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Catcher's Command Center

SLVLL AA · SLVLL draft placement; not a fixed national AA age band · 46-foot pitching distance · 60-foot bases

Confirm the situation before receiving

AA catchers confirm the count, whether player or coach pitching is active, and whether midseason stealing has begun.

What belongs in the check?

Coaching Points

Make the adult's instructions clear before adding a moving runner.

Common Mistakes

A familiar catching drill can have the wrong runner timing.

Alternative Considerations

Use an agreed reset request if a sign or rule is unclear.

Rules/safety: leads (national-rule) local-steal (local-adopted-option)

Keep a blocked ball nearby

At a controlled receiving station, the coach introduces a low ball after checking protective gear and spacing. The catcher works on keeping the ball in front rather than stabbing at it.

What should determine the next progression?

Coaching Points

Introduce movement only after comfortable stationary repetitions.

Common Mistakes

A drill is not improved by overwhelming a player with speed.

Alternative Considerations

Return to dry footwork if control breaks down. AA games and practices use the league-provided RIFF 5 ball.

Rules/safety: practice-ball (local-adopted-option)

Know when the batter is already out

First is occupied with one out. A player-pitched third strike gets away from the AA catcher.

Does this batter get an attempt to reach first?

Coaching Points

Recover the ball and check the actual outs and runner situation; do not invent a force involving a batter who is already out.

Common Mistakes

Do not copy an Intermediate uncaught-third-strike answer into this setup.

Alternative Considerations

The AA source used for this exercise establishes this occupied-first/fewer-than-two-outs case, not every third-strike case.

Rules/safety: third (national-rule)

Choose a legal runner play

After midseason in AA, a runner legally steals second. A receiver is in place.

What is the useful throwing goal?

Coaching Points

A deliberate choice and controlled throw matter more than a stopwatch.

Common Mistakes

An AA steal overthrow does not allow another base.

Alternative Considerations

Begin without a live tag; the adult controls spacing and throwing load.

Rules/safety: local-steal (local-adopted-option) leads (national-rule)

Count innings before changing roles

A player has received a live pitch while catching in a fourth inning in the same game today. The coach considers moving that player to pitcher.

What does regular-season Regulation VI require?

Coaching Points

Track catching as well as pitch counts on the adult's game record.

Common Mistakes

Warm-up work and live innings are different; a live pitch in the fourth inning caught in the same game matters.

Alternative Considerations

Even legal combinations can add fatigue; safety guidance is more conservative than eligibility.

Rules/safety: catch-pitch (national-rule) safety (safety-guidance)

Check the whole pitcher-catcher history

A player caught earlier, then pitched, and now wants to catch again. The adult checks the entire day's sequence, not just the latest position.

What is the correct approach?

Coaching Points

Regulation VI has a 20-pitch threshold for the return-to-catcher sequence and a separate 40-pitch rule.

Common Mistakes

Confusing these thresholds can make an ineligible catcher appear eligible.

Alternative Considerations

Keep the numbers in the official record, not in personal notes on this training page.

Rules/safety: catch-pitch (national-rule)