The Real Reason There Are No Left Handed Catchers 

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Our starting catcher was left handed in high-school. He was pretty good. Got a scholarship as a pitcher 🤣

Played catcher as a lefty in little league and my coaches had the “why not put him on the mound” thought. 3 beanballs later, they put me back at catcher.

Hey I was drafted as a catcher and my dad was the catcher in your video (Benny Distefano, the one who almost caught the ball out of the umpires mask) and its pretty easy to summarize why it doesn't happen much. 1) the ball tails the wrong way when you throw to second. As much as catchers work on back spin the ball still has natural tail on it. A right handed throw tails up the line toward the runner where the short stop can work with the tag but a left handed throw tails off toward third where its harder to apply a tag. 2) Plays at the plate require a back handed pick from the outfield throw which is pretty hard to pull off with a catcher mitt on but a right handed catcher has a natural ability to catch the ball off their left foot. 3) If a collision happens at the plate a left handed catcher is open due to back handing the ball coming down the line but a right handed catcher is closed off to the runner coming down the line. Hope this provides some insight.

First question my left-handed son received on every team he's ever been on: "You pitch?"

I think it's because there are so few left handed people (About 10% of the population) that when someone shows baseball promise at the junior level the coaches eyes light up and they push them into the pitcher role.

plot twist: Rawlings just refuses to make left handed catcher's gloves.

This is what happened to me. I was behind the plate early cuz I was one of the bigger kids. When I got older coaches wanted the big lefty on the mound not behind the plate. So that's where I ended up. Also as others have said, left handed catchers mitts are exceptionally difficult to find.

It’s really kind of simple actually. As a child in little league very few people actually buy catchers mitts so the teams actually have all the catchers equipment. So when we are learning the game there’s usually only a right handed glove simply because of the numbers.

I was a left handed catcher all the the way through high school, I could back pick to first from my squat where you couldn’t tell if I was going back to the pitcher or to first until I let the ball go. I also never had an issue throwing down to third. The glove was the hardest thing to find lol 😂

I was a left handed catcher in little league from 9yrs old to 15yrs old. It was the weirdest thing anyone ever seen.

Hey Great video! I was one of those rare left handed catchers. Until I got to high school, I was normally either the pitcher or the catcher. At high school and later, I pitched and played center field and first base. Another very real practical challenge is that you just can't find left handed catchers mitts. My Dad found one and bought it just because he thought it might come in handy one day, and fortunately for me I got the chance to use it. I have never seen another one at a sporting store. I am with you that the other reasons often given I never thought were really a problem. Thanks for setting it straight.

The reason I stopped catching is because I couldn’t find a left handed glove

Learned more about catching in the first 8 minutes of this video then I did during the 80's when I was playing catcher (in little league).

Thank you for making an argument for lefty's to play catcher. I am a lefty and my son is a lefty and plays catcher. I think he's discriminated against at catcher because he's a lefty. Another thing that you didn't really mention is that lefty's have a better angle and are set up to throw runners out at first on the bunt.

In 1980, there were two southpaw catchers in the hit school level. One wasChris Hancock from Worth County High School. I was the other one from Brooks County High School. A southpaw catcher is a secret weapon as it freaks out righty batters. I concur that it comes down to a supply and demand thing. The supply is low and coaches demand a righty behind the plate. Great video and super informative!

Thanks Matt for the video. I’m sure someone already mentioned this in all the comments, but I think just the lack of availability of left handed catchers mitts at low lever is probably a big factor too. Between that and your comment about pitching a young lefty are the biggest reasons. Thanks!

I'm still trying to find Matt Antonelli in my MLB 2K10 in my Xbox 360 lol

This is one of my wonders of life I've thought for years. Thank you!

I’m a lefty catcher and whenever I join a new team coaches be like Hey what position u play?me: I’m a catcher. coach: wtf u just say boi

I had a lefty catcher when I pitched and I loved the way he was able to frame my two-seam fastball on the outside of the plate. As the ball tailed into the zone, so did his glove when he caught it. I could really work the outside of the plate much more effectively because of that combination.

