Lefty Catchers
Baseball Has A Right-Handed Bias When It Comes to Catchers
The History of Left-Handed Catchers
The last left-handed catcher in the major leagues was Benny Distefano. In 1983, Distefano caught three games for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Before him, Mike Squires played two games for the Chicago White Sox in 1980. In the 1960’s, Chris Short appeared behind the plate for one game for the Phillies, and in the 50’s, Dale Long caught in two games for the Cubs.
In earlier times it was easier for a left-handed catcher to make it to “the show.” Several lefties made appearances right after the turn of the century, highlighted by Jiggs Donohue’s 42 games combined from the 1901 and 1902 seasons. Donohue accomplished this for the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Browns.
Lefties Are Limited
In baseball, lefties don’t have many options. They are either a pitcher, first baseman, or an outfielder. Since base runners run counterclockwise, the majority of ground balls need to be thrown to first base. So second basemen, shortstops, and third basemen would be at a great disadvantage if they were left-handed. The angle and distance in which potential left-handed infielders would have to throw the ball at first, would make it to difficult for a left-handed player to be successful on the left side of the infield, or at second base. What would be a routine play for a right-handed infielder would be an extremely difficult play for a left-handed player. A lefty would have to pivot like a right-handed second baseman trying to start a 4-6-3 double play, or spin and throw much like a right-handed third baseman does when he makes a throw across the diamond, on what would be simple plays for a right-hander.
Excuses Given For Lack Of Lefty Catchers
Some of the common reasons given to why left-handed players cannot catch are: a lefty catcher’s throw will fade away to the shortstop-side of second base. Right-handed catchers’ throws fade to the second base-side, making for an easier tag. Another reason given is that framing pitches is harder for left-handers. One last reason is the lack of left-handed catcher’s mitts. It is much easier for parents and Little League coaches to teach their young left-handers to play first base or the outfield, rather than pay the extra money for a new mitt. This is especially true young players who have not began taking the game very seriously—not many parents want to spend $60 or $70 on another glove for their eight-year-old. So, it is easy for a young lefty to get to high school without ever getting a chance to play catcher. However, players do learn new skills throughout their minor league and major league careers, so this does not excuse major league teams from never giving a lefty a chance. The first two explanations are not enough for baseball teams to completely exclude that many players from playing a certain position.
So, Why Don’t They Catch?
The reason there are no lefty catchers isn’t because of the slightly more difficult throw to third, or because of lack of left-handed catchers playing in Little League. The real reason that there is not one left-handed catcher in the major leagues, and that there won’t be for a long time, is that in order to make it to the big leagues as a catcher, you need a strong arm. Teams would view using a left-handed player behind the plate as a waste of resources. Lefty pitchers are considered to be very valuable in baseball. If there’s a kid that is lefty and has a great arm, any coach at any level—high school, college, or professional—would always put him on the mound, before he puts him behind the plate, or at first base. Right-handed people are much more common, so when a good lefty comes around, pitching coaches are going to pay lots of attention to him. The fact that left-handed people are a minority is also why lefty pitchers tend to hang around longer in baseball—even mediocre left-handers. At the same time, mediocre right-handed pitchers are a dime a dozen, and wouldn’t last half as long than if they were lefty. That is why players like Mike Stanton and John Franco are able to play into their 40’s.
References:
- J.C. Bradbury. The Baseball Economist: The Real Game Exposed. New York: Dutton, 2007.
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