Must be a new season

[Rufus]

Originally Posted by Rich Ives

You should have an issue with it. Position in shaving level ball is dependent on the pitch and situation. The catcher goes where he needs to be. The umpire has to adjust if he wishes.

Sorry, should've been more specific. I'm very clear with catchers I teach on how/why to set up, how to receive, and to be aware that they're not doing any of that for their health but to help their pitchers throw strikes. If, during the course of a game, and umpire's giving them feedback on how they're positioning themselves, particularly if they say they're getting blocked by what the catcher's doing, I want the catchers to know that so they can adjust (or at least so we can discuss it in between innings and see if there's anything to be done).

We could get into what's acceptable, and not, for a HP to request in terms of positioning (and part of my original question leans that way) but I always want my players to have a firm enough understanding of the basics that also allows them to adapt to specific game situations. Do we ever achieve that? Sometimes, but I still think adjusting and being adaptable are valuable skills to learn.