In the October 2009 issue of the sporting News, there's a great interview with baseball legend and pop icon- Yogi Berra. In the opening part of the interview, Yogi states:
"I like small catchers, They don't have to work as hard as tall catchers. You just bend down and you're down there"
Insightful? Or should we shake our heads and run just like the Aflac duck?
Work- Load- Torque and Range of Motion. Yogi has uncovered a lot in his most eloquent way.
Taller Catchers will express more calories in the functions of squatting shifting and moving behind the plate. Linear - lateral and vertical displacements will require greater energy expression. Body weight increases increase load on joints, however, larger frames have generally developed the joint strength to maintain additional loading. Longer femurs will create greater torque stress during knee flexion, and greater shear on the front side during throwing motions.
Does this mean taller catchers are worse off?
What happens in the ESPN highlight moment when the freight train has rounded third base and the throw from the outfield is just a little up the line? The small catcher- now plastered somewhere between the backstop and the ondeck circle may be praying for the genetics that yielded a bigger frame to absorb the impact. Taller catchers will perform more overall work, and shorter catchers may be more susceptible to ballistic collision injuries.
The average height of a MLB player is 6'1". His average weight is 207. (2007 MLB Data). So what does the strength coach do?
Strength coaches cant control the height of a player- but they can influence the weight and the type of weight. The muscle interaction on the individuals performance is all we can really affect when it comes to the athletes make-up, and understanding the effect of height- limb length and load stress on the body in the position of catching is important for overall volume adjustments in the weight room.
Height? When baseball is 90% mental- and the other half is physical...size does matter.
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