framing is no where near as good
The ease of a catcher throwing to first argument is washed out by the fact that a runner on first is less impactful than a runner on third. Same with making the tag at home being too crucial to have someone wasting time crossing their body.
As a left handed shortstop and a damn good one. I can make about 95% of the plays a right-hander can the 2 things I struggle with are charging balls to third and tags from catcher to second. A little context I was better than everyone at age 8 so they put me at short and nobody I played with ever got good enough to take my spot away. It awkward at times but me at 95% is a lot better than most. But not the caliber of a major leaguer. But closer than you'd think.
And for me to play second the turn is awful. End of discussion for playing that position.
As a left handed catcher I feel that this is just dumb and there is no good argument it’s just something you have to deal with.
I'd love to see an exhibition game or series where the bases were run in reverse.
Pablo Sandoval changed his throwing arm to improve his chance at Catcher.
6:30 also switched positions since Lester couldn’t throw to bases
As a lefty, I fully support this.
Excellent video.
I’m not a baseball player but am a lefty. It kinda sucks from what I can tell the culture of little league seems kinda cutthroat.
If you tell kids (lefty kids) they can’t play catcher mostly likely they wouldn’t devote time to anything to do with the position. On top of that it’s hard to really practice being a lefty catcher in an actual game situation I would think. It seems like a self fulfilling prophecy. Lefties aren’t catchers because few will give them the time of day if they try to play that position.
Being a lefty catcher seems more inconvenient for the catcher. If you don’t mind moving to the side to throw (which may help you stay lose or somethin) why not let more lefties practice catching?
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’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.
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.
I’m sorry, but your logic for why lefties should play second is extremely flawed. You contradict what you said earlier in the video!!! Of course a lefty would struggle at second with any throw- he would have to pivot and turn his back to the runner- a very awkward throw. You made this argument for why lefties can’t play third base, which is true, so it doesn’t matter that it’s a “shorter throw” It would still be really hard. And turning 2 is almost impossible to do at the same speed as a righty. So…there are actually no arguments for a lefty playin 2nd 😏😏😏 sorry, but your logic is very flawed m. We should just “ give lefties a chance” even tho body position and physicality denies it??? You have no argument at all, sorry.
Thank you. This whole video is wildly wrong. It seems like someone trying way too hard to "think outside the box" and not seeing why it's just a bad idea.
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.
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
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
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
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.
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.
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!
So the first five minutes of this video is just evidence proving that the way it always has been is the best it can be
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
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.
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?
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.
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.
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
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.
A LH catcher or 2b may work in high school, college, and the low minors, but will not work at AAA or The Show...third base will be stolen on a regular, drumbeat basis with a LH catcher, the split second longer it takes for a LH to get in throwing position vs. a RH is why there are no LH catchers. And at 2b, too hard to turn a double play, and the same issue a LH thrower at catcher has, the same split second longer to turn to throw to 1b on most plays.
Exactly.
Yes, this whole video is really a silly argument. A LH thrower is at a disadvantage at every position in the infield because the game moves counter clockwise. It has nothing to do with "antiquated thinking".
It's like saying "why has no one ever batted with one arm?". Because it's worse in every way than batting with 2 arms.
It's not as much the stolen base issue as much as there's no gap between a LH catcher who can throw at the AAA or MLB level and a guy who can probably pitch at the MLB level as a starting LHP which means the catcher has to be literally Joe Mauer at the plate otherwise he's more valuable as a pitcher.
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.
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.
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.
This is why you're not a coach..If it were flawed logic, we would see lefties in those particular positions (namely 2B, SS and 3B)..We would also see you coaching in the MLB.
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 (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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
If it was flawed why does it work?
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.
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!
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 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 think I got the jist of the video: righties have a much easier time throwing in the infield, and tagging is harder for lefties
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.
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.
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.
"second baseman often cover first...."
By "often" do you actually mean "never"? A 2B never ever covers first. It's always the pitchers job. Maybe actually learn baseball before you try to re-examine it. 🤣
Ok so same reason most QB bootlegs go to the Quarterbacks throwing hand side. If 1st base was at third lefties would be at a premium at 3rd and shortstop.
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.
Your catcher logic falls apart with basic ration thinking. 3rd base would get more stolen base attempts with a left catcher because of the extra delay. Stealing is a game of inches and milliseconds, at the professional level, any added pop time will be exploited by elite runners.
Lefty catcher seems like it could work, despite being weird as hell. Lefty second baseman is effing impossible.
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.
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.