The real reason: 11:50.

i’ve been a lefty catcher since i was 7, never had any problems, i was always top 3 catchers in the league. i love the position and i’d be willing to do pretty much anything to stay with it. My high school team put a kid who’s never played before in there because i’m a lefty. i’ve never been so mad in my life but it is what it is. my pop time is 2.2 and i’m pretty sure the kid they replaced me with is in the minutes. i’ve never had any problems with throws, never had any problems finding a glove. but my hopes of being a catcher were destroyed by a kid who’s never played the game

This is my first video from your channel you explain thing very clearly and for folks don't know some of the insides of the game like using left handed catchers. It's no surprise you have so many views keep up the great work congratulations.

Love the way u break down your explanations Matt, great job bro.

Played baseball till I was 40 and never even gave it any consideration. Great piece bro

Killer channel. Would have loved to have this fella as a coach in high school. Pretty cool your first major league hit was off of maddux. Tons of respect your way, Mr. Antonelli.

Thanks for posting! I forgot how much fun it was to catch. Born lefty but my marine Corp step dad converted me.

Never played baseball and watched when I could afford the time... I love how you kept me interested. Appreciate what you do. With that said, from what you've said it probably boils down to the ambition of the parent/coach/athlete to choose pitching over catching. Maybe a pay adjustment in salary in catchers in MLB will help the turnout of lefties in pros.

Something that I've never heard discussed is the advantage a left-handed catcher would have fielding bunts. They wouldn't have to turn their body to make the throw to first.

Being Left Handed, I always found it hard to find a good selection of LH gloves. Always tons of RH gloves. I’m sure it’s extremely difficult to even find one that fits, sizes, comfortably and variety of selection as well.

Love the information you always give.. as a pitcher you concentrate on the catchers glove for location, doesn't matter which side of the plate.

Played catcher from 12 through my senior year where I was removed when a new coach came in and threw a true freshman in who had never caught before. It hurt but it still felt good to help teach the kid through my senior season

Totally correct, as a lefty, as soon was able to throw a ball I was practicing pitching. I agree with learning how to throw straight every time as a catcher, but the natural movement we is hard to correct. I couldn’t throw a ball straight my whole life even with a 4 seam it still had natural movement. Great video 🤘

My 12 year old absolutely loves the catching position and has been told he is the best catcher in his age division AAA. But, he is a south paw and EVERYONE is telling him to give up the position because you never see a left catcher. He wanted a new glove for his birthday but cannot get him a decent one because no one makes them. He was in tears as they told him to practice more for pitching, first base or outfield. He was so excited to watch this video and had a ray of hope to break the stigmatism associated with “left” catchers. Thank you❤️

Took 13 minutes to come to the same conclusion I said to myself when I first saw this an hour ago, but I still enjoyed every minute of it. Now that's quality.

I'm a lefty. I caught for 5 years. It was my favorite position and I loved it, V-Tek was my idol. Once i got to HS they refused to try me out at catcher because I was left handed, stuck me on the mound and/or RF. Became an All-State outfielder. But the whole time I wanted to continue catching. Never got a chance because I was a lefty. They only reason I was given

I was a lefthanded catcher in little league. Loved playing that position so much!

Played ball for over 25 years, and honestly never really thought about it? I like your common sense approach to explanation on the subject. You really broke it down beautifully. Well done, going to watch some more!

It's strange that I never noticed this as I've been a baseball fan most of my life. Thinking back, I vaguely remember playing baseball video games which would force the catcher I would create to be right-handed. I can't recall which game it was, but if I'm remembering correctly then this makes some sense now. Thank you.

