The Catcher
This player is expected to catch or stop all balls pitched or thrown to the home base. He must be fully prepared to catch all foul balls, especially "tips," and be able to throw the ball accurately and swiftly to the bases, and also to keep a bright look-out over the whole field. "Foul balls" are those high balls which are hit so as to fall to the ground back of the line of the bases, from home to first base and home to third. "Tips" are also foul balls, coming sharply from the bat to the catcher.
When a player has made his first base, the catcher should take a position nearer the striker, in order to take the ball from the pitcher before it bounds; and the moment the ball is delivered by the pitcher, and the player runs from the first to the second base, the catcher should take the ball before bounding, and send it to the second base as swiftly as possible in time to cut off the player before he can touch the base. In throwing to the base it would be as well, in the majority of cases, to send the ball a little to the right of the base. The same advice holds good in reference to a player running from the second base to the third.
The catcher should have a thorough understanding with the pitcher in regard to a code of signals by means of which he can not only direct the pitcher to throw to a base to catch a player napping off the base--as a wicket-keeper does the batsman when out of his ground in cricket--but also so as to direct him where to send a ball to the bat, high or low, in or out, as the peculiarity of the batsman's play may require. The catcher needs to be a swift and accurate thrower to the bases, a plucky player in facing and stopping swiftly-pitched balls, and a patient player in his efforts to prevent passed balls from inaccurate pitching. When facing a swift pitcher, his aim should be to stop the ball, and to be on the qui vive for sharp "tips." Off slow pitching more activity is required, as the chances offered for difficult catches from foul balls are greater.
As the position occupied by the catcher affords him the best view of the field, the person filling it is generally chosen captain, although the pitcher is sometimes selected for the position. We would suggest, however, that some other player than the pitcher be chosen for captain, from the fact that the physical labour attached to that position tends to increase the player's excitement, especially if the contest is a close one, and it is requisite that the captain should be as cool and collected as possible. The catcher, whenever he sees two or more fielders running to catch a ball, should designate by name the one he deems most likely to catch it, in which case the others should refrain from the attempt to catch the ball on the fly, and strive only to catch it in case of its being otherwise missed.