A group of young Long Island catchers were treated to high-level education from Milwaukee Brewers catching instructor, Charlie Greene. His responsibility this season was to oversee all aspects of the catchers in the entire organization. He has been with the Brewers since 2004, following a five-year career in the Major Leagues with the New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays.
He was originally hired as the roving catching instructor, but has since been promoted. His responsibilities include everything from working with the catchers on receiving, blocking, throwing, pitch framing, pitch calling, game preparation, daily preparation, off-season training and even building relationships with their pitching staff.
He came down to B.E.A.S.T facility in Commack to work with a group of 22 middle school catchers for the Seven Tool Catching clinic, speaking to the players and also going around to each group and providing one-on-one instruction.
We spoke about his job and here’s what he had to say…
With the presence of an older catcher like Erik Kratz on the Major League roster, who has basically seen it all on the field, what kind of impact can they have on the team?
Guys like David Ross, who lives where I live, there’s a reason they’re around. The experience they provide is invaluable, and their presence behind the plate for young pitchers is invaluable. It’s a tough position to play, that’s why some of these older guys you seem them playing a long time.
It seems a lot of kids are caught up with pop times, where does that rank in terms of importance at the position?
If you had asked me 30 years ago, I’d have said it’s number one. Now that I know what’s going on, it’s a distant third. Especially today, receiving/blocking and how you handle the staff are head-and-shoulders above everything else. The throwing is important to a point, but it’s the receiving/blocking and how you handle the staff. Ultimately, you’re catching for that pitcher. You may have a couple times to throw a runner out but you’re handling hundreds of pitches per night.
We’re seeing guys like Martin Maldonado getting paid for their pitch framing abilities, what are some things that have changed over the past decade that have changed how they are being valued?
It’s date-driven now. They can tell if balls are going to be balls and strikes are going to be strikes–especially the borderline ones and the good catchers are going to steal those. The guys that are getting paid are the ones that are stealing that. It’s become more prevalent in the game and a lot of it is on the defensive side. It’s not just on the offensive side. The defensive guy is saving runs and that’s just as important as scoring them. It’s become a big deal because of all the analytics.
How important is the catching stance for a young catcher?
Any age it’s important. Your base is everything. You’ll hear in every sport, it starts from the ground up. Your base, your foundation is so important. A lot of the issues start with poor bases. When I hear guys struggle, what’s his base? Is he late? It’s all anticipation, reaction–all that has to do with your stance.