I played fast pitch softball for over 20 years. Played with great ballers in leagues and tournaments the good pitchers got paid handsomely! This was a men’s league and one of the best catchers in the softball world was a lefty. Quite a few teams from all over the world had good catchers. A lot of small ball in that game so the lefty catchers had a good advantage of getting the runner out at 1st Even today if you look at softball gloves you will find a handful of options for lefty catchers. The problem is they are much bigger than a glove a baseball player would be comfortable with. It would be like a middle infielder using a glove that outfielders use. That baseball is difficult to transfer to your throwing arm when it gets lost in your glove! Love your videos, keep up the good work!

With the whole Tag at home plate thing the Left Handed Catcher could also stand on the other side of the line to tag the runner out

The year was 1973 and all I wanted to do was play catcher but being a lefty it was forbidden but I talked the manager into it and I played catcher for a couple of games using my firstbasemens mitt. It was so fun 🤩

I love talking ANYTHING baseball! This was fun.

I was once a lefty catcher (took forever to find a glove) when I was 18, and I found it easier to pick off 1st base and and throw out runners stealing 2nd base. I turned my body about 20 degrees to the 1st base so I can quickly pick off runners and to jump up and move out of the way of the righty batters. As tagging the runners was no issue. After I couldn't play catcher in high school (even though I was better than the our righty catcher) I played 1st base "as the rule" says. Only good was that it helped me out catching all the horrible throws my team always did cause I was always able to adjust to what they threw very quickly, this was due to the speed of the pitches and the distance of the pitcher, which we all know is way faster than someone throwing it across the field at a lower speed. Sadly my sports ended due to medical issues but still miss it.

I was a left handed catcher in little league 1966-1968 and a pretty good one. Made a couple of all star teams, the league even supplied me a left handed catchers mitt!

Full disclosure: lefty here. Just watching the clips he provided, I’m kind of surprised that some really sabermetric-focused manager hasn’t tried a lefty-lefty battery. Looks to me like a lefty catcher may more effectively frame breaking pitches thrown by a southpaw. Might even be more effective with a lefty at bat... It’s weird, but true, that this is just one of those baseball things that I’ve always accepted, even though it makes little sense.

I love all the comments. This is a very interesting and debatable subject. In my case, back in the day, as some of the comments said, there were no lefty catchers mitts, so, no lefty catchers. I always wanted to catch. Even in my youth, I had a reputation as a good defensive player (couldn't hit much!), so being lefty, I always played first or right field. It wasn't until I played in an adult fast pitch softball league I got to catch. Totally different animal but.....my dreams came true!!! I've been a LL umpire for 20 years now and see more and more lefty catchers for sure.

I felt you were talking about me. Lol. You’re absolutely on point. A good arm at some point (lefties) especially without great speed for outfield will be honed toward pitching. I “loved” playing 2 position but it just isn’t (wasn’t) an option.

I was a hell of a left handed shortstop.......When I wasn't pitching that is lol. You're absolutely right. I did catch a few games just cause I wanted to try it.

I like the tailong one, lefties always had odd throwing motions. Atleast for me being a righty, they always tailed.

I caught, as a lefty, for 5 years in NABA...main reason is nobody else wanted to...I loved it back there with the tools of ignorance on..I had a wicked snap throw to 3rd base ( usually when a right handed batter was in box) caught many a sleepers lolly gagging back to 3rd base...good times great game..

You’re so right about how you can practice getting backspin on a ball because when I was in high school I taught myself how to get backspin on a ball because I always threw sidearm like my whole life but then in high school my JV coach told me to work on throwing more so over the top to move to the outfield my freshman year. By my senior year I had an absolute cannon. Then after high school I was clocked on 2 throws without warming up or anything, 1st throw 88 second throw 89.

nice desk and setup... simple yet elegant... goes well with the wall colors 👌🏾

I once saw a lefty catcher and 2nd baseman on the same defense. It was a trip.

Wow! That is something I've never thought about before.

I think you're spot on. Great Lefty pitchers are few and far between. So if you have a cannon to pick off a dude at second you can definitely work the strike zone.

