Catcher "framing" a pitch

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by CoachP

So basically a good catcher "just catches the ball" ?

No, it's more nuanced than that. A good catcher catches the ball in a manner that gives the umpire a clear look at the pitch and removes doubt from his mind that it was a strike. A catcher that sets up, sticks the pitch and isn't moving his glove all over the place or dropping the ball is doing a proper job of framing.

For example, on a low pitch at the knees, I'm more likely to ball a pitch if the catcher is turning his glove over and looks like he is digging it out. A catcher that keeps his thumb down with little or no glove movement is more likely to get a strike on that same pitch.

This of course varies by level and talent of the catchers. Sometimes you need to get strikes anyway you can.