Catchers in Major League Baseball
CATCHERS OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
The catcher, the most physically demanding position on the baseball diamond, and the most knowledgeable player on the field have gone through changes. Through the long history of the American past-time of baseball, the catcher has seen their equipment up-date to meet the challenging force of a pitcher and the battle against a hardball gaining velocity off the wooden bat while only a couple feet off the plate. The catcher has developed as a weak-offensive threat with a focus for a strong defensive performance while playing the role as an on-field manager. Perhaps the most important position in the game, the unrecognized catcher has gone through the most change, the most challenge, and is used as a double-threat, coaching and playing the game on the field all at once. With a total of 14 Hall of Fame inductees, it shows that their focus is not only on their own performance, but the success of the pitcher and the 7 players behind them.
As pitching has developed throughout the decades, adding more spin and velocity to their itinerary 's, catching equipment was needed in order to protect the most important position player in the game, the catcher.
Before the use of baseball gloves, catchers would lay their hands on barrels of sand and let their teammates take turns at beating them with baseball bats . With obvious concern for the safety of a catcher, different style gloves began to be used. The first documented glove was in 1870, used by catcher Doug Allison, catcher of the Cincinnati Red-Stockings, the first professional baseball team . When the glove was first introduced, players were weary of wearing them on the field, being contested by the many fans questioning their manliness. In an attempt to popularize the mitt, and to gain himself profit in his wealthy business, Albert Spalding gave the mitt a manly look in 1877, sporting a black mitt with holes in the fingers. In 1890, Harry Decker introduced a mitt that
The catcher, the most physically demanding position on the baseball diamond, and the most knowledgeable player on the field have gone through changes. Through the long history of the American past-time of baseball, the catcher has seen their equipment up-date to meet the challenging force of a pitcher and the battle against a hardball gaining velocity off the wooden bat while only a couple feet off the plate. The catcher has developed as a weak-offensive threat with a focus for a strong defensive performance while playing the role as an on-field manager. Perhaps the most important position in the game, the unrecognized catcher has gone through the most change, the most challenge, and is used as a double-threat, coaching and playing the game on the field all at once. With a total of 14 Hall of Fame inductees, it shows that their focus is not only on their own performance, but the success of the pitcher and the 7 players behind them.
As pitching has developed throughout the decades, adding more spin and velocity to their itinerary 's, catching equipment was needed in order to protect the most important position player in the game, the catcher.
Before the use of baseball gloves, catchers would lay their hands on barrels of sand and let their teammates take turns at beating them with baseball bats . With obvious concern for the safety of a catcher, different style gloves began to be used. The first documented glove was in 1870, used by catcher Doug Allison, catcher of the Cincinnati Red-Stockings, the first professional baseball team . When the glove was first introduced, players were weary of wearing them on the field, being contested by the many fans questioning their manliness. In an attempt to popularize the mitt, and to gain himself profit in his wealthy business, Albert Spalding gave the mitt a manly look in 1877, sporting a black mitt with holes in the fingers. In 1890, Harry Decker introduced a mitt that
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