When I was learning to play clarinet in elementary school, boys didn’t play the clarinet at the time. So I wasn’t taken seriously. So I wasn’t taught what I needed to become good at it.

I think you are spot on...lefty's are influenced to pitch when younger. The second reason I was thinking of...was the availability of a mit. Even if a young lefty wanted to try it out for an inning...unless he has bought his own mit...there isn't one so that opportunity never comes to fruition. Combine those two factors and it just never happens.

I bought my Grandson a Lefty's mitt when he was about 8 or 9. He only got to catch a few times. He has always been a standout lefty pitcher and lightning in a bottle in Center and on the base paths. Just signed a full ride to the U. Of Houston Cougars ( D-1 ) . That mitt took forever to get here and was mucho expensive. It all paid off. Many of the scouting journals pick him in the top 100 in America. One guy called him "no doubt 5 tool player with so many options and a natural." Great kid, too. Humble, friendly and a very filthy curve ball and up to 4 other pitches and working on his knuckle ball. Those in the know many times say his bat, fielding, and all else wants he could be "The next big thing." Sounds a bit like recruiting and scouting hod wash> In the end it will be his decision but we have confidence in him and know that he was molded by the baseball Gods so call will work out. He just threw a 7 inning no-hitter and a walk off home run .He stuck out 14 with no batted balls leaving the infield, and when he wasn't doing anything else he sold hot dogs in the stands, LOL ! Check him out if you like . His name is Malachi Lott. If he was your boy would you send him off to college or advise him to take the signing bonus money if it is big enough.

I always wanted to catch as a lefty. My parents already had to buy me a glove, cleats and registration for baseball. Asking them to buy me a right handed catchers mitt in the late 80's early 90's was for two reason hard to do. Try to find a right hand catching mitt and I guarantee the club doesn't have one to borrow you to try it out.

I was a lefty catcher until high school. My little league found a glove and let me keep it. Didn’t fly in high school, had to go 1B/OF

Interesting video. When I was about 8 or 9 I had a southpaw catcher’s mitt and I hit a batter in the head. And to validate what you said,...fast forward a couple years from that, and all I ever did was pitch

One of our local heroes when I was a boy was MLB lefty pitcher named Johnny Antonelli. Passed away in 2020, beloved in Rochester.

I remember reading about this in a book or article/column awhile back. I think there were several reasons outlined such as: 1. A left handed thrower with a good arm is likely to be converted to pitcher at some point because of how valuable left-handed pitchers are. 2. Athletic left-handed throwers are also valued at other positions such as center field or right field. Left-handed throwers that can hit well for average or power but aren't the greatest fielders or don't have great arms are likely to end up at first base. 3. Some of the points you outlined in your video. I lost my train of thought while writing #2. 😂 Great video! Keep up the great work!

This might be an oversimplification, but when we used to pick up our league issued team equipment bag, the included catcher's glove was never left handed.

I agree with all you said regarding left handed catchers. One thing that I was told a long time ago, is that lefty catchers cannot hide the signs to the pitcher. Small, I know, but that was a reason given to me. I was a righty catcher and always wondered about the lack of lefty catchers. I always thought it would create a perfect platoon situation.

Ive had the same left handed catchers glove i bought in 1977...yup i'm a southpaw and caught for my brother who was right handed We did this right thru adult baseball here in San Diego up until 1997 when at 35 it was time to hang it up...I caught plenty of flack for being a catcher but we let our playing do the talking Right down to a championship game that we lost in 9th inning because our sure handed first baseman missed an easy pop up..My brother threw a slider that basically dropped and curved away from righties right into my glove that was framed low on outside corner and righties would swing and miss all the time...The adult baseball in San Diego was an awesome league and it brought us so much joy....little reminiscing

Benny Distefano was from my neighborhood, we all looked up to him. Every offseason he would help the kids with a free clinic. He was always a catcher, but they move him to first base because he is lefty.

It's also hard to find a catches glove for a lefty. I used a first baseman's glove.

