Plate Stances

[Gulf Coast Blue]

I meant to post this last Sunday........but it slipped my mind..........

I attended the Astros 3-0 victory over the Cubs last Sunday at Enron Field and had a GREAT time (I got to see the first shutout by the Astros at Enron.....so I saw a piece of history).

The PU (Phil Cuzzi).........used a familiar stance (first brought to my attention by SteveM) as an extra wide heel-to-toe stance fully in the slot.

The stance is where your right ear (on a RHB) lines up with the left edge of the plate and your feet are MUCH wider than your shoulders so you don't have to go nearly as low. Your left heel is just in front of (or even) with the right toe.

Most MLB umpires I have watched use a scissor stance and are almost always over the catcher...........it was nice to see one use a familiar stance.

Phil was a bit more athletic than I and had a wider stance than I use (It was REALLY (I mean REALLY) wide).......

But it was still kinda cool to see this stance in a MLB Umpire.

When I first started using this stance, it did take some getting used to (Started in March 2001.......my quads hurt for at least a week).

The only thing he did that I don't think would work with girl's/women's FP is that Phil placed his inside hand on the back of the catcher.......he may have used this as an indicator on direction the catcher might go on a passed ball??

To make a long story short........how close do you get to your catcher when calling the plate?

Me.........I try and give myself enough distance to move in either direction for a trouble play (and still be able to see the plate)........this is usually about 6-12" depending on the size of the catcher. I also try and watch the shoulders of the catcher to give an indication on which direction she is going.

What stances do y'all use? And have any (all) of you tried the extra-wide box?

Joel