Brian Whatley - Catching Coordinator Cleveland Guardians, BA Kinesiology/Sports Medicine Degree
Lodi, CA
Joined December 2017
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Could not tell you how many players at the professional level have told me they don’t watch baseball if they’re not playing in the game. Some are Big Leaguers in today’s game. I’ve been stunned.
Spot on and very cool insight!! 👇🏼
Davey Johnson asked me to learn to catch.
My first reaction: Why?
He looked at me and said, "I think it'll add value to you. And I think it'll let you see the game from a lens you've never seen before."
I trusted Davey. So I said yes.
Here's what I didn't understand until I got behind the plate:
Before becoming a catcher I was always looking in. I was watching from a distance.
Behind the plate, the whole game opens up.
Everyone is out in front of you. You can read every hitter's swing. You're building a relationship with every pitcher. You see the defensive alignment. You understand strategy from a completely different angle.
It changed everything about how I understood baseball.
And it changed what I thought I could do next.
I finally stopped trying to squeeze more out of a playing career that had run its course. I started thinking about coaching. About managing.
A few years later I was a minor league manager.
I don't think I get anywhere close to that without Davey Johnson asking me to learn a position I had no business playing and without me trusting him enough to say yes.
Two questions worth sitting with today:
Is there someone in your life who's earned your trust enough that you'd say yes to almost anything they suggested?
And is there a lens on your work you've never looked through?
@mets
Best part about having my daughter in AZ for college! Surprise work visits when I come to the complex.
Not against traditional at all. One of the C’s I saw at the 2028 WWBA in Georgia that I thought was outstanding and made the position look easy was Gavin Greene (Auburn commit), who caught a ton out of traditional. Did not find out til later it was the son of @ToddGreene20, who had a long Big League career. So a lot made sense. You can’t replace experience and good coaching .
Would agree with that. Issue is a one knee system is very difficult to teach and more than just being on a knee. My son is in HS and I watched the big tournaments and made a point to watch a lot of the top rated C’s in the country . I saw 3 all summer that I could visibly see knew how to use a one knee system (One was my son) situationally. I’m not opposed to traditional at all but the athlete themselves will show you the direction that is his best to take, however if the mobility and athleticism is there I’m putting them on a knee.
Outcome data dating back to 2016 when there was still heavy usage of traditional until now which is now pretty much 100%. ABS won’t change C’s going back to traditional.
All comes down to effort. Players don’t think games can be won on effort alone. Baserunning is usually where we see effort fail big time. Very high % of games can be flipped from baserunning effort alone. Kids want to look cool these days and are thinking of their celebration antic instead of playing a game with a high IQ level of play.
Meant to say there’s 31 Proverbs so doing 31 days of Bible study in the month of Oct with 1 Proverb a day with my son.
31 day month study challenge. Currently doing 31 days with my son for the month of October (1 per day). Been awesome.
Often throws get botched during the transfer/exchange phase and the ball gets bobbled. This is a drill to create efficiency and dexterity during the transfer. Hold two balls in your throwing hand and after the ball is released, drop the bottom ball and adjust for the incoming ball during the exchange. Should end holding two balls. Very difficult but creates efficiency with the exchange. *Make sure that C drops the bottom ball after the machine releases the ball.
Athleticism and versatility behind the plate is king. Why…because today’s analytics can prove that different knee down set ups in certain situations has a huge impact on strikes gained. Be able to maximize your receiving ability by being versatile and comfortable receiving, throwing and blocking from any set up. Value goes up. Cooper (2028) with transfers from either knee down.
Probably an unpopular take but Jr. Hacks for receiving are ok for learning basic C movements but often moves don’t translate to high level in game speed for a catchers development (Especially HS C’s). There is a major difference in seeing a ball travel the full 60’6” (Less if machine is at release) at game speed 90mph+ and a 70mph at the same distance or shortened to match reaction time. Catcher’s who work mainly off Jr Hacks will give you a false positive on skill set. Distance and velo matter to translate into skill acquisition at a high level.
Development of a player is not rooted in a one size fits all (This is the way to do it) philosophy. Great coaches know how to peel the layers and utilize a holistic approach that maximizes the individual athletes ability. I’ve witnessed catchers be the best in the game and look very different from each other.
He uses all stances including tradition. Situation of the game will determine where the priority is and what stance to use. With that said he can throw from all one knee down stances just as equally.
Drill progression with my son Cooper (2028). Prior to work we sit down and watch video of catchers and what it looks like. After drill set we review the feel and what cues work for him. Then have him self evaluate the work using a 1-5 scale based on goal accomplishment for that session. Learning to be a good self evaluator is a must. Biggest blind spot and gap between player and coach happens here.