I'm a lefty. I never wanted to catch because I was afraid of getting hit in the head by the batter's bat! So I played 1B or CF, primarily CF because I was the fastest kid on the team and could cover a lot of ground quickly. I was also able to tell as soon as the ball left the hitter's bat which way it was going, so I was always there to back up the LF or RF guys. Was asked a few times to pitch, but told coaches that if they wanted a bunch of walks, I'd pitch. That comment would usually send me to CF. . . Loved playing the game when I was a kid. . .

It is so crazy that you are saying all of this because I have looked at the numbers (steal pct. w/ lefties vs righties AB and catchers throwing to first more than third)! I actually thought I was the only person in the world that even cared about stuff like this. Great Video!

Excellent arguments! As a lefty player from little league to high school, I can honestly attest for a lot of these stereotypes about a lefty. You’re almost always guaranteed to play 1st, pitcher or left field. Worked out for me cuz I love playing 1st.

My son is left handed. He tried pitching his first couple seasons of little league. He has the arm to do it. But he really isn’t in love with it. But he REALLY enjoys catching and after watching other kids in his league he seems to be a lot better than most of them. But his coaches keep pushing him to pitch or play first. Neither of which he wants to do. It really sucks because he gets discouraged.

I remember hearing years ago that it would be easier for the third base coach to pick up signs from a left-handed catcher, whose glove wouldn't be in the right place to obscure the view. Maybe not precise signals, but at least enough to tell if a pitch is going to be inside or outside. I've always found that to be the most plausibly rational explanation. To be fair, I only caught a little bit when I was 11 and stopped playing competitive baseball when I was 14, so I can't offer a truly informed perspective. But that makes more sense to me than any arguments about throws to bases or tags.

This is an awesome video. I coached a kid that was lightning quick and was willing to throw his body in front of anything to block the ball. He was also lightning quick with his release and pop time even though he wasn't the hardest thrower. Couldn't convince the high school coaches to give him a try behind the dish. I think they missed out on something special.. That being said, my opinion is that the main reason for no left handed catchers is throwing to 3rd. Unfortunately, I believe the numbers you provided regarding throws to 1st and 3rd are like comparing apples to oranges. Catchers and pitch location tend to dictate when the catcher will attempt a throw to 1st, while the runner dictates when the catcher will have to make a throw to 3rd. Back pick throws to 1st occur most often on outside pitches to right handed batters or inside pitches to left handed batters which help pull the catcher into a better position to make that throw. It will also will help a right handed catcher clear the left handed hitter to throw behind him to 1st. Therefore, back picks occur on the catchers terms. He makes the decision when to throw if things line up to be more favorable for success. On the other hand, a catcher is stuck trying to throw a runner out at third base regardless of where the pitch comes across the plate. Therefore, the throws a left handed catcher with have to throw 3rd will not be as ideal and often challenging compared to back pick throws. Just another non-expert opinion.

A small reason: But what about most little league and lower level leagues not having a catcher’s mitt for the right hand, so lefties have to learn to play ambidextrous if they want to catch? The equipment, to me, seems prohibitively expensive for lefties and hard to find. And it seems at that low level, you’re (unintentionally) making it harder for lefties to catch.

What I read, and thought it really made sense is: If there’s a throw from the outfield up the first base line or a home plate collision or anything like that, it would leave the throwing shoulder open to the runner.

Been lefty catching since I was 8 took 2 bad hits got straight up. Collisions happen and I learnt and I learnt how to make a hard throw down to second. Hard throw 3rd and first. I make excellent tags because im fast. Honestly it was hard to learn but I love catching and if you really like catching then you shouldn’t be mad if you have to learn to be fast with it.

