Mandatory Slide Rule

The mandatory slide rule is primarily a safety issue. A catcher parking on the line to receive a throw is more than just a safety issue, it is a coaching and an umpiring issue. First of all, a catcher who sets up initially on the baseline to receive a throw does so illegally. Any coach who teaches his catchers to do this is an idiot, a jerk, or both. At the very least, he is showing reckless disregard for the safety of the players (both the catcher and the runner).

Until he has the ball, a catcher cannot set up in the base line and block the runner's advance to the plate. This also includes the runner's view of the plate. Technically, if the runner cannot see the plate because the catcher has it fully blocked, this too is obstruction. Should a collision occur under this circumstance, the runner should be ruled safe.

Coaches should teach their catchers the proper way to set up for throws at home plate. The set up point is in front of the plate, not along the third base side. The catching position is all about footwork. Recognizing this, a coach will be sure to put a kid with the necessary athleticism behind the plate. The catcher's job is to catch the ball first, then make the proper movement toward the runner and into the baseline to close off the plate. If the throw is off line, the catcher does have the right to pursue the ball, even if this draws him into the base line. However, the impetus here is to catch the ball, not to block the plate.

In game situations, I think it is important to make the distinction between an early, illegal setup and a the proper setup. If the catcher sets up as a target for the throw on the baseline, cutting off home plate, he has deliberately created an obstruction attempt. If the throw is accurate, there is little room for a runner to avoid getting hit by the catcher or the ball. This play may appear valid, because the catcher is in-line for the throw, but the catcher's initial set is illegal. Being in line for the throw is irrelevant due to the catcher's aggressive and illegal movement prior to the throw.

Premature setups by the catcher in the baseline is a certain indicator of foolish and sometimes overly aggressive coaching. Such movement by the catcher should always be challenged! The best cure for this kind of coaching is a good umpire, one who understands and is firm on the rules. After a few calls of obstruction by the umpire, a coach should be wise enough to make the necessary adjustment. Admittedly, many youth league umpires fail to discriminate between an early, illegal set and the catcher's right to the ball. However, by making the distinction, you have at least alerted the ump that he needs to be more discerning. It may not get your run on the board, but eventually it may help to prevent unnecessary injury, as well as to motivate some kid to take more pride in his position by playing it correctly. I would also add, if you manage or coach in a local league, and another team's manager routinely sends his catcher (s) up the line, bring the issue up at a board meeting. Such a manager is a hazard to the league, and the board should intervene to correct the situation.

Anyone who has been a catcher, or has coached catchers, knows that a skilled catcher can easily make the tag at the plate without resorting to illegal tactics. The major league catchers you reference are playing at that level because their feet are quicker than all the others. With years of training and experience, they have developed that uncanny ability to give the runner the plate, and then swiftly take it away.