Bullpen Catchers – How a Baseball Game and Team Impact

Bullpen catchers are the men in a baseball game who have the responsibility of warming up the relief pitchers in the bullpen. Most of these catchers are anonymous to baseball fans and sports media, never getting a baseball card with them (even when the mascot sometimes does!), yet they do impact the overall experience at a baseball game. in ways most people don’t recognize. While their primary duty is to warm up relief pitchers during a game, there are many other things bullpen catchers do while serving in what some consider a “resourceful” role for the team. Here are some things they do to contribute:

  • Many teams carry only two catchers, with another fielder being the “emergency” catcher. Ideally, the team manager wants to have all of their reserve catchers ready to be used in the event of a pinch hit, pinch run (although there are VERY few catchers that are used as pinch runners!), injuries, or simply assisting the pitching coach. evaluate the performance of a pitcher. The bullpen catcher frees up the manager to keep all of his catchers available for use during a game by replacing the need for one of the backup catchers to be in the bullpen.
  • Occasionally, the bullpen catcher will be called to work before a game to catch the opening pitch for the person honored. Often, he’s called in to escort and warm up that person to make sure he gets a decent shot at throwing in front of the crowd.
  • During pregame batting practice, the bullpen catcher will share the load with the other catchers from the pitchers’ warmups who need to pitch on their respective “days off”. Each pitching coach gives their pitchers a specific pitching program and routine. It is in these practice sessions that pitchers work on their mechanics and fine-tune their pitches. Other drills include “Towel Drills,” “Flat Toss,” “Long Toss,” and other pitcher-specific drills.
  • After working with pitchers, many bullpen catchers are asked to pitch the remaining portion of batting practice or work with hitters on “Flip Toss” or other hitting drills.
  • A bullpen catcher, if he has received for many years, can also be a de facto “psychologist” in the bullpen. Relief pitchers are stereotyped as being crazy, mentally unbalanced, etc. While this isn’t necessarily a true stereotype, though I’ve met my share of some wild men in the bullpen(!), a pitcher’s ability to trust his bullpen catcher’s feedback is an important part of a pitcher who is ready to enter a game. Barry Zito and Houston Street, in an August 2006 article by an MLB.com writer, are mentioned as relying on their bullpen catcher’s experience to help them prepare (http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/ news/ article.jsp?ymd=20060817&content_id=1615561&vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp&c_id=oak)
  • Between innings, if the bullpen is positioned along the foul lines of the field, it will often warm up one of the outfielders. The outfielders carry two balls between innings, with one being shared between two of the outfielders to keep loose. The other is thrown between the left fielder (or right fielder depending on which side the bullpen is located) and the bullpen catcher to help the outfielder stay loose.
  • If a bullpen is positioned along the foul lines, and one of the other catchers is catching a particular pitcher, the bullpen catcher will stand behind the pitcher to protect him in case a hard line drive hits into the bullpen. .

A bullpen receiver can fill multiple roles off the field as well:

  • Provide post-game lessons for the kids when the other players are in the clubhouse.
  • Show up in uniform to various local charity events or events with an emphasis on children.
  • Help the team with their marketing efforts, especially in the lower levels of the minor leagues.
  • Work with the pitching coach to determine ways to help pitchers improve.
  • Help assemble the wardrobe before opening day. Yes, this really happens!
  • Assist the general manager with promotions on and off the field

All told, the bullpen catcher does a lot of unrecognized work. Plus, he sometimes ends up catching (and returning) more pitches and warm-up shots (between pregame practice and in the bullpen) than the starting catcher. If you want to make a player’s day, find out who your team’s bullpen catcher is, send them an autograph request, and chances are you’ll get one faster than any other request. And if you happen to meet your team’s bullpen catcher in July, August or September, remember that it may take him a few extra seconds to raise his arm to shake your hand. All those pitches take their toll!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back To Top