I was a lefty catcher from Little League through early high school before switching to first. We had a straight fastballer on our LL team and our catcher at the time was scared to catch him. So I volunteered. I caught my first season with a fielders glove and ended up icing my hand, especially my index finger, after every game due to the swelling. Finally, my mom ordered me a lefthanded mitt from Rawlings for Christmas. I got a cool bar trick out of it, though, as to this day I can bend my right index finger all the way back to my hand. The reason I was always told it was rare to see a lefthanded catcher had to do with the twisting across the body to apply a tag. It was less about the efficacy of the tag and more about the exposure to bodily harm a lefty would presumably have when catching a ball with your right hand (thus, looking right, if even slightly), while a runner charges into your body (as was legal and often encouraged back then) unseen from the left. Juxtaposing this, a righthanded catcher catching with their left hand would naturally look left to make the catch and have greater awareness of the approaching runner.

I was a lefty catcher in high school, used my dad's glove he was a lefty catcher in junior college

I always thought it had to do with the angle for throwing out runners stealing second

My dad bought me a Ken Griffey jr glove rawlings in 98. Damn still able to use it to this day. But got a new rawlings which since it's new has more padding in the palm and nice and tight like my girls mitt.

good point , I agree man, I think you hit the nail on the head, this was a fun food for thought kind of video :)

I've talked about this for years but can't get the other coaches on board. Being left handed myself i can tell you they'll have a way better snap throw to 1st

I'm a lefty myself so I've taken some interest in this topic, though I never even thought about being a catcher. Before watching through the video, the reason I find most compelling is that you can't block the plate effectively while setting up to catch and tag on a close play at the plate. The legendary "can't throw down to second" reason is BS. There are quite a lot of lefty batters these days, and nobody says that a righty catcher can't prevent a steal when a lefty is hitting because the throwing side is blocked. The other good reason I've heard is that any lefty with a good enough arm to be a high-level catcher would have been steered towards pitching.

As a left handed, in high school I was put on the mound and cf. We already had a great first baseman and catching was not even given a second thought,, because lefty’s don’t catch. I three a sidearm style and threw a ball with a lot of movement away from RH batters. To another point of yours, I was throwing the same way from cf and throwing curves into the infield. After hs I played softball for many years and converted, over time, to an overhand style throwing motion and could throw straight. Thinking back on it, I wish I would have tried to catch. I didn’t like to pitch. I would have been given a chance, but never even considered it.

I was a starting catcher as a lefty in high school. Opposing teams tried to steal 3rd on me more frequently because I was left-handed but I was so used to that situation that I was able to quickly throw around the batter. I think my pickoff to first was much faster and I didn't have issues throwing to 2nd at all. As far as the tailing of a lefty throw, I was able to tail it right into 2nd on a steal and my teammates were used to it. I started catching because I hated outfield, I couldn't pitch everyday, and we had a bigger cleanup hitter on 1st. I loved every minute I had behind the dish. Great video and analysis.

They turned them into LH pitchers! Ha.....I wrote that before I watched the video btw!!!

One of my favorite catchers in high school was a lefty. It was weird as hell, but he knew the game and that's all that really mattered.

I played catcher a little bit as a lefty in little league but once I advanced into higher levels of baseball most of my time was in right and center field, second and on the mound.

Being lefty I really only Pitched and played 1st, but as I got older I started playing SS because of my arm and range and Catcher because of my game calling and arm. I use to throw people out at 3rd religiously because other teams coaches would always have people that normally can’t steal third attempt too. Also the first base pickoffs is on point, I use to rack those up. Close plays at home I would drop step backwards and my tag would a swipe moving towards 3rd from home going across the plate, even if I lose sight of the runner for a brief second I’m more able to get to my spot quicker.

We had a left handed shortstop in church league softball. He was likely the best athlete on our team. It looked really odd. He would have to field the ball then turn around to throw to first base.

FWIW Matt - I think you’ve hit the nail on the head re. leftie catcher rarity. It’s just not the *first* positional choice (catcher) for a leftie with a power arm.

My left handed story. Matt, good question. I'm a lefty, and as a kid I was always used as an outfielder mostly center because I could run like a deer. and pitcher because I was 1 of maybe 2 kids on the team that was a lefty my twin brother who is a righty who could switch hit was the third baseman on the team. but I always wanted to play the infield 3rd, or short. no first base for me the other lefty was taller so he got that job. so from Little League, Babe Ruth all the way through high school I was the centerfielder and pitcher. no legion ball for me I just stopped playing. but years later I got the bug again and started playing in some adult leagues and first in las vegas where I was living at the time. and again in New Jersey where I still live, so adult baseball for me started when I was 25 and again the teams I played for wanted to use ma as an outfielder because " I'm a lefty" so for a couple years I did the outfield thing and then I joined a new team and told the coach over the phone I played the infield and he was okay with that, but when I showed up to the first practice and he saw I was a lefty he was concerned. I told him to forget everything he heard about "No lefty" plays in the infield except at first. but I went out and started taking balls at 3rd and He saw I had a great glove and strong arm. then I went to short and did the same but he already had his guys at those positions as the years rolled along and guys had to take games off for family vacations I got to fill in. and did well. Oh and did i fail to mention I was a consistent 400 hitter. anyway back to the subject. so for a couple years I did that on teams. I then joined the military and didn't play for 12 years. but got the bug again and wanted to prove to myself that I could still play and be competitive. so I found a team than NEEDED players and signed up and they put me in the outfield where I proceeded to hurt my arm from long throws I guess, they still wanted my bat so I was moved into the infield at 2nd because of the short throws. at the seasons end I had labrum surgery and missed the next 2 years recovering, returning to the team healed and healthy and ready to claim my place in the infield, "not Taking No Anymore" and started playing 3rd and was just as good if not better than any righty in the league, our shortstop goy injured and I moved to short and man I loved it there, always being involved and man their is no better feeling than to turn a double play as a shortstop. for the next couple years I played ss or 3rd. but one year towards the end of the season the coach said we need a catcher so and so is hurt and the backup is going on vacation, so I bought all the gear including the glove from a sporting goods store (and let me tell you I was shocked they had 1 catchers mit for lefty's) and that started my career as a catcher and had done that for like 4 years as the full time catcher and it was for me even better than playing 3rd or short because your involved in every pitch, and you control the game, you get to study the batters and how the do throughout the game. and I would still be doing it if it were not that one play (as a base runner) I'm on 3rd and the guy on first is supposed to steal on the first pitch and get caught in a rundown ,and I'm supposed to sneak home while that's going on. well the catcher jumps up and fakes a throw to 2nd and I already had a big secondary at 3rd, he wheeled and threw to 3rd. I had to scramble back and slid into the bag safe but my elbow stayed locked when I hit the bag and the force pushed my shoulder out of the socket, I ended up with the dislocated right shoulder and tore that labrum. my season was over and basically my career. some 2 years later I make a comeback and do well and even continue to catch but at that time I was 60 and the game finally was catching up to me. lost almost all my speed and the arm strength was not there, I could still hit for a high avg, still top 5 in the league but I became a grandfather and wanted to spend time with them. so I retired unofficially , I still fill in towards the end of the season last year for like 4 games and still catch or play 2nd. I'll be 62 this Aug. and I'm getting the bug again......... In conclusion I would say to those who are the hardcore baseball guys, give the kid a chance to play the position he wants, don't stick to old school thinking when It comes to lefty's remember this a lefthanded person is always in his right mind. thanks for sharing this video Matt sorry for the long winded comment.

I am a lefty and was just wondering about this. Thanks!

When I played I had a coach that made all pitchers catch to better understand how difficult it is to play that position. I was left handed and still had to catch. I stopped complaining about past balls real quick. I'm pretty sure my coach was a former disgruntled catcher.

I played catcher for most of my life and I’m left handed, honestly had to work harder to do it, my biggest thing my left arm would get on the back swing so many times

I agree 100% with your conclusion.

Good video. I love learning about baseball.